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My phone ringing abruptlypulls me from sleep. I groggily search for the device on my nightstand, swiping my finger across the screen and pressing it to my face without even looking at who is calling.
“Hello,” I grumble into the phone.
“Abel, it’s Chuck.” My eyes pop open and I’m suddenly wide awake.
“Chuck. What is it? Did you find her?”
“I did. She popped up on my radar yesterday when she was booked in Rock Hill, South Carolina.”
“Yesterday? And you’re just now calling me?” I don’t try to hide the irritation in my voice.
“I had to be sure we had the right Cherie Holt before I contacted you.”
“So, does this mean you’re sure it’s her?” I ask, careful not to be too hopeful.
“It’s her, man. I cross referenced her information with what I have on Finley. This is her mom.”
My heart thuds so loudly against my ribs I can hear the sound in my ears. We finally found her. After three long years we’ve finally found Finley’s mom.
When I first had my P.I. friend, Chuck, look into her, he wasn’t hopeful that we’d find her. She jumped addresses so often and never held a job, and if she did, she was paid under the table. So tracking her down led to dead end after dead end. So, we stopped looking and Chuck put a flag on her name so that if she was picked up by police or brought to court on any legal charges he would be notified. Looks like our waiting game has finally run its course and Chuck’s patience has paid off.
“Fuck, man. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You thanked me by paying me, remember? I’ll text you the address of the station where she’s being held. They got her on drug charges, but I don’t know how long they’ll hold her. If you’re going to see her, now’s the time to do so. If you wait too long you might miss your window.”
“Send me the info. I’ll leave today,” I tell him, thanking him again before quickly ending the call.
I pull up Claire’s number and hit call, and it rings twice before she picks up.
“Good morning.” I hear the smile in her voice.
“Claire, we found her. Finley’s mom. Chuck found her.”
“What?” She sounds as shocked as I feel. Neither of us ever really thought this day would come.
Finley had chosen not to tell her mom she was dying. That was a choice she had the right to make. But after she was gone, I felt like I had to let her know. She was a piece of shit mom who cared more about drugs than her own daughter, but at the end of the day she was still her mom. I can’t help but feel like a small part of her still cares and deserves to know that her daughter is gone.
Claire agreed with me and together we started the process of trying to track her down. I don’t know what I hope to accomplish by going to see her, but I know I have to.
“She was arrested on possession in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Chuck says he doesn’t know how long they’ll hold her, so we need to go now.”
“Now, as in today?”
“Now as innow. Can you get off work?”
“I’ll call in sick if I have to. There’s no way I’m letting you do this alone.” She doesn’t hesitate. “Why don’t you start packing and I’ll get online and see what flights I can find. I’ll call you back as soon as I have something.”
“Sounds good.” I end the call, throwing the covers back before quickly climbing out of bed.
——
Peyton: Are you freetonight? Henna is staying at Aaron’s house. Thought maybe we could order pizza and watch a movie...among other things.
I read Peyton’s message as I sit in the airport terminal with Claire waiting on our flight to be called. She was able to get us plane tickets for four o’clock in the afternoon. In just a few short hours we will be in South Carolina. I’ll be in Finley’s hometown for the first time ever. A part of me hopes it will make me feel closer to her, though I know it probably won’t. Finley hated South Carolina and ran away from it the first chance she got. She ran away from her drug addict mother and the horrible environment she was raised in. And here I am, running toward it in an effort to somehow reconnect with her.
I stare at the message for a solid two minutes before deciding to text her back.
Me: Sorry, wish I could. Had to leave town unexpectedly. I’ll text you when I’m back in Chicago.
