Page 4 of A Storm of Nightmares

One of them looks young. Like barely older than Betty. He must be a new cop. He’s tall with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. When he catches me staring at him, he flashes me a shy smile that doesn’t show any teeth.

My cheeks blush, and I quickly look over at the other officer. He’s probably in his forties. He has black hair gelled over to one side, a black mustache, and light brown eyes. His stomach looks like it might pop a button off of his dark blue police shirt, and I bite my cheek to stop from smiling at the sight. He’s either indulged in too many beers or too many doughnuts.

My dad steps to the side and allows the men in. My mom is on her feet as soon as they walk into the kitchen, greeting them with the manners she’s tried to instill in Betty and me.

“Mr. and Mrs. Bowers, my name is Jerry Sanders, and this is my partner Keith Johnson.” Both officers take turns shaking my mom’s and then my dad’s hands. Aside from a few glances my way, I’m ultimately left out. I do my best to cage my irritation for now.

“Please, take a seat. I’m going to ask you some questions about the events leading up to your daughter’s disappearance. Is it alright if my partner has a look around while we chat?” The older officer says as he takes a seat on our couch. My parents follow his lead and sit across from him, looking anything but comfortable.

My dad nods and looks at me and says, “Kat will you show Officer Johnson to Betty’s room? Make sure you tell him if you remember anything while you’re looking around.” I swallow down my nerves and make eye contact with Officer Dreamy before awkwardly walking past him towards the stairs. I hear his footsteps behind me, but I don’t dare turn to look at him again. I’m afraid if I do, my knees will give out, and I’ll topple over in a heap on the floor. No, it’s better for my pride if I keep my eyes focused straight ahead.

We get upstairs, neither of us saying a word, and my mind wanders to the feeling of his eyes on me. He’s trailing closely behind, and I purposely sway my hips just a little bit more to accentuate one of my few good qualities. Betty might have the big, beautiful blue eyes and long, dark lashes, but I have the Pilates ass. And I’m not modest about it.

I turn right at the top of the stairs to go down the hall towards my and Betty’s bedrooms. I stop in front of Betty’s door and gently push it open. Disappointment hits me like a truck when I see that the room is still empty. A part of me was hoping this whole thing was getting blown way out of proportion and that I would come upstairs to find Betty relaxing on her bed like nothing happened. No such luck.

“This is it. I already looked around in here earlier, though. Some of her clothes are gone, and the bed is a mess, but everything else looks the same as always,” I say, my sad eyes darting around her room.

Officer Johnson takes a step toward me, and we lock eyes again. His gaze gives me butterflies, and I wonder exactly how much older than me he is. His features are sharp but young. God, he is handsome. I could drown in his light blue eyes, and I’d be perfectly happy about it.

I quickly shake the thoughts away, feeling guilty for thinking like this when my sister could be dead in a ditch somewhere.What is wrong with me?I feel sick picturing Betty dead, but I have to prepare my mind for the worst-case scenario. Fantasizing about this man’s lips on every inch of my skin is not going to help.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name,” he says as he holds out his large hand for me. His voice is smooth and surprisingly deep and sexy. I didn’t know a voice could ever be so attractive. His crooked smile calms me and makes my stomach do a backflip all at once. This is so overwhelming. I have never felt so drawn to a guy in my life, and tonight of all nights, I find myself in the presence of male perfection.

“Oh, it’s Kat,” I say and shake his hand. As soon as our skin touches, I feel electricity shoot through every inch of my body. Our hands part too quickly, and I miss the feeling of his touch already. “I mean, it’s Katherine. But I go by Kat. And my sister is Elizabeth, but she goes by Betty.” I have no idea why I add that last part. He asked for my name, not Betty’s. He’s looking into her disappearance, surely, he already knows her damn name. I internally roll my eyes at myself.

His smile grows, probably at my stupidity. “Kat, it’s nice to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances, but I assure you, my partner and I will look into this and do everything we can to find Betty.” He looks into Betty’s room and adds, “Well, I better get started. Has anything been moved since you noticed Betty was gone? Have you or your parents come in here and touched anything?”

“No, not that I know of. My dad came up here to look for Betty, but I doubt he touched anything. He was really frantic, running through the house screaming her name.” I laugh a little, mainly to keep myself from crying again, and Officer Johnson gives me a sad smile.

He nods and starts scanning the room with his eyes. First, he inspects the closet and all the empty hangers. When he’s finished in there, he strides to the open window and peeks outside, looking in every direction before pulling his head back in. Finally, he makes his way over to Betty’s bed, and his eyebrows scrunch together for a moment. The look makes my nerves shoot through the freaking roof. He’s done all of his observations silent and straight-faced. This expression can’t be good.

Officer Johnson looks back up at me, clears his throat, and relaxes his face. “I could use a glass of water if that’s not too much trouble, Kat.”

I get the feeling he doesn’t want me standing around watching him going through my sister’s things, especially if he does find something. Lord knows I would be a disaster if I saw any evidence pointing towards Betty being taken. So, I quietly leave and head back down to the kitchen. I’ll give him a few minutes alone before I go back upstairs with a glass of water.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I overhear my parents with Officer Sanders. I don’t know why I stop to eavesdrop; it’s not like it’s a private conversation. And I’m the one that was here with Betty when she went missing, so wouldn’t he want to talk to me and not my parents? Regardless, I can’t get my feet to move. I stand firmly rooted to the spot, listening to an increasingly heated conversation.

“How dare you suggest such a stupid thing!” My mom is trying to keep her voice down, but I can tell she is fuming. “My daughter is a good girl, and her boyfriend Dan is a nice guy. The two of them have plans to go to college in the fall. They’re planning a life together. They would never run away!”

“Ma’am, I understand that might be upsetting to think about, but it is a possibility. We just have to cover all the bases here. Now, if they did run away, where might they have gone?”

“No, you aren’t listening to me! It is not a possibility. Betty would never hurt us like this. She would never leave her sister without a word. And even if she did run off, she would have left a note for us, so we knew she was safe.” My mom breaks into sobs, and I can tell this is breaking her heart.

Hearing my mom in such a state of despair sends goosebumps over my entire body. If something happened to Betty, I don’t think this family would ever recover.

I finally get my feet to move, and I walk into the living room without even a sideways glance at Officer Sanders. I know he’s just doing his job, but I’m not his biggest fan right now. I sit down next to my mom, our thighs touching, and put my arm around her shoulders. It’s my turn to comfort her. She immediately wipes her tears away and gives me her best impression of a smile, but it falters.

Officer Sanders takes a deep breath, frustrated with my mom, no doubt. He has to understand Betty would not run away. She’s absolutely adored and spoiled by my parents, and she and I are incredibly close. A lot of sisters grow up fighting and wanting to kill each other and then end up close in their adult lives. But not us. Since the day I was born, Betty decided I was hers, and she was mine. We’re sisters by blood and the very best of friends by choice.

I have no idea where Betty is, but I know she wouldn’t leave like this. She can’t leave me yet. I’m already losing her in a few months when she moves six hours away for college. She wouldn’t cut our already limited time together short.

A few silent minutes pass as Officer Sanders lets my parents and me sit in shock on the couch. Officer Johnson comes down the stairs and calls over his partner. Officer Sanders stands up and excuses himself from us, and then the two uniformed men walk toward the front door and speak in hushed voices.

Straining my ears, I try to listen to them, to hear anything they might be saying. It’s no use, though. I can’t make out a single word. Note to self, learn how to read lips.

Before too long, they both walk back toward the living room, and Officer Johnson gives me a sympathetic smile. Officer Sanders speaks up first. “I’m sorry to bring this up, but my partner found a few drops of blood on Betty’s bedsheets. Do you know if she has recently become sexually active? Or was she currently menstruating? We need to try to piece the evening together, and if we know the details, we can do that better.”

My parents don’t say anything. My mom’s face pales; she looks horrified. My dad is furious. I can tell he’s about to explode at the suggestion of Betty and Dan having sex. But honestly, what does it matter? He can ground Betty when she comes home, but right now, we just need to find her.

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