Chapter 7 - The Missing Car
Mark called the police first.
Then me.
Then everyone else.
Lauren’s phone went straight to voicemail.
Her car was not at her house.
Tyler’s backpack was gone.
So was his winter coat.
My mother began panicking.
“She would never hurt him.”
I turned on her.
“You don’t know that.”
Dad stepped between us.
“Enough.”
“No.”
He looked startled.
I had never spoken to him that way.
“Enough was twenty years ago.”
James took control of the practical details.
Vehicle description.
Possible destinations.
Friends.
Credit-card activity.
Family addresses.
He stayed calm because someone had to.
Lauren’s credit card was used at a gas station near Interstate 80.
Westbound.
Mark’s face went white.
“Her friend lives in Iowa.”
Police were notified.
Then my father admitted something.
“She has a cabin key.”
“What cabin?”
“Our old family place in Galena.”
“You sold that.”
“We sold the property.”
He swallowed.
“But the neighboring hunting cabin belongs to my cousin.”
“Would Lauren have access?”
“She might.”
James looked at him.
“Might?”
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“I gave her the spare key years ago.”
We left within minutes.
Snow began falling as James drove west.
Mark sat in the back, calling officers.
I watched the highway and thought about Tyler.
Seven years old.
Maybe scared.
Maybe confused.
Maybe believing this was somehow his fault.
The same way children always did when adults lost control.
Two hours later, police located Lauren’s car.
It was parked outside the cabin.
Lights were on.
Nobody approached until local deputies arrived.
Mark wanted to rush the door.
James stopped him.
“Let them do it.”
“I’m his father.”
“I know.”
James looked directly at him.
“That is why you need to stay useful.”
Mark hated it.
But he listened.
Ten minutes later, the front door opened.
A deputy stepped out.
Tyler was beside him.
Safe.
Wearing pajamas.
Holding a stuffed dinosaur.
Mark ran.
Tyler threw himself into his father’s arms.
I began crying.
Lauren came out next.
She looked furious.
Not ashamed.
Not frightened.
Furious.
She saw me.
“You did this.”
I stared at her.
“You took Tyler.”
“He is my son.”
“You ran.”
“I needed space.”
Mark held Tyler tighter.
Lauren looked at James.
Then at me.
“You think you won?”
“No.”
I looked at Tyler.
“This was never a game.”
Then a deputy approached Lauren.
“Ma’am, we need to speak with you.”
Her face changed.
May you like
For the first time, she understood.
The family could no longer make this disappear.
