The Other AJ Hartford

The Other AJ Hartford Addison Michael 2023 Pages & Pie Publishing Copyright © 2023 by Addison Michael All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. ISBN: 979-8-9862920-4-5 Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Michael, Addison. The other aj hartford / Addison Michael Cover Design by Art by Karri Editing by Tiffany Avery While set in real places, this novel is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and police agencies portrayed are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to established practices or similarity that may depict actual people, either alive or deceased, are entirely fictional and purely coincidental. www.addisonmichael.com To families of victims who can’t travel back in time to save your loved ones… my heart goes out to you. Contents Prologue 1. AJ Hartford, 2015 2. AJ Hartford, 2015 3. AJ Hartford, 2015 4. AJ Hartford, 2015 5. AJ Hartford, 2015 6. AJ Harford, 2015 7. AJ Harford, 2015 8. AJ Harford, 2015 9. AJ Hartford, 2015 10. AJ Hartford, 2015 11. AJ Hartford, 2015 12. AJ Hartford, 2015 13. AJ Hartford, 1995 14. AJ Hartford, 1995 15. AJ Hartford, 1995 16. Parker Sheridan, 1995 17. AJ Hartford, 1995 18. AJ Hartford, 1995 19. AJ Hartford, 1995 20. AJ Hartford, 1995 21. AJ Hartford, 1995 22. Parker Sheridan, 1995 23. AJ Hartford, 1995 24. Parker Sheridan, 1995 25. AJ Hartford, 1995 26. Amy Jo Hartford, 1995 27. Parker Sheridan, 1995 28. AJ Hartford, 1995 29. Parker Sheridan, 1995 30. AJ Hartford, 1995 31. Parker Sheridan, 1995 32. AJ Hartford, 1995 33. Amy Jo Harford, 1995 34. AJ Harford, 1995 35. Parker Sheridan, 1995 36. Parker Sheridan, 1995 37. AJ Hartford, 1995 38. Parker Sheridan, 1995 39. AJ Hartford, 1995 40. AJ Hartford, 1995 41. AJ Hartford, 1995 42. AJ Hartford, 2015 43. AJ Hartford, 2015 44. AJ Hartford, 1995 45. AJ Hartford, 1995 46. AJ Hartford, 1995 47. AJ Hartford, 1997 48. AJ Hartford, 1997 49. AJ Hartford, 2017 50. AJ Hartford, 1997 51. AJ Hartford, 2017 Epilogue Untitled Also by Addison Michael Review Request About the Author Prologue AJ Hartford, 1995 It was one of those iconic days that would change their lives forever. They would all remember where they were, as if time froze forever in the moment before she went missing. There was no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary would happen. Some say that’s why she was taken. Because no one suspected a thing. The sun shot yellow rays of unexpected warmth down on the small town where nothing bad had ever happened. A group of eleven people were gathered in the backyard. The smell of seasoned hamburgers and hot charcoal hung in the air. “Another Night” by Real McCoy was playing from a stereo. The girls danced to the song that had stayed at the top of the charts most of the year as they sipped drinks out of red plastic cups and giggled about boys. The guys raised their voices to talk over the tune, pretending not to like the song that had been popular this year, like they were immune to the pop singers’ sex appeal. It was unseasonably warm for April, which drew all the important people in her life to the same place at the same time for an impromptu barbecue. The last barbecue AJ would ever have with her friends. Sitting on a swing in the backyard of her best friend’s house, AJ Hartford stretched her legs out to catch the bright rays, letting them warm her with an unspoken promise to change her coloring from pasty-white to an inevitable shade of pink. “The eighties were the best era ever!” One voice rose argumentatively over the dull roar of voices. AJ immediately knew that voice. Her best friend, Lacey Miller, flipped her strawberry-blond ponytail while arguing with AJ’s boyfriend, Chance. The two of them picked at each other like they were brother and sister which wasn’t too far from the truth. They were cousins and had been best friends since before kindergarten. Lacey had introduced Chance to AJ. AJ had instantly fallen for his boyish good looks, his light brown hair, and mischievous blue eyes. “Oh yeah? You like big hair and tight-rolled jeans?” Chance shot back. He might as well stick out his tongue. In this moment, he looked closer to eleven-years-old than twenty-one. Bell bottoms, which were also called hip huggers, were the current “in” jeans of the day. Most of the girls here wore a pair with a little cropped shirt showing off their flat stomachs. “Well, no. Thank gawd that’s out!” Lacey rolled her eyes emphatically. AJ watched Lacey tilt her head toward her dad. Jerry, Lacey’s dad, was grilling hamburgers for everyone. Lacey and Chance walked over seemingly to get Jerry to weigh in on their debate. Jerry was off work today, so it was no big thing for him to throw a few burgers on the grill for Lacey who’d made a rare appearance back in town from college. They were all taking a break from their college routines to sit and bask in the sun during what they assumed to be a perfect day. AJ watched with a smile on her face as Jerry declined to participate in their argument but instead pulled Chance into a conversation he was having with Skip, Jerry’s best friend. The two dads grilled burgers while drinking beers. They were all talking and laughing loudly. It sounded like they were discussing Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA. “Hey!” Jerry said suddenly. “You worked on DOS yet?” “No,” Skip responded. “What the hell is that? I’m in construction, remember?” “It’s this computer operating system. It’ll make those machines do a lot more. Been out for five years but there are new programs coming out everyday…” Chance waved at them but