We all need help | s a w

seventeen

The weeks following held little excitement, until Kailey got a phone call from Eric Matthews at four in the morning on a Wednesday. She expected to see Mark sleeping soundlessly beside her, but she was wrong. He was there when she fell asleep, but now he was gone. It gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach. She pushed it away and answered the phone. "Eric, what's going on?" She still had sleep laced in her tone.

"Kailey, I don't know what to do." She could tell he was crying, or at least about to. "I have no idea what to do!"

"Eric, calm down and tell me what's happening." She ordered. She stood now, managing to pull off her pyjamas and finding some work clothes in her closet.

"Daniel," he started. Her heart pained at the sound. Daniel was Eric's son. By the sound of his voice, she thought he was dead. "He's missing. We got into a fight earlier today, he got into more trouble with the cops. I keep calling him, I have been for hours. He didn't come home, and I can't reach him." She stumbled as she pulled her pants on while balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear. She just got the sling off her arm, but she had limited mobility. She was just finishing up with her physical therapy.

"Are you home?" She asked.

"Yeah." He let out a sigh and a slur of curse words.

"I'm on my way," she said, stretching her shoulder. "I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up the phone and threw it in her pocket. She pulled on a shirt, wincing at the slight ache in her arm. It was still tender, but fully healed now. She had exercises she had to do a few times a day to promote the mobility and help with the pain. She put one hand on her bed, and leaned over it. She let her bad arm hang above the ground, leaving it stretch for a moment. She pulled it back up, and put on her police jacket. She strapped her gun to her belt and ran out of her room, swiping her keys from off the table.

Her footsteps pounded against the empty stairwell, echoing off the thin walls. She pushed herself out the door and shuddered at the slight chill of the night. She ran to her car and started it before her door was closed. She pulled out of the lot, noticing Mark's car was also gone. Again, she ignored the nagging of her mind. They found one other victim in the weeks leading up to Eric's sons disappearance. It was a police informant, and he had been abducted a week prior. He was to cut a key out of his own eye to release him from the trap around his neck, a mask with spikes that would close on his head if the timer went off. He did not survive the trap, and the police were becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of information they were finding.

She drove along the barren streets, keeping an eye out for any strange activity. She made her way to Eric's house and pulled in the driveway. She called him upon her arrival and he answered in an instant. "I'm here, come on."

"Where are we going?" He grumbled, but she could hear the rustle of his jacket being put on.

"We're going for a drive around, and then we'll go back to the station." She said and hung up. He appeared after a moment and climbed in the passenger seat. He smelled like stale whiskey and cigarettes. She backed out of the driveway and drove downtown, scoping the sidewalks. "Did he say anything earlier? Do you think he'd run away?"

"We've been fighting lately, but Daniel's never been dramatic. As angry as he is with me, he'd never run away. He's been in trouble with the police, but for light stealing and getting into fights." He sighed, rubbing his face in his hands. "I called his mother and she hasn't heard from him, either." She took side road after side road, searching for anything strange. They drove until the sun peaked into the sky. Eventually, she took them both to the station.

They walked in side by side, clocking in as they passed the desk. She went straight to the evidence room, having an idea that Jigsaw might have abducted the teenage boy. He had written Eric's name on the wall where the last victim was found. She pulled all the case files and brought them back to the board room. She threw them on the table in front of Eric. She told him to open them up so she could go get them a cup of coffee. She made Eric a double expresso, realizing he probably hadn't slept that night. If they were going to work, he needed to sober up and be on high alert. She brought it all back and set his cup in front of him. Nobody had arrived yet. The two sat in silence, reading every report and analyzing every picture. Eventually, Carrie and Rigg showed up.