Page 56 of Safe
When they asked about the argument that prompted her departure, the question smacked me hard. I struggled to respond without tears or sounding like an absolute fool.
After a few hours, everyone left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I tried to sleep but ended up staring through the blurred images on the TV, desperate to occupy myself with anything but worry. Despite feeling restless and helpless, I knew I had done everything I could, and now all I could do was wait for Alex.
At some point, I must have drifted off. I startled awake to Alex shaking my shoulder, the clock reading eleven in the morning. Danielle was still missing, and dread hit me again as I coped with the reality of her absence. She still wasn’t here, and there was nothing good that could come from that.
“Any word on Danielle?” I asked him before saying anything else. Hello felt inappropriate, and I knew an apology was useless at this point.
“No. Been at the station all night. I traced the GPS signal from the car you guys had. Grand Junction found it parked behind the convenience store in town. There was nothing in it.”
“What about cameras?”
"There are cameras positioned at the front of the building, capturing the cars entering the parking lot. I'm heading there now to comb through the footage and see if I can spot Landon. Do you want to join me?"
Though hesitant, I knew I had to go. I felt the burden of responsibility for everything that had happened, and I felt the need to redeem myself and bring her back safely.
I couldn’t say a word as I sat in Alex's car; all I could feel was the tightening of my chest. His sister was in danger once more, and this time it was my fault, even after I promised to protect her. If I were in his shoes, I would fucking hate myself, too.
My mind spiraled. Memories of losing Riley, the image of watching Danielle get further and further away from me at the zoo, and how broken and bruised she was when I first met her. Danielle had brought meaning to my life again; at this point, losing her would mean losing the last sane parts of me, beyond redemption. We drove almost the entire way to the station before Alex cleared his throat and spoke.
"Hey," Alex said as he stopped at a red light and turned to me. "About what I said earlier, about not caring about yourlove life, I didn’t mean it. Honestly, if there’s anyone I trust with my sister, someone who would never hurt her, never lie to her, and treat her the way she deserves, it's you."
I couldn't hold back any longer. All the anger I had towards myself, the worry, the fear, it all came rushing out. The flood of tears was unlike anything I’d ever known before.
"Alex, I swear to God, the only reason I kept taking the money from you was for her."
"You think I don’t know that, Cody? Why do you think I kept insisting you take it? I wouldn’t have stopped, and Danielle should have fucking known that."
"I know, but she doesn’t understand. She wouldn't let me explain, and even if I did, I doubt she'd believe me. Alex, if anything happens to her..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the thought.
As we pulled up to the station, Alex looked at me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. "Cody, listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to her. We're not going to stop until we find her."
We entered the building and were led to a small office at the back, where they'd set up the surveillance footage for us to review. They had trimmed the video to moments before Danielle arrived at the store. The reality of the moment slapped me in the face as every idea and theory that I had was shot to shit.
"This doesn't make any sense," Alex said, his eyes fixed on the screen.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"In the video, she parked out front. Yet they found her car behind the store. Plus, how long do you typically spend in a convenience store? Five minutes, tops. What are the odds he'd find her in less than five minutes?"
We watched fifteen minutes of the footage from after she arrived. Danielle never exited, and Landon never entered. That’s when everything clicked.
"Oh my God, Alex. He was already fucking there. That explains why he didn't need to find her in less than five minutes."
"How do you know he was already there?"
"That’s the convenience store where she used her card. Think about it. The only clue he had was where she swiped her card. People don’t usually travel far from home to shop at a convenience store. He probably banked on the chance she'd return there."
Alex buried his head in his hands. "He was staking it out. We're not searching for a car that arrived after her; we're looking for one that was already there."
His head snapped up, and his eyes sharpened.
"Holy shit. That's him," Alex said, pointing to a man walking around from the back of the building, dressed in a black jacket, blue jeans, and a black baseball cap. He had a full beard and wore sunglasses. I leaned in and squinted, but the figure seemed unremarkable, like anyone could fit the description.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Look at his hand—the tattoo," Alex replied, pausing as he zoomed in on the man's left hand. "He's got tattoos across his knuckles. H-A-T-E. That's him."
"Seriously? She dated a guy with 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles?" I blurted, unable to hide the disbelief in my voice. Alex glanced over, one corner of his mouth twitching, amused, regardless of how inappropriate the timing was. We watched as he looked around, got in Danielle’s car, and moved it to the back of the store.
