The Search for Skylar

by J. R. Tate

  “I can’t wait to prove you wrong,” Charlie replied, clenching his hands, feeling the sweat on his palms. He was shaking, his anger at a level he had never felt before.

  “And how will you do that in a cell?”

  Charlie didn’t answer, and was relieved when the same uniform cop that put him in the interrogation room helped him to the booking area. They handed him a plastic panel with his name and date of birth on it and he faced the camera for his mug shot. After that, they took his fingerprints and sat him down beside a phone.

  “You’ve got five minutes,” the guard said, and sat at an adjacent desk to wait.

  Charlie hesitated before he called Mary. He glanced at the clock nearby. It was after eight and she was probably blowing up his cell phone wondering where he was.

  Dialing her number, he closed his eyes, embarrassed, though he knew she’d understand.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Mary, it’s me.” His voice cracked and he glanced at the jailer who was chatting with another guy.

  “Charlie? Is everything okay?”

  “Not really. I’m in jail.”

  “What? Why?”

  “You know when I texted you that I had an errand to run? I stopped by Cassie’s. I wanted to…” He stopped himself for a second, wondering if the call was being recorded. “Listen, I’m not sure who is listening, but I can’t talk long. Can you do me a really big favor?”

  “Of course, Charlie. What do you need me to do?”

  “I need you to come down here in the morning. I should find out how much my bail will be. I’ve got a little money saved up, but we can use a bail bondsman for the rest. Just be here in the morning. Can you get off work?”

  “Yeah. That’s not a problem.”

  Charlie nodded and ran his finger down the phone cord. “Thanks. I’ll explain more later. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you right now. And thanks, for always being there for me.”

  “I’ll be there in the morning.”

  “Love you,” Charlie whispered, now more paranoid about their relationship since the detectives had mentioned it.

  “I love you too.”

  Charlie hung the phone up and shook his head. He’d understand if Mary wanted nothing to do with him after this. She had the patience of a saint, and she should’ve already kicked him to the curb.

  “Let’s get you to a cell. You’ll see the judge in the morning.”

  Charlie felt the jailer’s grip on his arm as he shoved him back to the cells. It was going to be a long night and all Charlie could think about was getting out and finding Skylar. He needed to see his daughter, to physically hug her, to know she was safe and away from whatever hell she was going through. Detective Garza was hell bent on her being dead. Charlie hoped the asshole was wrong.

  Chapter Ten

  Detective Garza flipped through the notebook he had confiscated from Charlie. There were several entries about friends, drama at school, and a cute boy she had met on the bus. After about the fourth entry about the same stuff, he closed the cover and tossed it on his pile of paperwork.

  “About to give up for the night?” Milson sat at her desk and blew on her mug of coffee.

  “I don’t know. You can go home if you want. Don’t you have a fiancé waiting for you?”

  “Maybe. Are you still certain that Wright is our guy?”

  He pointed at the journal with his pen. “Why was he so set on getting that?”

  His partner shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you.”

  “Maybe there’s something in there about him. Maybe Skylar was scared of him and wrote about it.”

  “All speculation,” Milson said, propping her legs up on her desk. “All we have is speculation on this guy. He’s a local. He owns that mechanic shop downtown. No criminal record. People around town claim he’s a stand up guy. Helps old ladies carry their bags, helps change flats on the side of the road. Do you really think he killed her?”

  “There’s a first time for everything, Milson. I think he went bat shit crazy after his divorce. He and his daughter were seen arguing right before she went missing. He’s sleeping with Mary Reynolds. That seems weird to me too. Are you second guessing what we have?”

  “From my perspective, we don’t have anything. Having sex with a woman doesn’t make him a criminal. He’s human, and he and Mary Reynolds have been friends forever. If we were basing this entire case on sleeping around, Cassie should be arrested too. She’s been with more than one guy since all of this.”

  “It was fun bringing that woman into the mix. Did you see the look on Charlie’s face when we said Mary might be involved? That hit a nerve with him. And tonight he’s boarding in our lovely nine by nine cells. I’d say that’s a step in the right direction.” Detective Garza was happy about that. Charlie was right about one thing – Detective Garza wanted to see that asshole in cuffs and behind bars, even if the charge wasn’t for the case they were working.

  “Yeah, but you know damn well he’ll be out tomorrow. Cassie Wright is so messed up she won’t know what’s going on. She’s not of sound mind right now. It’s a technicality and no judge is going to hold him on something like this since he’s got a clean record. I’d be surprised if he even has to post bail.”

  Cassie Wright was another story. That was something he could prove with one hundred percent certainty – she was a junkie, plain and simple, and she didn’t even try to hide it. Technically, she should have been the one behind bars, but she didn’t kill Skylar. She didn’t fit the mold.

  “You are so pessimistic, Milson.” He glanced at his watch. “Go on home. I’m going to do a little more reading in this journal and I’ll call it a night as well.”

  After she left, Garza thumbed through a few more pages. There was no hint at Charlie being an awful father. If anything, she had mentioned a few times that she hated her parents divorcing and would have rather lived with him. That didn’t help his theory on Charlie being a killer, but it also didn’t eliminate him as a person of interest.

  Filing the journal with his notes, he grabbed his jacket. This was turning into a cold case. They were a month in. The chances of ever finding Skylar Wright were practically non-existent.

  He wasn’t ready to go home. He felt like this was a break in the case, but he still didn’t have a lot to go on. Maybe he could really go after Mary Reynolds like he had threatened to. Maybe she would slip up and admit something.

  He knew exactly where she lived. He had driven by several times, checking on Charlie. Maybe tonight, the truth would come out.

  ***

  Mary paced back and forth after getting off of the phone with Charlie. She didn’t have many details, just that he was in jail. What had he done? Did the cops feel like they had enough to take him in? That wasn’t possible unless they falsified some evidence. How could an innocent man be in so much trouble?

  Sitting on the couch, she covered her face with her hands and tried to fight the tears. He hadn’t come home after work, claiming he had some errands to run. She didn’t question it. She wasn’t his mother and he was a grown man. What exactly were the errands, and why was this happening? She was starting to panic, so she stood up again, trying anything to channel her sudden burst of energy onto something else, but the worry was coming on so strong that she had no idea what to do. She wanted to go down to the jail right now. She wanted this taken care of immediately. It was after hours. No judge would see him right now.

  Just as she was about to go upstairs, she heard a knock on her front door, stopping her in her tracks. Glancing over her shoulder, she thought about not answering it. Who would be coming at this hour? It was probably Cassie, causing trouble. Mary would bet on her being part of whatever was going on with his arrest. Better yet, maybe she should answer. If it was Cassie, she wasn’t going to hold back. Her patience with the woman was gone, and she wasn’t going to allow her to ruin Charlie’s life.

  When she opened the door, she was about to say something sarcastic when she saw the badge at eye
level, and a dark man standing on her porch. He was familiar, and her heart sank. A cop on the doorstep usually wasn’t a good thing.

  “Mary Reynolds?”

  “Who wants to know?”

  “I’m Detective Garza. Can I ask you a few questions?”

  Mary leaned against the door, debating on whether or not to let him inside. The night air was cold, but once she had him in her house, it would be hard to get rid of him. There was no need to be nervous about it. They had nothing to hide, but his authoritative stance was intimidating. No wonder there was so many innocent people behind bars.

  “Do I have a choice?” she asked, glaring at him.

  “You do. You’re not under arrest. I’m just here for the investigation.”

  “How about we start with me asking you a question?” She pointed at him.

  “Go for it,” Detective Garza replied as he put his badge back in his pocket and pulled a notepad out.

  “Where’s Charlie? What is going on?”

  “I’m glad you brought him up, Ms. Reynolds, because he’s the topic of discussion tonight. You two have been spending a lot of time together, yeah?”

  “That’s not against the law,” Mary said, taking a few steps back. “Come on in. It’s too damn cold to stand out here.”

  The cop followed her in and she shut the door, motioning toward the couch for him to sit down. Sitting across from him in the recliner, she sipped on her water, but didn’t offer him anything. She wasn’t in the mood to be hospitable.

  “Are you two seeing each other?”

  “You didn’t answer my question, Detective. Where is Charlie?”

  “He’s in jail tonight.”

  Mary knew that part, but didn’t want to let on about Charlie’s phone call to her. “What for?”

  “He broke into his ex wife’s house tonight. So we took him in.”

  Mary sat forward, eyeing the detective. “You’re kidding me right?”

  “What?”

  “You took him in for that? You know he wasn’t up to anything. He wants to find his daughter. Putting him in jail tonight isn’t going to do a damn thing except make you feel better about yourself, since you can’t get him on anything else.”

  If her words hurt Detective Garza, his facial expressions weren’t showing it. He stayed emotionless, flipping through papers, his notes scribbled all over the pages. Mary wished she could make out his handwriting, but it was a mess and she was sitting too far away.

  “I answered your question, so now answer mine.” Detective Garza looked up. “Are you seeing Charlie Wright?”

  “We are friends. He’s been staying here because it’s too painful to stay at his place.”

  “Why is it too painful?”

  “You know why, Detective. That’s where she went missing and he…” She stopped herself. There was no need in saying more than she had to, because the police were the best at twisting it all around.

  “And he what, Ms. Reynolds?” Detective Garza’s dark eyes were haunting.

  “Nothing. Why are you here, exactly?”

  “Because I think you know more than you’re telling. I think Charlie has confided in you about what he’s done, and I want you to know that keeping the information from the authorities is aiding and abetting. You can do some real time for it. No man is worth helping when it comes to becoming an incarcerated felon, Ms. Reynolds. Come clean now and give us Charlie. You won’t be charged.”

  “Charlie didn’t do this.” Mary shook her head and stood up, pacing again. “He’s told you the truth from the start. And you coming here, saying I know more than I’m telling is insulting. Skylar is in real danger and you are wasting your time going after a man who wouldn’t hurt a fly. You ever think that maybe Charlie went to Cassie’s to get more information on Skylar? Doesn’t sound like the work of a guilty man, now does it? Why would he go through the trouble?”

  “For show, Ms. Reynolds. He wants to appear to care.”

  “Guilty until proven innocent, I see. How about you get the hell out of my house?” Mary pointed toward the door.

  Detective Garza took his time standing up, and when he did, he flipped his notepad shut and took a few steps to the exit. “This will come back to bite you in the ass. Don’t cover for him. When we finally get what we need, he won’t give a damn about you. He’ll roll on you without blinking. No honor among…”

  “Leave, now!” She pointed to the door again. “Don’t come back unless you have a warrant.”

  Detective Garza smirked and finally left. Mary looked out of the front window, her heart racing so fast that she had to take deep breaths to try and calm down. The cop sat in his car for several minutes in the driveway before he finally backed out into the street and drove out of sight.

  Resting her forehead against the cold window, Mary closed her eyes. When was this nightmare going to end? One step at a time, and the next one was getting Charlie out of jail.

  She went upstairs and got ready for bed, but she wasn’t sure why. Sleep was going to be an unknown dimension, despite the fact that she was exhausted. She had texted her supervisor after getting off of the phone with Charlie, and he was okay with her taking a personal day. She didn’t go into details, but her boss always understood.

  Climbing into bed, she relaxed under the sheets. She smelled Charlie on the pillow next to her and pulled it in, hugging it like it was him. She had never gotten so attached to someone, and it was killing her to see what he was going through. Being thrown in jail for something as stupid as this was the cherry on top of a fantastic day.

  When Mary woke up the next morning, she checked her phone. It was a little after six and she was surprised to even get the few hours of sleep she had gotten. She had woken up multiple times in the middle of the night, her random dreams causing sudden insomnia that wouldn’t go away.

  Kicking her legs off of the side of the bed, she wiped her clammy hands on her shirt. Her stomach did a back flip when she thought about how things could go today. What if the judge denied him bail? What if Cassie decided to press charges? So many things could happen and she fought a wave of nausea.

  Hopping in the shower, the warm mist cascaded around her, relaxing her tense muscles. Hopefully this wouldn’t drain Charlie’s savings. She wasn’t sure how much he had in his account, nor did she really want to know, but now wasn’t a time to say no to helping him. Maybe she could chip in to avoid having to pay a ton back to the bail bondsman, but she wasn’t rich in the least bit, and it all depended on what the judge decided.

  Mary tried to eat breakfast but the thought of food made her want to hurl. The legal system intimidated her. Her brother had been through his fair share of trials and legal battles, as well as incarcerations, which is one reason Mary hated it. There was one big difference between him and Charlie – Charlie was innocent and her brother was no angel.

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, she forced down a glass of orange juice. It was a little after eight and she wanted to get down to the police station first thing. Maybe things would run on time, but it wasn’t likely. Being optimistic wasn’t a strong point of hers at the moment, but she had to put up a front for Charlie.

  When she got there, the front desk was busier than she had anticipated. People were walking in different directions and there was a line at the sergeant’s desk. She stood at the back of the line, feeling out of place. A woman with multiple piercings in her face stared at Mary and she tried not to look back.

  The line moved fairly quickly, and when Mary got to the front, the woman at the desk looked like she was about to pull her own hair out.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here for Charlie Wright. He was brought in…” Someone cutting through the line bumped into Mary, pushing her against the desk. They didn’t bother to apologize, and if Mary wasn’t so focused on Charlie, she might have said something. “He was brought in last night,” she continued. “I need to see if we can post his bail.”

  The sergeant typed on her comp
uter screen, her nails clacking against the keyboard. She hadn’t broken a smile once, and Mary figured if she worked in a place like this, she probably wouldn’t feel the need to smile either.

  “He just got back from seeing the judge. Bail was set. How do you plan on paying for it?”

  ***

  Charlie sat on the wooden bench inside the cell, longing for a shower and his toothbrush. There were two other guys with him and he had been able to manage to avoid eye contact with them. Seeing the judge was quick, and he was shocked that they had gotten him over there right when the courthouse had opened. It was right across the street, so it was a quick walk over.

  Every time an officer walked by, he got his hopes up, only to be deflated when they called someone else out. It was like getting picked for a sports team - only this involved his freedom. Mary had instruction on how to get him out and he hoped she wasn’t having any issues.

  Leaning his head back against the wall, one of the guys sat beside him.

  “What you in here for?”

  Charlie glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t in the mood to socialize and the guy acted like it was a normal, run of the mill conversation he was used to having a lot.

  “Nothing,” Charlie replied.

  “Nothing?”

  “Yep.”

  “That’s what they all say, but you guilty of something.” The man wagged his finger at Charlie. “Everyone is guilty of something.”

  Another guard approached the cell, unlocking it with a loud clank that seemed to echo for miles.

  “Charlie Wright, you’ve posted bail.”

  It couldn’t have come at a better time. His new friend laughed when Charlie walked to the guard, who escorted him to the front. Mary was there, and Charlie felt his heart flutter when he saw her. She looked exhausted and pale, and he hated himself for putting her through all of this.

  “Sign here, Wright.” The man pointed to a line on a piece of paper. “It’s just stating we released all of your belongings to you.”

  A box slid beside the clipboard and Charlie grabbed his keys, wallet and cell phone, putting them all in his pocket. He dreaded what might be on his phone. It was likely that Cassie had left multiple messages after the police had contacted her about the break in.