Missing

Chapter 3

I jumped into my car whilst re-reading the text. I had to do something, I decided to drive to Peter’s parents’ house, I hadn’t known him for long, only since he started going out with Maize, a few weeks ago. I took a few wrong turns but found his house, he lived way out of town, but his parents owned heaps of land, they were dairy farmers or something like that. I pulled into the drive and parked outside his house, next to an overgrown rose bush.

I knocked on the old wooden door, and was greeted sullenly by a woman who must have been his mother.

“Hello Mrs Jones, I am Clara O’Neill, Peter’s friend.”

“Hi.” She said, her body still blocking the slim doorway with her round bulkiness.

“Is Peter here?” I asked.

She moved aside, and opened the door to fully reveal what she had been blocking, behind her were two police officers, both men. Talking quietly over something that looked like a photograph. I remembered peter telling me that his parents were strict, and were always freaking out over the littlest things. Maybe they were here for another reason. Not for Peter. Then they tilted the photograph, and I could see what they were looking at, a photo of Peter.

“No, he’s not.” She said, her eyes brimming with tears. What? This family was already acting like the worst had happened!! She leant against the doorframe it creaked loudly in protest, to her excessive weight.

“Oh, uh, then I’ll go, sorry to interrupt.”

“Wait!” she cried to me, tears trailing down her cheeks. “Do you know where he is?” she asked hopefully, I saw the police officers stiffen and stop talking. They were listening to us.

It was heart breaking. The worry the love Peters mum had for him.

But I couldn’t tell anybody…  not until I figured it out for myself.

“No, I’m really sorry.” I said sounding genuinely sincere.

I turned away from the woman then and walked back to my car. I could have asked her more, but I didn’t want to become suspicious. And I doubted I could have controlled my emotions from much longer in her presence anyway.

I left their property and continued down there drive going into town when my mobile vibrated in my back pocket. It was a text; I pulled out and clicked on it.

From: Private Number

I have Peter too.

They seemed to be taking all of us that went last night, except me. Why not me? I mulled it over in my head, and then it came to me. Because I wasn’t there to take! Of course, the safest thing to be doing was staying hidden. But I couldn’t I had to save Jack and Peter. I had too!

I figured out what I had missed before, they were targeting us because of what I’d seen, had the boys seen it too?

I went into my contacts and scrolled down to Maize’s mobile. I didn’t expect her to pick up when I called but when she did I almost fainted with relief. Suddenly I could hardly talk.

“Hello, who’s this?” Maize asked, her words strained.

“Maz, it’s me.” I said, trying to sound comforting.

“Clara?” she said, her voice growing anxious, I knew Maize like the back of my hand; I could feel her worry like she was transmitting it through the phone.

“Maize, we need to talk, can I meet you somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah sure… I’ll meet you at the café on Brown Street, in fifteen minutes.” She seemed confused by my question.