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MAGGIE KENNEDY-O’KEEFE
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Somehow, amid all the fetal gymnastics, I must have dozed off because the house phone startles me awake. A blanket is covering me and Shaun is nowhere to be found. I struggle into a seated position on the couch and look around. The house is dark and the TV is off. The phone continues to trill and I get up to answer it. Since we changed our number we haven’t gotten any hang-up calls but that doesn’t mean they haven’t started again. I reach for my cell phone sitting on the coffee table and see that I’ve had six missed calls from my brother. Shit.
By the time I get to the phone in the kitchen it’s stopped ringing and I can hear Shaun coming down the steps. I look at the clock on the microwave. It’s just after midnight. I use my cell to call Colin back and he immediately answers.
“Jesus, Maggie,” he says. “I’ve been trying to call you for a half an hour. Dad took off.”
“What do you mean he took off?” I ask, my heart thumping.
“What’s going on?” Shaun whispers and I hold up my hand to silence him.
“I mean he’s gone. I can’t find him anywhere.” Colin is breathing heavily as if he’s been running.
“I thought you had an alarm on the door. Didn’t it go off? Are you sure he left the house?” I shove my feet into my shoes and start searching the kitchen for my car keys.
“I forgot to set it. I’m sorry. I fell asleep.”
“Jesus,” I mutter.
“You want to deal with this?” Colin snaps. “Be my guest. It isn’t easy.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. I have no right to judge Colin. He’s the one with Dad all day, every day. “Have you called the police?” I ask.
“You are the police, Maggie.” Colin’s voice breaks.
He’s right. We’ve already lost too much time and I need to take control of the situation. “I’ll call patrol and have them meet us at the house. Where are you right now?”
“I’m walking around trying to find him,” he says. “Do you think he might have gone down the bluff?”
“No,” I say immediately. “He wouldn’t have gone that way. He hasn’t been down that way forever.” For many years he walked up and down the rocky bluff in search of evidence, of anything that might lead to Eve’s killer but once, a few years ago, he slipped and fell, scraping his knees and cracking his elbow. The fall scared him enough to stop his daily treks.
“He might have gotten confused,” Colin insists. “He could be trying to get down to the caves.”
“Go back to the house and wait there in case he comes back. I’m on my way,” I order and hang up.
Shaun reemerges, dressed and with car keys in hand. “I’ll drive,” he says and together we rush out of the house and into his truck. While he speeds down the highway I call dispatch and request that a patrol officer meet us at my dad’s house.
“I knew something like this was going to happen,” I say in frustration. “He’s getting worse every day and Colin can’t watch him twenty-four/seven.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Shaun says, reaching for my hand. “Let’s concentrate on finding him first. He can’t have gone too far.”
I know he’s probably right but I can’t help thinking about all the bad things that could have happened. He could have gone through the woods behind the Harper house and fallen down the bluff, he could have stepped into traffic and been hit by a car, he could have pitched into the creek, or wandered into a cornfield and gotten turned around. All terrifying prospects.
When we pull onto my dad’s street, it has started to spit rain and Colin and Pete Francis are standing in front of the house wearing rain jackets and holding flashlights. “Any sign of him?” I ask the second I get out of the truck but from the look on Colin’s face I already know the answer.
“How many patrols do you have searching?” I ask Francis.
“It’s just me,” Francis says. “There was a bad car accident out west of town. The other units are over there and I was called in to cover everything else. Any idea where your dad may have gone to?”
I shake my head helplessly. “Your guess is as good as mine. But we can’t wait around for him to just come back.” I don’t want to ask for help. I don’t trust Nola or the Harpers but they are all I have by way of reinforcements and I’m desperate to find my dad. I would make a deal with the devil if it would help. I turn to Colin. “You go knock on the Harpers’ door and see if they’ve seen him or if they would be willing to help search for him. Shaun and Francis, both of you drive around and look for him. I’ll go get Nola to help look and I’ll then ask Mrs. Olhauser to wait here at the house in case he comes back.” I’m using my cop voice but inside my daughter’s heart is racing in my belly. “Call me if you find anything.”
Everyone scatters and I cross the street to Nola’s house. It’s dark and quiet. I pound on the front door. No one answers. “Nola,” I shout through the door. “Wake up!” I knock louder. I turn and face the dark street. It’s pouring now. Minutes are ticking by.
I peer through the window and see what looks like one of my dad’s slippers. This is enough of a reason for me to enter Nola’s home without her permission. I turn the knob and push the door open. I step inside and flip on another light. To my surprise, the living room looks somewhat less cluttered. The stacks of newspapers have shrunk and the path to the stairs has widened. I pick up the damp, muddy slipper. It’s definitely my dad’s. “Dad! Nola,” I call up the steps. “It’s Maggie, where are you?” Still no answer.
I get to the top of the landing and move toward Nola’s bedroom. “Nola,” I say, rapping on the closed door. “Wake up. My dad is missing.” Nothing. I push open the door and light from the hallway splashes into Nola’s bedroom. No one is here. I feel along the wall for a light switch and the room is filled with harsh light.
