Missing

Retrospect: Search

[Connie had come downstairs as usual that morning, entered the kitchen and got two mugs out of the cupboard ready for the coffees. That was when she heard someone at the back door. Someone was trying to open it, trying to pull down on the handle, but the door was locked, they couldn't get in. The noise stopped. Connie hoped they had given up, and gone. But they hadn't, she heard them break the lock. The door swung open and Connie froze.
A hooded figure stood in the doorway, fully clothed in black. She urged her legs to move but they couldn't. She urged her mouth to let out a scream but it didn't.
The figure entered the kitchen and put his hand over her mouth, pulling her back towards him. She tried to remove his hands and tried to pull away, managing to free herself, but she fell into the table knocking the chairs on the way, and landed on the floor. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed that the noise would wake Jacob, but he was a heavy sleeper, and so was Grace.
She trembled as she lay on the floor, helpless, as the intruder stood over her. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up, returned his hand to her mouth to ensure she didn't make a noise and dragged her out of the door, Connie wriggling in his arms desperately trying to free herself all the way.]

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"Have you noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary recently?"
The officer waited, but got no response from Jacob.

Jacob was sat in the chair opposite him, with his head in his hands. He wasn't listening, he was too lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about the sight that had met him when he entered the kitchen this morning. He couldn't believe that someone had forced their way into the house and taken her. He was in the house, he should have been there to protect her, but he was peacefully sleeping while she was helplessly taken away.
He hated to imagine Connie struggling to get away, not strong enough to fight the intruder, now scared, held in an unknown destination. The images kept creeping into his mind and he tried to push them away.

"Mr masters, we really need your co-operation. I appreciate that this is difficult, but anything you can tell us, anything at all, it may help us find her." The officer tried to get Jacob's attention again. The police had been there a while, but hadn't managed to get much out of Jacob.
The kitchen had been analysed and a search was already underway for Connie. Now they were trying to gather anymore information that might help lead them to her.

Jacob lifted his head up slowly and stared at the officer blankly as he processed what he was being asked.
He shook his head. He hadn't noticed anything strange.
Everything had been normal, until this morning.

The officer gave him a sympathetic look before closing his notebook and putting it away.
"We will be in contact if there is any news. If you remember anything else, please don't hesitate to call us." The officer stood up and walked out of the room.

Jacob returned his head to his hands and let the tears fall. None of this felt real.

Grace had been sat, just outside the room. She had her back to the wall, just beside the door, hugging her knees to her chest, her eyes dripping with tears.
She was scared. She didn't know what was happening.
This morning, as usual, she had been woken by Jacob and got ready for school, before making her way downstairs. But when she had neared the kitchen, Jacob had ushered her away, into the living room.
She'd caught a glimpse of the kitchen though - she'd seen the mess, she knew something had happened.
When she had asked where her mum was, Jacob said she had to leave for work early this morning.
But she wasn't stupid. She had seen the look on Jacob's face and the tears he had to keep wiping away. She had watched the police arrive a short while later and overrun the house, cordoning off the kitchen.
She knew something was seriously wrong, she knew her mum definitely had not just gone to work early.

She watched the officers finally leave, having spent the morning in the house.
They shut the front door behind them, their presence now replaced by silence.
The house felt lonely, just Grace and Jacob left behind.

Grace stood up slowly and hovered in the doorway of the living room. Jacob still had his head down, the tears still falling.
He looked up when he heard Grace's sobbing from the doorway.
Grace ran over to him and Jacob opened his arms for her. His protective arms held her tightly as she cried into his chest, his own tears falling onto Grace's hair.
"Mummy's gone forever hasn't she...she's never coming back is she?" Grace asked.

Jacob was about to tell her that everything was fine, but he couldn't. He couldn't pretend it was, she was old enough to realise that something was going on.

He held her by both arms directly in front of him, she was shaking, and her breathing was rapid.
"Gracie, look at me" Jacob waited for Grace to raise her eyes and meet his. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks.
"Can you do something for me princess? Can you be really brave?"
Grace nodded as she sniffed and wiped at her cheeks.
"Something happened this morning...that's why the police were here. They're trying to find out where your mum is... I promise, everyone is doing everything they can to find her" Jacob managed a slight smile as he tried his best to be strong, for Grace.
"So she's coming back? They're going to find her and bring her back? Do you promise Jacob?" Grace asked him with wide eyes as her lips trembled.

Jacob looked away and exhaled deeply.
He couldn't promise her that.
He wanted, more than anything, to reassure her and tell her everything was going to be ok. But he couldn't, because as much as he hoped Connie would be found, no one could be sure that she would be, and he couldn't give her false hope.

Grace waited anxiously for him to respond, but as a minute of silence passed, she slowly began to realise that Jacob couldn't promise her that. He couldn't promise that her mum would come back.
Grace returned her head to Jacob's chest and wrapped her arms around him as she cried in his arms. Jacob sighed as he stroked her hair and stared helplessly into space.
"I want her to come back Jacob" grace whimpered in between sobs.
Jacob pulled her closer. "I know" he whispered. "Me too".

They couldn't do anything, they just had to wait, and hope.