There’s silence for long enough that I think he’s hung up on me. Finally he says. “I see. If you can get me the address of where Miss Roberts is currently living, I can send a patrol car down to do a welfare check on her. Best I can do.”
I tell him her home address, the only place I think she might be. “Would you like a call back once we get there? How soon depends on the availability of our deputies.”
“Yes, please.” Automatic politeness kicks in, even though I want to throttle him through the phone.
I call Tyler again. No answer. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts. No answer.
I run downstairs. The murmur of voices stops as soon as they see me. “Do you have Jess’ new number?” I yell at my mom.
She stares back at me. “Jacob, I–”
“It’s important,” I snap.
She exchanges a glance with Steve. “No. I didn’t realize she had a new number.”
“She does, and I don’t have it. I tried her parents and her brother. None of them answered.” I sound desperate, even to me.
Mom steps toward me. “Her parents are in Alaska on a cruise for their anniversary. They won’t be back until next week. I don’t know where Tyler is.”
“Jaz, do you have her new number?”
Jasmine stands. “No. Sorry.”
The three of them look at me like I’ve lost it. Actually, the entire party is looking at me like I’ve lost it.
Mom puts her hand on my arm. “Jacob, what’s going on? Why do you need to—"
“He’s coming after her. Brad. Brad is out of jail, and he’s going to find Jess. He sent me an email—pictures of her taken without her knowing it. He’s been stalking her.”
“You need to call the police,” Steve says.
“I did that. They won’t do anything beyond a check of her house. I gave them her address, but I don’t even know if she’s there.” I push past Steve. “I have to go. I have to find her.”
He puts himself between me and the door. “Hold on, son. You’re over 2,000 miles away. You deploy in three days. There’s nothing you can do from here. Send the pictures to the police. Let them do their job. Your mom and Jasmine can keep trying to get hold of her parents.”
“I can’t just—”
He puts his hand on my shoulder. “There’s nothing you can do for her.”
Steve is using histhe discussion is overtone. I’ve never pushed back on it before, not even as an adult. “What if I’m the only one who can find her? What if I’m the only one who can help her?”
In the back of my mind, I hear Jess’ voice from a long time ago.How do you always know how to find me? How do you always know when I need to be rescued?
“I’m sure there are lots of people who are closer. People she’s actually speaking to,” Steve’s dig hurts just enough for me to get his point. I get it, but I don't care. I need to know she’s okay.
“Michael,” Jasmine says suddenly. “He’s back, isn’t he? He might know where she is.”
“Good idea.” I’m almost desperate enough not to be jealous that Michael might have her new number if I don’t.
“I have his number,” Mom admits. “From the barbecue way back when. Unless he changed it.”
“Let’s try it,” Jasmine says.
Steve ushers the guests out. Mom looks for Michael’s number in her phone. I go back to the computer, thinking I’ll take a closer look at the pictures and maybe see when the next plane leaves for Washington.
I zoom in on each of the pictures. The backgrounds are familiar, but too blurred to be sure where they were taken. I don’t know much about computers, or photography, or any of it. I think there’s a way tofigure out when or where a digital picture was taken. Something about the file, but I don’t know how to find it.
There’s only one person I can think of who might know.
