Page 58 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

“No. We got a call from a worried mom that her son hasn’t come home and hasn’t contacted her. She asked us to help since the police won’t start a search yet. She’s tracing his phone to this location since Friday. Do you have a lost and found?”

“We do.”

“If I call the phone and it rings, will you give it to me?” Xavier asked with his phone already in his hand. “His mom gave me his number.”

“Sure. You said the kid hadn’t called his mom. Might make sense if his phone is here.” The guy pulled out a box underneath the bar. “It’s not strange for people to take a day or two to come looking for their phone.” The box had about seven cell phones.

Xavier called the phone number.

A phone in the box rang, and Damon picked it up. The screen showed one percent and then shut down.

“We know he was here at least,” Xavier said from behind him. “Do you have security cameras in here?”

“Of course. I can pull them for Friday night if you’d like.”

“That would be great, thanks. Our tech guy will be back to download it. Do you remember anything unusual happening Friday night?” Xavier held up his phone. “This is the kid we are looking for.”

The manager nodded. “Oh, yeah. I remember him. He sang karaoke. It was karaoke night Friday.”

“Did he seem drunk?” Xavier asked.

“They all seem drunk.”

“Fair enough.” Damon looked around. “Do you have a back door?”

“Yes. It opens to an alley behind us.” He leaned forward and pointed toward a darkened hallway. “Over there.”

“Do you care if I leave that way?”

“I don’t guess so. Walk down the hall and then turn right and then immediately left. There’s an Exit sign above the door.”

Damon turned around. “Slater, go out front and wait on Ryker. Xavier, come with me.”

They walked through the restaurant, and the smell of musty wood was no better in the back than it had been in the front. He shoved open the metal door, and another pungent odor hit him. “Savannah is full of unique smells.”

Xavier laughed and followed him out the door. They looked up and down the alley.

“Are you simply checking it out, or do you have an idea?” Xavier asked. “His friends told his mom that it was like he disappeared. One minute he was there and then gone.”

Damon hesitated before answering. “I’m wondering if there are any cameras back here that would’ve captured him leaving.”

They stood in silence for a minute before Xavier huffed. “We don’t have much to go on right now.”

“Sure as hell don’t,” he muttered. They headed down the alley. The concrete looked wet even though it hadn’t rained in a few days. The alley was the width of one car with a small walkway running in front of the rear entrances to businesses. They passed two women, walking hand in hand, but otherwise it was empty.

“Can you imagine being drunk and trying to figure out where the hell you are?” They left the narrow area, and Xavier pointed at a staircase. It looked as if it went straight up. “I’d bust my ass going up or down that drunk.”

“I’d pay to watch that.” Damon crossed the cobblestone area to the large dumpster in the corner and peeked over the edge of the blue metal container.

“Anything?” Xavier asked.

“Trash.” Hating to do it, he inhaled. “But I don’t smell anything else.” As in a decomposing body.

“Good.” Xavier headed down the short hill back to River Street, and Damon followed. They turned the corner as Ella and Ryker exited a bar two doors down. Ryker held his laptop, working with one hand.

Ella wore Ryker’s black book bag, looking like a normal tourist in her oversized sunglasses.

“Are you doing good with Ella?”

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