Loud Silence

Chapter Six

It's a beautiful summer day, I drink in the warm sun, as I sit on a blanket that is spread on the soft, green grass of the backyard. There's a faint sound of dogs barking and kids playing, somewhere in the distance a lawn is being mowed sending the scents of fresh cut grass through the air; all the beauty of summer.

Various pieces of papers are laid before me, as I examine each one. I called in a favor from our lawyer, Mark, who had handled our trust fund. Not knowing very many people, I had hoped he would be able to help me track down properties belonging to the Walkers'. I knew of a few, but not the exact address, which he was able to recover very quickly.

His voice on the phone had sounded so melancholy towards me.

"Jasmine," he had said, "life is unfair, sometimes more to some than others."

Although not much conversation was ever exchanged between the two of us, his kindness had always shown through, showing me that he sincerely hoped the best for Violet and me. 

When I received his email and printed out the information he had sent, I began to feel suffocated, as if there were hands around my throat. For some reason, I had to run outside, the sun giving me strength, shedding light as I went over them.

My plan is to visit each location, searching for the possibility that Tim could be hiding there with Daisy.
Suggesting this to the detective most likely meant a series of warrants would have to be issued before authorities could check the property, in which the Walkers' would somehow catch wind of it, triggering Tim to flee, even if he was there with Daisy.

I couldn't wait that long. I couldn't hear those words again. "Sorry, Jasmine, but we've been looking for months, and there are no leads. We will keep trying and call you if we learn anything new."

No. I owe it to Daisy to go searching for her myself, to bring her back to me. I need to believe that she will be found, and sitting at home waiting for updates had proved fruitless, drawing out the already long days.

"Hey!" A male's voice startles me, causing me to jerk backwards and falling over, still scanning for the source of it.

Mitch, my neighbor. "Didn't mean to scare you," he says as he jumps over the metal-wired gate to get to my side of the yard.

"No worries. What's going on?" I ask him, regaining my posture and fixing my sundress to sit upright again, Mitch joining me on the blanket. I quickly gather and hide the papers under the blanket. He sees me, but much to my relief, doesn't ask about them.

Mitch recently went through an ugly divorce, where he let his ex-wife take the house in exchange for a quick settlement, finalizing the divorce in months rather than years. He said she needed it more than him, since she didn't have a job that paid as much, which I thought was very admirable of him.

I met him while bringing my groceries in, and he had offered to help. He had temporarily moved in with his parents before deciding his next step. Mitch has been extremely nice, cutting our grass when he cuts his, running over to our house in the middle of the rain to tell me my car window was down, little gestures of a considerate neighbor.

"I saw you sitting out here, but you looked sad. Thought maybe I could cheer you up," he says, his kindness flowing once more.

Mitch is about my age, and quite the looker, and his body resembled those of a gym rat, which I find intimidating and scary, although he has been nothing but nice. I have a feeling he might have a crush on Violet, though.

I squint up at him. "I'll be ok. Anything new on your end?"

"Still not sure yet. I'm still deciding whether to stay in this city or move out of it. I had every intention of leaving, but I might have found a reason to stay," he replies, looking strangely at me.