with a male whom authorities have identified as Charles Hays, who is now wanted for questioning in the Battes kidnapping and whose arrest warrant is also being issued for numerous parole violations.
Hays, convicted of voluntary manslaughter, felony theft, and unlawful weapons possession, is a well-known associate of alleged art thief and illegal tradesman Benjamin Walden. Walden and Hays were both incarcerated at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Walden was convicted of second degree murder in 1996. He was paroled in 2010, but failed to maintain contact with the state and remains at large. Hays, paroled in 2009, has also failed to maintain the terms of that parole agreement, and has now been positively identified by witnesses and camera footage as the male Miss Battes was speaking with.
Both men are considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances. Any citizen with any information should contact their local authorities or FBI office.
I clicked the back button and looked over at Charlie. His expression of complete apathy made me tremble. Could I really be in the presence of a killer?
“Is that stuff true?”
He shrugged. “You can’t believe everything you read.”
“Are you a murderer?”
His eyes searched mine for the right answer. When he couldn’t decide what it was, he was honest instead. “Only when I got to be.”
My throat felt like it was closing up on me. “Are you going to kill me?”
“I thought I made it real clear I wasn’t gonna do that.”
“Why?” Why was I arguing? I had no idea but the question blurted out of me before I had time to stop it.
He seemed to enjoy my interrogation, “ ‘Cause I don’t kill girls.”
“That’s sexist.” I frowned.
He started laughing. “Are you complaining?”
“I guess not.” I couldn’t help it. His laugh made me smile. “It’s still sexist.”
“’Sides,” he said, taking the laptop, “you make me laugh.”
I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or insult. “Um, thanks?”
“And…” He stretched out the word in an exaggerated fashion and leaned over me just slightly. I pretended to flinch away. Under normal circumstances it might appear as though we were flirting. I suppose it was entirely possible that we were, though I was leaning more toward my lack of sanity. “You can’t kill a dead girl.”
He laughed at my expression and typed something else into the search engine. “This stuff is hilarious.” Then he handed me back the computer and waited impatiently for my reaction.
“Kidnapping Victim Feared Dead”
Less than 48-hours after Adeline Battes was reported missing from a rest stop outside of Syracuse New York, FBI investigators discovered the body of auto body truck driver, Spenser Hanson in the empty cab of his vehicle. Investigators have also learned that nearly one-half of a million dollars in electronic parts being carried were now unaccounted for. From there, authorities gained descriptions of Charles Hays, who is now the prime suspect in relation to the kidnapping of Adeline Battes (see above), and is now being investigated for charges related to domestic terrorism and murder.
Early this morning, local authorities and FBI agents followed evidence that led them to an abandoned home in Staten Island, New York, where forensics teams found both the finger prints of Benjamin Walden and Charles Hays, in addition to the blood and hair follicles of Adeline Battes. Additional evidence also shows that the other individuals may have been working to create some sort of explosive device within the basement of the house.
An anonymous statement from a junior FBI agent says, “Given the amount of blood found at the scene, it is unlikely that Miss. Battes is still alive. These aren’t the kind of people to leave witnesses. We need to make the explosives a priority now before more lives are lost.”
“This is a nightmare.” I ran my fingers through my hair. Walking around and the fresh air had helped my headache, but with this new bombardment of information, I could feel the sharp sting at the back of my skull flaring up again.
“Really?” Charlie said, “I think it’s pretty funny.”
I glared at him. “Oh yeah? Do your—” I chose my words carefully, “—colleagues think it’s so funny?”
“Nah, they’re real mad. But they’ll get over it.”
I clicked out of the link and tried to open up my e-mail. Charlie had the computer out of my hands and into his own before I could hit the caps lock.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“I have to contact my Dad. He has to be going crazy!”
He jumped up with the laptop and crossed the room, eager, it would