Page 104 of Sweet Shots

I’ve been going insane not knowing where he is or what’s happened. I’ve barely slept, barely ate. I am not taking care of myself, but that is the least of my worries. All I can think about is Mikah out there, hurt and missing. Alone. Begging for help.Hoping someone will find him and save him, and here I am running home instead of looking for him.

I did though. I went out for hours each day to search the streets. Asked homeless people and businesses. I showed them pictures of him, but no one had seen him. No one. It’s like he disappeared off the face of the earth, and that scares the absolute shit out of me.

When the Uber pulls up in front of my house, I don’t go in. I head to Mikah’s house and knock on the door and ring the bell. No one answers, of course. So I go around back to check the back door. Locked. I look through his windows but see nothing. His car hasn’t moved, and the mail is piled in the box. I know he had the neighbor over to feed his cat, so I decide that’s the next best place to check—after trying to open his windows, by the way, but they’re all locked. Have been since the first time I broke in. I can’t blame him for that. Maybe he isn’t worried about me breaking in, but someone else could.

I head across the street to the Thompsons house. After ringing the bell and waiting a moment, Gary opens the door. He’s a rugged guy who owns a construction company.

“Hey, Dominic. How’s it going?” he asks.

“Not too great.” I offer a smile. “Has Theresa heard from Mikah?” I ask.

“Not that I know of,” he says, looking over his shoulder and calling for his daughter. She’s a good kid. Fifteen and very mature. She dog-walks, cat-sits, and does some other things around the neighborhood to earn money.

She shows up a moment later. “Hey, Dominic. What’s up, Dad?”

“Have you heard from Mikah?” he asks her.

She shakes her head. “No. I went over there to feed Captain Fluffy Paws like he told me to, but that was it. Is everything okay?” she asks carefully.

“Do you have the key still?”

She looks at her father, who nods, so she looks back at me. “No, I left it on the kitchen counter like Mikah told me to.”

I nod, taking in a breath.

“What’s going on?” Gary asks.

“He’s… missing.”

“Captain Fluffy Paws?” Theresa says with wide eyes.

I shake my head. “Mikah.”

“Missing?” Gary barks. “How? When?”

“Saturday night. We were in Vegas for a show and he just… disappeared.” I scrub a hand down my face. “I’ve been going crazy trying to find him. I already filed a report. He isn’t answering my calls or texts. His phone is off, and he’s just… gone. But I know he wouldn’t leave the cat, and that makes me think something isreallywrong. It’s like… someone took him.”

“God, that’s awful,” Gary says. “I’m so sorry, Dominic. If there is anything I can do, please let me know.”

“Yeah, me too,” Theresa says.

“I will, thanks. If you see him or hear from him, please let me know, okay?”

“Of course.”

I trudge back to my house, fall onto my bed, and pass out.

The next day, I go back to Mikah’s and wonder if I should break in to save the cat. His house will be a mess, the litter box will stink, but I’m sure the cat is fine. Probably broke into the cat food, since that’s what they do in times like this. I’ve had eyes on his house every second I’m awake, and I haven’t seen any movement. Not from him and not from the cat.

I don’t know what to do…

Two more days go by, and I consider going in to save the cat again. Maybe I should call animal control? Or whoever it is to report the cat is alone. They’d have to break into his house, and that would suck, but at least CP will be okay. When Mikah comes home, he’ll appreciate the fact that I took care of the cat. He’s probably so worried about him.

So that’s what I do. The nice woman on the other end of the phone tells me someone will be over in the afternoon to check it out and see what needs to be done.

When I spot the van pull up later that afternoon, I head out front, only to stop when my cell phone rings. I only answer it because it’s a Vegas number and they may have news.

The animal control officer gets out of the van and heads to Mikah’s house.

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