Chapter 36: The Comment Section

I dreaded waking my mother, but I was left without a choice.

She blew up. “You two were supposed to attend the party together! How could you have let her leave the house alone?!”

I did my best to justify staying behind, but with each excuse, my anxiety increased, and soon I was nothing more than a blubbering mess.

“I need you to take deep breaths and try to calm down,” my mother instructed as she rubbed my back. “The police will be here soon to file a report. You will need to be coherent when they arrive.”

I waited anxiously in the kitchen, sipping on lavender tea as I waited for the police to question me. I had assumed they would send a uniformed officer and was surprised when Detective Dunn entered the room.

Her short brown hair was disheveled, and dark rings hung under her eyes. Though she appeared frail in her oversized tunic, I noted that her hands were large and strong as she accepted a mug of coffee from my mother.

“Now, tell me what occurred between you and Haylee in the past forty-eight hours. And I advise you not to leave out any details—even the tiniest clue could be the key to finding her.”

I didn’t share the fact that Haylee and I had been doing a deep dive into Andrew Jackson’s past and his relationship to Rosie Johnson, feeling those details were unimportant, nor did I share our speculations about Justin sabotaging my birth control.

Otherwise, I recalled everything. I told Detective Dunn about going to The Burger Shack with my mother, bumping into Toby in the supermarket, and Justin’s fight with Sienna at the concert.

When Detective Dunn pressed me as to why the girl had been so angry, I answered that I didn’t want to speculate. “Toby told me the girl’s name was Sienna Hagarty,” I added helpfully.

Detective Dunn made me repeat my story again, then turned to my mother. “We sent out an alert, and officers are canvassing the area. The neighborhood watch has offered to organize a search team.”

“I would like to join the search,” my mother said.

“I want to help as well!” I quickly offered.

“No, you will stay here,” my mother ordered. “I want someone at the house in case Haylee shows up.”

“This is my fault, you said so yourself!” I protested. “I should go out and help search.”

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” she apologized as she cupped my chin in her hands. “This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I was the adult charged with keeping her safe.”

I attempted to assure her that she wasn’t at fault, but when I opened my mouth to speak, I only managed to sputter.

Detective Dunn intervened. “I need you to remain here. Call everyone you can think of—maybe some of your old friends have heard from Haylee. The moment you hear anything, call me at this number.” She paused to jot down a number on the back of her identification card, then handed it to me. “That is my direct line.”

As soon as she said this, something occurred to me. “There is one thing…,” I began uncertainly. “Haylee did have a boyfriend back home.”

Detective Dunn raised her brows in intrigue. “Was she having issues with her boyfriend?”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to cause trouble for Payton, but he had been stalking her, and as intense as things had been between them, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to imagine that he may have followed her here.

I gulped and nodded. “He was stalking her. It got so bad that her father threatened to pull a gun on him.”

“That sounds pretty serious,” Detective Dunn agreed. “I will contact the state patrol and have them pick Payton up for questioning. Meanwhile, call your old classmates and see if Haylee has reached out to them.”

I nodded, feeling more level-headed now that I had a purpose.

I followed Detective Dunn and my mother to the front door. Detective Dunn instructed my mother to the town hall. “That is where the search team will organize.”

Once Detective Dunn had left, I asked my mother, “Have you called Haylee’s parents?”

“Yes, right after I notified the police.”

“What did they say?” I pressed her as she began gathering supplies.

“They were not happy,” she replied curtly. “They are arranging a flight today and should be here this afternoon.”

“What time should we expect them?” I asked.

My question caused my mother to stop packing her first-aid bag. She gazed at me as if I were an alien. “Like I said, the Murpheys are not happy.”

I flinched as I imagined what that implied.

Once my mother was satisfied that she had everything she needed, she pressed her lips against my forehead.

“Don’t leave the house for any reason,” she warned, then her voice adopted a softer tone. “I love you, Dharma. I don’t know what I would do if you were ever to go missing.”

Though her words should have warmed my heart, they chilled me to the bone. My mother was an optimist; unless the facts suggested a bad outcome, she would remain hopeful.

“I love you, Mom,” I told her as I followed her to the door. “I’m sure you will find her.”

I remained in the open doorway until my mother pulled away.