Page 77 of Awakening the Sheriff

27

AUDEN

The weight of Keaton’s worry bore down on me like an avalanche. I couldn’t stand to see him suffer. My heart ached for him as he paced the room, his body tense with fear for his son. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him it would all be okay, but I was the sheriff and had a job to do.

“Baby”—I grasped his arm—“I need to handle this investigation, but I also want to be here for you. I don’t know how to be your boyfriend and do my job at the same time.”

His eyes met mine, gratitude and desperation mingling. “Do what you have to, Auden. Just find Byron.”

The solution struck me like a bolt of lightning. My father. As a retired sheriff with years of experience under his belt, he could lead the investigation while I stayed by Keaton’s side. Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

“Hey, Dad. Byron, Keaton’s son, is missing, and I need you.”

I explained the situation, and without missing a beat, he agreed to step in. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Thanks, Dad. You’re a lifesaver.”

Relief washed over me as I hung up. Thank god my father always had my back.

“Your father is helping out?” Keaton asked.

“He’s taking over the investigation so I can be here with you. It’s killing me to do both, and now he can focus on finding Byron, and I can focus on being there for you.”

“Thank you, Auden.” His voice cracked. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

As we stood there, our fingers intertwined, I knew my decision to stay with Keaton had been the right one. My father would find Byron, and I would be there for the man I loved. The two halves of my life had finally come together.

True to his words, my father arrived minutes later. I filled him in on the details, handing him a photo of Byron and all the information I had so far.

“Ennio went to Tricia’s,” Dad said. “He’ll let her and the girls know you might not make it home tonight. If you need anything else, he and your mother are just a phone call away.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

I already felt better now that he’d taken charge. The man was a rock, and tonight, I would lean on him once more.

Keaton paced back and forth, tapping his fingers against the phone in his hand. His body tensed as he dialed and lifted the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Mom…Dad,” he said, his voice cracking. “I’m sorry to spring this on you, but Byron’s missing. He didn’t come home from school today, and no one knows where he is.”

He paused, listening to their response. “Has he contacted you at all? No? Okay.”

His shoulders slumped. “Let me know if you hear anything. Thank you. Love you too.”

With a heavy sigh, he ended the call and turned to me. “They haven’t heard from him either. My mom says she’ll pray for his safe return. I hope God is listening.”

“Everything’s going to be okay, Keaton.” I pulled him into a tight embrace. “We’ll find him.”

What else could I offer but that reassurance? I believed it with all my heart. Byron wasn’t stupid. He might be an idiot for taking off, but he had a good head on his shoulders, and I had to trust he’d be fine. All we needed to do was find him, and my father was on it.

He wasted no time calling everyone he could think of. He reached out to sheriffs in the area, members of the community who might have seen or heard anything, the principal. The air was thick with tension as we listened to him, our bodies vibrating with anxiety.

“Byron Perry, sixteen years old,” my father repeated, his tone firm and authoritative. “Last seen wearing a red hoodie and blue jeans. If you see him or have any information, please contact me.”

“Thank you for your help, Principal Hebert.” He ended another call. “We appreciate it.”

Keaton clung to my hand. We had to do something. This standing here and waiting was killing him.

The shrill ring of a cell phone shattered the tense silence in the room. My father answered it. “Hello, this is Deputy Sheriff Frant speaking.”

---