Page 64 of Silver Player

“Don’t think the worst,” Grace warns. “Let me call Clyde. Maybe he can come over.”

“I don’t want to interrupt anyone else’s holiday.”

“Don’t you worry, although that’s a natural instinct as a parent. I’ll call back soon.”

I’m ready to renounce Grace’s words, reminding her I’m not Sadie’s mother, but for all practical purposes, I am now.

Within another fifteen minutes, Butch Marshall and June Barne rap at my door.

“Heard your girl is missing,” June addresses me, wearing a suspicious smirk on her face.

“I’m not certain what you’re doing here, but if you’ve come to throw more slander on Sadie, I don’t need it right now.” I’m a hot mess as I’m certain my face is pale, and my cheeks are stained from tears. I haven’t felt this empty since I got the news of my sister’s death, and seeing these officers is a reminder of that moment.

Miss McAllister, we regret to inform you…

“Grace Eton gave us a call,” Butch explains. I should have called the sheriff myself.

“Well, I apologize for interrupting your holiday,” I snark, sarcasm not a pretty sound from me.

“Do you suspect foul play? Kidnapping? She’s a minor, and we can run an Amber alert.”

“Like a missing person?” The concept hits me hard, and I lower to the chair in my kitchen. My hands tremble as I reach for my forehead, pressing at the dull ache that’s been present all day.

“Do you think she ran away?” June asks, and my eyes leap up to hers, expecting judgment but instead finding sympathy.

“I don’t think so,” I answer, but taste the hesitation in my mouth, the bitterness of disbelief on my tongue. Could she have run away? Where would she go?

“Let me ask a few questions while Butch sends out the alert.” June sits across from me, firing formulaic questions about when I last saw Sadie, what was she wearing, how was she feeling, and is anything missing from her room.

“I didn’t investigate. When I opened the bedroom door and found her gone, I waited. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt that she’d decided to go running or out for a walk and forgot to leave me a note.”

Butch glances over at me from his standing position by the back door. He’s been typing information into a tablet in his hands. Then he locks eyes with June a minute. The unspoken conversation makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong. I waited too long to act. I didn’t follow an order I should have taken. I wasn’t Sadie’s mother. I didn’t know these things.

“Okay, the alert is out. We’ll start some calls into the bus station, and Butch will go over to the train depot.” Blue Ridge is known for its scenic route ride. I know nothing about other train services. “We’ll also send out an all-call to the other local sheriff’s departments. You say about two hours?” June confirms, and I nod. “She couldn’t have gotten too far.”

“Unless she went into the woods,” Butch adds, and June swivels to narrow her eyes at her partner.

“Not helping,” she warns, and Butch apologizes. As he hangs his head, we hear the thunderous rumble of feet coming up the steps, and my heart leaps with hope. I’m standing up, ready to envelop Sadie in my arms and then wring her neck for making me worry, until I see Billy help himself through the door.

“Billy?” Butch questions as the door opens with enough force it hits Butch behind it.

“Billy,” June repeats addressing him as she stands, but Billy ignores them both, stepping up to me.

“What happened?” His hands grip my shoulders, and I struggle under the relief of his touch.

“Sadie…” My voice wavers. “I think she ran away.” I fall against Billy or maybe he draws me into his chest. I don’t really notice other than the comfort I find in his arms. His hand cups the back of my head while the other presses at my lower back. I listen to him speaking to June, catching up on details.

“Shouldn’t we be out looking for her?”

“Where would you look?” June questions, and Billy sags against me.

“Anywhere,” he snaps. “Do something.”

“Now, Billy, no need to address me with that tone. I don’t see how any of this is your concer—”

“She’s my daughter,” he states, his voice cracking with the announcement. I pull back to look at him, surprised by the abrupt admission. He isn’t looking at June or Butch, though, but down at me as he repeats with more conviction. “She’s my daughter.”

His hands cup my cheek as his eyes hold mine. “We’ll find her, okay? I promise. We’ll find her.” Tears well in my eyes once more as he pulls me to him, wrapping both arms around me, securing me to him, and I only wish I was half as confident as he was.