Page 76 of Awakening the Sheriff

“Keaton?” Her voice came through, breathless. “Is everything okay?”

“Byron is missing.” I was unable to mask my panic.

“Missing?” Mandy gasped. “What happened?”

“He left school and didn’t come home. We think he may have run away, maybe headed to Atlanta.”

“Run away? Jesus Christ, Keaton, he’s a child. How the hell does he think he can get to the other end of the country on his own?”

She sounded worried. “Did you know about it? Did he talk to you, say anything?” I needed to know if she had any part in his disappearance.

“Keaton, I swear, I had no idea.” Then she hesitated, and my stomach dropped.

“What do you know, Mandy? Please tell me.”

“He called me earlier this week, and we talked on the phone. He had…questions. About you and your relationship with Auden. And I told him I hadn’t been fair to you and I was happy for you, that I hoped you guys would become happy in Forestville.”

Oh god. That must’ve hit Byron like a hammer. “How did he react?”

“He didn’t say much, but he asked if I was planning on moving to Atlanta.”

“What did you tell him?” I held my breath.

She let out a long sigh. “I told him I might, but that if I did, it would be without him and Milton, that their home is with you. I wanted to make it right, Keaton. Wanted to tell the truth.”

As good as her intentions might’ve been, chances were that phone call was the reason he’d run away. He’d defended her so fiercely, and then to find out it had all been a lie? He must’ve been devastated. “Thanks for letting me know, Mandy. I’m worried sick.”

“So am I. Have you contacted the cops?”

“Yeah, Auden’s here right now, and we’ll do whatever we can to find him. Stay close to your phone, okay? I’ll update you as soon as I know more. And if you hear from him, call me.”

“I will.”

As I lowered the phone from my ear, my gaze drifted to Auden, who was now on his phone. The urgency in his voice reassured me he was doing everything in his power to find Byron. Thank god for Auden. Without him, I’d be an absolute wreck right now.

“What did Mandy say?” Auden asked when he’d ended his call.

I relayed what Mandy had told me, and he winced. “She might’ve meant well, but Jesus, she should’ve given you a heads-up.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“Anyway, I need a list of any friends, family members, or acquaintances Byron might reach out to for help. We need to cover all our bases.”

“Right.” In my head, I went through the limited social circle my son had built since moving to Forestville. “There are not many, but I’ll get you a list. And you’ll need a recent photo too? I have a printed one and a digital one.”

“Text me the digital one, would you?”

Every year, the company that took the school pictures back in Atlanta sent us a digital one as well, with their full names and date of birth on it. It was intended for this purpose, and every year, I’d saved it to my photo album on my phone…never expecting I would have to use it.

With a few swipes, I found the picture, which showed him wearing a hesitant smile. My heart clenched with worry. I handed my phone to Auden, who studied it.

“I’ve put out a BOLO, a Be On the Look Out,” he said, his tone steady and reassuring. “That means law enforcement in the area will know to look for Byron, and they’ll get a description, and I’ll add his picture. My deputies are contacting the Seattle PD and the airport police at SeaTac. We’re also asking Seattle PD to send someone to the train and bus stations to monitor those.”

“Thanks for being here,” I whispered.

“Of course,” Auden said without hesitation. “We’ll find him, Keaton. I promise.”

I clung to his words like a lifeline, praying we’d bring my son home safe and sound.

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