by Mark Stone
“I’m glad we had this talk, Examiner Storm,” I said, pulling away from her.
“I am, too, Detective Storm,” she said, smiling at me.
As she did, my phone rang. Pulling it up, I saw it was Isaac. “Hey, kid,” I said, answering the phone. “What are you doing up so early on the weekend?”
“Uncle Dillon,” he said, and immediately, I knew something wasn’t right. There was too much tension in his voice, too much panic.
“Isaac, what is it?” I asked, my heart skipping enough beats to sound like a rap song. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, Uncle Dillon,” he said. “Maybe nothing, hopefully nothing. It’s just, I had a sleepover at my friend Richie’s house, and when his dad dropped me off this morning, I noticed that my mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway. I went inside, and she’s not here, either. I can’t get her to answer her phone, and she always answers me.” His voice cracked as he spoke, emotion pouring in like water through a cracked damn. “I think something happened, Uncle Dillon. I think my mother is missing.”
3
“It’s going to be okay,” I said, wrapping my arm around Isaac’s shoulders and holding him as he really let loose. Tears poured down the poor kids cheeks as he buried his head into my chest. It had taken all of forty five seconds for me to grab Boomer by the collar and drag him down to Charlotte’s house, where I found not only Isaac, but also Meredith; Charlotte’s co-worker at Rocco’s and really close friend. From there, I busied myself tending to my nephew while letting Boomer question Meredith in the other room. Though, judging by the look of the boy, it didn’t seem like I was doing a very good job holding up my end of things.
“Isaac, I need you to calm down, okay?” I asked, squeezing my nephew’s shoulders and taking a deep breath. It was hard to keep myself calm right now, especially since I knew Charlotte like I knew myself. She was, above all things, a good mother. The idea that she’d be reckless enough to put her son through something like this needlessly was an impossibility. If Isaac couldn’t get in touch with her, it was because something had happened to her, and the idea of that was more than gutting to me.
“How am I supposed to calm down, Uncle Dillon?” he asked, pulling his face back from my chest and looking up at me with red rimmed eyes, eyes like mine. “What if something happened to her? What is she’s dea-”
“She’s not!” I said, cutting the boy off before he could even let that horrible thought take shape. “For all we know, she had a flat tire on the way back from her night out, and her phone died. She could be trying to get back here as we speak.”
Part of me knew better than that. Like myself, Charlotte knew Naples like the back of her hand. What was more, she had enough friends here that she wouldn’t be walking along the side of the road for too long. She’d have had someone to call. Hell, she would have called me, most likely. Still, I knew better than to lay that truth on Isaac’s lap right now. That kid going to pieces was the last thing I needed. This was going to be hard enough without having to deal with that. Luckily, the reserves were coming.
I heard a knock on the door and, before I could even tell the person on the other end to come in, the door flung open. My grandfather stood on the other end, his face a stalwart mask of calm and his arms outstretched.
“Grandpa!” Isaac said, pulling away from me entirely and rushing toward the old man. Isaac collided with my grandfather, hitting him so hard that I was sure he was going to fold like a cheap card table. After all, at twelve years old, Isaac was getting some size about him. In fact, he was almost nearly as big as the old man he was crying on right now.
“It’s okay, Son,” Grandpa said, looking at me with serious eyes and a solemn twist to his mouth. My grandfather wasn’t technically Isaac’s blood. As the son of my half-brother, Peter Storm, the boy and my grandfather weren’t actually related. Still, that didn’t stop them from acting like it, and really, what’s family if not the people who are there for you on your worst days? This sure as hell seemed like it was shaping up to be one of Isaac’s worst days, and his dad was nowhere in sight, not that I was surprised by that.
My grandfather nodded at me, his jaw tightening. “I’ve got him now, Dilly. Go do your job.”
“Yes, sir,” I muttered, giving two of the most important men in my life one more look, my heart breaking more than I could afford to admit right now, and turned, heading into the far room.
Pushing the door open, I found Meredith talking with Boomer. She was shaking her head, sighing loudly and running hands through her frizzy brown hair.
“Hey, Dillon,” Meredith said, her voice shaking and her shoulders slumping, defeated. Meredith had been one of Charlotte’s closest friends since she and I went out back in high school. In fact, she and Boomer went to Homecoming together on a double date with Charlotte and me. We ended the night, all four of us thinking we’d be together like that forever. Here we were, fifteen or so years later, nowhere near where we thought we’d be.
“Hey Mer,” I said, nodding at the woman. “Where are we with this, Boom?” I asked, my eyes cutting to my best friend and boss.
“Not far,” Boomer answered. “Meredith was just telling me about the last time she talked to Charlotte.”
“The last time so far!” Meredith said, blinking hard and turning to me. “It’s the last time so far, not the last time ever!”
“That’s not what he was saying, Mer,” I said, walking toward the pair and settling in front of them. The weight of what was going on was hanging off all of us like an anchor. Still, I had to imagine that-as the one person in this room who had told Charlotte he was going to stay with her forever- it hung on me particularly heavy.
“Just tell him what you told me, Meredith,” Boomer said.
Meredith took another deep breath, looking at the floor for a beat or two, and then looked back up at me. “It was nothing spectacular,” she said softly. “She was telling me about a date she had with some guy she met while visiting St. Petersburg last month. He was supposed to drive down and meet her. She seemed excited.” Meredith shook her head. “For the first time in forever, Charlotte actually seemed excited for a date. It was nice. I even offered to babysit Isaac, but she said he had a sleepover.”
“I had no idea Charlotte was seeing someone,” I answered. “The last person I knew of her dating was Justin Knight.” I thought about my friend from up in Chicago, a hell of a lawyer who I really thought was going to go the distance with Charlotte before they broke up.
“No offense, Dillon, but you’re maybe the last person in the world she would have shared that information with,” Meredith said. “Don’t take it the wrong way, but you’re her ex.”
“I’m her family. She’s the mother of my nephew,” I reminded Meredith. “And that’s what’s most important.”
“Maybe to you,” Meredith said. “But you’re looking at this through the eyes of a happily married man. Charlotte is a single mother in her mid-thirties. She isn’t exactly a catch, and whether she admits it or not, that weighs on her sometimes. It’s not your fault, but you are the closest thing she’s ever had to a happily ever after. The idea that she wouldn’t want to lay all her romantic endeavors out at your feet shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
I shook my head. “It-it doesn’t,” I said, stammering as I let what the woman said really sink in. “It’s just, I thought we were past that.”
“Past being her first love?” Meredith asked. “She gave you everything, Dillon. You were her first everything. I know she’s happy for you. We’ve talked about it, but I’m not quite sure that’s something you can ever move past.”
“Look,” Boomer said, cutting into the conversation with his hands outstretched. “All of this is well and good. Seriously, it’s very insightful stuff, but since I’m fairly certain Dillon didn’t have anything to do with Charlotte’s delay, let’s keep our focus where it belongs.”
“You’re right,” Meredith said, turning back to my friend. “But the thing is, I’v
e told you everything I know, Boom. Charlotte had the night off. She went on a date with some guy she met up in St. Petersburg, and she hasn’t come home, yet. That’s all I’ve got for you.”
“What about a name?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest. “Does the mystery man have a name?”
Meredith glared over at me. “I think she said his name was Christopher.”
“That’s it?” I asked. “No last name?”
“Well, I’m sure he has one, but she didn’t give it to me,” Meredith balked at me. “I don’t have his social security number or blood type either, if you were wondering that.”
“What I’m wondering is how Charlotte could go out, all by herself in the middle of the night with some man no one has ever seen before, and her best friend in the world doesn’t know anything about it,” I said, sternly.
“Does your best friend know everything you do, Dillon?” Meredith asked. Turning to Boomer, she suggested, “Let’s ask him. He’s right here. Hey, Boomer, does Dillon tell you everything that happens on the dates he goes on? Do you know exactly what happened between him and his wife last night?”
“Stop it, Meredith!” I said, my jaw tightening.
“You stop it,” she answered quickly, jerking a finger in my direction. “You’re acting ridiculously. Charlotte is a grown woman, a grown single woman, in case you’ve forgotten. If she wants to go out with someone, that’s no one’s business but hers. And if she doesn’t want to tell anyone who she’s with, that’s her prerogative too.”
“Until she goes missing, right?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Meredith.
“Enough of this!” Boomer said. He shot me a look that would have cracked glass in the winter and then looked over at Meredith. “Mer, would you mind stepping out into the living room for a minute? I need to run through options with Dillon, and I’m sure Isaac could use you out there.”
Meredith sighed, looked at me, and then nodded at Boomer. “Sure thing,” she said, and then headed out into the next room. As the door closed, I shook my head.
“What was all that about?” I asked, looking at Boomer. “I still have some questions I need to ask her.”
“And you can in a minute,” Boomer said.
“What if she isn’t here in a minute, Boom?” I asked, my eyes widening.
“Where’s she going to go, Dil?” Boomer asked, his tone matching mine. “We know where she lives. We’ve been friends with her since we were kids. I don’t think she’s exactly a flight risk.” Boomer’s eyes narrowed. “Unless…” He threw his hands out at his sides. “You’re not really telling me you consider Meredith a suspect?”
“I’m keeping my options open,” I admitted, nodding firmly.
“Well, then Meredith is right. You’re being ridiculous,” Boomer said. “She’s her best friend, Dil. She loves Charlotte the way I love you, dude. If you went missing, would you want the cop on the scene to think of me as a suspect?”
“A good cop considers everything,” I said.
“You’re being impossible,” Boomer muttered. “Sit down,” he said, pointing to a chair that had been pushed against the wall.
“What?” I asked, looking over at it. “Why? I don’t need to sit.”
“Maybe not, but you’re going to,” Boomer said.
“And why would I do that?” I asked.
“Because I’m your boss, and you’re starting to piss me off,” Boomer said. “And, because I have something to run by you, and if I know you the way I think I do, you’re not going to take it well. So, sit your ass down, open your ears up, and maybe together, we can get to the bottom of this.”
4
“Fine. I’m sitting,” I said, looking up at Boomer with about as little patience as I’d ever had in my life. “What have you got to say? What do you have to run by me?”
Boomer took a deep breath and waited a beat before he spoke, an act which instantly let me know that what he was about to tell me wasn’t something I’d want to hear.
“It’s been nine hours,” he said flatly.
“What?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat and narrowing my eyes.
“Charlotte accidentally called you on the phone last night,” Boomer reminded me. “I’m guessing that’s the last time you heard from her.”
“It is,” I answered, nodding at my boss and friend.
“Right,” he said. “Well, that was almost eleven o’clock last night,” he answered. “It’s almost eight now. That makes for nine hours.”
“Okay,” I muttered, confused. “You can do math. I don’t see what you’re getting at.”
“I’m getting at a point that you should already know,” Boomer said. “A point that I think you’d more easily understand if this we were talking about almost any other person in the world.” He shook his head at me. “It’s been nine hours, nine hours and no extenuating circumstances. That doesn’t make for a missing persons case.”
“Are you serious right now?” I asked. Boomer was right to have me sit down, because this simple statement by Boomer sent me leaping to my feet. I couldn’t be sure what my actions would have been had I already been standing.
“I’m talking about a standard, Dil,” Boomer answered, keeping his voice calm and his movements slight. “You know as well as I do that, without some reason to think she might have been harmed or taken, nine hours isn’t nearly long enough to consider her a missing person.”
“Are you trying to teach me something?” I asked, white hot rage pulsating through me. “I’ve already been to the police academy, Boomer. I’m up to date on my regulations, and the truth is that I don’t give a damn about the standard. We’re not talking about some stranger who could have been wrapped up in any sort of underhanded activity. We’re talking about a woman we both know, a woman who wouldn’t have left her son to the if she could have gotten around it.”
“But she didn’t leave her son like that, Dillon,” Boomer said. “It’s half past seven in the morning, and she had a date last night.”
“A date with someone she didn’t even know,” I answered.
“A date with someone you didn’t know,” Boomer responded. “There’s a world of difference there. Maybe the date went well. Maybe it went so well that’s Charlotte’s actually not home yet.”
I narrowed my eyes, shaking my head at the man. “Don’t do that,” I answered. ‘Don’t pretend she’s someone she isn’t. Charlotte isn’t the type of woman to just go home with some strange man.”
“Are you sure about that, Dil?” Boomer asked. “Because you have a nephew in the next room who only exists because she did that at least once.”
I literally could not believe what I was hearing. “That’s not the same thing,” I said, gritting my teeth together and trying like hell to keep my anger in check. It was going to be an uphill climb. That was for sure. “That was a long time ago. She wasn’t a mother then.”
“You’re right,” Boomer said. “But you didn’t know her then, either. I don’t want to dig up old bones or stir up ancient ghosts, but when you left, it did something to Charlotte.”
“I left because I had to,” I answered. “And I begged her to come with me, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I didn’t forget, Dillon,” Boomer said. “I’m just telling you what happened. Without you, she got darker. She lost her way for a bit.”
“What?” I asked, my jaw tightening. “And you didn’t think to tell me any of that when it was happening?”
“I didn’t tell you because you weren’t any better,” Boomer said. “You leaving might have affected her, but it affected you too. It affected you more, actually. I couldn’t expect you to help her when you were still healing yourself. Besides, it’s not like you were exactly happy with her for not coming along with you. Remember what you said back then, Dillon? You accused her of abandoning you.”
“That was a long time ago too,” I said, shaking my head and trying to wrap my head around the past and just how we all got to where we were now.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, recognizing the tinge in his voice and understanding that it had something to do with me.
“It’s just, Meredith is probably right, Dil,” Boomer said, shaking his head. “You and Charlotte had a hell of a connection. You were very important to each other. Seeing you move on like that, it had to be hard for her.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “She was at my wedding, Boom. Hell, she was in the damn wedding. She was all smiles and sunshine.”
“On the outside, sure, but Charlotte’s always been the ‘still waters run deep’ kind of soul.” He shrugged. “In any event, she’s a grown woman, Dillon. If she wants to spend the night with someone, that’s not our business.”
“You’re right,” I said quickly. “It’s definitely not, but if she’s been hurt-”
“If she’s been hurt, we’ll deal with it, but we don’t know that yet, and we have protocol,” Boomer said.
“Isaac called me balling his eyes out,” I reminded my friend.
“And that sucks, but maybe Charlotte lost track of time, or maybe she thought Isaac would be gone longer than he was,” Boomer said. “Her phone is probably dead, and she’ll be pulling up in just a matter of minutes, probably mortified about the way this morning has gone.”
“Maybe,” I said, taking a deep breath and sitting back down. “I sure as hell hope you’re right.”
Boomer’s phone rang and he picked it up. Turning away from me, he had a conversation I didn’t care to listen to. My head was too full of nonsense. This worry I felt right now, it was unlike any I’d ever felt before. It was a hopelessness, an impotency so deep and debilitating, that I wasn’t sure how to move past it.