In fear of his life, Ty jumps into the car. His hands shake as he tries to shove the keys in the ignition. Using his left hand to steady his right, he manages to succeed. Turning to Timmy, he says, "Hang on." Throwing the car into gear, he speeds away. Taking a quick right, he darts onto the highway.
Timmy is in complete silence. His entire body shakes. His heart is pounding so furiously that it feels like it's trying to break out of his chest. Flashes of what happened just a few moments ago replay in his mind like a silent horror movie on repeat.
TY's eyes continue to dart from in front of him to the two side mirrors and then to the rear view. He doesn't see anyone following him out, but with Bambini's goons, you never can be too sure.
"What? What just happened back there?" Timmy finally manages to stutter.
"I think it's safe to assume that Bambini's crew knows we're back."
A look of horror etches across the young lad's face as he asks, "How could they possibly know? And how did they pinpoint our location?"
"One of us would have had to have been followed."
Was it me? Timmy recalls how he got here, hitching a ride with anyone who'd stop until he crossed state lines. He didn't want to chance one of Bambin's new recruits picking him up, so he walked it from there. "I doubt if it was me, bro," he says, explaining his journey from Iowa to here.
Ty glances at his fancy hot rod and sighs. He'd saved up for years to buy the fancy car, often working the crappiest jobs, pulling doubles when he could. "That means they must either know where I live or they can still recognize this car." After his last nearly fatal encounter in town, Ty had the car detailed, hoping it would suffice as a disguise.
"So, what are we going to do now?"
Ty taps his hand on the wheel, hoping to come up with a plan. Glancing in the mirrors one last time, he says, "Hang on." Zipping into the left lane, Ty takes the medium road heading back the way he came. He figures this maneuver will work in his favor twice over. Thinking he's heading back to Harrison, the goons will probably set up an ambush, and he can finally see if he's being tailed.
"We're not going back into town, are we?"
Ty smiles. "Trust me, pal."
****
Jen is pacing back and forth in front of the large picture window when she notices a cop pulling into the drive. Running to the front of the house, she throws the door open. "Have you heard anything?" She shakily asks.
With a sullen look on his face, the officer slowly shakes his head and says, "But the missing persons report was only posted an hour or so ago, so let's not lose hope yet." Stepping up to the porch, he continues. "I was hoping a little more information might help with the search."
"Please come in," Jen says, stepping aside. Closing the door behind him, Jen asks, "Would you care for something to drink?"
"Coffee, if you have it."
Jen leads him into the kitchen, turns, and asks, "How would you take it?"
"Black, please." The officer takes his place at the table. "You have a lovely home here."
"Thank you."
Pouring the two of them a cup, Jen sits down at the table. Her hands are shaking so bad that her coffee nearly spills. Admitting defeat, she sets it down. Tearfully glancing up, Jen takes a big gulp of courage before she asks, "What would you like to know?"
The officer pulls his notebook from his pocket. Finding a clean page, he asks, "When was the last time you saw your son?"
"Last night, around eight, I believe maybe a few minutes after. Timmy is a teenager who keeps to himself a lot." She explains.
"How did he seem to you then?"
"Last time Tommy and I saw him, he was very upset with us."
"And why was that?"
"We have one rule in this house: no cellphones, computers, or any other device that might give the kids access to the internet. Tommy and I believe the only way to ensure we're safe is to go off the grid."
"I completely understand your reasoning after all you and your family have been through."
"Well anyway, I walked into his room to find him using a cell phone to access the internet so he could talk to his friends. I snatched the phone out of his hands, and that's when the argument began. Tommy tried to explain why it had to be this way, but Timmy, being nearly as stubborn as his dad, wouldn't listen to a thing he said."
"Did you see him anytime after that?"
"No, Tommy and I agreed that we should give him time to cool down before trying to explain it to him again."
"So when did you discover he was missing?"
"When I went in to wake him for school this morning. And by the looks of it, he must've left sometime last night."
The officer looks up; a puzzled expression crosses his face. "Why do you think that?"
"There's a puddle of rain on the windowsill and a larger one pooling on the floor."
"Mind if I take a look?"
"Not at all." She leads him to Timmy's room, turns, and says, "Please excuse the mess."
"I have three teenage sons, so I know how sloppy they can be." Stepping into the room, he takes a quick look around, turns, and asks, "Does anything seem to be missing?"
"His school backpack, but I couldn't tell you if he took anything else in this pigsty he calls a room." A fresh stream of tears rolls down her face. Sniffling, she turns and says, "I'd give anything to be able to tell him to clean his room again."
"I promise we will do the best we can to find your son." He learned the hard way that you should never make promises you might not be able to keep. "I'm going to have forensic dust for prints."
A shocked look crosses Jen's face. "You don't think he was kidnapped, do you?"
"I doubt it, but with your past history, I need to rule out the possibility."
Jen nods. With a sigh of defeat, she says. "Do what you think is best."
"I also need a list of his friends, who he hangs out with, and where they meet."
"I have his friend's name in my address book; I'll go get it."
"Have you reached out to them yet?"
"I called them before I called you. They all claim they haven't seen him since yesterday."
"Have you tried calling the school?"
"He didn't show up today, which is very unlike him," she says, fighting the tears threatening to escape.
"Go ahead and get me the address book, and then we'll take things from there."
Jen wipes the moisture on her face. "Yes, yes, of course." Jen darts out the door.
"I'd like to talk to your husband too," the officer yells, still looking around.
"He's out looking for our son."
"Can you reach him, because I really need to talk to him too?"
Stepping into Timmy's room, she hands the small floral book to the officer. "Tommy doesn't have a cell, but I'll tell him you need to talk to him when he checks in." If he checks in, she thinks, glancing at the late afternoon sun.
The officer glances at the book, nods, and says, "Now I'll need a list of his favorite hangouts."