Page 76 of Missing

Chase wanted everyone to go with him to give his statement and refused to let go of Doug’s hand as we walked across the parking lot.

Doug got down on one knee and explained, “We can’t all go with you Little Man, but I promise I’ll wait inside, near the door.”

Chase looked at me, and then at John, who nodded, and then back to Doug. Chase stared at his feet as he said, “okay,” in a soft voice. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was afraid.God, I just want to hug him. I wanted to reassure him, but also didn’t want to embarrass him when he was trying so hard to be brave in front of the guys.

“You’ve been so brave through all of this.” Doug asked, “Can you be brave and hold your mom’s and Uncle John’s hands, so they feel brave too?” He addressed Chase’s fears in a way I never would have thought because I couldn’t see past my maternal need to comfort.

He’ll make a great dad.

John took the cue. He balanced the boxes of donuts on one hand and held the other out for Chase.

Chase released Doug’s hand and asked, “Will you be okay without me?”

“It’ll be hard, but I’ll be okay,” Doug answered.

“But who’ll watch out for you?” Chase asked, clearly wanting to avoid going inside.

“Chase, we have to go in now.” John used a subdued version of his command voice. He wiggled his fingers at Chase in invitation. “The sooner we start, the sooner we’ll finish.”

Chase lifted his chin and squared his shoulders.

Where’d he learn that? The guys at SSI, no doubt.

Chase took my hand. “Let’s go Mommy.” The only outward sign of his fear was the death grip he had on my hand. I was sure he was holding on to John for dear life too.

You’d be so proud, Phil. He’s terrified, but he’s not letting it stop him.

It took less than thirty minutes for Chase to give his statement. It would have taken even less time, but once Chase met the officer, who he conned into letting him have another donut, he relaxed and turned into his talkative self. The officer was patient as he answered more questions than he asked. He gave Chase a mini plastic badge after Chase said, “I’m going to be a policeman someday.”

Chase needed to use the bathroom, so John took him. Before he did, he handed the officer his phone with a video queued up for the officer to watch while they were gone.

A few seconds in, the officer looked at me and said, “You have a remarkable son, Mrs. Wyatt.”

“Thank you.”

When the door opened, he stopped the video. He handed John a business card and asked him to email a copy of the video before shaking his hand. “We have everything we need. You’re free to go.”

Thank God.All I wanted to do was go home and hug my son.

“You’re a very brave little boy-”

“I’m a little man, Mr. Doug says so.”

I laughed.That’s my kid.

The officer hid his laugh with a cough. “My apologies. You’re a very brave little man.” He held out his hand for Chase. “It was nice to meet you.”

Chase shook his hand, “Nice to meet you too.”

Before we left, John gave the officer his business card and told him to call if he needed anything else from SSI.

I wanted to ask the officer what would happen to Mrs. Smith but not in front of Chase, so I asked John to take him out front. I was furious with Smith for taking Chase, but I also felt sorry for her. I knew what it felt like to lose a husband and could only imagine how much the grief would be multiplied if I’d lost a son at the same time. She deserved to go to jail for what she did, butshe needed a level of professional help and care she couldn’t get there.

“What will happen to Mrs. Smith?”

“She’ll most likely be released to a mental hospital for evaluation before going to trial. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

I nodded. A mental hospital wasn’t much better than jail, but at least they could help her.

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