Page 140 of What You Wish For

“Which way did he go?” I asked.

But Mrs. Kline shook her head. “It doesn’t show. You can just see him leaving.”

“So… he’s been missing since this afternoon?” Alice asked.

“He’s been missing since about four thirty,” Mrs. Kline said, “but they didn’t figure out he was missing until eleven thirty. At night.”

“Holy shit,” Alice said.

“Language, please,” Mrs. Kline said. Then she added, “His mother thought he was with his father—that he’d picked him up at car pool and the two had gone off on their adventure. But apparently”—Mrs. Kline glanced around and lowered her voice—“Kent Buckley forgot about the whole thing. Entirely. And so he stayed at work late and then went for drinks with some clients, and he didn’t get home until after eleven. When he got home and didn’t have Clay with him… that’s when they called the police.”

“She wasn’t expecting them home until eleven?”

“She wasn’t expecting them home at all. It was supposed to be an overnight trip.”

Alice was nodding. “So that explains why Kent Buckley is so red-faced and angry.”

Mrs. Kline frowned and nodded, likeOh, yeah.“Tina’s angry, too. She’s absolutely on the edge of losing it.”

“Understandable,” Alice said.

“They’ve already had several shouting matches since I’ve been here.”

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

“Since about two. The police searched likely places he’d be first—the school, Babette’s—before deciding to call everybody in. They’ve recalled all their officers, and we’ve texted everybody on our notification system. As people come in, we’re sending them out in teams—giving everybody a grid section of the city to search.”

This was Mrs. Kline at her multitasking best. She gave us an assignment—to walk the seawall heading east for ten blocks. If nothing turned up, we should report back to her by text, she’d send us a new section. Before we headed out, she told us to check in with the officer by the door, who was giving each team instructions.

Alice and I headed that way. A few other people were already waiting. Emily and Donna had their packet already and seemed antsy to get going. Carlos had been paired up with Coach Gordo, who was wearing his reflective car-pool safety vest. Everyone had that look—of being awakened from a dead sleep and hurtled straight into a state of maximum adrenaline.

Just as Alice and I arrived for instructions, Duncan came around a corner and saw me. He was walking with one of the officers, and at the sight of me, he slowed to a stop and stared for just a second.

There are no words to describe the sting of humiliation I felt at the sight of him—and, specifically, at the sight of him seeing me. It hijacked my entire body so tightly I felt like one big charley horse. It was physical. It was agony.

And then it was over.

There were bigger things going on. Another officer came up to Duncan with some new piece of urgent news, and he turned and walked off.

Fair enough. We had a situation.

As I watched him walk off, I had to mentally remind myself tobreatheandrelax.

He was still in the suit he’d been in yesterday, the suit he’d been wearing as he plunged into the ocean after me—probably still damp. His oxford shirt was dry, but stippled the way shirts are when they haven’t been pressed. His navy blue tie was nowhere to be seen. His shirt was open at the collar.

I couldn’t entirely read his reaction to seeing me—partly, I’m sure, becausemyreaction to seeing him was so intense. The moment was over almost as soon as it started, but the aftereffects lingered, aching for a long while after.

I knew he’d be there, of course. He was the principal. He was in charge—on the school end of things, anyway. But I hadn’t had time to plan. At minimum, I’d hoped to avoid eye contact. I’d figured he’d be off in some far corner working in some kind of makeshift headquarters, not just wandering around loose like that making random eye contact with the lovelorn.

What was that eye contact, anyway? What had I seen in his eyes? Surprise, maybe? Or maybe fear? God, was I that scary?

I had just about refocused my attention on the moment at hand, when I saw him walking back toward me. He was holding up a hand, likeBe right back,to the group of officers he’d left behind

He came up beside Alice and me. She looked at him, then at me, likeWhat’s going on here?But, to her credit, she didn’t say anything.

Duncan gave Alice a nod, and then he turned to me. “Hey. You’re here.”

The stinging of humiliation came back and took me over. I almost couldn’t look at him. I stayed totally still. “As are you.”

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