It was almost eight thirty when Ash woke up. He rarely ever slept that late, but evidently he needed the rest. A quick check of his phone showed no response from Ker, so he sent another text.
Just checking in. Hope all is ok. Call me if U can.
He got up, threw on some sweatpants and a long-sleeved tee, and went down to make breakfast. When he still hadn’t heard anything from Ker by lunchtime, he started to panic.
He did an online search to try to locate a phone number for Ker’s parents but found nothing. Trading the sweats for a pair of jeans, he drove to the police station to see if he would have better luck using the department’s resources. It might not be totally legal, but he was really concerned about Ker’s well-being at that point.
After a few minutes on his work computer, he found the number.
“Hello?” A woman answered once he’d completed the call.
“Mrs. Jennings?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“My name is Ashton Reynolds. I’m a friend of Ker’s. I know he was going home for Christmas this year, and I’ve texted him a few times but haven’t heard from him. Is he there?”
“I’m sorry, but he’s not. He was here yesterday, but it seems he left suddenly last night.”
The bottom fell out of Ash’s stomach.
“Do you know where he went?”
“I don’t.” She stopped, but Ash sensed she wanted to say more, so he waited. After a moment, she began speaking again. “May I ask you a question, Mr. Reynolds?”
“Of course. And please, call me Ash.”
“Okay, Ash. Ker mentioned that he had started seeing someone lately. Someone special, he said. Might you be that someone?”
“Yes, Mrs. Jennings, I am.”
“That’s what I thought. Something about the concern in your voice. So I’ll tell you, Ker and his father had an awful argument yesterday after we ate dinner. They both said terrible and hateful things. They’ve argued before but never that strongly. I was actually frightened. Ker stormed out of the house and was gone for over an hour.”
“I understand, Mrs. Jennings. Ker told me about some of the disagreements he’s had with his dad about the stores.”
“Please, call me Irene,” she said. “I’ll admit, I usually try not to get between them when they start in like that. I’ve learned over the years that it’s best not to disagree with my husband when he gets something stuck in his head. But yesterday, he went too far. I finally managed to get my Walter into bed, and I think I heard Ker come back home, but then I fell asleep. When I got up this morning, he was gone. I’ve tried calling him, but it goes right to voicemail.”
“Thank you for telling me all of this, Irene. I’m gonna see what I can do on this end.”
“Please find my son, Ash,” she pleaded.
“I promise, Irene. With all my heart.”
Ash drove to Ker’s house. Based on what Irene had told him, he could picture Ker snapping after the blowout with his dad. He could imagine Ker getting desperate and seeking out the one thing that hethoughtwould make it better. Pills. Dammit all to hell.
He pounded on Ker’s door, and getting no response, reached into his pocket. He’d slipped the key in there, hoping he wouldn’t need to use it for this purpose but glad he’d had the foresight to bring it.
He was met with complete silence when he walked in, but something told him he wasn’t alone. No one was in the kitchen or living room. He walked to the bedroom and saw Ker in a crumpled heap, lying on his stomach on the bed.
Years of training kicked in, and he immediately checked Ker’s pulse. Slow but definitely there. He was completely limp when Ash turned him over. His breathing was shallow, and when Ash pried open an eye, the pupil was tiny, and his skin was cold to the touch.
He shook Ker by the shoulders, trying to rouse him. When that didn’t work, he slapped his face, desperate to get a response.
After a few moments of shaking him and calling his name, Ker croaked, “Wha …? Lemme alone.”
“Ker, wake up!” Ash shouted. “What did you take?” He looked around and spotted a bag of white pills on the nightstand next to a bottle of water.
“I’m all n-nice and fl-floaty,” Ker slurred. “At least the fuckin’ voices st-stopped.”
