Chapter 53
Caleb
Itried to stay levelheaded, but my girl was missing, and I had no idea where to start. Duke sat by my feet and moved with me anytime I moved. I could tell he was stressed, but I didn’t know how to help him when I was feeling the same. I had called dispatch and the cops were on their way, but I needed to do more.
Luke and Jenny. That’s who I need to call.
“Luke, Rae has been taken by her ex. The cops are on the way, but I need yours and Jenny's help.”
We hung up and I went to the porch while I waited. If I went back in the house, I would possibly mess up any kind of evidence, more than I already had, and I needed anything to prove this guy was guilty.
Duke paced back and forth on the porch, whining. “I know, Duke. We’ll get our girl back,” I promised him, trying to convince myself more than him.
Jenny drove up to the house from the backside of the property, and within seconds, Luke returned as well. Jenny had rushed out in her pajamas, the kind of friend who literally drops everything and rushes to help. I gave them as much of a smile as I could muster right now and thanked them for rushing over.
“Jenny, can you stay with the officers when they get here as they look over the house? I'm going to give my statement and then I'm going to help find my girl. Luke, will you help drive around looking for her?”
They both nodded, and I explained where I wanted Luke to go.
“We’ll find your girl, Walker.”
Igave my statement, then called my sergeant to ask if he would help in some way. My sergeant had called everyone on our squad, and they all decided to come in on their days off. A part of me felt guilty because I knew it was the night before their shift, when they should all be sleeping. However, I knew they would be mad if they’d found out later and hadn’t been called in. I would forever be thankful for this brotherhood I joined.
My squad divided themselves up, between helping with the current scene and canvassing the property to helping out on patrol as this squad was wrapped up in this call.
While talking to the officers at the basement door, I noticed Duke sniffing. He paced, sniffed, watched the tree line, and then looked at me before repeating the actions.
We had discussed where we would drive around while searching for Rae, and Santana decided to follow me in her patrol car, while my sergeant went with Luke. “I need you two to drive down every road leading to her parent’s home. Santana, I have an idea. Come with me.”
Santana threw me a confused look.
Duke continued to pace and sniff and stare at the back of the property. “Duke, come here boy!” I lifted Duke up into the passenger seat and ran around the front, hopping in without waiting for a response from Santana.
I was driving down the road leading away from the farm and Santana called me. I put the phone on speaker and placed it in my lap. “Walker, what's the plan? Where are we going? I’m flying blind here.”
“The woods behind my property. The other side of the tree line. I have a feeling about something I need to check out.”
“A feeling? Okay, care to explain?”
“Duke. This dog took to her crazy fast. They were best friends immediately.”
I turned left, onto the road leading behind my property. Santana followed behind.
“Also, Rae is scared of the dark.”
“Okay, care to explain why you're telling me these things?”
“He's trying to scare her, Santana. He's trying to get back at her for leaving him, sleeping with me, for being happy.”
“But where would he take her? He wouldn't just stay in the trees.”
I sighed as I jerked the wheel to the left, my truck fishtailing due to loose gravel. I was going faster than I should have on this road, but every second mattered at this point.
“I don't know where he'd take her. I don't know. I just know that Duke was staring at the tree line. He wouldn't go far from me, but his eyes were on the trees.”
“Rae?”
“Rae.”
