spirit night

Untitled Part 16

" S adie . . ." That was all I could get out as I ran to my car. "I know. I just heard the BOLO. I'm on it.Everyone knows what Callie means to me, so when I say that I'm on it, I mean, the whole division is onit." "I'll be at the school in ten minutes." "I'm headed to check the 7-11 and a few other spots first. Call meif you hear anything." "Will do." I disconnected and then floored it. I couldn't believe she did this again. Itdidn't make sense. She'd wandered off before because she didn't want my mom to see that she'dchanged for school. Not that it made it better to have a reason, but Callie had been so happy . . . hadn'tshe? Had I totally been blind, and she had been miserable? Was this a plea for help? I pressed the baseof my palm against my forehead. I needed to focus, think straight. When I pulled into the school's parkinglot, my heart was lodged in my throat and I could barely freaking breathe. "I'm Ryan Montgomery," I saidas I ran up to the group of officers, who parted for the woman who barreled through. "Ryan!" My momwas crying as she collapsed against me, and I hugged her as she sobbed. "Dr. Montgomery?" I turned tosee Sadie's friend standing to my left. "Harley, right?" "Yes. I'm so sorry, but we have something." "What?"My mom's hand gripped mine and squeezed as she pulled herself away Uber today." "Uber? Does heknow where she went?" "We're in a precarious position here because he's six. We can work on what hehas openly told his teacher, which was before we arrived. He said that Callie wanted to go find Sadie.""Me?" I turned and took Sadie in, not realizing that she had joined us. She looked distraught. "Yes, hesaid that she couldn't call you because the number you gave her was wrong and she hadn't seen you in along time." "My number was correct, I entered it. And I saw her three days ago." "To Callie, three days isforever," I said, the guilt piling on me. "Wait, why can't we bring the kid out here and ask him?" "He's six.We're not allowed to without one of his parents as a witness." "My daughter is missing, something couldhave happened to her, and we're worried about some parent? His teacher is here, you're here. Fine.What do we do now?" "We've called the boy's parents, they're on their way, and the teacher is talking tohim, trying to get him to tell her. I have his phone." Harley waved it. "But it's locked." "This is ridiculous, achild's life is in danger." My voice was loud, and I was seconds away from demanding to talk to the kidmyself. "We've contacted Uber and are trying to locate the driver. We need to know where he took her,and as soon as we get that information, we will head there." "Does anyone have a laptop that I can use? Ican log in to my account and look up her phone's location." "Here." Harley waved for me to follow her. Idid along with several others over to her car. She grabbed her laptop and then brought it out to set it onthe hood of her car. Logging in, I found Callie's number and clicked Find My Phone. "It's moving." Sadiespoke into her radio, "Thirteen twenty-two, in reference to the BOLO. Any available unit near Bumby andColonial, tracking car with phone of missing child, ten ninety-six, channel Charlie seven."  Sadie flipped her radio station and began calling out cross streets and directions, movements and whenthe car appeared to be stopped. "Confirming, has car currently stopped?" "Affirmative." "License plate,Echo, nine, nine, Lima, Oscar, appears to be only one passenger, male mid-twenties driving. Approachingvehicle." My heart pounded as I waited for word. It was probably only a minute or two but felt like aneternity. "Confirmed, phone left by minor passenger. He states that he wouldn't have taken her had shenot been going to the sheriff's station. He also states that she claimed her father was in the hospital, soshe was going to the sheriff's station. The child was crying and hysterical." "But she's not at the sheriff'sstation, is she?" Sadie shook her head. "No, someone would have seen her and would have stopped her.A young child walking around by herself is definitely out of the norm." "We know where to move ourfocus," Harley stated, then she called in to dispatch using a bunch of numbers. The only things Iunderstood were the names of the downtown cross streets, which made sense to me, since that waswhere the sheriff's station was located. "I'm going to the station." Harley jumped into her car. "I'll be rightbehind you. Kathryn, why don't you go home so that someone is at the house in case Callie calls sinceshe doesn't have her cell on her or if she comes home? Ryan, do you want to come down to the station?""Hell yes. I'll be right behind you." I turned and gave my mom a hug before turning back to Sadie, Iwanted to say something but I couldn't. I stuttered at her, and right then I was overwhelmed by guilt. I wasfucking up this whole single-parent thing. Callie didn't see Sadie for three days and she felt abandoned. Iworked all the time, there had been many times when I had to stay at the hospital for days and Callienever reacted like this.