Chapter 1

A Chapter by Spencer Hoadley

Evan paced around the office as he waited for the officer to return. He looked up when the door opened and hastily sat down.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” The officer said as he sat. “What would you two like to talk about today?”

Cassie’s mom spoke first. “Are there any updates or any news at all on the case?” She asked.

The officer sighed. “We’ve been through this before Ms. Mason. As soon as there’s absolutely anything new, we’ll call you.

“Feel free to call me Nicole.” Cassie’s mom said. “I’ve been sitting next to my phone for almost a month, waiting to hear from your department. But what happens? Nothing.”

“We’re working as hard as we can.” The officer replied.

“Well its not enough!” Evan interrupted. “Cassie is out there somewhere, and she’s four months pregnant. Now, somebody should be doing something to bring her home, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be you.” His anger was clear as he spoke.

The officer gave Evan an icy stare. “We’re doing everything we can.” He said.

Evan gripped the armrests of the chair. “Then why aren’t we getting any news?” He asked curtly.

“As I just said, we’re doing all that we can.” The officer said through gritted teeth.

Evan fixed the hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. “Is there any way we can get the information that you have?” He asked.

The officer gave him a questioning look. “And why would you want that? Are you going to solve this case all by yourself?” He asked with a condescending tone.

“Well obviously you’re not doing anything, so somebody has to.” Evan said with frustration.

The officer stood abruptly. “Fine,” He said. “I’ll see what I can give you.” His expression was cold as he walked out of the office.

Nicole turned to Evan. “You’re not going to be able to find her on your own.” She said, tears forming in her eyes.

“…I have to try…” Evan whispered.

They waited for what felt like an hour before the officer returned. “My supervisor will have to go through the evidence before we can give you any information.” He said smugly as he sat at his desk. “We’ll contact you when we have anything ready for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other things to do.”

Evan stood and walked out of the room. Nicole quickly followed.

* * *

Evan turned a corner and saw Cassie. His eyes widened in shock, and a smile spread across his face. He started , running, trying to get to where she was. She reached out, waiting for Evan to take her hand. As Evan reached forward, he was pulled from his daydream by somebody tapping his shoulder.

He turned to see a small blonde girl looking up at him.

“Hi, I’m Anastasia.” She said. “But I go by Stacy.” She paused for a moment. “I’m in your Chemistry class.”
Evan nodded.

“I’m your new lab partner.” She said as she began to walk. “Whereas you were gone yesterday, I thought I would fill you in on the new lab.” Her loose curls almost smacked Evan when she turned to see if he was following her.

Evan drifted back to his daydream as Stacy talked about the lab He finally reached Cassie. He reached out and touched her arm.

“Ummm…What are you doing?” Stacy asked.

Evan looked down and saw his hand on her arm. “Oh…” He said, blushing in embarrassment. “Sorry about that.” He said as he moved his hand to his side. “I kind of spaced out there and got thinking about…” He trailed off.

Stacy looked around awkwardly as they walked into class. “So, can I ask why you were gone yesterday? Did it have something to do with Cassie?” She asked.

Evan’s eyes began to water. “Yeah,” He replied. “I was down at the police station with her mom.”

“Can u ask what you guys were doing?” Stacy asked.

“We were seeing if we could get any of the information they have.” Evan answered.

She gave him an inquisitive look.

Evan took a deep breath. “I’m tired of nothing happening. The police don’t really seem to bed doing anything to get Cassie back, so I want to try and find her. And yes, I know I have basically no chance of finding her, but I have to try.”

Stacy stared at her book, acting as if she were paying attention to the teacher. “Well, my dad used to work with her dad, so if you want, I can see if my dad has heard anything.” She offered.

A hint of a smile came to Evan’s face. “Anything I can find out will help.” He said.

“Mr. Bell, Ms. Baxter, quit your chatting and get to work.” Mr. Thompson, the teacher, said.

They both let out a small laugh at his feminine voice before starting their work.

* * *

“I’m glad to see that you two had the time to come in.” The officer said. “My supervisor reviewed all the evidence and compiled a folder of what you guys can have.”

Evan grinned.

The officer continued. “It’s not much though; mostly just cell phone records and his work records. There were a few other tidbits that he threw in, but not a whole lot.” He held out the folder but kept a tight grip on it.

“Thank you, officer.” Evan said as he reached to grab the folder.

The officer didn’t loosen his grip when Evan grabbed the folder. “This is still considered evidence, so if either of you show it to anybody, you can get prosecuted.”

Evan and Nicole both nodded and the officer let go of the folder.

“Again, thank you.” Evan said, smiling. He stood and followed Nicole out of the office.

When the officer knew they had left the building, he picked up his phone. It rand twice before a rough voice answered the call. “Hello, Gary? It’s officer White. We’ve run into a small problem.”