Page 25 of Leo
“Somepeople need to get their heads out of their asses,” I snarled.“And I understand—trust me, I really do, but you’re doing the same damn thing they are!Punishing people who run sex positive businesses just because you’re afraid people will realize some queer people might,” I did gasp then, full of theatrics and feigned shock, “have sex and not go through life as some ‘safe queer’ poster person for the ‘right kind’ of gay?”I shook my head, face hot with anger.“No.Nope.Fuck that, Mr.Dempsey.And if you came here to pressure me into something, good luck.I’m running my business how I choose, and while I’m not running for the board next month, I am going to be sure to vote for whoever is running against you and campaign my ass off for them, too.”Shit, were there campaigns?I don’t remember how it went last time…
Dempsey stood, stepping just far enough into my personal space to make me uncomfortable and want to step back, but I held my ground even as my leg muscles twitched with the need to move.“It’s not just the rumors about those cakes, Mr.Morris.It’s about your attitude.It’s about you running a business that’s not up to the standards of the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.We’ll be discussing this at the next meeting, Mr.Morris.”
The front door chime had never sounded so good, especially as it silenced Dempsey.A tall, solemn-faced man with long braids and a slightly confused air stepped into the waiting area and froze, eyeballing Dempsey and me squaring off.“I’m sorry,” he said.“Am I early?I have an appointment to discuss my partner’s services.”
“You’re right on time, Mr.Raymond.Come on through to my office.”I stood aside to let him pass, turning my back on Dempsey.
* * *
The restof the day passed in a stop and start sort of blur.I turned my phone on during a break between meetings, the spare charger still missing, and saw Ambrose had texted me another string of lewd emojis and a link to a YouTube video with a thumbnail of him holding a rather phallic looking cupcake with a fondant banana sticking out of the center.I shot off a quick text:Promises, promises.He hadn’t replied by the time I shut the phone off a few minutes later and stuck it back in the desk drawer.The afternoon saw me with two bodies to prepare for funerals during the week, so I switched the office phone to cover and headed back into the preparation room where Mrs.Candleman and Mr.Raymond waited to be made ready for their final viewings.Mrs.Candleman was to be sent out of state, so her preparations were minimal, albeit time consuming to do properly.Facing the daunting tasks of having both of them ready on time by myself, I decided it was past time to make good on my promise to approach Natalie about moving to full time hours and reach out to the mortuary science program I’d attended about students ready for their practicums.By the time I began on Mr.Raymond, the day was almost over for me.Naomi had Edward until fiveish, so I had enough time to finish working on Mr.Raymond and clean up, then call the transport service for Mrs.Candleman and arrange for her to be moved the next morning.Tired, sorely in need of some hot tea and a long shower to loosen the tight muscles in my back, I dragged back to my office to find a surprise waiting for me.
“Ambrose!Hey!”My smilehurtit was so big, and I’d made it three steps toward him before I realized he did not look happy in the slightest.“What’s going on?What’s the matter?”
He grabbed my hands and squeezed gently, taking a deep breath.“Naomi couldn’t get hold of you and your office phone was going to voicemail, so she called the bakery hoping I’d seen him.”
“Seen who?”I demanded, but I already knew.A feeling like claws dipped in acid clutched at my gut and everything inside me turned to ice.“Ambrose, seenwho?”
He pulled me to the guest chair in front of my desk and gently pushed me to sit down.“Naomi went to pick Edward up from school and he wasn’t in the line.His teacher hadn’t noticed him leaving, but it’s chaos with all those little kids getting out for the day.”
My jaw worked mutely.She’s his teacher!It’s her job to keep track of the kids!They’re too little to be on their own!Jesus Christ!The words didn’t come, though.Just a strangled sort of noise between a groan and a scream.Ambrose was talking to someone else and urging me to bend forward, to breathe.“We’re going to find him, okay?Naomi’s called the police—”another one of those noises escaped—“and they’re already searching the area.I texted Bethany but she’s in one of her after school clubs so probably has her phone on mute right now, but I’ll keep checking to see if she’s gotten back to me.Let’s look around here, okay?You’re not that far from the school and maybe he got tired of waiting for Naomi and decided to walk over here.”
“No,” I rasped.“No, he wouldn’t do that.He knows he’s not allowed to walk down the road without a grown-up.And he wouldn’t go with anyone he didn’t know.”My stomach cramped as a horrible thought occurred.“He’s being bullied by some of the kids in his class and a few second graders.Mostly name calling but some of them have been pushing him and… Oh my god, what if they lured him off?What if he’s with them?”I lurched, not sure which way to go, which way would lead me to Edward before anything happened.Please god, don’t let something happen to him!
Ambrose nodded.“Okay.Okay.He’s a smart kid.But he’s still a kid.And even the smartest kids will do silly things sometimes like go on a walk without telling someone.But he’s not going to go with someone who’s been hurting him, yeah?He wouldn’t.So, let’s just look around here, then go to the school, okay?The cops are there, and we can start a search from there.”
There was that noise again but now it was definitely closer to a scream.Ambrose pulled me in to a tight embrace and I felt everything crack inside, sobs rattling my chest as I clutched at him.“He’s six,” I kept repeating.“He’ssix.Where would he go?”
“We’re going to find him, okay?Let’s go.Let’s do this so he’s not waiting too long, okay?”
I nodded.“Right.Right.Okay.”He tugged me to my feet and made me stand still while he looked in my office, peeking under my desk and opening the small coat closet, rifling through the storage boxes as if Edward would hide himself in old tax forms and boxes of funeral home letterhead.Then he took my hand and we moved room by room through the home, calling out Edward’s name and looking in every small corner and dark space we could think of.
He wasn’t there, just as I knew he wouldn’t be.
“I drove over,” Ambrose murmured.“Come on.Let’s get your phone and head over to the school.”
I nodded again, everything moving in jumpy snapshots of moments instead of flowing time.The walk to his car, the drive to the school, was all quick pictures and flashes of color.
Until we pulled up to the elementary.
It looked like every police car in Gaynor Beach as well as the surrounding county was there.Naomi and Mike were huddled by the flagpole with Leslie and a few of the teachers from the elementary school.Ms.Webb, Edward’s teacher, was speaking with a police officer.
“Hey.”Ambrose grabbed my wrist as I yanked myself free of the seatbelt.“Yell at her later.Right now, we focus on Edward.”
“Don’t tell me how to handle my anger here,” I snarled.“She was the last one to see him and she just let him disappear.”
“Is shouting at her going to find him faster?”
I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me and striding toward Ms.Webb and the officer.“Where’s Edward?”I shouted, making them both startle.
“Mr.Morris, I’m Officer Douglas.We need to ask you some questions to get an idea of what’s been going on with Edward lately and see if we can get an idea of where to start looking.”
Ms.Webb recoiled from whatever look was on my face.“He was standing with the other kids at dismissal,” she stammered.“I turned to talk to Susan Boyd’s grandfathers and then had to stop the Thompson girls from fighting over the Lego bricks.When Mrs.Meyers showed up and asked if he was waiting inside, that’s when I realized Edward wasn’t with the other kids.”Her words petered out on a sort of broken sob, but I couldn’t feel pity for her in that moment.I would later, I knew, or at least I thought I might, but at that moment all I wanted was to find my child and for everyone who should have been caring for him to do their damn jobs and keep him safe.
“Do not talk to me,” I snapped.“You’ve done a piss poor job with Edward this year and we’re barely into the first semester!Between your ableist bullshit and your lack of follow up with the bullying situation, I was ready to request him moved to another class but now?”I didn’t approach her, but Officer Douglas held out a hand as if to push me back should I try.“Now, you’ll be lucky if you’re still teachinganywhereby the end of this week!”
“Leo,” Ambrose muttered beside me.“Breathe.”
“Mr.Morris, let’s talk.The faster we do this, the faster we find him, okay?”
