The Promise Read Online Free Page B

door. As she sits down, he hands her some ice water giving her a chance to calm down and collect herself. 
     
    He waits several minutes before he speaks to her.  "Thank you, again, for coming down to see us. We want to help you at this very difficult time."
     
                  Mrs. Taylor nods calmly and seems to understand that she is safe with the police department. She begins to speak slowly at first and as her composure returns she relaxes and talks about her daughter, 
     
    "Allison means a great deal to me. I do not know what has happened to her or why I just want to see her face again.
     
    I want to tell her that everything is going to be all right. I want to tell her that she is safe and that no one will hurt her, but, I don’t know if that is really true." 
     
    Ashley Taylor is struggling with her emotions and Mike Gallagher senses it. 
     
                  "Mrs. Taylor, we all want Allison back and she knows that you love her. Can you think of any reason why this happened?"
     
                  This question causes the lady to stop and temporarily halt her emotional slide. She thinks about the question while the two interviewers sat there patiently.
     
    Finally, she speaks, “I don’t know. I have been thinking about this all day. Knowing my daughter and how caring she is it might have something to do with it. And, of course, “The Promise,” that’s all I can think of right now.”
     
                  Gallagher and Larsen quickly look at each other, "The Promise?” What exactly is that, Mrs. Taylor?"
     
                  The Promise is made up of a group of girls from her prep school. They made up a secret club that swears lifelong allegiance to each other no matter what the cost. 
     
    It is based around a promise that if any of them got into trouble they would all stop what they were doing and meet to solve it, no matter the cost to any of them. 
     
    I think someone called Allison telling her to come to a secret place for the sake of one of the girls in that group."
     
                  Gallagher was a little mystified. He asked the next question gently, "Mrs. Taylor, has Allison ever disappeared before and gone to these, uh, “Promise” sessions in the past?"
     
                  "Not that I am aware of, no. But, on one occasion she told me that a day might come when she might be called to assist in the need of a friend and not to worry because she would be back shortly." 
     
    At that, Mrs. Taylor lets out a small smile and seems to breathe a sigh of relief. "That is what it is, The Promise. Yes.
     
    She will be all right, she is actually fine and here I am babbling like there is a problem or something. Everything is good. I am sorry to take up your time. I shall be going now."
     
                  Mike Gallagher recognizes that his interviewee is lapsing into a state of shock. 
     
    He goes to her side and helps her sit back down.
     
    Elie goes to the phone in the outer office and dials the hospital. "I need a couple of paramedics right away to campus precinct number 19. My name is FBI agent Elie Larsen and I have a lady going into shock. She is approximately forty-five years of age and will need a sedative immediately.
     
    Please come quickly!"
     
    Hanging up the phone, she runs to a storage closet and retrieves a blanket and returns to the conference room.  Together, she and Detective Gallagher help Mrs. Taylor to a nearby couch and place the covering over her.
     
    As they wait for the ambulance to arrive they hear her murmur over and over,  "It's The Promise, she will be fine. It's The Promise. I understand now."
     
    Within six minutes, the paramedics arrive and carefully place the lady on a stretcher and quickly load her into the vehicle.
     
    As it speeds off, Mike Gallagher wonders aloud, "A secret club from high school? I would never have expected that from the level-headed Allison