Steph’s eyes flare with hope, but it fades in another instant. “But then why won’t he answer?”
“I don’t know, Sunshine.” Alex has joined us on the driveway now, and I ask him to try calling his brother, too. It rings once, then voicemail again.
“But it could be turned off,” Steph murmurs. “Or the battery’s dead.”
“No, Mom,” Alex says. “It wouldn’t even ring if that were the case. Riley’s right. He has his phone, and he’s ignoring us on purpose.”
The sound of car doors slamming has us turning to the street to find Aidan and Piper jogging up the walk. My mom’s car is pulling to the curb behind them.
“I called Jack, too,” she says as we gather in front of the porch. “He’s on his way.”
“Thank you,” Steph murmurs.
“How about we go inside?” Mom suggests, and Piper nods, coming over to Steph’s side and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She leads her up the steps, and the rest of us fall in line behind them.
Inside, my mom gets to work making coffee and boiling water for tea while Steph and I fill everyone in on what happened and what we’ve just deduced.
Jack soon arrives, followed by Noah and Lucy, the latter of whom takes Steph immediately into her arms.
“You didn’t have to come, too,” Steph murmurs, and Lucy shushes her. “Don’t be silly. I’m here for you—we’re all here for you.”
“But Cece—”
“Owen has her. He said to tell you he’s thinking of you and sending all kinds of good energy.”
“And Mark’s headed into the station to manage the search from there,” Jack supplies. “I’ll go relieve him once we’ve figured out a plan of action. I need you to tell me everything, from the start.”
Steph nods and recounts the events once more while pacing in her kitchen.
“It sounds like he might have run away,” Aidan notes once she’s done.
“But why?” Steph sniffles. “I just don’t understand what could have happened.”
“Did you have an argument?” Jack asks, getting into chief mode.
“No, nothing like that,” she says, shaking her head.
He turns to Alex, who’s since dressed and is standing in the doorway to the living room with his arms crossed. His brow is furrowed, and he’s been staring down at the floor as if searching his memory for any trigger that might have upset his brother.
“What about you? You guys have a fight?”
Alex jerks his eyes to the chief, shaking his head. “No. I dunno what his problem is,” he mutters.
“And the girlfriend?” Jack asks, turning back to Steph. “She say anything about a fight?”
“No,” Steph shakes her head. “I told you everything she said. She was surprised he didn’t take her call.”
Piper sits up straighter in her seat, then, a gasp falling from her lips as a thought seemingly occurs to her. Her eyebrows pull together, and we all watch as she tilts her head, thinking through something. Slowly, she meets Steph’s eyes.
“What about …” but she trails off.
“What?” Lucy asks.
“Last night,” she continues, holding Steph’s gaze. “When I thought I heard something in the hall.”
Steph stares at her for a long moment before her eyes widen in understanding. “If his date canceled and he came home …” A look of horror washes over her face, and she turns to me. “If he heard—” she sucks in a breath, panic filling her eyes. “If he heard—”
I move in quickly, pulling her back into my arms. Glancing over her shoulder, I meet first my mother’s eyes, then my brother’s. Piper and Lucy are watching us, Lucy’s hand over her mouth in distress. Everyone appears to have picked up on Piper’s trail of thought, including Jack, whom I know my mom confides in. He’s also a smart and observant motherfucker who probably had an inkling of Matty’s paternity all along anyway.
