A Son's Tale

Again, Cal said nothing and Bella, after staring at him for another several seconds, shrugged.

“Well, I just hope everything’s fine. Have a great weekend, Dr. Whittier. See you Monday.”

She walked out, allowing Cal to hurry to his office.

* * *

MORGAN COULDN’T REMEMBER the four-block drive from Wallace University to Rouse Elementary. She’d run out of class and ended up in the parking lot of her son’s school. She’d called her mom. But only to ask her if she’d heard from Sammie. Grace Lowen was going to be taking Sammie to Little League practice Saturday while Morgan officiated sack races at the day care. Morgan had told Sammie that morning to call his grandmother and remind her of the next day’s practice.

Grace hadn’t heard from him.

The call with her mother lasted about thirty seconds. Morgan didn’t let on that anything was amiss. She didn’t know for sure that it was.

And she couldn’t deal with her father at the moment.

Julie was pacing the sidewalk at the entrance of the parking lot when Morgan pulled up in her eight-year-old Ford Taurus, purchased used the year before. Julie jumped in and Morgan pulled into the closest parking spot.

“Oh, God, Morg, I have no idea how this happened,” Julie said, glancing toward the door of the school. “Mr. Peterson has already called the police.”

The school principal. A man Morgan had always thought was calm and rational, ready to call the police?

“He’s got to be hiding someplace,” Morgan said, swallowing panic. “Did they check the bathrooms? The girls’, too?”

Julie nodded.

“What about the shop? Did you check the shop? You know he wanted to finish that little wood car he’d started last session.”

Julie was already shaking her head. “He asked to use the restroom,” she said. “The hall security camera shows him going into the boys’ restroom at the end of the hall, and in twenty minutes of tape, he never came back out. But he’s definitely not in there.”

“What about the grounds camera?”

“It’s broken at the hinge, but we can’t tell if the break is new or not.”

“How long ago did he leave class?”

“He asked to go to the bathroom half an hour ago. As soon as his teacher reported that he hadn’t come back and wasn’t in the bathroom we went to the security camera. I texted you as soon as I saw the film.”

“Have they checked his locker?”

“Yeah. His suit and towel for swimming are in there.”

“What about his lunch?”

They were out of the car, hurrying toward the walk.

“Today is picnic-on-the-lawn day, remem

ber? We provide brown-bag lunches.”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Picnic-on-the-lawn day had seemed so far away.

“They’ve locked down the school, Morg. Come on. We have to get in there. They’re waiting for you… .”

The fear in Julie’s eyes held Morgan frozen for a split second. And then she ran.

* * *

CAL PUSHED THE BUTTON on his office answering machine before he’d taken his seat behind his desk.