41
Wyatt
2018 - Present Day
Idecide to read through more of London's entries when I get home. Blake will be over soon, and we’ll both go through the ones I mark as important. So far, I have come up empty. She wrote about all her favorite subjects at school, her friends, and how she wished we’d have snow fall. She wants to build a snowman with me. I can't believe it. She mentioned me.
“I will find you, baby, and I’ll take you to the mountains and build a dozen snowmen if I have to.”
I stand to fetch myself some more coffee. I think of Erin, and how much she loved the stoneware mugs that now lie in the cupboard. I think of her and Josh and how they are finally together.
“Look out for my girl, Erin.”
I’m not a religious sort of man. The concept of religion is pretty null and void out on the battlefield. When men are falling all around you, their prayers and pleas go unanswered. I decided a long time ago that I could not believe in a higher power that let people fight and die so brutally. We, humans, are responsible for all the bad shit that happens.
A god wouldn’t have let my daughter be taken, and a god was sure as fuck not responsible for her return. I will bring her back, and then I will destroy those responsible.
I drink my coffee and page through to her last entry. It was written over a month ago, and I frown at her words.
3 December
Celia is pretty. She and Dad and I went for a picnic today. It was awesome, all those trees and the lake. I miss going out to the lake, but Mom’s been busy lately. I hope now that she loves Wyatt, he’ll teach her to be happy again.
Who the fuck is Celia?She’d never mentioned her, and Logan sure as hell didn’t. I couldn’t believe my luck. I needed to find out who this Celia was. I had a right mind to go over to Logan’s house and beat the crap out of him. But I had to keep calm. For London.
Wyatt: Do you know a Celia? I text Hayley.
Hayley: Not that I can recall. Why?
Wyatt: I’ll let you know later. xxx
I have a feeling I might know who did know Celia. I clench my fist.
* * *
I hopinto Blake’s black BMW X5 an hour later. I’d spoken to him on the phone about what I’d found, and we agreed we should pay our friend Logan a visit. We park outside his apartment building and watch as the cars enter and exit the secure underground parking. It would be a mission to get in with a car, and we sure as hell couldn’t get in the building as we had to be buzzed it. I fidget until Blake tells me to chill out. Stealth is in my blood, but if my daughter is in that building, I’m impatient to get her out.
“We’ve got to be cool, watch the place for a bit. Understand the comings and goings.”
My phone buzzes. “Hey, Sharon,” I answer.
“Wyatt, is Hayley with you?”
I look over at Blake. “No, she isn’t. I told her I had a couple of things I needed to do. Stuff I had to sort out.”
“We left her for no more than an hour to go to the shops, and she’s gone. I called Logan, and he hasn’t seen her. Carl said she never showed at the shop either. Her car is still here, so we assumed she was with you.”
My blood runs cold. “I’ll be right there, Sharon.” I end the call.
“Hayley’s missing!” I growl and slam my head into the headrest.
Blake turns the SUV, and we speed back to Hayley’s.
* * *
There’snothing much we can do. She’s an adult and could very well have gone out to look for her daughter in an UBER. She could have called a friend. There are a host of reasons why she’s not at home at the moment. Except I know her, and she’s in trouble. I can feel it in my bones. Call it a hunch, intuition, whatever it is, I know she did not leave this house willingly. Blake agrees. There are two coffee cups neatly washed and left to dry on the rack. Neither my mother nor hers remember them being there when they went to the shops earlier. The coffee machine is on, but it is full to the brim. No one had used those cups.
Nothing is out of place, except her keys are here, her purse, and cards. This is fucking madness. I pace the room several times when I remember. “Let’s go pay Logan a visit,” I tell Blake, and he stands, zips up his leather jacket as we leave the house.
