Page 34 of Dying to Meet You

Matt

Thismeetingshould’vewrappedup fifteen minutes ago. Instead, we’ve taken the path of regulation violations the state agencies committed when handing off the last copycat killing. “All I’m saying is the ninety-nine percent effort with one percent results is a bullshit waste of time. Nothing has been streamlined. Nothing has been cohesive.”

When the police captain attempts to speak, I add, “Not to mention it shouldn’t take four hours to make contact with us when your investigator requested it.” Running my hands through my hair then gripping the back of the seat in front of me, I take a deep damn breath. I’m agitated, really fucking over the lack of follow-through.

Six killings in four states. We’re no closer to any answers than we were on day one.

“Agent Scholl, I will personally call you directly with any updates,” the captain says with a sheepish look on his face. “In real time.”

My name is called out as I’m walking back to my office, going over patterns from the killings in my head. “Scholl? Hey…Matt.” My secretary, seeing she’s got my attention, jumps up with a frantic look on her face. She is usually unflappable, so this can’t be good.

“Yes?” I’m dreading her response since I have a list of things a mile long that need my attention.

“Call home. Right away.”

Pulling my silenced phone from my pocket, I have several missed calls from Caleb, Hutton, and other local numbers I don’t recognize. Not one from…fuck. Fuck. Nothing from Eden?

We should’ve acted sooner on the threats Eden’s been getting. If something’s happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself. Goddamnit. I fight back tears before I know if my suspicions are right.

She’s been in danger. Why the hell haven’t I stayed closer to home?

Before I can dial anyone back Harrison’s number comes up as an incoming call. “Matt? You need to come home. Get here quickly if you can. Your son is missing…Weston is missing.”

The news hits me like a bomb going off.

I’ve been focused on Eden as a target, but if they grabbed one of our children…

There isn’t a way I could’ve prepared for this.

I’m on the phone with Harrison while sprinting to my vehicle. “What does that mean…missing? What were you and Bristow doing? The cameras…Have you looked at the cameras?”

“Keep your head clear, Matt. We’ll find him.” He doesn’t answer the questions I shoot at him. “Get here safely.”

My head is reeling. Where could he be? Would he venture onto our neighbor’s property again? Or did he go across the road to the vet clinic to check on the animals in the kennels? Would he get in a stranger’s vehicle?

We’ve had numerous safety talks with the kids. Weston more than the others because he’s endlessly curious and gets carried away by whims.

I can’t let myself consider he may have been abducted. That doesn’t happen under the watchful eye of FBI agents, a father overly concerned with safety who puts cameras all over, a mother whose brother disappeared at eight years old…it doesn’t. Does it?

My fervent prayers, bargaining with God, and fighting back an onslaught of tears last until I pull into the driveway. Four police cruisers, two unmarked FBI squads, and a dozen or so people with two K9s are all in front of the house.

Agent mode kicks in immediately, barking orders and taking charge. If I let myself think like a father, I’m going to be worthless. I’ll crumble completely. Harrison sees me stalking toward the house and heads me off. “Hutton is pulling up every camera feed, and Bristow is speaking to your neighbor. We have a search team organized…” He rattles off information while I search for Eden in the crowd.

“Where’s my wife?”

He scratches his head frowning. “Uh, look I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t listen…She’s out in the woods looking for Weston. Keir went looking for her.”

“I wouldn’t wait around, either. You and I both know time is crucial. Where are Blaine and Caleb?”

He waves away one of the police officers before telling me Blaine is with Hutton, and Caleb is at the vet clinic searching every nook and cranny with members from his church.

“What happened? Tell me what happened,” I say to Steve through clenched teeth.

He relays Wes missed the bus because he was in the animal enclosure checking on Petunia and giving her a treat. Steve and Dave were on a foot patrol around the perimeter of the property when their phones alarmed because three cameras near our neighbor’s property had been damaged. They found the trees down and were dealing with that. “It was around half past seven this morning when we found the trees. Made contact with the guy after pounding on his door for ten minutes. I suppose we dealt with that until a bit after eight.”

Then he goes on to tell me Hutton called him around half past eight, when they were gathering the destroyed cameras, asking them to get to the house because they couldn’t find Wes. “At that point, he was streaming all the backlog of footage to figure out…to see if he had any footage of him leaving.”

He doesn’t say it, but we both know damn well.

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