Page 57 of Rock and a Hard Place

Inside the second drawer lay her Jamieson CD in its cracked case; she tucked it in her bag. In the next drawer, she found an empty cigarette container, inside of which she discovered a thick wad of bills and a couple of joints.

She dumped the filthy drugs into the drawer and scanned the bills, a couple hundred dollars. She thought twice about taking the loot, but figured Sophie probably stole it to begin with or earned it selling drugs. It made sense that dirty money would help her now.

Satisfied, she checked the hall. She heard Scott on the phone in the kitchen. Libby stepped quietly to the front door, slipped into her coat, and grabbed Scott’s warm gloves off the table. She needed these more than he did.

She exited the front door, pulling it quietly shut. She stood on the front porch and took a long deep breath. Libby Sawyer was finished, dead to her. She walked away from the house and never looked back.

20

The spectacular view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower was wasted on Peter. He could only think about Libby and pray she was safe. As he gazed around the opulent room, he realized how far he and his brothers had come from their Texas childhood. But right now, he didn’t care about any of it. He wandered the world-class restaurant, surrounded by affluent people, and checked his phone again.

One message.

He punched in his password, hoping this time to hear Libby on the other end. Each message became pure agony as he failed to find her cheery voice.

“Hi, Peter, this is Julie Orman from Rockville High School. Please call me as soon as you can.”

He held his breath, hopeful. Perhaps this was the call he’d been waiting for, that she’d found Libby. Finally, he felthope. He checked his watch, calculated the time difference, and dialed the number. He moved to the bank of windows on the side of the elegant room, away from the crowd.

“Pick up, pick up,” he said to himself as he gazed out at the stunning skyline.

“Hello, Julie Orman speaking.”

“Hi, Miss Orman, this is Peter Jamieson, I just got your message. Did you find her?”

He heard her sigh. “Hi, Peter, I’m afraid I have some bad news. I wanted to get ahold of you right away.”

“What is it?” His chest tightened as he braced himself. “Child Welfare Services contacted me this afternoon.

They placed Libby in a group home and not with a foster family as we thought.” Her voice sounded sad.

“Oh no! Do you know where she is? Do you have a phone number?”

“No. I’m sorry. She ran away. Ten days ago. And there’s been no sign of her since.”

“Why would she do that? Are you sure?”

Miss Orman paused a moment and cleared her throat. “There was an altercation with another girl, and Libby got hurt.”

Speechless, Peter raised his eyes to the stars outside. “Is she hurt bad? Do they know where she went?” His voice became a whisper as he digested the news.

“I wish I had some answers for you. The authoritiesare looking, but Libby’s disappeared; she doesn’t want to be found. If she contacts you, please let her know I’m here and want to help.”

“I will.” But she hadn’t tried to call him since that first weekend she’d been gone. He didn’t think she’d try again. She thought he dumped her. Peter’s heart dropped. “Do you think they’ll find her?” His mind began to reel. Too many possibilities. Too many unanswered questions.

“She’s fallen off the radar. They’ve all but given up. She hasn’t shown up in her old neighborhood in Michigan; there’s no sign of her here in Rockville. I don’t know what to do.” Miss Orman’s voice sounded heavy with emotion. “I pray she’s okay. I’m so sorry. I feel I let her down.”

Silence hung between them.

“I know, me too. Thank you for calling. I’ve got to hang up,” he said before he broke down. He slid the phone closed. Around him the room buzzed with excitement. The sound became a static white noise in his ears. He saw, but heard nothing. Libby was gone. There was no way to find her. How had life gone from perfect to this nightmare he couldn’t wake up from?

Garrett and Adam walked over. “Pete, what’s up?” Garrett said.

He looked up from his stupor. “Nothing.”

The other two exchanged a worried glance. He knew they’d been growing more concerned about him.

“At least nothing you care about.” Peter looked around the room filled with happy friends and colleagues. “I gotta get outta here.” Despair filled his eyes as he searched for the closest exit.

---