Mystery #4 Kristy and the Missing Child

[agnesbriggs]

OK so here's the deal, I deleted my LJ over a year ago and forgot that I started writing the BSC snark for Kristy and the Missing Child.  Well, I ended up finding the book at the back of my closet and had a deep pang of nostalgia, so I cranked it out and decided to come back for a job well-done.  (Also, I'm sort of lacking inspiration for a short

Comments

[automaticdoor]

Actually, they'd totally file a missing person's report on an 8-year-old who was suspected to have been abducted by a non-custodial parent ASAP. I'm guessing since this is Stoneybrook and Mrs. Kuhn has already gone over everything with the cops, it's pretty logical that they did track down Kristy already. Time is so crucial when you're dealing with missing people of any age, but especially vulnerable groups like children and seniors. The 24-hour thing is largely a myth at this point anyway in many places if there's reasonable suspicion to think that something has gone wrong.

[raven_rabit]

Er yeah, I was going to say... People go absolutely haywire when children end up missing. I thought they did this everywhere in the US, but here in WA we have the Amber Alert? They have digital billboards over major highways/freeways that change with description of the child, and if they have a suspect car, they'll include the make/model/plate number. The news stations are all over it, interrupting local broadcasts and on the radio Also it's all over FB like the plague. [Interesting note: Whenever they're looking for anyone locally, either a kid, a suspect, or another person, my FB wall is just spammed w/the picture and description. I'm not complaining btw, just something I noticed.]

But yeah, usually when an 8 year old doesn't come home and isn't at a friends' place, the police will take your call v. seriously and get right on it.

[automaticdoor]

Yes, we have the Amber Alerts here too in all states, as does Canada. In a lot of states in the US there are also now Silver Alerts for missing seniors. It's quite effective--recovery rates are extraordinarily high with a lot of direct attribution to the alert itself. I always get choked up when I see those because generally those mean that someone's gotten disoriented and lost who has at least mild dementia and it's hard to sort that out, but the success rates are huge, as I said, so at least there's that.

[raven_rabit]

Oh I like this idea of "Silver Alerts." There was an elderly man with dementia who was lost recently and it was posted all over FB until they found him.

[raven_rabit]

Wouldn't it be grand to sit the BSC down for a marathon of Criminal Minds or something?

[duchess_julia]

I can see her calling Kristy to see if she knew where he went, but NOT taking time to talk about everything else. "Hi, Jake didn't get home yet, do you know where he went? No? Okay, bye." End of call.

Kids the age of these girls might have a harder time understanding that someone can be nice and volunteer but be an asshole, or even volunteer to mask being an asshole.

Police can talk to minors without parents if the minor isn't a suspect. In that situation, a parent or attorney must be called. But for a missing child, no. Also presumably the cops went to her house first and Elizabeth or Nanny told them where she was and consented to the police talking to her, though you'd think one of them would rush over there to hold her hand. I'm a mom, and that's what I'd do. She's not being questioned as a suspect, so no, they won't be dragging her to the precinct, or have to call in an adult for her.

[momofquacker]

I just want to say (on your last point) when my mom died (fire) my best friend's mom got me from school and brought me to her house about 30 minutes or so away. At the time I didn;t know what happened. While I was there the police came and questioned me, with just my friend's mom in the room- not my dad, or aunt and uncle, or any relative. So to me, that scene in the book didn;t sound off at all.

[kakeochi_umai]

I love how Miss Assertive is carrying things that a 7-year-old, 8-year-old and 5-year-old are perfectly capable of carrying by themselves.

I also love No Child Left Behind as Kristy's slogan. From Mystery #7 onwards, all she has to do is add "...they can still come and watch the Krashers games!"

Isn't she supposed to be with a man she can walk all over, like a male version of MA?
There's a whole genre of chick lit about strong, super-successful women getting hugely turned on when they finally meet a guy who'll stand up to them. Oh God, now I'm picturing a Louise Bagshawe novel about Kristy and Bart, where Bart's huge and muscly and hung like an elephant, and when Kristy starts ordering him around he just says "Shut up and fuck me."

Haha, oh man, I take it back, Bart is completely emasculated.
Damn.

[glitterberrys]

1. What little kid hates spaghetti?! So weird and random. Also, I know Patsy's only five, and I know kids that age are blunt little ingrates, but don't most five-year-olds know not to scream I HATE THIS DINNER! at someone who's having them as a guest?

2. I'm pretty sure Patsy and Laurel aren't stupid enough to not realize that there brother isn't around. Especially since he's so huge. (Seriously, was he fat before? Why doesn't the BSC torment him like Ethel or Normal Hill?)

3. How does Kristy expect her kids to get better if she only lets the "best" pitcher pitch? That makes no damn sense.

4. The parents in the 'Brook really are inappropriate, and also stupid. Think your ex-husband took your kid? CALL THE POLICE, NOT A BABYSITTER, JESUS.

[glitterberrys]

Also a couple of days ago I was just thinking that I hoped someone would snark this one...awesome timing :D You're very funny!