by J. R. Tate
“Can I help you?” The female desk sergeant leaned forward, motioning him and Cassie up to the counter.
“We need to report our daughter missing.”
The woman nodded and scribbled something down on a piece of paper, motioning toward another uniformed cop nearby. “Go with him. He will take your statement in a more private area.”
Charlie and Cassie followed, and he glanced toward his ex-wife, whose eyes were red and swollen. He felt horrible for all of this. They had to find her. She had to be okay. This sort of thing only happened on crime shows. Not to them.
The cop invited them to sit in two chairs across from his desk, and he grabbed a pen from a nearby cup, pulling his notepad from his lapel pocket.
“I’m Officer Leven. Can I get your daughter’s full name?”
“Skylar Marie Wright,” Cassie responded, her voice shaking.
“Date of birth?”
“July fourth.” Cassie glanced at Charlie. “In 2001.”
She was their little firecracker baby. Charlie swallowed hard, thinking about the nickname he had given her on her birthday. His little firecracker, and her temper matched it.
“When did she go missing?” Officer Leven looked up from his notes, a genuine look of concern on his face.
“I uhh…” The bile was thick in the back of Charlie’s throat, and he coughed to clear it. “She got a ride after school back to my house. I let her stay there alone when I went to pick up Gavin at the bus stop. When we got back, she wasn’t there. I called her and left a voicemail, but she hasn’t gotten back to me, so I hurried back to the house… Cassie’s house, and she called some parents she knows. No one has seen her.”
“Do you have a current picture of her?”
Charlie pulled his wallet out, slipping a small one from the plastic picture holder inside. “It’s her school photo for this year.” He took a long look at it before handing it over to the cop. Her smile was big and there was so much light behind her eyes. She looked a lot like Cassie in it and it made his heart ache.
The cop put it with his stack of paperwork. “Since there is no confirmation that she has been abducted, we can’t issue an Amber Alert, but I will send out a notification to all of the cops on duty tonight. We will look for her. This is bumped up as priority.”
“You can’t issue an Amber Alert?” Cassie leaned forward, wiping her nose with a tissue.
“No ma’am, unfortunately we can’t. There has to be certain criteria, and since no one actually saw her get abducted and we don’t have a description of the abductor, an Amber Alert won’t be issued. That doesn’t mean we won’t look for her. We take these reports seriously.”
Charlie wasn’t sure why, but he believed Officer Leven. Hopefully he wasn’t just handing them a line of crap. “So what do we need to do?” Charlie felt lost. What does a person do when their kid is missing?
“Go back to the house. Make phone calls. Earlier you mentioned Cassie’s house. Do you two not live together?”
“No, we’re divorced.” It was the first time Charlie had actually said it and it seemed foreign, like he wasn’t speaking English.
“How was everything with your daughter before school this morning? Or even after, when she was at your house, Mr. Wright?”
“Everything was fine this morning when she went to school,” Cassie said. “Whatever happened at his house, I can’t say.”
Charlie glanced at Cassie and back to Officer Leven. “We got into an argument about her not telling us she got a ride. I took her phone because I couldn’t get her to look at me. But she calmed down when I said she could stay behind. It was a normal fight with a girl her age.” Leaning forward, Charlie felt like he was going to go crazy. “Officer Leven, I need your complete honesty right now. I know you don’t have much to go on, but what does this sound like to you? I’ve seen all over the news about human trafficking and the drug cartel. Could…” Charlie paused and scrubbed his hand down the side of his face. This was too hard to even ask. “Could Skylar have gotten picked up by one of them?”
Officer Leven leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. Heaving a deep sigh, he looked at Cassie and back to Charlie, his brow creased. “I think we need to take this one step at a time, Mr. Wright. Fourteen-year-old girls sometimes try to run away. Sometimes they aren’t the best with communicating with their parents. They’re at that age where they think they’re an adult now and can make their own decisions. I have a fourteen year old too, so I’m living it right now. Let’s hope it’s just a runaway situation and she’ll turn up. No need to jump to worst-case scenarios. You say you argued with her. Girls are sensitive. Maybe she’s just blowing off steam and she’ll show back up.”
“But what if… what if she did get kidnapped and we’re going in the wrong direction? Every second is crucial.”
“Go back to your house, Mr. Wright. I’ll get our best detectives on this. There’s no sense in what ifs. I know it’s easier said than done. But you’ve gotta trust us. Like I said, we don’t take missing children lightly.”
Charlie didn’t want to leave. It was like he had a sense of satisfaction sticking around, but at the same time, he wanted to do some looking of his own. He couldn’t just sit around and make phone calls. He couldn’t wait around, hoping she’d show up on the front porch. Something was off. This wasn’t like Skylar. Not once had she ever rebelled against them, at least, not at this level. There was a first time for everything, and he hoped that Officer Leven was on the right track.
The drive back to Cassie’s house was quiet, and when he pulled into the driveway, she didn’t even say a word as she got out. He followed her to the front door and inside, and her glare was like ice.
“Say something, Cass.”
She sat down on the couch and pulled her hair out of her face. “What do you want me to say?”
Sitting on the arm of the couch, Charlie pulled his phone from his pocket, hoping Skylar had called back, but the screen was blank. “We’re going to find her.”
“I just can’t believe this is happening. I finally trust you to take them and look where we are.” Looking up at him, her hands shook and she held her stare for a few seconds. “Look where we are!” Her voice was loud enough to echo in the quiet house and it made Charlie jump.
“You can’t blame this on me, Cassie.”
Standing, she began to pace on the other side of the coffee table, reaching for a cigarette out of a package on the nearby shelf. He didn’t know she had picked up her old habit.
“I need you to leave.” Putting the cigarette to her lips, she began to cry and it fell out of her mouth.
“We’ll find her,” Charlie whispered, hurt that Cassie was blaming him. Maybe it was his fault. Maybe he should’ve actually gone to the school instead of waiting on the damn bus. “Please…”
“I need you to leave!” Cassie repeated, only this time, she yelled it at the top of her lungs.
There was no point in saying anything else. His instinct was to pull her in for a hug and reassure her, but now that they were divorced, any desire to comfort her had faded. Walking past her, he opened his mouth to say something, but held it in. Cassie turned away from him, walking toward the kitchen.
Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Does Gavin need to stay with your mother tonight?” They had another child to worry about. He didn’t deserve to suffer in the middle of all of this.
“Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t want him to come up missing too. Now get out before I call the police.”
Stepping outside, Charlie took a deep breath. What was he going to do now?
“C’mon Skylar, where in the hell are you?” He was on the verge of crying or punching a wall – both emotions so strong that he was capable of anything at the moment.
Chapter Three
Mary stared out of the side window of the bar. She hadn’t heard from Charlie since he had left to go pick up his kids, and she hoped he was having a good time with them. Slipping her phone fr
om her pocket, she glanced down at the screen – two text messages and a missed call, but none were from him. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but he said he’d call her and that was something he always stuck to.
Walking to the back, she nodded toward Ed, one of the cooks, and dialed Charlie’s number and it rang twice and went to voicemail.
“Hey Charlie, I hope you’re having fun with your kiddos. No need to call me back. I just wanted to make sure that Cassie didn’t back out. Talk to you later.”
She put her phone back in her pocket and took a deep breath. In all the years she had known Charlie, he was never one to be tied to his phone, so why was she worried?
“Mary, you back here?” Devon wiped his hands with a towel and smiled when he saw her leaning against the wall. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course. I was just taking a break. What’s up?”
“The bar is dead. How about you take the rest of the night off? I know,” Devon held his hand up and cocked his head to the side. “You depend on tips, but how about I give you your share tomorrow, yeah?”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that. Besides, you’re right. It’s dead and I’m pretty tired. Keep what tips you get. Call me if it gets busy. It is Friday night, so it could pick up.”
“Fat chance. Everyone is at the football game. I guess it depends on if we win or lose if people show up.” Devon laughed and patted her on the shoulder.
“With as shitty as our team is, people will come in to drown their sorrows. Anyway, call me, seriously. I’ll have my phone on. One night this week I’ll let you off, okay?” Mary usually would turn down an offer to leave, but her mind was on other things. Charlie was with his kids. That’s what it came down to. But there was something else going on. The poor guy had just finalized his divorce. She wasn’t sure how this would affect him in the long run.
When she got out to her car, Mary felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. Sighing, she relaxed when she saw Charlie’s name flash on the screen.
“Hey Charlie, you didn’t have to call back. I’m sure those kids are keeping you busy.”
“Mary…” His voice shook and trailed off. “They’re not…”
“They’re not what?” Unlocking her door, she plopped down in the driver’s side and gripped the steering wheel. The tension in his voice made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“They’re not here.”
“What? Did she back out? You’ve gotta be shitting me!”
“No. She didn’t back out. Can you come over?”
How could she say no? “Yeah, I’ll be right there.” Hanging the phone up, she merged out onto the street and accelerated faster than she probably should have. She wanted to kill Cassie. How could a woman put him through something like this? He was a damn good father and she was a heartless, horrible person.
The drive to his house felt like it took forever. She hit every red light on the way, and her heart sank when she saw Charlie sitting on the porch, a beer bottle in his left hand, dangling near his leg, his head ducked. He didn’t even look up to see who was pulling into his driveway.
Slamming the car door shut, she sat beside him. “What in the hell is going on, Charlie?”
Looking up, his eyes were red and swollen. He looked defeated. Swiping the back of his hand over his mouth, he arched his eyebrow and looked out toward the street.
“I can’t find Skylar.” Clearing his throat, he said, “We… can’t find her.”
“You can’t find her?” Mary’s heart began to beat so hard it felt like it was going to thump out of her chest. “Char…”
Cutting her off, he drank the rest of the beer and tossed the bottle in the yard. “I’ve driven all over this town. I’ve probably looked in every fucking dumpster…” He clenched his fists and his jaw tightened. “I just… FUCK, I don’t know!” His voice rose and echoed and he buried his face in his hands.
“And the police? What are they saying?” Was this a nightmare? Was she asleep in her bed, only to wake up to this all being false? She wished, but the emotion was too thick to be anything but reality.
“No Amber Alert. But they are looking.” He made quotation marks with his fingers. “They are considering her a runaway. Can you believe that shit?”
“No Amber Alert?” It was hard for Mary to breathe. She had known Skylar since she was a little girl. If she was feeling that way, she could only imagine what turmoil Charlie was going through.
“She wasn’t witnessed being abducted. There’s some kind of bullshit criteria that has to be met to issue one. But I heard a broadcast on the radio. They are getting word out. They mentioned social media – post it on Facebook and Twitter, get her picture out, all that technical stuff. Hell, I don’t even have a Facebook. Do you?” He glanced at Mary, his sideways glare sharp.
“I do. I can post about it, yeah. I can do whatever you need me to do, Charlie.”
Standing up, he began to pace. Raking his hands through his hair, he picked up the empty bottle he had just thrown into the grass and tossed it back and forth between both hands. He was jittery and unable to sit still. Mary didn’t blame him for being unable to stay calm.
“I thought you worked tonight.” He stopped walking back and forth for a moment, but began again.
“I did, but it was slow. Devon is taking care of it. Don’t worry about my work schedule, okay? What do you want me to do, Charlie? Do you want to make posters? I’m not sure…” Mary stopped and smoothed her hand down the back of her neck as she looked up at him. What does one do when their child is missing?
“I’ve looked everywhere, Mary. I guess I can start knocking on doors. Start showing her picture to people.”
Charlie sat back down and grabbed Mary’s hand, squeezing it so tight that it hurt, but Mary wouldn’t have pulled away for anything. His callused palms were worked hard. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Hadn’t he been through enough?
“How is Cassie taking this?” It probably wasn’t the best question to ask him, but curiosity got the best of her.
He shook his head and kept his eyes closed. A sarcastic laugh escaped from his throat and he released the grip on her hand. “She blames me.” It came out as a whisper, but Mary heard him loud and clear.
“I’m sorry, Charlie. You do know this isn’t your fault, right?”
“How can you be so sure, Mary?” Opening his eyes, he looked at her, shaking his head. “I let her stay here alone! I should’ve made her get in the damn truck. Why did I let her talk me out of it?” He slammed his fist into his chest.
“No.” Mary bit her bottom lip. This was rough. It was impossible to reason with him, nor did she expect him to be levelheaded in the first place. “It’s not your fault, Charlie. And for Cassie to blame you like this is complete bullshit. I hope you’ll realize that once the dust settles.”
“Who says the dust will settle?” He glared at her. His green irises that were normally full of life and light were dull. The negativity had completely zapped his attitude. She felt awful for even thinking it was wrong for him to act this way.
“It will, Charlie. And I’ll say this again. This is not your fault. I don’t care how many times you’ve analyzed this in your head. Getting to the school might not have done a thing. You have done everything you can do.”
“No, I haven’t. I haven’t done everything until my baby girl is found. I’m gonna go door to door. Maybe someone has seen her. Maybe they’ve seen her get pulled into a car or something.”
“Charlie, that’s what the cops are doing. Don’t wear yourself out. Get some rest.” What was she doing? He wasn’t going to listen to her. She probably wouldn’t if the tables were turned and it was her kid. Nothing would keep her away from doing something.
“I can’t sit around, Mary. I just can’t.”
“I know. I’m here every step of the way. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
Nodding, he reached out and took her hand again. “I don’t want to be alone right now. C
an you stay for a bit?”
“I’ll stay as long as you need me to, Charlie. I’m right here.” Though the circumstances were grim, there was nowhere else Mary would rather be at that moment.
***
Charlie knew it was a lost cause. Going door to door, shoving Skylar’s picture in people’s faces was only making him look like a crazy person. If they had seen what he was asking them about, wouldn’t they have gone to the police anyway? An old lady slammed her door in his face, leaving him on her porch, sick with worry and feeling helpless.
Walking down the steps to his truck, he shook his head and glanced at Mary through the front window. It was crazy that she had rode along with him. He had been at it for three hours with no progress.
“Charlie, I know you don’t want to hear this, but how about we call it a night? It’s getting dark. People are going to stop answering, or even worse, greet you with a gun.”
Sitting in the driver’s side, Charlie glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “What’s the definition of insanity?” He paused for a moment before answering himself. “Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.”
“This will have a good result, Charlie. She’ll make it home safely.”
He had so much to say, but no energy to get it out. He double-checked his phone to make sure no one had contacted him. He parked the truck in his driveway and turned to face Mary. He didn’t want to be alone, but at the same time, he deserved it. He deserved to be shoved into a room all by himself for losing his kid. What kind of father let something like that happen?
