Page 51 of Echoes of Eternity

“Hey, Ryan. No updates. I’m almost to Spokane.”

“Did you file a report with the police?”

Quiet on the other end of the line indicated a clear answer.

“Okay. I’m going to go file a missing persons report.”

“But the boys?”

Looking over at Jason, Ryan cracked a fractured smile. “My brother is here. I’m sure he’ll watch them while I go take care of it.”

Jason nodded emphatically.

“Okay, that’s great.”

“Are you okay, Em?”

“I pulled over and fell asleep for an hour or two. It was rough, but enough to keep me going.”

“Be careful.”

As he ended the call, Ryan shook his head. “This is the worst, Brother.”

“I couldn’t imagine. Head to the police station. I’m going to call my buddy Jacob at the police station and see if there’s anything more we can do than just filing a report.”

Emily eventually made her way back to Cedarwood Creek that afternoon. She had stopped crying, but not for a lack of emotion. She was dehydrated and exhausted. The only thing that kept her eyes open at that point was a motherly love that knew no boundaries. That, and a lot of coffee. Pulling into the coffee shop where Jason’s police friend Jacob was meeting her in Cedarwood Creek, she put the car in park and shut off the engine. Closing her eyes for only a second, she felt her whole body fall asleep for a microsecond. Then suddenly, she opened her eyes and all the sorrow and fear surged through her body again.

Sitting down across from Jacob, she got right to the point. “What can you do or tell me, Jacob?”

“With the ground you’ve managed to cover in less than twenty-four hours, I’m suspecting she had some help getting out of town. I’ll ask the same stuff that I asked your husband earlier. What could you tell me about who she knows that would help her leave?”

Emily shook her head. “Nobody. She just lost the only real friend she had earlier in the day.”

“Okay.” He jotted down a note, then asked, “Can you tell me more about that?”

Emily explained in detail first the situation at school with Elizabeth and Jasmine months ago, and then what had happened the day prior. Then, he went back to his line of questioning.

“Now, what about in California? You all just moved up here. Is there anyone who could’ve financially helped her? Maybe a bus ticket or something? Because a connecting bus does run through Cedarwood Creek at about eleven o’clock every Friday night. There was one that came through last night that we can check.”

Thinking of her daughter’s friends in California, she didn’t suspect any of them would fund a trip. The one she was closest to enough to ask for money, she hadn’t even called since moving there.

“I can’t imagine any of them.”

“Alright. That’s helpful. And what about any family who might’ve helped?”

Furrowing her eyebrows, she thought of her parents. “No. They wouldn’t help her run away.”

Writing something down, he explained his plan. “I’ve contacted all the surrounding police stations, along with the state patrol. We will find your daughter, ma’am. You can rest assured of that. I do have one more question for you.”

“Has either you or your husband been threatening to her?”

“No.”

“Have you or your husband said anything that would indicate a desire for her to run away?”

“No.”

“Have you or your husband ever physically hurt her?”

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