Chapter 34
Jasper
It’s been over three hours since we found Salem missing. Austin and I have driven all over town, stopping in all the places we know of where kids like to hang out. The only problem is that Salem doesn’t know any of these places.
Or at least, I’m assuming he doesn’t.
“Where the fuck could he be?” I say, glancing out the window at the fields going past.
“I don’t know, man,” Austin says back.
He’s just as stressed as I am. Arlo is a mess, and Luca keeps calling to check in on us. Sheriff Granger came to the house to take a missing persons report, and he’s got deputies combing over the area, but so far, no luck.
My phone ringing startles me, and I swipe to answer. “Is he home, baby boy?” I ask in place of hello.
“No.” Arlo sounds as wrecked as he has every other time that we’ve talked on the phone. “I don’t understand. Where could he have gone?”
“I don’t know, baby boy.”
My phone beeps, and I pull it away from my ear to check it.
Hunter
We’re heading back to the house for a minute. Theo is having a rough day and wants to take a nap so he feels more rested and can get back to it. We’ve gone from West Maple St. all the way to the edge of town. After I drop him off, I’ll go back out.
I put the phone on speaker quickly. “Hunter is running back to the house for Theo to nap, then he’s going back to looking. They’ve searched a pretty big area.”
Arlo makes a strangled noise. “Where could he have gone?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll find him. I promise.”
Every minute that goes by makes me feel more and more like I shouldn’t be making that promise at all. My stress levels are out of control, and even Austin seems to be losing faith.
Hunter’s right, though. He couldn’t have gotten too far away in the time he was gone. But he’s had another three hours since then, and since we don’t know which direction he was going, it makes it all the more tricky.
“How’s Nora doing?”
Arlo takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. “She’s okay. Better than me. I’m glad Luca is here. I’d be a fucking mess if he wasn’t. He’s keeping her entertained.”
“That’s good.” Luca is worth his weight in fucking gold, and I’m so glad he and Arlo have gotten so close. Arlo needs someone like that in his life. Sure, he has me. But I could never replace what Luca offers him. “Does she seem to be worried?”
“Not too bad, but like I said, Luca is keeping her occupied. Wish he could keep my mind off things.”
Austin slows down, then points across the field at something white by the treeline. “What’s that?”
I squint, trying to make it out. “I’m not sure. Hey, baby boy,” I say as Austin pulls off on the side of the road and puts the truck in park, then climbs out. “There’s something along the treeline here. We’re gonna get out and look, okay? I’ll call you back if I find anything.”
“Okay,” he whispers, his voice shaking and thick.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hang up the phone, jumping down and jogging to catch up to Austin. I scan my surroundings, searching for tracks, but I don’t see any.
“I’m not seeing any sign that anyone’s been here but us,” I say, head on a swivel.
Austin sighs. “Me neither, but let’s still check. If whatever that is belongs to him, he could have come in from a different way. He might not have walked through the field.”
That makes perfect sense, but my head also isn’t on the right way at the moment. I’m a fucking mess. And Arlo being even more of a mess than me is the only reason I’m holding it together as well as I am.
When we make it to the edge of the field, Austin picks up the item, turning it in his hands.
“Fuck,” I breathe.
From the truck, it looked like a piece of clothing.
“It’s a rag of some sort,” he says, stating the obvious.
“Yeah, definitely not anything from my house.”
“I thought it might have been a hoodie or something.”
Clutching the fabric in his hands, Austin turns, making his way back to the truck. I follow, pulling my phone out to text Arlo.
Me
It was nothing, baby boy. I’m sorry. Still looking.
Arlo
Fuck okay
When we get back to the truck, Austin hums. “Alright, let’s think. Has he mentioned any friends? We know everyone in this town. If we’ve got a name, we can find out who their parents are. Maybe he walked to a friend’s or something.”
He hasn’t. Not one single time. Nora talks nonstop about all the friends she’s made, but Salem doesn’t.
He hasn’t mentioned a single name. Not a single friend.
When Arlo and I have tried getting him to open up about it, he’s said nothing.
He doesn’t talk about people. He doesn’t tell us what he does in school. Nothing.
Fuck. We’ve really gotten this all wrong somehow.
“No.” I shake my head. “He hasn’t mentioned any friends.”
“Fuck,” Austin says, echoing my thoughts. “Okay, so what if we—”
My phone rings, cutting him off, and I glance at it.
Hunter.
“Hello?”
“I found him.”
Relief washes over me. It’s so fast and potent that it makes my fingertips tingle and my breath catch. “Where?”
Austin slows down, glancing at me, so I put the phone on speaker.
“He’s here.”
“Where’s here?” Austin asks.
“My house. The farm.” Without a word, Austin stops the truck, then turns around and takes off toward Hunter’s house.
“When I got here to drop Theo off, I noticed the horse barn door was cracked. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but after I got Theo inside and in bed, I started thinking about how much the horses always help him when he’s having a bad day.
Salem seems to like them too. Thought maybe if he was gonna go anywhere, he might come here. ”
My heart slams against my rib cage. “Have you talked to him?”
“No.” Hunter blows out a breath. “He doesn’t even know I know he’s in there. I’ll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t leave, but… I think he walked here and slept in the barn.”
Jesus Christ. I don’t know why none of us thought to check Hunter’s house. That was short-sighted. Salem loves the horses. He wants to be there all the time. Hunter and those fucking horses are just about the only things he talks about.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes. I’ve gotta call Arlo.”
Hunter hums. “Sure thing, man. Like I said, I’ll keep an eye out. Make sure he doesn’t leave.”
“Thank you, Hunter. Truly.”
I hang up the phone, then immediately call Arlo.
“Did you find him?” he asks right away.
“Hunter did. He’s at the farm.”
A broken sob tears from his throat. “I’m on my way.”
“Hang tight, baby boy, okay?”
Arlo makes a strangled sound. “What do you mean?”
Austin turns onto Hunter’s road. “Let me talk to him for a bit, okay? I promise I’ll bring him home safe and sound.”
There’s silence on the other end of the line. “But he’s my baby brother.”
I nod, my throat tightening. I’ve never heard Arlo so distraught. Never in all the time I’ve known him. “I know he is, but I promise I’ll take care of him.”
Arlo lets out a breath. “I know. I trust you.”
Hunter’s driveway is right ahead, so I clear my throat. “We’re about to pull in, baby boy. I’m gonna let you go. I’ll text you when we’re on our way home. Call the sheriff and let them know we found him.”
“Okay,” Arlo whispers. “I love you.”
I can’t help but smile. Salem is safe, and Arlo trusts me to take care of him. “I love you too.”
I hang up the phone just as Austin pulls into the driveway. Hunter is sitting on the porch, and he drags his eyes away from the barns to glance at us before looking back at them.
Austin parks near the house, then shuts off the truck. “I’ll go up and talk to Hunter. Let me know when you’re ready to go.”
“Thank you for everything today.”
He shifts in his seat, shooting me a slight grin. “No problem, man. That’s what friends do, right? God knows you’ve shown up for me countless times.”
My eyes burn a little at that. I nod, then push open the truck door.
Hunter stands, grabbing a bottle of water before making his way over to me. “I still don’t think he knows we know he’s in there. He hasn’t come out.” He hands me the bottle of water. “Brought this out in case he’s thirsty.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
The truck door opens and shuts behind me as Austin gets out.
I don’t waste any more time. I start walking across the field, trying to figure out what I’m going to say. This is a serious situation, and he scared the fuck out of all of us. But… I don’t feel right punishing him for it. He’s in pain. And I don’t think he should get in trouble for that.
When I make it to the barn, I pause right outside the door, inhaling a deep breath.
I push it open, and when it creaks loudly, Salem’s head snaps toward the door, his eyes settling on mine. He’s sitting in the hay, facing the horses, his hands folded in his lap.
We just stare at each other for a second. He nibbles on the inside of his cheek, then looks away from me, his shoulders slumping. “Arlo didn’t want to see me?”
My throat aches. Of course he would think that. “Of course he does. But we told him to stay with Nora in case you came back. We didn’t want to be gone if you did. You get me instead.”
His throat bobs heavily, then he nods. “Okay.”
Without a word, I make my way over to him, sitting down beside him in the hay.
“Water?” I ask, offering him the bottle.
He takes it from me but doesn’t open it.
We sit in silence for a second, and finally Salem sighs. “I’m in trouble, huh?”
“No. At least not with me. Arlo might want to kick your ass a bit, but I think I can talk him down.”
He reaches forward, picking up a piece of hay. I watch as he folds it in half, then in half again, before unfolding it and breaking it apart at the crease lines.
“I think we should have a talk,” I say softly when he doesn’t respond. From the corner of my eye, I see him nod slightly. “And before we do, I want you to promise me something, okay?”
“Okay,” he whispers. He sounds so young right now, vulnerable in a way I’ve never heard him, and it’s breaking my heart.