AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ah, don’t let all that stuff get to you about them not lettin’ you help with their businesses. You know what that was all about, right?”
More blinking. More confusion.
“You don’t know?” she asked, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Never mind. Forget I said anythin’. Just know I didn’t tell you the other day when you asked because I was a little embarrassed about not handling myself on that call. I mean, it’s silly, because I’m your trainer and I’ve handled some pretty horrible stuff without needing to take a sick day. But once in a while, even the most seasoned dispatcher feels like they don’t have what it takes for this job.”
If someone looked into my ear right then, they would’ve seen nothing but empty space. I had no idea what to make of any of what Hope had just shared—not the weirdness about what the Charlotte Oakians had said, not the mysterious reason behind them not wanting my help, and definitely not her being embarrassed to be vulnerable in front of me.
Was that really how I made people feel? If so, I didn’t like it. And because I was still me and it was what I did, I made a note on my mental to-do list to figure out a way to stop that kinda thing before it even happened. I wasn’t sure how, but I’d do it.
Before either of us had a chance to say more, my headset beeped, indicating a 911 call was coming in. I quickly answered, “911, what’s your emergency?”
A frantic man’s voice flooded my ear. “I just got home from work and found a note that says, ‘We’ve got your fiancee.’ What does that even mean? Please, you gotta help me!”
“Sir, let’s try to stay calm,” I said, refusing to believe it meant what he was assuming it meant. “What’s your address?”
He rattled it off, and I entered it into my computer so I could see if there was any history with the residence that would help me handle this call.
Nothing.
“Is your fiancee at home right now?” I asked.
“No, she’s not! She’s going out of town this weekend with her friends and was super excited about it, and we were supposed to go to The Proud Oak when I got home, but now she’s gone!”
“Okay, sir. Let’s not jump to conclusions,” I said, attempting to keep my voice steady and calm. “Now, can you tell me if anythin’ seems out of place or unusual?”
“Other than this, note, no. Nothin’ that I can see,” he replied, his voice still trembling.
“All right.”
I wasn’t too worried yet. Usually, people would misunderstand something and overreact, reporting their loved ones as missing when they just at the mall and forgotten to let their partner know where they were going. I’d never had a call like this before, but the rest of my missing person’s calls had all ended up being either runaways who return home eventually or the person was never even missing.
I still planned to ask the necessary questions and gather information, but I wasn’t gonna circle the wagons just yet.
“Sir, I need you to take a deep breath and try to focus. Is there anythin’ else on the note besides ‘We’ve got your fiancee’? Maybe it’s a prank, or?—”
“It’s not a prank! Oh, uh, yeah,” he said, his breathing becoming slightly more controlled. “On the back of the note, there’s more.”
I sighed with relief. “Great, what does it say?”
“It says, ‘Don’t call the police, just go to the bank and take out as much cash as you can, then go to this address.’” He read me the address, and I typed it into my notes, just in case.
“Hang on for a moment, please,” I told him, putting the call on mute using a switch on my headset cord. Then, I turned to Hope and gave her a five-second rundown on what I was dealing with. Her brows drew together with concern, but before she could offer any advice, I heard the man’s voice again.
“I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have called you. I’m just gonna do what they say.”
“Wait, listen,” I started, cursing myself when I realized I was still muted. I fumbled with the switch, but by the time I got the voice working again, the man had already hung up.
Shoot.I stared at the screen for a sec, then shook off the stuper and used my mouse to redial his number on the screen to my right.
“Hope! He hung up!” I called over my shoulder. “I’m tryin’ to get him back but he’s not answerin’. He said he’s gonna do what the note said.”
I tried his number again, but of course, he didn’t pick up that time either. My heart raced as I realized the severity of the situation. This was no longer just another routine call; someone’s life might be at stake… and if the husband did something rash, it could betwolives.
“Put in the call for service and let’s notify Patrol,” Hope said, her voice tense but professional.
“Right,” I agreed, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I entered the necessary information for a welfare check, waiting while Hope dispatched officers to both the home and the address on the note.
As we waited for updates, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. This wasn’t like any other call I’d taken before, and I couldn’t help but worry about what might be waiting for the officers when they arrived at either location.
