Page 57 of Missing

“No, sir.”

“Let’s move.”

Not long after we started, the Sgt. notified John that Mary had arrived on scene and was with Beth. Not surprisingly, she’d closed the shop early and asked her part-time baristas to set up a table with coffee and bottles of water.

We searched for hours. The search and rescue volunteers started ninety minutes after we did.

The sky turned orange and pink as the sun started to set. We kept looking.

We had high-powered flashlights, so we continued searching after the sun had set.

Two hours after sunset, Sgt. Walker called in the volunteers. We kept looking.

Chase was family; we weren’t giving up.

John called in a favor with WPD and asked for an officer to be assigned to stay Beth and Mary.

Two hours later, John made the command decision to call off our search. By that time, we’d collectively searched a large enough area that we had to accept the probability Chase hadn’t 'just wandered off'.

We walked back in silence. None of us were willing to give voice to reality.

I need to be with Beth.

Mar and Beth had gone to the SSI office and were waiting for us there, along with Meg and Emily. Campbell was there, having been assigned to stay with Beth after clocking on for her shift.

Once we were in the car, John called Mary to let her know we were on our way back and asked her to order food. Most of us hadn’t eaten since lunch and were starving.

We’ll need calories to get through the night, because I knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, none of us would sleep tonight.

Chapter 29

Beth

Ipaced back and forth, clutching my hands together as I waited for updates. Mary kept me company, held me when I cried, and made sure I stayed hydrated. I’d refused to leave the park.

Officer Campbell stayed with us after the volunteers were called back. SSI kept searching. Once everyone was gone, Campbell encouraged me to wait back at the SSI office, saying, “there’s nothing more you can do here.”

I wasn’t ready to hear it.

“Beth, honey, she’s right.” Mary talked to me like she would a scared child. “Let’s wait at the office.”

What if Chase comes back?

He wouldn’t. Not after so much time had passed.

Sammie, as Officer Campbell told us to call her, said she could start the paperwork to get access to the traffic cams if we went back. "I can also file the missing person's report."

Missing person’s report.

My son is missing.

The world started spinning. Bile rose in my throat as my legs gave out. I might have hurt myself, but Sammie caught me before I hit the ground.

She and Mary helped me back to my feet and walked me to Mary’s car.

I panicked. “I have to have my car. His booster seat is in it. What if I need to pick him up?”

“It’s okay, we’ll take your car, but I’m driving,” Mary said.

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