Sam wanted to tell her to fuck off with the first lady shit, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. Instead, she showed her badge while Freddie did the same. She didn’t bother with introductions. “Where’d your daughter tell you she was going?”
“To her friend Crosby’s house, which is about six blocks from here,” Court said. “We just started letting her walk there two weeks ago.” She dropped her head into her hands. “I knew it was too soon. I knew it.”
“Have you spoken to Crosby and his or her family about whether they’ve heard anything from her?”
“I called them right after I noticed her location services were turned off on her phone,” Court said. “They said she never arrived, and Crosby hasn’t heard from her.”
“How soon after she left did you notice her location was turned off?”
“About thirty minutes. My friend called me right after Luna left, and I got distracted. By the time I checked, it was off. She knows better than to shut it off. That’s her ticket to a little independence, that I can always see where she is.”
When she started to sob, Jordy put his arm around her.
“Something awful has happened to her,” Court said. “I just know it.”
“Was she having trouble with anyone that you’re aware of?”
“She was always having some sort of issue with boys,” Jordy said. “They won’t leave her alone, even though she tells them she’s not interested in them. She’s… she’s very pretty, and they’re relentless.”
Sam wanted to ask them why in the fuck they’d let their “very pretty” child walk around a city by herself when boys are relentlessly pursuing her.
“Did she give you the names of any of the boys who were bothering her?”
Court shook her head. “She kept that stuff to herself but told us they were annoying. That was the word she used. Right, Jordy?”
“That’s one of her favorite words. Everyone is annoying to her, especially the boys at school. They won’t take no for an answer.”
“Have you reported this to the school?”
He nodded. “They’re aware of it and have been helping where they can, but Luna doesn’t want a big deal made of it. She feels that would only make it worse.”
“Would it be possible for our people to access her text messages via your carrier account?”
They exchanged glances.
“That feels sort of intrusive,” he said.
Sam took a deep breath, trying to keep in mind how horrible this was for them while also getting the info she needed. “Mr. Ahern, your thirteen-year-old daughter is missing. We may have a matter of hours to find her before something terrible happens. We’re trying to do everything in our power to find her. Will you please help us?”
“Yes, of course I will.”
“So that’s a yes to accessing the messages?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Give Detective Cruz the login information, along with Luna’s number. We’ll also need your number to send you a consent form to sign that says you’ve given us permission to access your account.”
Jordy reached for his phone to get the account info, which he relayed to Freddie along with his phone number that the account was under, as well as Luna’s number.
Freddie stood. “I’ll have the consent form sent to your phone. Please print it, sign it and give it to Lieutenant Holland.”
“Okay,” Jordy said.
His eyes looked wild, as if he was about to lose his shit at any second.
Not that Sam blamed him. She couldn’t imagine many things worse than what he was going through.
“You have to understand,” Court said haltingly. “It’s not like Luna to make us worry. She’s a good girl. She does what she’s told and sets a fantastic example for her younger siblings. She’s not at all rebellious or difficult in any way—and yes, we know that makes us very lucky. Some of our friends’ kids are nightmares, constantly bucking their rules and ignoring their requests. That’s not Luna.”
