Page 60 of Friend Me

18

Monday was quiet,so I spent the morning cleaning out Jackson’s office. I didn’t dare touch Cooper’s. Not that anything was ever out of place in his sanctuary.

When Tyler asked me if I wanted to go to lunch, I insisted we go to the employee cafeteria. No more dangerous one-on-one time. We’d hang out together in public places until Alicia came back and we had a chaperone again. In the noisy bustle of the cafeteria, we were simply two colleagues sharing a meal. Those dimples that showed just before he laughed could’ve been for anyone; they weren’t for me to jealously collect and catalog.

Last week’s unseasonable warmth was gone, and that evening, the chilly October mist wrapped me as soon as I stepped out of the BART station in Oakland. I buttoned my coat against the tiny drops of moisture beading up on the wool and dampening my hair. I couldn’t wait to get home, put on my cozy pajamas, and lose myself in a novel. I hoped Dad hadn’t accidentally turned off the heat again.

But as soon as I stepped through the front door, I knew something was wrong. Tigger twined around my ankles, mewling. The television was off, the house was dark, and the recliner was empty.

“Dad?” I called out. Silence. I yanked off my damp boots and padded into the kitchen, flipping on the light. Tigger’s meows grew desperate, so I paused to fill his bowl and almost lost a finger to his ravenous, sharp teeth.

Then I saw the phone—Dad’s phone—lying on the kitchen counter.

“Dad?” I called again. I walked to his bedroom, but it was also empty. The bathroom, too. I knew he wouldn’t be upstairs—couldn’t be—but I ran up anyway. When I saw my bedroom undisturbed, a lump caught in my throat. I looked through the window into the yard. He wasn’t there, either. Not on the bench under the Japanese maple, not sitting on the steps.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Alma. “Have you seen my dad?” I asked as soon as she answered.

She understood what I didn’t—couldn’t—say. “No, mija. I’m on my way.”

My hands shook so badly that I couldn’t press the disconnect button. I was frozen, unable to think of what to do. Where could he have gone? How could I find him? I was thankful we’d sold the truck last year. He couldn’t have gotten far on foot.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, but Alma’s voice from downstairs broke me out of my trance. I ran down and hugged her. After a moment, she disengaged from my embrace but held my arms, reassuring me with her touch.

Her dark brown eyes searched mine. “I’ll stay here and wait for Will to come back. While I’m waiting, I’ll make some calls. Do you know where he might have gone?”

I shook my head. Panic fogged my brain and scattered my thoughts.

“He used to go to the YMCA, right?” she asked.

I nodded. He used to swim as therapy for his knee in the afternoons.

“Check there, but on your way, ask at the bar down the street and the restaurants on the next block. He might have gotten hungry.”

I couldn’t think through my rising terror, but I could follow her directions. A horrifying thought struck me. “You’ll call the—” I couldn’t say the wordhospital,but her look of comprehension told me she understood.

“Yes. But I won’t call the police—yet.”

Cold prickles crawled up my spine. An official report might take him away from me. I turned to the door.

“Wait,” she said. “You shouldn’t go out alone. Do you have a friend you can call?”

I ran through my mental list. Alicia and Jackson were in Fiji until Friday. Cooper was still in Boston. All my friends from college had moved away or moved on. I started to shake my head, but then I thought of Tyler. He was my friend. He’d help me.

I found his name in my phone and pressed it before I could reconsider.

After six rings, I’d already pulled the phone from my ear to disconnect when he spoke.

“Hey, Marlee.” He sounded breathless, like he’d run to answer it.

“Tyler,” I squeaked. I stopped to clear my throat.

“What’s wrong?”

“My dad”—I cleared my throat again—“My dad’s gone missing. I—Could you—?” The words wouldn’t come out.

But he didn’t wait to be asked. “Where are you?”

“I’m at home. But I’m going out now to look for him.”

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