Turn Back Time

by Stacy Claflin

  Alex tried to ignore his parents while he looked over Ari’s homework. He pointed at one problem. “You need to carry the one over here.” His phone rang. It was his sister. “Hi, Macy. What’s up?”

  “She and Luke are still coming for dinner, right?” Mom asked, finally removing her hand from Dad’s jeans.

  Alex got up and went into the living room. “What did you say?”

  “Can you tell Mom and Dad that we can’t make it tonight?” Her voice sounded tense.

  “Sure. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine.” Her tone said otherwise.

  “What’s going on? Are you okay? You didn’t get into another accident, did you?”

  “No, no. It’s nothing like that. Luke and I are both safe. I have to go.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Just tell them something came up. Hopefully it turns out to be nothing.”

  Alex took a deep breath. “You’re starting to worry me.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Look, I have to go. I’ll tell you later. Promise.”

  “Okay, but if you need anything, let me know.”

  “Thanks, Alex. Love you.”

  “You too.”

  The call ended, and Alex stared out the window at their front yard. It was hard not to worry, given the things that tended to go wrong in their family.

  Concerned

  Luke Walker paced the length of the family room, phone to his ear and thoughts far away. When the voicemail message sounded again, he pulled it away and ended the call in frustration. His brows came together as he pressed call again for what had to be the tenth time. Something had to be wrong. He couldn’t drop the nagging feeling.

  Macy came into the room. “I just called my brother and told him we can’t make it.”

  He nodded and put the phone back to his ear. “It’s not like her to not answer.”

  “I know.” Macy’s eyes reflected the same concern he felt. She came over to him and put an arm around him. “Let’s go to her house and make sure everything’s okay.”

  His mom’s cheerful recorded voice sounded again over the phone.

  “I don’t know if you got my other messages, but we’re coming over. We’re getting worried.” Luke ended the call and stuffed the phone into his pocket. “What could be wrong? Is she sick? Did she get hurt?”

  Macy kissed his cheek. “Maybe she lost track of time gardening and left her phone inside.”

  Luke frowned. “She keeps her phone on her—and she should have called us yesterday. She calls every couple days, and now she’s not answering. I should’ve gone over there last night.”

  “I’m sure she’s fine. Maybe she’s volunteering at the shelter. If someone is having a hard time, she’s probably listening to them, not wanting to let the phone interrupt.”

  He frowned. “Maybe.”

  “Let’s check her house. That’s at least a start. Come on. I’ll drive.”

  “Thanks.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. If something was wrong, he wasn’t sure he could live with himself. They’d gotten busy the previous night, and he hadn’t noticed the missing phone call. Mom lived alone and often called to chat with either one of them. Over the years, she’d grown just as close to Macy as she was with Luke, and that really said something considering everything Luke and his mom had been through.

  “Luke?” Macy’s voice broke through his thoughts.

  He shook his head to clear it. “Right. Let’s go.”

  They grabbed their things and headed for Macy’s car. The short ride to Mom’s little rambler was quiet. His mind went over everything she’d said the last time they’d talked. He couldn’t remember her mentioning anything going on that would require her to miss calling him. She was like clockwork with her calls. Every other day so as not to be overbearing, but just enough to keep in regular contact with her only two family members.

  “Her car isn’t out front,” Macy said. “Do you want to swing by the shelter?”

  Luke shook his head. “I want to look around. She might’ve left a note or something.”

  Macy cut the engine, took his hand, and squeezed. “Whatever you want to do.”

  He nodded and studied the little rambler. From the outside, everything looked as it should. Pristine. Not a spot of peeling paint, the grass cut short, and all the shrubs and flowers pruned to perfection. The gnawing feeling that something was wrong was suffocating, and he wasn’t one to worry without reason.

  “You have your key?” Macy asked.

  “Yeah.” They got out of the car and headed across the short walkway. Luke dug into his pocket, pulled out his keys, and found the one for Mom’s house. When he tried to shove it in the lock, his hand shook, and it took him several tries before he got the door open.

  The sparsely decorated front room was bright from partially open blinds. Just like the outside, everything seemed to be in its place. They walked through the house. Everything was tidy, bright, and dust-free.

  “Lottie!” Macy called. “Are you in here?”

  Luke’s stomach twisted into a tight knot, knowing Mom wouldn’t respond. She wouldn’t be there without her car. He went over to the back door and looked outside. Her garden that took up half the backyard was beautiful, but she wasn’t out there. He frowned and walked through the kitchen, again finding nothing out of place. If only she’d left out some dishes to give them an idea when she’d last been home.

  Macy came into the room. “Everything looks normal back in the bedrooms. She even has a baby blanket in the sewing room.”

  Of course she did. Luke and Macy were trying—so far unsuccessfully—and Mom obviously wanted to be prepared with a gift as soon as she heard the good news.

  “Anything out here?”

  Luke shook his head, his worry starting to head into the territory of fear.

  Macy put an arm around his waist. “Do you know the shelter’s number? I can call and see if she’s there.”

  “Check her address book.” He nodded to the phone on the counter. The same black leather-bound book she’d had for years sat next to it. “I’m going to see if I can find anything on her computer.”

  She kissed his cheek and picked up the book. Luke headed to his old bedroom, which was now Mom’s office, and powered on her desktop computer. It opened to her desktop without needing a password. He clicked around, finding nothing. The mouse hovered over her email icon. He didn’t want to invade her privacy, but she would understand. She’d do the same if the roles were reversed.

  Luke opened her email program and read over the subject titles. Most everything looked like broadcast emails—announcements for the women’s shelter Mom volunteered at and other similar items. Not many looked personal, and nothing seemed to indicate why she might be ignoring her phone.

  Footsteps sounded. Macy stood in the doorway, her forehead wrinkled. “They said she hasn’t been to the shelter this week. The woman thought she might have helped out at the soup kitchen since they’re understaffed this week, but I called there and they haven’t seen her, either. Did you find anything?”

  He shook his head. “Something has to be wrong.”

  She sat on his lap and leaned her head against his. “What do you want to do?”

  Luke laced his fingers through hers. “I don’t know. Can we file a missing person report? Doesn’t it have to be forty-eight hours? I have no idea how long she’s been gone.” He sighed. “I’m the worst son ever. I should’ve known something was wrong when she didn’t call last night.”

  Macy ran her fingers through his nearly shoulder-length hair. “You’re probably the best son ever, babe. Let’s just focus on finding her. I could call Alex. He’s practically besties with the captain.”

  Luke closed his eyes and nodded. He couldn’t think of anything else they could do.

  Interrupted

  Alex swallowed his last bite of roast beef and turned to Dad. “Do you need me to make any calls tonight?”

  He shook his head
. “Just because I have to work twenty-four-seven doesn’t mean you need to. I’ll let you know if I need anything other than time and silence to get these final chapters finished.”

  “I’ll make sure the coffee pot stays warm all night,” Mom said.

  Dad kissed her cheek. “You’re the best, hon. Don’t worry about me, okay? You need your sleep. Isn’t tomorrow your busy day?”

  Mom nodded. “Fridays and Saturdays, I’m always swamped. That’s when everyone wants their hair done.”

  “Then you worry about getting enough sleep. Don’t give me a second thought.”

  “Right, that’s going to happen.” She yawned. “Maybe I do need to go to bed, though.”

  Alex’s phone rang.

  “You’re popular tonight,” Dad said.

  He checked the screen. It was Macy again. Something had to be wrong. “I’ll be right back.” Alex accepted the call as he ran to his room and closed the door behind him. “What’s wrong? You can’t tell me nothing is.”

  “How long do you have to wait to file a missing persons report?”

  Alex’s stomach dropped. “Who’s missing?”

  “Can you just answer the question?”

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to wait. From everything I know, the first forty-eight hours are critical.”

  “So, we don’t wait at all?”

  “No. What’s going on?”

  “I hope we didn’t miss the forty-eight-hour period.”

  Alex felt like pulling out his hair. “Would you tell me who’s gone?”

  After a couple beats, Macy finally spoke. “Lottie.”

  “What?” Alex exclaimed. Luke’s mom was the nicest person he knew. “Are you sure?”

  “We talked to her neighbor. He hasn’t seen her car since at least the day before yesterday. She also didn’t call us yesterday, and she calls every other day like clockwork.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “I wish I was.”

  “Do you want me to call Nick?” Alex asked. “He’s on duty today, and should still be there.”

  “No, we’d better call him.”

  “Let me at least get you his direct line. If you just call the station, they’ll give you the runaround. Trust me.”

  “Thanks, Alex.”

  “I’ll text it to you. Let me know what he says.”

  “Okay.”

  Alex ended the call, copied the number, and pasted it into a text to his sister. If they couldn’t find Lottie soon, he’d definitely write up a post on his blog to let people know to look for her. So far, he’d only posted about missing kids and teens, but that didn’t matter. A missing person was a missing person.

  He went back to the kitchen.

  Mom arched a brow the moment he walked in. “What’s the matter?”

  Alex glanced at Ari. He didn’t want to upset her by saying anything. “I’ll tell you soon.”

  “What is it?”

  He put a hand on Ari’s shoulder. “Are you done eating?”

  She frowned. “You can tell me. I’m eleven, soon to be twelve. That’s practically a teenager.”

  Alex thought about everything she’d been through, and how far she’d come in the meantime. “It’s best that you don’t worry about this for now.” With any luck, Lottie would show up soon, and Ariana wouldn’t know the sweet lady had ever been missing. “Are you finished?”

  Her shoulders slumped and she sighed dramatically. “Yes.”

  “Don’t forget our hugs,” Dad said.

  Alex found Ari’s backpack and slung it over his shoulder while she hugged her grandparents.

  “See you tomorrow, sweetie.” Mom gave her an extra hug.

  “Bye,” Ari said, pouting.

  Alex kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Okay. You can tell me. I’m mature for my age—my teacher says that all the time.”

  He guided her toward the front door. “I’m sure you are, but Mimi and Papi should be home now, and they want to see you, too. Besides, aren’t you still rearranging your bedroom?”

  “Yeah, but I want to know what’s going on. Please.”

  Alex sighed and wondered if he’d been this persistent as a kid. He’d probably been worse. He had gotten away with just about everything when it came to his parents, which was why Ariana even stood in front of him now. His parents had no idea he and Zoey were romantically involved, and that had made sneaking around with her all that much easier.

  “Please,” Ari begged, bringing him back to the present.

  He wrapped her in a hug. “Maybe once the situation is resolved, we’ll tell you.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “You know, I’ll try to figure it out, and whatever I think about will probably be worse than what’s really happened. I’ll worry more than if I just knew the truth.”

  Alex ran his fingers through his hair. She actually made sense, but she was still a kid and it was his job to protect her—especially after everything she’d suffered. “We’ll talk later. Get your shoes on and spend some time with Mimi and Papi.”

  Ari sighed even more dramatically than she had a few minutes earlier and then she slid on her shoes.

  Alex stepped onto the porch and looked next door. Both Valerie’s and Kenji’s cars were there, and so was Zoey’s. “Your mom is there, too.”

  “She is?” Ari’s entire expression brightened, the mystery of what Alex wouldn’t tell her probably forgotten. She hugged Alex. “Bye, Dad!”

  He returned the embrace and handed her the backpack. “See you tomorrow, Ari.”

  “Maybe Mom will tell me what you won’t.”

  Alex shook his head. “She doesn’t even know what it is.”

  “Darn. Well, bye!” She waved and then bolted home.

  He watched, making sure she got inside safely. It was tempting to go over there to see Zoey. He hadn’t seen her since the previous weekend, but with Lottie missing, he needed to get back inside and tell his parents that yet another person in their family had gone missing.

  Phone

  Captain Nick Fleshman squeezed the arm of his chair so hard he was sure he would rip the leather right off. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, focusing on the picture of his kids next to his laptop. He needed to calm down before he spoke.

  There were few things in life he liked less than speaking with his ex-wife on the phone at work, and yet she always insisted on calling him then. Always. He counted to ten silently.

  “You still there, Nick?” Corrine’s voice grated on his last nerve.

  “Of course I am.” It took every ounce of self-control to keep his voice steady.

  “Well, I’m waiting for your answer.”

  He squeezed the chair tighter. “No, you will not take them to Disney World for spring break. That’s my week, and you know it.”

  “But they want to go!”

  “You already told them?” he exclaimed. “Before talking to me?”

  “It may have slipped out accidentally.”

  Accidentally, his butt. “How dare you?”

  “They’ve always wanted to go.” Her tone dripped of syrupy sweetness.

  “You had mid-winter break, and you have half the summer!”

  “Well, I had to work during mid-winter break and Dave—”

  “Who’s Dave?” Nick demanded.

  “Is Dave coming over?” Hanna asked in the background.

  Corrine cleared her throat. “That’s a conversation for another day. About spring break—”

  “Have you started seeing someone and introduced him to the kids before talking with me?” Nick’s blood pressure was rising by the moment.

  “I can see whoever I want. I don’t have to ask your permission. That’s the beauty of divorce.”

  “You never did when we were married, so I wouldn’t expect you to now.” Nick was dangerously close to yelling, and he didn’t want anyone in the department to overhea
r this conversation. “Why don’t you fill me in now? Tell me about this Dave character who’s now in my children’s lives.”

  “You have nothing to worry about. He treats them like gold and has no desire to replace you. He’s a flight attendant, and he adores the kids.”

  “So, you’re dating a stewardess?” It was petty, but Nick didn’t care.

  “Nice.” He could practically hear her roll her eyes. “Look, he can get us free flights to Florida.”

  “How about he use those for the court-ordered visitation with me? I haven’t seen them since the beginning of the year!”

  Corrine huffed. “That’s not my fault.”

  “How is it not?” Nick demanded. “You divorced me, yanked them from my home, and moved across the country.”

  “Your real wife has always been the police department, Nick. When did you ever see them more than twice a week when they did live under the same roof as you?”

  The phone on his desk rang.

  “Look, I have to get back to work—”

  “Don’t you always?”

  “You’d better put those kids on that plane for spring break in two days.”

  “Nick—”

  He ended the call and practically threw his cell phone on the desk. The phone continued ringing. Nick stared at it, taking deep breaths. He was in no mood to deal with anything, but he had to push aside the argument. It was part of the job.

  Nick picked up the phone in the middle of the last ring before it went to voicemail. “Captain Fleshman.”

  “Captain, this is Macy Walker. Alex Mercer’s sister.”

  “Macy, hello.” He drew in a deep, silent breath trying to focus. “How are you? Alex says you’ve completely healed from the accident.”

  “I have, but that’s not why I’m calling.”

  He grabbed a notepad and a pen. “Is something the matter?”

  “We think my mother-in-law is missing.”

  Nick wrote that down. “What makes you think that?”

  “She always calls us every other day, and she didn’t yesterday. Plus, her neighbor hasn’t seen her car.”