Devon held onto his best friend for a minute, seeking a sense of reassurance. "They'll find her, right?"
Vince nodded. "They have to. I'm sure she's fine, Devon. Everybody knows everybody in this town, and someone will spot her. I'm sure she thought she could walk down to the ice cream store or to a friend's house or something."
Vince's words mollified him for a few seconds. It was true Hailey thought she was big enough to walk alone, but he had never allowed her to do it.
"Devon." Caleb waved him over to where he was holding the door open for a woman in uniform. "This is Chief Hemsworth. She wants to know when you last saw Hailey."
"Really?" Devon asked in agitation. It was obvious he had nothing to do with whatever had happened to her. He wanted their resources focused on finding out where she'd snuck off to, not on questioning him. "She came into the back part of the shop after Lori picked her up from the bus stop this afternoon. About three-fifteen."
"We just need to start a timeline, sir. The more information we can gather, the better." The woman's voice was unperturbed at Devon's attitude. It wasn't unusual for a distressed parent to be irritable.
Devon looked over at the chief. She was in her mid-forties by Devon's guess, dark hair and eyes with a kind face. She wore a thick black coat with an embroidered badge on the left breast, the nameR. Hemsworthon the opposite side.
"Are there people looking for her? Officers?" Devon asked, not giving a damn how rude his tone of voice was.
Chief Hemsworth nodded. "Yes. Your . . ." Pausing, she looked at her notes. "Your sister-in-law, Lori McMillan, showed us a recent picture of Hailey on her cell phone. I have sent it out to all my men and women. They're at the school, in the surrounding woods, and on the streets."
“She seems to think she’s big enough to walk into town on her own, though I’ve never allowed it. Maybe she wandered off while Lori was busy.”
Devon watched the chief write that down. "And your wife, can we speak to her and ask when she last saw your daughter?"
Devon stood frozen for long seconds, all the air leached from his lungs. No one had asked about Kathy in a very long time. He almost didn't know what to say.
Sorry, the last time my wife saw her daughter was when Hailey was in diapers. Then she died and left me to raise our baby alone.
"M-my, um, my w-wife . . ." He had to stop talking and lean over with his hands on his knees. His breath was coming in sharp pants and he closed his eyes against the spinning room.
Caleb spoke up instead as the chief frowned at Devon's distress over what she thought was an innocuous question. "Hailey's mother passed away four years ago."
Devon's breathing slowed as his brother rubbed his back. Chief Hemsworth scribbled some more, then stepped away to speak to an officer. When she returned, she handed a station business card to Devon.
"Those on foot will continue to search for her until dark. We have Chatsworth County on alert to bring out their search dogs. That will take the better part of an hour given their distance from this location. If you have any questions, receive any unusual phone calls such as a request for ransom, or if you find her, please call the station immediately." When she stuck out her hand, Devon shook it halfheartedly.
He didn't know what they expected of him at that point, but he knew what he wanted—no,needed—to do. Grabbing his keys off the peg by the door of the office, he headed for his truck. When he reached the door, he realized he had company.
Caleb and Vince climbed into the four-door truck with him. Caleb sat in the front because he had the longest legs and needed the most room. Vince got in the back and clapped Devon on the shoulder as he spoke. "Let's look for her."
Devon pulled away silently and began the tedious task of driving up and down all the streets in a grid. He moved from the shop to the center of their small town in agonizing slowness, looking between houses and behind businesses whenever possible. He rolled his window down and called Hailey's name until he was hoarse. When he couldn't see the streets anymore, he realized it was because tears clouded his vision and night was falling.
The abruptness in which he stopped the truck sent his passengers surging forward. Caleb braced his hands on the dash and stared at Devon. "Out, brother. Switch with me."
Devon climbed out without a word, swapping with Caleb and settling in the passenger seat to stare out the window. His lungs were burning, his chest heavy and hollow. His head was a mess of thoughts and worry, what ifs and despair. What if they didn't find her out there? Night was almost upon them, and his five-year-old would be lost and alone. It was cold. She had to be hungry. How would he sleep? How would he cope?
He simply didn't have it in him to go through this much loss another time. He didn't want to stop the search, couldn't admit it was time to give it a rest for the night. His daughter was out there in the dark; he couldn't focus on anything else. By the time Caleb pulled back into the shop parking lot, Devon’s breathing was shallow and quick. Slumped forward, he tried to remember how to breathe as the truck door opened and his brother grabbed his shoulders to pull him upright.
"Come home with me. I'll help you get through this."
Devon gasped for several minutes as the panic attack hit him hard. Caleb hugged him, supporting him through it all. Devon knew he was lucky to have the brother he'd been blessed with. Vince was there too, one hand clamped on his shoulder in a show of solidarity.
"Devon?" The sound of his mother's voice brought his head up from Caleb's shoulder.
"We've been out looking for Hailey," Caleb explained to Lydia.
Dried tear tracks lined her face, and she looked miserable.
"We went with the search dogs when they arrived. They didn’t pick up her scent past the property line." Their usually well put-together father was disheveled, his shirt untucked and his hair a flyaway mess.
"What could have happened?" Lydia asked.
