Leave the Light On

Chapter 7, Leave the Light On

At which point was it finally okay to freak out? It was now eleven thirty in the morning. Katy had showered and dressed in a comfortable pair of sweats and a navy sweatshirt, had pulled on a pair of thick socks, and was now brushing her hair back into a ponytail. Still no Steven. Not a call, a text, nothing.

He hadn't shown up for work, Al had told her two hours earlier and again twenty minutes ago when Katy had called him again to check whether maybe someone had forgotten to call her and let her know that Steven had finally shown up and was working in some part of the building no one had thought to check. But no, he still hadn't been found. Katy had called Steven's cell again after, but no answer. Then she'd called her mom, who'd put her dad on the phone, and both of them had been at a loss for what to say. She knew her dad wanted to drive down and would after he made some calls. Now there was a knock at the front door.

She walked out of the bathroom and opened the door, taking in Vic McCabe standing there. He was in work clothes, faded blue jeans and a down vest over a black sweater.

"Mr. McCabe," she said, staring up at him, unable to hide how she was feeling as nausea started to sneak up on her from out of nowhere. It was just from not knowing what the hell was going on.

"Vic, I already told you. Can I come in?"

She rested her palm against her forehead. "Yes, of course, sorry. Please come in. Did you know Steven isn't at work? I don't know what happened to him. He went for ice cream last night for me. I fell asleep. I don't know when he got back or if... Oh, God, what if something happened last night? Maybe he was in an accident." She swallowed the thickness stuck in her throat.

"Hey, hey, come and sit down," Vic said. He had his hands on her shoulders and guided her into the living room, where she sat on the edge of the sectional. "You said he went out last night but you don't know if he came back."

She was shaking her head and staring at this man who reminded her so much of her dad and her uncles. She wished her family were here now. "I fell asleep. I shouldn't have asked him, but I wanted ice cream, strawberry, and he went to the store to get it for me. I just thought he'd already left for work when I woke, but I'm not sure now. I couldn't even find the ice cream he went out for last night."

Vic said nothing as he watched her. He squatted down in front of her, holding her hands, which were now shaking. She still felt queasy. "No, Katy, he didn't arrive today. Your uncle called me. I guess he and your dad are driving down now. They'll be here in a few hours. Did you call the hospitals?"

Of course not. That was the first thing she should have done.

"No, I should have done that. I'll do that now. Why didn't I think of that? Oh, what if something happened to him?" She couldn't stop herself from rambling. She tried to stand up, but Vic was on his feet, his hands on her shoulders.

"No, no, Katy, just sit there. It's going to be okay." He sat beside her on the sectional, the cushion dipping from his weight, and he pulled a cell phone from his jacket and thumbed through the screen. "One thing at a time, Katy. Let's not panic. There's probably a simple explanation."

Calm and reasonable, she liked that, but at the same time she wanted to yell that there couldn't be an explanation. This wasn't something Steven had ever done.

Vic was on the phone and standing up now, his back to her, giving Steven's name and asking whether he'd been brought into the emergency. He was staring at her now. "No, no young males with that description?"

She just watched him talk, doing the very thing she should have been doing. Katy felt excitement for just a moment before her heart fell again. "If he's not at the hospital, where could he be?"

Vic was already dialing again as if he knew who to call, and then her phone started ringing. She jumped up and raced to the kitchen to grab the phone from the cradle. "Hello?" Her voice was dry, and it cracked.

"Katy, it's Dad. Any word on Steven?"

She could hear her uncle in the background and the sound of a vehicle. "No, and Vic is here now. He just called the hospital, and they said he's not there. Dad, where is he?"

"I don't know, honey, but Neil and I are driving now. We should be there soon. Neil called Vic and asked him to come over and stay with you until we get there. Can you put Vic on?"

Katy walked into the living room, where Vic was talking with someone. He spotted her and jutted his chin before getting off the phone. "Just spoke with a friend of mine with the Salem PD," he said. "He's checking the system but has no information on Steven."

Katy just held out the phone to Vic, taking another step closer. "It's my dad on the phone. He wants to talk to you," she finally managed to say after swallowing back the nausea that was now rolling in her stomach. What was wrong with her? She was stronger than this.

He didn't hesitate as he took the phone, and Katy stayed right where she was, watching a man she barely knew step in and take over this search for her husband, or so it seemed.

"Yup, I already spoke with the hospital and police. Nothing. It's almost as if he up and disappeared." It was unnerving watching this man she barely knew talk to her dad and hear only one side of the conversation. "I have a friend checking accident reports last night...and the morgue."

Her ears were ringing on the last part, and she couldn't make out what else Vic was saying, because all of a sudden the room started spinning. Katy tilted her head to the side, taking in Vic's startled expression just as the room went black.