little love

113

They had been looking for hours and no sign of Maddie. PD was going door to door in the neighborhood, asking if anyone had seen anything, did anyone have security cameras outside their home that could've caught anything? Luckily almost every house had cameras, but unfortunately, that was hours and hours of footage to comb through, and in the dark, it would be hard to see much.

Maya and Carina were beside themselves. Carina was better at hiding it, but Maya snapped at anyone who tried to offer comfort. What the hell had happened to Maddie? She couldn't have just vanished... could she?

"hey Ryan? Can you check my parents?" Maya asked officer tanner as the thought occurred to her that maybe Lane took Maddie like he threatened to so long ago.

"We will check it out Maya, thanks" he said with a sympathetic smile before heading to speak to his captain about checking out home of Lane and Katherine Bishop.

"You don't think your father? The restraining order... would he break it?" Carina was having a hard time stringing sentences together coherently

"Honestly no. He didnt love Maddie, he wouldn't risk jail time just to spite us." Maya sighed "but its all i can think of and we have to try everything"

Carina just nodded then looked at the ground. They both just felt defeated. They didnt even know that Maddie was going to parties, let alone that she was drinking. When Shannon and Lily had confessed that they had been partying all semester they were shocked. They would be angry about it later though. For now they just wanted to find Maddie and bring her home.

"Carina! Maya!" They both whipped their heads up to see Andrew rushing towards them. "Why didnt you call me? I had to hear from Bailey that Maddie was missing?!"

"We had other things on our mind" Maya said bluntly

"You're right im sorry. I'm just worried. How can i help?" Andrew said apologetically

"Just sit with us Andrea" Carina said quietly and let her brother pull her into a hug.

"What happened?" He asked quietly

"We have no clue. None. Apparently she just vanished" Maya said, her voice shaking "they are checking with our parents and combing through security camera footage for miles around where the party was... they just keep saying we need to wait and be patient." Her voice cracked and she put her face in her hands as the tears came. Carina rubbed her back trying to calm her despite her own feelings.

"How are you holding up?" Fire chief Ross approached them with coffees in hand. Maya just looked up at her like a lost puppy. Ross sat next to Maya and handed out the coffees. "Well i thought i would give you an update. It's not much. 19 and 23 are combing through the woods surrounding the neighborhood along with groups of volunteers. PD has multiple analysts combing through all the security camera footage. Half of Seattle is looking for your girl. We will find her"

"She could be anywhere. If someone took her... she could be anywhere. She could be on a plane halfway across the world by now. Or dead in a ditch or .. or.." Panic overtook Maya and the fire chief surprised everyone by pulling the blonde captain into her arms and just holding her while she cried

"Let's try and stay positive. I now that's impossible, but i believe we will find her Bishop. I really do" the older woman soothed her. After a bit, Maya sat up and gave the chief a nod of thanks before laying her head on her wife's shoulder, who was lying on her brother.

Maya thought of their wedding. Carina dancing with Andrew, Maya and Maddie. Maddie and Andrew. She let her thoughts wander when Sullivan came running in with Tanner right behind him.

"Bishop, come with us. We think we found something on a video, but we need you to confirm" Sullivan said

Maya and Carina immediately popped up, Andrew and Ross quick to follow as the all followed Sullivan and Tanner into a conference room.

"Anderson, pull it up on screen?" Tanner asked an analyst who nodded. A dark video appeared on screen. "We had to string together a few different videos from a few different houses, but this looks like it could be Maddie"

Maya and Carina's eyes were glued to the screen as the analyst hit play. They watched Maddie stumble out of the house where the party was. She stood on the porch a moment, then sat on the steps. She looked okay, just a little out of it. After a few moments, she got up and ran over to a bush and threw up. Then someone approached her from behind. They wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her off screen.

"That's her. That's Maddie" Maya said quietly. Her eyes glued to the screen.

"Pull up the next one" Tanner ordered

The next video started. Whoever was with Maddie was taller than she was. Not crazy tall, but tall enough that they could assume it was a boy. Maddie stumbled and tried to push the boy off of her. It looked like he was trying to kiss her. He just held onto her as she struggled. The video didnt have sound, but Maya and Carina could imagine what the sound would be. Without even knowing they were doing it, they reached for each other's hands- they needed the support from one another.

The analyst, Anderson, pulled up a third video. They watched Maddie continue struggling. At one point she managed to break away and try and run off. But she quickly stumbled and fell to the ground. She fumbled around her pocket and pulled out her phone. This. This was when she had tried to call Maya. They watched helplessly as the boy caught up to her, shoved her down roughly, took the phone from her hands and tossed it into the bushes.

"She tried to call me. If i had just answered? Why didnt she call 911??" Maya breathed as they watched the boy pick Maddie up roughly and keep pushing her along until she was out of frame.

"No bambina, no. This is not your fault" Carina whispered back, squeezing her wife's hand.

"Why did she call me, not 911? Why ??" Maya said through the tears that had been flowing steadily

The next video was pulled up. Maddie tried to break away again, but the boy grabbed her roughly by the arm and spun her to face him. After a swift punch to the head, Maddie fell to the ground and didnt move. Maya gasped and Carina put her free hand over her heart. The boy looked around for a moment, ran his hands through his hair. He seemed flustered. He then threw Maddie over his shoulder and walked towards a pick up truck and tossed Maddie into the back seat before getting in and driving away.

"Thats it" Anderson said

"We were able to follow the truck out of the neighborhood , but we couldnt get plates. we are trying to track it on CCTV footage. we know what direction it went, so we have redirected the search parties." ryan said

"whos that boy?" Maya asked

"we arent sure, you cant make out much on the video" one of the other policemen answered bluntly. Maya shot him a look that had him holding his hands up as a peace offering.

"we dont know maya. we are working with Shannon, Lily and Parker to ID as many kids from the party as we can, then we are talking to them. someone will know who this boy is. it's just a matter of time." Ryan said kindly.

"i think im gonna be sick" Carina put her hand over her mouth and ran out of the room and towards the bathroom. Maya just stood there frozen. looking at the screen that was now blank.