“I called Ryleigh and Marcus,” Cheryl said, coming up behind her. “I’m going to put out a bulletin onPort Palmas Talks.”
Except for the strangeness of calling Marcus, Jax appreciated her friend’s actions.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll review the security tapes. Maybe there will be something on them.” Although she wasn’t sure what.
“I can’t believe he would fly away,” she said, telling herself she had to stay calm and that the sick feeling in her stomach didn’t matter. “This is his home. Do you think someone took him?”
“I don’t know. He’s an expensive bird.”
“Yes, but he’s big. You couldn’t just slip him under your coat. Plus, he’d scream if someone tried to grab him.” The tears returned. “I don’t understand. He loves me. I’m his person. He wouldn’t leave. The front doors to the store have always been open, but he’s never disappeared like this before.”
Cheryl hugged her. “We’ll figure this out,” she said.
Jax hoped that was true but deep inside she was terrified Ramon was gone forever.
The bulletin went out a few minutes later. After going up and down the street, calling for her bird, Jax retreated to the office to scroll through security tapes looking for something. Anything. Progress was slow and she had no idea what she was looking for. He’d had his bath around eleven and she’d seen him after lunch, so started her search at the two o’clock marker. The going was slow as she had to review the recordings carefully enough to make sure she spotted him.
Only Ramon wasn’t on any of the recordings and there wasno suspicious person running out with a struggling bird. With each passing frame, she felt more and more sick to her stomach. She’d barely gotten to the four o’clock hour when Ryleigh burst into her office.
“Is he here?”
Jax shook her head, then started crying again. Her sister pulled her to her feet and hugged her.
“I’m sorry,” Ryleigh said. “I know you feel awful. What happened?”
“I don’t know. I went to call him for dinner and he didn’t show up. He’s not in the store and I can’t see him anywhere around here. I’ve been reviewing the security tapes to try to spot something.”
“Do you think he was taken?”
“I don’t know.” Jax told herself to keep breathing. “I don’t know what to do. If he left on his own, then he should be nearby. Should we expand the search area? Is he lost?”
She hated to think of him out there alone, not sure how to find his way home. Only that entire scenario didn’t make sense.
Marcus walked into her office. “There’s a crowd gathering,” he said as he moved close and hugged her. She leaned into his embrace, surprised at how comfortable she felt there, only to step back when his words sank in.
“What do you mean a crowd?”
He led her into the store. She looked around in surprise—there were dozens of people clustered together in groups, all talking. Cheryl hurried toward her.
“They’re showing up to help. Several brought binoculars. I thought we could send them out in groups to search for him while there’s still daylight.”
“Yes,” Jax said eagerly. “Let’s do that. I’ll go with them.”
“You should probably stay here,” Marcus told her. “He’ll want to see you when he comes back. If something spooked him into flying away, he’ll need reassurance.”
Jax would rather be doing something than standing around and waiting, but his words made sense.
She nodded and he immediately moved toward the crowd. In a matter of minutes he’d divided them up into smaller groups. Someone got one of the town maps and opened it. Marcus drew circles, dividing the area into manageable sections. Moments later the search parties had left.
More people arrived. Two hours after Jax had realized Ramon was gone, her kids ran into the store. They were both crying.
“We just found out,” Gentry said, rushing to her. “Mommy, no! Ramon can’t be lost.”
She hung on as if she would never let go. Xander joined her, sobbing just as hard.
“I love him,” Xander said, his voice muffled. “I love him and he has to come back.”
Shawna and Harris walked in. Harris came up to her, frowning in concern. “What happened?”
