CHAPTER 21
AFTER THE DISHES ARE cleaned and put away and the extra food carefully placed in the refrigerator, Alex calls home. He puts his phone on speaker. On the second ring, somebody picks up.
“Hello? Dad?”
It’s his younger son, Ali.
“Hey there,” says Alex, doing his best to sound chipper. “Bree’s here too.”
“Nana told me what’s going on,” says Ali. “Is there anything new? Any leads on Damon?” He sounds worried.
“Still gathering information,” says Alex. “We’ve been to Damon’s apartment. We’ve talked to Melissa. It doesn’t sound like anyone’s been threatening Damon. Nothing looks disturbed or out of place. The Chapel Hill police and the campus police have all the information. That’s as far as we’ve gotten.”
“What are the cops doing?” asks Ali.
“Not much,” Bree says, chiming in.
“They’re being cautious,” says Alex, “because there’s no solid sign that Damon’s in danger. I hate to say it, but right now they’re doing just the minimum.”
“We’re going to talk to some of Melissa and Damon’s friends later, see if anybody has any ideas on where he might have gone,” Bree adds.
“Where’s Nana Mama now?” Alex asks.
“She’s taking a nap,” says Ali. “Uncle John’s neighbor Mrs. Doolittle called and said she’s bringing Willow over in a half hour. There’s no school tomorrow because of the bombing. Lots of helicopters flying around, and soldiers out in the streets. It’s scary out there.”
“I’m sure it is,” says Bree. “You just stay close to home and listen to your nana, and don’t pick fights with Willow.”
“I want to come down there and help,” says Ali, his voice firm and determined.
“Ali,” Bree says. “You can’t just—”
Ali interrupts, talking a mile a minute, making his case: “But I wouldn’t be missing any school. And I know I can do it. I can ride around on a scooter and ask a few questions, check things out. Like being undercover. Who’d pay any attention to a kid like me?”
“Ali, that’s a wonderful gesture,” says Alex, “and as soon as we find Damon, we’ll let him know how much you wanted to be here.”
“If you say so.” Ali sounds disappointed.
“Besides, we need you there to help Nana Mama, especially now that Willow will be there too,” Bree says.
“Don’t worry about Willow,” Ali says. “She’s gonna be happy.”
“Oh, yeah?” says Alex. “Why’s that?”
“Because Jannie’s coming back from Howard. She says to tell you and Bree that she’ll be here helping out Nana Mama until you guys find Damon and come home.”
Alex frowns. “But she has a track meet in Gainesville in two days!”
“She said, ‘To hell with the track meet, I need to be home.’”
Alex looks over at Bree. He can tell that she’s thinking the same thing he is.
What a blessing to have kids like this.