I didn’t say much at all. I was too preoccupied with how to get my sister out of this mess. But when I turned on my phone in Philadelphia, it had been flooded with information: plane charter, car rental, hotel, lawyer, drummer information for the last two concert dates.
God, Doxx really did give a shit about me.
I burst into tears just after Mel got me in the plane.
The tiny municipal airport welcomed our little plane just fine. There was a rental car waiting at the terminal building—it was new. I didn’t remember the building from when I was a kid.
Putting both of our bags in the trunk of the car, Mel grabbed the keys and pointed me to the passenger side. “You’re in no condition to drive. Just let me.”
I nodded. We were only about ten minutes from the police station and figuring out what was going on.
Every nightmare I had about this place, about my father and mother, about the black eye and sprained wrist I left with, about the gun I stole on the way out the door, came flooding back. The trouble I went through to find my sister’s cell phone number, the horrible nights I spent in the cold, alone, as a thirteen year old all threatened to overwhelm me.
The sturdy buildings of the police station came into view and I realized I hadn’t said a word to Mel on how to get there. Glancing over, he smiled. “GPS, Aaron. I didn’t need you to be on the ball. You’re not and you can’t be.” He parked the car in a visitor spot and shut it off, then grabbed my hand. “I’m here for you, man. Maddox can’t be, so I’m your next best. Whatever you need, whatever you want, I’m here.”
“You’re not my next best, Mel. You’re the best. Thank you for doing this, thanks for coming with me.”
“Three years in the same dorm room, Ay-ay. You’re the brother I never had, and I’ll be there for you. I can and I am. Vincent emailed me and sent me all the information for the lawyer as well, and I can handle all the small details your brain isn’t thinking about right now. Dinner, bathrooms, beds. You can work just on what’s going on with your sister.”
I leaned across the console and pulled him into an awkward but honest hug. “Thank you. This past week has been beyond anything I could ever imagine, both good and bad. I’m just not centered.”
“You shouldn’t be.” He smirked. “Let’s get going. We need to know what’s going on.”
We both popped the doors and climbed out. I had only been here once, to report that my father had kicked me out of the house. When the nice lady behind the counter said my choices were to either enter foster care, go home and beg him to take me back or become a runaway, she kindly turned her back and never took my report.
My mother and father never reported me missing.
The place looked smaller than it did when I was thirteen and terrified, but it was still frightening. I walked through the double doors into the lobby.
Before I was five feet inside, a man in a smart suit was next to me and had his hand out. “Aaron Donner?”
“That’s me,” I managed.
“Robert Philips, Esquire. Your boyfriend sent me down here to help you with your sister’s case.”
I shook his hand. “Thank you.”
He nodded toward the door. “I haven’t spoken to anyone yet, but I did ask for the report. They were happy to give it to me.”
I froze. “Have you seen Violet?”
“No. Not yet.”
The panic started to rise in my throat. Mel put a hand on my arm. “Mister Philips, he hasn’t seen his sister since she was six years old. He has only left messages for her.”
He nodded. “Condition your father put on it?”
“I don’t know what they told her about me, ever. I left here and I never looked back. The only thing I ever missed was Violet.” I hauled in a breath, trying to stave off the panic attack that was threatening me.
“All right, I have a plan. Let’s go meet Moran.”
Mel and I followed the lawyer farther into the station, and up to the main desk. The man sitting behind the counter looked up and seemed to do a double take. He stood up as we halted there.
“Holy sweet cheese and rice,” he managed. “You’ve got to be Aaron Donner.”
“Yes, I am.” I must have looked angry because he held his hands up and backed off a little.
“Sorry, Aaron. You don’t know me at all, do you?” he asked, watching me, Mel, and Philips.
