Oak Ridge

Chapter Five

After George and his wife Julie finished their dinner and cleaned up, George went upstairs to check on his son.

"Conor?" he announced with a knock. "May I come in?"

Sheriff Jameson tried again, listening intently on the other side. Again, there was no answer. Quietly twisting the door handle, the Sheriff pushed his way in, being careful not to wake his presumed-to-be sleeping son. Upon opening the door, the Sheriff was alarmed to find Conor's bed empty and the window ajar. Closing the window, he glanced outside at the empty suburban street below. He did not expect his son to have run away, but the thought crossed his mind. Conor was likely in the bathroom so the Sheriff closed the window and exited the room to check. When Conor was not in the bathroom, he became concerned.

"Conor?" he called out. There was no answer. "Julie, have you seen Conor?"

"He's not down here!" Julie shouted back. "Is everything okay?"

"He's not in his room or the bathroom. I think he snuck out," the Sheriff said.

Julie saw her son's cellphone on the kitchen counter and thought it would be unlike him to leave the house without it. Nevertheless, she thought he was likely texting his girlfriend at dinner and then made an excuse to sneak out and see her.

Just then, her husband came racing down the stairs.

"Honey, is everything, okay?" Julie asked.

Before bolting out the door, the Sheriff informed Julie that Conor was missing and he needed to go find him and bring him back. Still in uniform, the Sheriff left the house with a hurried pace. While the community was safe, the streets late at night were no place for a thirteen year old. The police cruiser backed out of the driveway forcefully and accelerated down the residential street. The siren was off, but the twirling red and blue lights lit up the quiet neighbourhood.

A million thoughts ran through the Sheriff's mind as he drove around looking for his son. The last thought he had lingered in his mind longer than the rest. As the town Sheriff who had arrested and locked away his fair share of hardened criminals over the years, there was no shortage of people looking to enact revenge. He was always watching his back for the day when someone would get out of jail and attempt to harm him or his family. He wondered if that day had finally arrived.

"Sheriff Jameson, this is dispatch," the radio squawked. "We've got a problem down here at the station, you'd better come quickly."

"I'll be right there."

The powerful engine of the Ford Interceptor police car revved aggressively as the Sheriff slammed his foot on the gas pedal. When he arrived at the police station, a small crowd of people who were clearly distraught were gathered outside, demanding action. Exiting the vehicle, the Sheriff pushed his way through the screaming locals and made his way into the office. Whatever had happened to his son seemed to have happened to others.