Running Scared

Chapter 19:

Mom was tapping impatiently on the steering wheel as we waited at a stop light. Six-thirty rolled around and I dragged her out of bed and into the car. She finally came to her senses and started crying as I lead her to the car. She pulled me into a hug and apologized for not absorbing it earlier. We pulled into the police station parking lot and headed inside.

A woman at the front desk looked up as we walked in. She smiled and asked us what we needed.

“I know where James Parker is.” I said without hesitation.

“James Parker?” She didn't know who I speaking of.

“The man who escaped prison last week.”

Recognition flickered across her face. She fumbled for papers and called someone on the phone. A few seconds later a woman in a pantsuit with short blonde hair walked up.

“Hello, I'm Chief Karen.” She held out her hand and we shook it. “I heard you have news on James Parker?”

“Yes. He took me, I escaped. I know where he is. We don't have much time we need to go now.” The only thing I had in mind was going straight to him. Putting him right back in jail.

She looked at me, contemplating if I was telling the truth or a lie. “I will get someone to go with you. How can I be sure that you're being truthful?”

“He took me and I was found and returned here over a month ago. He took me again at a party on Friday and I returned this morning. I can assure you I am not lying. I need more than one person. He wasn't alone.”

“Okay. I'll grab some and you lead the way.”

A few minutes later a few police officers were following me out the door. I wrote the address down on a slip of paper and gave it to them. I plugged it in Mom's GPS and we were off. The chief was working on getting jurisdiction so far away.

Three hours later we pulled up to the front of the tiny wooden cottage. The officers met us in front of the car and informed us they had permission to arrest James. One by one, they all pulled out their guns and molded to the walls.

“I'll go first,” I mouthed to them.

They nodded and slunk closer to the door. I forced my feet to walk to the door, I didn't want to go back in there and face him again. I placed my hand on the knob and twisted it. The door groaned as it swung open. The TV was still on and I couldn't tell if Eric was still on the couch. I turned to the right and headed towards the kitchen.

The house seemed scarier as I walked towards the kitchen. The refrigerator was still open and the tap dripping water. The glass was shattered on the floor and a small puddle of blood was where I left James. He was awake somewhere.

An officer snuck in and looked around. I glanced behind me to the couch and it was empty as well. I held up my index finger and headed down the hall. I peeked in the room I woke in, empty. The other two bedrooms were empty as well.

“Well, they're gone.” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Search the place! Look for any clues.”

I headed to the room at the end of the hall. The room smelled like Evan's cologne. So familiar, so comforting but now it was like twisting a knife the wound. There was a bed, nightstand, dresser and doors to the closet. The bed looked like it had been slept in but I couldn't be sure. I headed to the closet and quickly opened the doors. Part of me was paranoid he was in there and he would jump out at me. No one was there, just empty racks and hangers.

Deflated, I turned around and stalked to the dressers. Any clue, anything at all. The top drawer had an address book and a few notepads but otherwise it was empty. The second drawer contained one piece of paper with multiple addresses and dates scrawled across it. I picked it up and looked at the letters and numbers.