Page 80 of Feel It All

“Graham, finally,” he answers his voice in a panic.

“Sir, what’s going on?”

“Please, please tell me that Winry is with you,” he begs.

I take a seat on my bed knowing I won’t be able to stand for this. “No, sir, she is not with me. What’s going on? Is she okay?”

“Damn it. Okay. Get down to Crossroads now,” he hangs up.

My heart is in my stomach. I grab my keys and race to Crossroads.

When I get there, there are a few cop cars and tape blocking off the small crowd that has formed.

I barely have my car in park when I jump out and race inside. The place is a mess, and there is some blood on the floor. I just stare at it unable to move. I know it has to be Winry’s and I think I am going to be sick.

“Graham,” Ivy comes up in tears. “I don’t know what happened. She was supposed to be here this morning, and I was running late. When I got here, the place was trashed and she wasn’t here.” The panic in her voice is thick and she is shaking.

I want to tell her it’s going to be okay, but I can’t. “Where is her dad?”

She wipes the tears from her face. “Next door, he is trying to check their cameras to see if they can get an idea of what happened.”

“Okay, I will be back. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she nods, and I head over next door. “Chief,” I holler as I enter the building.

“Back here,” he yells.

I run to the back office of the floral shop and find Chief combing through surveillance videos. “Find anything yet?”

“Unfortunately. Here.” He restarts some footage. I lean over, watching intently. For a moment nothing happens, but then the door opens, and I see Flynn carrying out a limp Winry. He tosses her in his truck and they drive off.

Words can’t even describe the fear I feel right now. Honestly, it’s a miracle I am still standing.

“The time stamp is six hundred hours. He has had her for over an hour, taking her God knows where.” Chief stands, running his hands over his face. “Damn it, this is all my fault. I agreed to letting him turn himself in instead of taking him over immediately after court.”

“I…I need some air.” I walk out without another word. Once outside I just fall to the concrete and put my face in my hands. I can’t believe it, he took her. He knocked her out and took her.

“Graham, what’s going on?” Waverley and Wyla run up. “What happened?”

I stand up, and I don’t know if I can say the words out loud. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

“Girls,” chief comes outside, clearly distraught. He holds out his arms and captures them both in a tight hug.

“Dad, what is going on? Is Winry here?” Wyla asks confused.

“No, uh, why don’t we go back to the station? Your mom is on the way there now.” Chief turns to me, “You too.”

All I can do is nod.

Back at the station, I sit silently in the conference room, anger and fear coursing through my veins. I want to hit something and feel anything other than this.

“Okay, what is going on? You are scaring me, where is Winry?” Waverley asks and bites at her nails.

Still I can’t speak. I can hardly look at anyone. Chief walks in the room with Winry’s mom and Ivy.

Chief takes a deep breath. “Okay, I don’t know how to say this…but Flynn attacked Winry this morning at Crossroads. We have him on camera carrying her out of the store and putting her in his truck.”

Hearing it again feels like a punch to the gut. Waverley and Wyla start to panic, and Mrs. Bennett and Ivy are in tears.

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