A First Love to Die For

Chapter Forty- Pure Panic

(Lincoln's POV)

Charlie was calling in everyone he could on his end and then he would be on his way here as well. I was doing the same. We needed all the help that we could get.

Once I had arranged for all possible officers to come in and assigned everyone tasks at the station or around town, I poked my head back into the observation room. I wanted to make sure that Duncan and Sam were solidifying that Harold wasn't our man.

There was no need to check, they were already going through all of the TOD's and checking Harold's alibis and I couldn't help but notice that Melissa and Harold were helping. Harold was uncuffed and it was very clear that they were no longer treating him like a suspect.

I stood there for a second, proud of how they had chosen to handle that. Then, recognizing that the situation at the station was in good hands, I let my secretary know that she could reach me on my walkie.

It was time to get in on the search myself. From the moment that Josie didn't show up this morning, my nerves had been simmering. When Lucy let me know that she was missing, they went from a gradual build to a pure panic.

The only option was for me to keep moving forward so that I didn't completely spin out.

Before she had left to organize the team working our downtown area, Lucy had popped in to let me know that Trigg had been on surveillance all night and that Stephie had gone into her house and never come out again.

It was looking like our two main suspects were a complete wash and we were starting back at square one. The only thing working in our favour was the fact that Josie had gone dark in broad daylight and in the middle of downtown.

It gave us some hope. This was Fenelon Falls; someone must have seen something.

I sent Lucy and Lee a text, letting them know that I was joining the team that was canvassing downtown.

The last place that Josie had been before her tracker had gone dark was outside the brewery, so I walked from the station over there. As I walked, I stopped and questioned anyone and everyone. With each dead-end, my terror escalated.

How? How had no one seen a thing?

What if we didn't find her in time?

It wasn't just those out and about that I questioned, I also popped my head into each business. Everyone wanted to help but there wasn't a security camera that had the right angle.

By the time I found myself at the brewery, I was just as empty-handed. I rubbed at my chest, trying to ease the overwhelming tightness. 

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Needing a minute alone to get myself under control, I used the side entrance and leaned against the door at the bottom of the stairs.

I closed my eyes for a moment, knowing that I was on the verge of a panic attack. That tightness in my chest, the struggle to pull air.

Focus on the feeling in your toes, do you feel your toes?

Focus on the feeling in your fingers. Do you feel your fingers?

It was a little trick we used when victims were overwhelmed but I had never had to use it myself. I stayed there with my eyes shut until the pressure eased.

Then I tried to look at the positive. We knew Josie had been taken. We had never known and started the hunt as soon as the victim had been captured before. The fact that we knew the exact time she went dark, gave us a chance to figure out who had taken her.

We just needed to talk to the right person.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I took the stairs two at a time and knocked on Lee's door. He answered right away, his eyes concerned, and I realized that he had probably seen my melt down on his security camera. I shrugged, indicating that I had gotten my shit together. "Do you have a key for Josie's place?"

He nodded and handed it over. "Want me to come over with you?"

"No, I'll pop back in when I'm done."

I appreciated that he gave me the space that I needed and ignored what he had just seen. I was obviously struggling, but him pointing it out wasn't going to help me and it definitely wasn't going to help Josie.

As I entered Josie's apartment, I breathed in deep. How was it that her scent already permeated the air? She hadn't been back for that long, but it did. Somehow the smell of vanilla with a hint of sugar cookies lingered in the air, teasing my nostrils.

As I walked into the kitchen, I saw her coffee pot on. I walked over and flipped the switch.
I felt my eyes fill and squeezed them hard. There was no time for that. Fuck. It's not like I hadn't known that she had planned on coming back here after her run but seeing the evidence hurt.

I walked through the apartment seeing the other signs. Not only had she brewed her coffee, she'd laid out an outfit on her bed.

She was planning for her day, all the while completely oblivious that she was being hunted.

I did one last run-through of her place to make sure that everything was turned off and I hadn't missed anything, before I walked over and gave Lee the key. "I'm going to do a canvass of the other side of the street. See who else is out and about."

I had just walked out the door when I heard Mildred call out my name. I barely managed to hold my tongue. 

Jesus Christ Mildred, I don't have time to listen to your accusations about Fred today. We think the killer has Josie and I don't know how much time she has right now. No one cares about your fucking roses.

I managed to keep the annoyance out of my tone. "Sorry Mildred, I'm just on my way out but I'll talk to you later."

I knew that the easiest way to get out of Mildred's clutches was to not make eye contact.

I gave her a polite nod and stepped off the curb, extremely thankful for the lack of traffic, making it possible for me to cross immediately.