Runner {Muke}

4 - Hunt

Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront is with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core. ~Hannah Arendt

Michael's POV

"Now, Mrs. Hemmings I need to know a lot about Luke. In order to find him." I smiled. I wasn't about to tell the worried mother her son was a possible killer, I didn't think it would help. Especially since she seemed so loyal to her son.

"Luke is such a good boy." She smiled. "He's a little taller then six feet, and he's considerably lanky although I don't know his exact weight. He's blonde and he has incredibly blue eyes. He's a little shy around new people, that's why he was always with Calum. Because Calum would ease him to come out of his shell. I know without him Luke would fall apart. Sometimes he, he stutters or stumbles over himself. He's incredibly intelligent." The woman smiled, she sure did love her son I could say that much.

"Thank you." I smiled. "I will contact you with any and all news of your son."

"Thank you." She smiled and Ashton escorted her out of the room before coming back.

"You look like you have an idea." Ashton said.

"I think, I think this Hemmings kid is the kid we're looking for." I said.

"I don't think so.." Ashton shook his head. "Luke doesn't seem like the kind of person to have the state of mind to handle it. You know, he would feel too guilty."

"We'll see." I said. "Let's just work on finding him. C'mon we can talk to some townsfolk. Maybe they've seen him."

Ashton let out a sigh. "Alright."

"Why are you so down about this case?" I asked. "Any other time you would be all over the lead."

"I just, you're wrong." Ashton said. "I can't see two teenagers doing this."

"Whatever Ash, it's all we've got to go on." I sighed while sliding on my jacket and stepping out the door. "Maybe tomorrow the school will be okay to go check out, but for now we have to see what we can find here."

"Fine."

So Ashton and I walked down the street, it was a small town so many knew Luke and his friend Calum. But none of them had any clue of their whereabouts, and everything they said was positive.

"Excuse me! Ma'am!" I said to the elderly woman walking down the street. "My name is Detective Michael Clifford, could I perhaps ask you a few questions?"

"Alright." She said cautiously. "My name is Penelope Tenna."

"Well, Ms. Tenna, I just wanted to ask if you knew a Luke Hemmings maybe a Calum Hood?" I asked.

"Oh those two scrubs!" She let out a loud scoff. "Yes, yes I know them. And I despise them."

"Could you, explain?"

"Oh those two are nothing but trouble!" She said. "Well, just last summer they put a stink bomb under my porch! The smell was their for weeks!"

"A stink bomb?" I turned to Ashton.

"Yes, they love making those damned contraptions." She rolled her eyes. "They're always playing pranks on everyone."

"Ma'am when was the last time you saw either of the boys?" I asked.

"Well, not for a while." She shrugged.

"Thank you, you've been more then helpful." I smiled and dragged Ashton along with me. "Stink bombs, huh."

"That doesn't mean anything." Ashton rolled his eyes.

"Means a lot more then you would think." I said.

"Whatever." Ashton sighed as we approached another woman, significantly younger.

"Excuse me miss. My name is Detective Michael Clifford, could I perhaps ask you a few questions?" I asked and she nodded. "Have you seen or heard from a Luke Hemmings or Calum Hood in the past couple of days?"

"Well," She said. "I saw the two get on a bus yesterday. I assumed they were going on a trip. After all, Luke had his guitar. He always has that when he goes away long term."

"Something special about Luke's guitar?" I asked. At this point it was my own curiosity speaking rather then the need for the case.

"Oh Luke loves playing that old thing." The woman smiled. "Every Sunday he would go and sit in town square and play all day."

"You seem..Fond of him."

"It's impossible not to be! Everyone loves Luke. Sure he's shy and awkward, but otherwise he's such a sweet boy." The woman smiled. "And those little jokes him and Calum pull, oh they get you every time."

"That's-That's all ma'am. Thank you." I smiled. She nodded in response and walked down the street.

"I'm telling you, Mikey. It's not Luke." Ashton shook his head.

"We'll see." I said.

Ashton and I returned to the office. Where I immediately walked up to one of the police officers.

"Can you tell me some of the bus routes?" I asked. "Like, where's the farthest go?"

"A bus stop in Nevada." He shrugged. "That or I believe there might be one in Colorado."

"Which one has schedules maybe..Yesterday or the day before." I asked.

"Well it's every other day. So two days ago it would be Colorado, and then yesterday it would be Nevada. Today it will be Colorado again." He shrugged.

"Thank you." I smiled and walked back to Ashton. "Hey, I think we need to head to Nevada, and as much as I would like to go now, so we don't miss out on those boys, I need to see that school first. Any idea on when we can get in?"

"Tomorrow at best." Ashton sighed.

"Dammit." I huffed.

"Hey, why don't you head to Nevada, I'll stay here. When you find them, tail them for a bit until I show up." Ashton suggested.

"No, no I can wait. They're teenagers, they couldn't be this smart." I said and sat down at my desk. I scanned through more papers, looking for anything to do. Maybe I could pinpoint something down.

I was looking at a map on Nevada's bus stop when I realized that they were basically alone. Nothing out there, which was perfect. But part of me knew I couldn't just run in and arrest the poor boys. So I had to think of a plan, and I only had a day to do it.

AUTHOR'S NOTIFICATION

So sorry this wasn't so action packed, but it might be that way for the next few chapters. Just because it's no reaching it's climax yet and it's setting the scene. Writing stuff.

Anyways I'm tired :P

Hugs, Kisses, Cuddles and Serenades xX