ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜𝟘 #2
She shook her head. "You should've told me."
I let out a slow breath. "Well I guess we haven't really been telling each other everything lately, huh?"
I was a firefighter. People count on me at all times.
When Dixie said she'd be there yesterday, I fully believed her because I trusted her more than anything. I thought I could count on her too.
"But I told you where I was yesterday." She went still.
"You told me where you planned on being." I corrected.
"Another thing, I think everyone just expects me."
She frowned. "I don't understand."
"They're already asking where you were." I said, a little frustrated.
I immediately wished I hadn't said that. She looked like I'd shoved her.
"Oh." She whispered.
I leaned in closer and rested my hand lightly on her shoulder. Enough touch to let her know I wasn't pushing her away.
"I think today should just be me, okay?"
Her face immediately fell. "Because you don't trust me."
I opened my mouth, hesitating. "..I'm trying."
That was the most honest answer I had.
She nodded slowly. "...Okay."
"I'll see you tonight." I squeezed her shoulder once before letting my hand fall.
She didn't answer me.
I couldn't leave her like that- her broken face would haunt me forever, so I placed a short kiss on her cheek before leaving.
~
Upstairs, I changed into jeans and an old navy quarter-zip I'd worn more times than I could count. I grabbed another stack of missing posters from the desk.
The edges were beginning to curl from how many times we'd carried them around, but I didn't care.
Molly's school picture stared back at me. She'd once told me she hated that picture. Said something about her smile looking weird.
I'd laughed and told her it was perfect. I'd give anything to hear her complain about school pictures again.
I slipped the posters into a folder before grabbing a box of thumbtacks and a roll of clear tape.
My phone buzzed. Dad's contact came up.
Gosh, five hundred? We'd already gone through nearly two thousand.
I texted back.
As I walked back downstairs, my keys jingled quietly in my hand. Dixie was exactly where I'd left her.
She was leaning against the counter, looking down at the ground.
I almost walked over, wrapped my arms around her and told her to forget everything I'd said.
I simply gave her a small nod. "I'll see you tonight. Love you."
"Drive safe." She said,
"I will."
The front door clicked shut behind me.
The second I climbed into the truck, my thoughts returned exactly where they'd been every morning for the past several days.
I just had one question. Where are you, Molly?
Another hundred strangers I'd ask, "Have you seen this little girl?"
I still believed someone, somewhere would finally say yes.
~
I knocked at least five times at the door, but nobody answered yet. I was considering calling one of my parents, but a soft voice came at the door.
"Who 's there?" Jonathan's little voice said before the door.
I leaned in closer. "Hey Jonny, it's Cam."
Jonathan didn't open the door immediately. I heard the deadbolt slide, and then another lock.
The door creaked open just enough for one grey eye to peek through. "Cam?"
I smiled. "Morning, buddy."
"Cameron!" The door flew the rest of the way open.
He practically crashed into me, wrapping both arms around my middle. I let out a small laugh, immediately hugging him back.
"Easy there."
"I didn't know you were coming."
"I wanted to surprise you."
"I would've put shoes on."
I glanced down at his feet.
He was barefoot. I waved it off. "Eh, that's fine."
"How have you been, you okay?" I gently squeezed the back of his neck.
He shrugged. "I guess."
I crouched until we were eye level. "Have you eaten?"
"A Pop-Tart."
"Hey, I love Pop-Tarts, you should've made some for me."
"I would've if I knew you were coming." He smiled.
He hugged me again, harder this time.
I closed my eyes for a second before I rubbed his back.
"Where's Mom and Dad?"
"They're in Dad's office."
"Oh. Are they working?"
He shook his head. "The detective came back."
"They're talking?" My stomach immediately tightened.
He nodded. "Police too."
I looked toward the hallway. The office door at the end was shut. It was obvious they didn't want Jonathan to hear.
Jonathan looked up at me. "They've been talking forever, and I got bored."
"I would've too."
He leaned closer. "They keep saying words I don't understand."
"That's alright." I nodded slowly.
I swallowed. "Hey."
He looked up.
"Can you do me a favor?"
"What?" He said.
"I think I left a couple chocolates in my truck."
I always kept some kind of candy when I was driving. Reeses have been my chocolate specifically, and I knew Jonathan loved those.
"You did?" His eyes widened.
"Mhm. I need somebody really important to help me grab it."
"Me?"
"I don't trust anybody else." I shrugged.
He straightened immediately. "I'll do it."
"I knew I picked the right guy."
He smiled for the first time since opening the door. He sprinted toward the front porch before I could finish my sentence.
"Jonathan!" He turned around.
"Shoes, buddy."
"I forgot." He sighed.
He disappeared down the hallway toward the mudroom.
That would buy me a minute.
I turned toward the office. The closer I got, the quieter the voices became.
I knocked softly.
Dad looked up first. "Cameron."
The detective turned, followed by two uniformed officers. Everyone immediately stood.
"Mr. West," One of the officers extended his hand. "It's good to see you again."
I shook it. "You too."
"I'm Detective Harris." The detective offered a sympathetic nod.
"Cameron." I replied.
"We've spoken on the phone."
"Yeah, of course. I remember."
Dad stood, walking around the desk to pull me into a quick hug. His beard had grown in unevenly., and his shirt was wrinkled.
My father never wore wrinkled shirts.
"You made it." He said.
"I wouldn't miss this."
Mom stood too. She hugged me tightly, then immediately stepped back.
"Please, sit." Dad motioned toward the empty chair.
I pulled it closer. The office felt crowded.
Maps covered one wall. Neighborhood photographs, and printouts all sat on the table, a whiteboard was filled with dates and times.
The detective cleared his throat. "We were just reviewing everything again."
"Anything new?" Dad immediately leaned forward.
The detective hesitated. "No."
The room fell silent. I watched as Mom's shoulders sagged.
"What about witnesses? Someone must know something."
"We've interviewed everyone identified so far."
Dad rubbed both hands over his face. Mom looked between every person in the room.
"So what are we missing?" Dad asked.
Nobody answered. Nobody knew.
I finally spoke. "Have you guys found her backpack?"
The detective looked at me. "No, that is still missing."
"What about her cell phone? She would never lose that" Mom asked.
"No activity since approximately 3:41 p.m three days ago."
Dad immediately leaned forward again. "Could someone have destroyed it?"
"It's possible."
"Has anyone tracked it?"
"We attempted to, but the signal disappeared."
Everyone went silent for a moment, digesting the information.
Mom suddenly stood. "So what exactly are you fools doing? I need someone to tell me what you're doing."
The detective remained calm. "We've expanded the search radius, contacted neighboring jurisdictions, FBI has been notified-"
The officer interrupted. "In other words, we're not stopping just yet."
I sighed. "But you're not finding her."
Dad stared at Molly's photograph for a long moment before speaking quietly.
"My daughter didn't disappear," His voice was almost a whisper. "People don't just..."
He couldn't finish, because he didn't have an explanation for that. Mom placed a hand over Dad's, covering her tears with a tissue on the table.
I looked over to the door. To my surprise, Jonathan had come back with the Reese's.
He muttered, "You guys still can't find my sister?"
~