Facts

Here are all the facts of the case:

Victoria Krell. Sixteen-year-old student at the local high school. Sticks mostly to herself, doesn't bother anyone, prefers the company of books over that of a regular human being. My kind of girl were I not ten years older than her. Black hair with purple streaks, hazel eyes, make-up overdose, a little on the chubby side.

Dad skipped out on her when she was two, hasn't been back since. Mom's been drinking since her high school years and it doesn't look like she's quitting any time soon. Gets average grades, not really a part of any school activities, just sticks to her own self. Only thing showing signs of depression is a history of cutting, but that was in middle school and she's been seeing a therapist for it.

Started drawing at the end of middle school, used to do it only habitually. It was only in recent months that she started drawing all the time. Before it was just sketches of the environment and people she saw, but then it turned into the freaky shit we found in her room. Her grades fell, and she grew even more withdrawn from society than she already was. Teachers voiced concern, but she just blew them off.

Over the last two or three months she reported to her therapist that someone had been stalking her. Guy in a suit, standing outside her window peering in on her. Her therapist didn't really know what to think about it, so she didn't act on the situation. Police was called in after an alleged attempt to break in, but they reported finding nothing in their report.

I guess after that was when she started getting more and more aggressive. One day she reportedly punched the lights out of some cheerleader girl that made a comment on her clothes. Girl ended up with a broken wrist and two black eyes; on last word she still hadn't fully recovered. Then there was the incident from when her mother tried to take away the sketchbook. Teachers reported a general sense of anger and fear around her. It was like she was on constant watch all around her, careful attention paid to her surroundings at all times.

I guess in the end, it all became too much for her. Last her mother heard from her was when she came down the stairs and walked right out the front door. Thought she was just going to the car for something. Now she has no idea where she is, and neither does the rest of the world.

From the information presented, I gathered three facts. One, someone had been following her. Whether it was all in her head or someone was definitely there, someone's presence kept her freaked out at all times. Two, eventually the stalking got to the point that it changed her entire personality. And three, whoever it was, no one else could see it.

Things I don't understand: She claimed that the guy kept peering into her room through the window. Only problem there is that her room is located on the second floor, and for a rundown shack, it's pretty high up for someone to look in without a ladder. And these people don't own a freaking ladder, and there are no car imprints other than the one they own, so however the hell they got up there is a mystery in itself. Climb a tree, sure, but none of them are that close to the window.

Also, why was this man only stalking her? And how could he remain hidden when police searched the area? Granted, it's a huge wood, but someone had to have heard something, right? Unless fucking Big Foot came and ate her, it seems a little unnatural that someone could be coming around constantly and not be seen or heard by anyone.

Then again, with the drunk mom and living in the middle of nowhere, maybe that was what made her the perfect suspect to victimize.

And then there's the sketchbook. All the fucked-up drawings. Sometimes just of the guy, and sometimes of the Tentacle Man. The guy I'm guessing is the one stalking her...but why doesn't he have a face? And why are his arms bent at that weird angle in every single picture? The pictures of the people she had sketched all had faces...so why not this guy?

And why does he seemingly turn into a monster? What the hell does that mean? I've gone over every possible scenario, what it could all possibly symbolize, but in the end I'm limited by how much I don't know. If the girl was here, maybe I'd have a better idea, but then again, if she were here, I wouldn't be having to deal with all of this to begin with.

My partner, Elizabeth Armeen, is obsessed with the drawings. Back and forth she keeps flipping the pages of the sketchbook, trying to catch something, so absorbed into it that not even me joking about her lack of a sex life is enough to rouse her. It actually annoys me. I had been hoping for a “wham bam thank you ma'am” tonight. Guess that's not happening.

When Lizzie really gets into a case, good luck tearing her away from it until it's over.

Me, I go over the facts, but other than my initial reactions and thoughts, I'm stumped. Where would she go...or better yet, where would he take her?

I just wouldn't mind wrapping this case up before the morgue gets another occupant.