29. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Doug
A J and I jumped from our chairs when we heard John’s booming voice. “Lobby, now!” Assuming he meant everyone, we ran out.
The expression on his pale face stopped me in my tracks—I’d never seen him look so rattled.
It was nothing compared to the look on Meg’s face. She was pale and her eyes were frantic as she waited for everyone to assemble.
“Drop anything that isn’t an emergency. We’re going to the park to help search for Chase.”
Chase is missing? Fear gripped my heart . I have to get to Beth. She must be losing her mind with worry.
The room buzzed as everyone started asking questions.
John turned to Sammie. “Campbell, get in touch with someone from the department. Let them know we’re on our way.”
“Yes, sir.” Samantha Campbell was one of our part-time security personnel, and a full-time Weatherford cop.
“Chase is lost at the park. Beth is on her way there now. WPD is working under the assumption he’s wandered off and not treating it like a kidnapping.”
“Are we treating it the same, sir?” I asked. Beth told me Chase had a habit of wandering off. Hell, I’d witnessed it for myself. However, from what she’d said, he rarely went far.
“No.” He ran his hand through his curly short brown hair. “Until he’s found we’ll work under the assumption he’s been kidnapped. We’ll search for clues while we help look for him.” The Sheppards had known Chase his entire life, so they knew it wasn’t normal for him to be gone long enough to inspire a man hunt.
Jack was standing beside Meg, his arm around her. She asked, “what do you need me to do?”
“Stay here for now.” He softened his tone to answer her. When he turned back to us, he was all business again.
“Janerek, you’re with Jamie and Jack. Sharpe, you’re with me. Campbell, we’ll take any help you can give us before your shift starts. Gear up, we leave in three.”
We all nodded and returned to our respective offices to grab our gear.
Jack gave Meg a hug before we left. He promised her we wouldn’t stop until Chase was found, as he wiped a tear off her cheek.
A wave of jealousy washed over me; I want a love like that. I chastised myself for focusing on the wrong thing and steeled my mind to the task at hand.
The only thing that mattered right now was finding Chase.
John confirmed my fears on the drive over; Chase was most likely hurt or had been kidnapped. He said Chase rarely went far when he wandered, and he usually came running back eager to share the story about whatever it was that had caught his attention.
“And he never misses a chance to talk to a cop. If he wasn’t drawn out by the flashing lights, we have to assume he can’t see them.”
Knowing he was right, and having nothing to add, I nodded.
“Beth will be a nervous wreck, so don’t take anything she says too personal.”
“Thanks.” Beth and I hadn’t been dating long, but I’d already seen how she acted when she was worried about Chase. The museum incident happened less than a week ago, but it was nothing compared to what she must be going through today.
I prayed we’d find him, safe and sound, sooner rather than later.
The first thing I did when we got to the park was look for Beth. I wanted, needed, to be there for her as well as to help with the search. When I finally found her, talking to an officer a few yards away, I strode over as fast as I could without actually running. John was close on my heels.
When she saw me she flew into my arms, buried her face in my chest and sobbed. I held her close, stroking her back to offer what little comfort I could while John talked to the officer.
Beth stepped back and said between sniffles, “We can’t find him. Oh Doug, I can’t lose him too.”
Her fear and desperation tore my heart to shreds. I wanted to promise her we’d find him, and everything would be okay, but I couldn’t lie.
What I could do was promise I wouldn’t stop looking.
John finished talking to the officer and joined us just as Jamie, Jack, and AJ arrived.
“Beth,” he pulled her into a hug, “we’re going to do everything we can to find Chase and bring him home to you.”
“Thank you.” She pulled away and wiped her nose on her arm.
“Weatherford PD is calling out the search and rescue volunteers. Me and the boys are going to start a search in the direction he was last seen.” He looked at Beth, then at me. “Do you want one of us to stay here with you?”
“Can’t I come with you?”
“No, it’s best for you to stay here since this is where he’s likely to return, if he can. Plus, this is command central, so if he’s found by another team you’ll want to be here when they bring him back.”
“Okay.” Beth had drifted back to my side, so I put my arm around her. It was the only way I could think to offer her comfort.
“Do you want someone to stay?” John repeated the question.
“No.” She shook her head. “You all need to look.”
“I can call Emily and have her come stay with you,” Jamie offered.
“Mary will be here as soon as she can,” John added.
“Thanks, Jamie, but I’ll be okay until your mom gets here.”
John reached out for Beth’s hand and led her back to the commanding officer on scene.
When he returned , he said, "We’re doing a standard neighborhood search. We’re not leaving any bush, tree, or back yard uncovered. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Chase was last seen walking towards the baseball diamond, so we’re going to cross the street there,” he pointed, “and start the search. I’ll take point and stay in touch with Sgt. Walker, who’ll be taking command of the search and rescue team when they get here. Any questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Let’s move.”
Not long after we started, the Sgt. notified John that Mary had arrived on scene and was with Beth. Not surprisingly, she’d closed the shop early and asked her part-time baristas to set up a table with coffee and bottles of water.
We searched for hours. The search and rescue volunteers started ninety minutes after we did.
The sky turned orange and pink as the sun started to set. We kept looking.
We had high-powered flashlights, so we continued searching after the sun had set.
Two hours after sunset, Sgt. Walker called in the volunteers. We kept looking.
Chase was family; we weren’t giving up.
John called in a favor with WPD and asked for an officer to be assigned to stay Beth and Mary.
Two hours later, John made the command decision to call off our search. By that time, we’d collectively searched a large enough area that we had to accept the probability Chase hadn’t 'just wandered off'.
We walked back in silence. None of us were willing to give voice to reality.
I need to be with Beth .
Mar and Beth had gone to the SSI office and were waiting for us there, along with Meg and Emily. Campbell was there, having been assigned to stay with Beth after clocking on for her shift.
Once we were in the car, John called Mary to let her know we were on our way back and asked her to order food. Most of us hadn’t eaten since lunch and were starving.
We’ll need calories to get through the night, because I knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, none of us would sleep tonight.