Free Tell My Dad by Ram Muthiah

Avenue for a few seconds, took a quick U-turn to climb back up the same street, and stopped at the stop sign at the corner of Lyall and Continental. As he watched for oncoming traffic from the left, he noticed a Hispanic woman walking down the footpath on Lyall. He rapidly turned right onto Continental. The Escalade’s tires squealed loudly.
    The woman was rattled by the squealing and turned to her left to see the speeding vehicle. She pinched her nose to avoid smelling the vehicle’s exhaust as she continued to walk down Lyall. Her eyes scanned for Teresa.

    * * *
    B ob McFarlane played drum on the steering wheel as he waited for the traffic signal on Ralston Avenue. It felt good to grab the girl. He wondered how Thomas would react when he got to see her.
    After driving on Ralston Avenue for seven minutes, he took the Route 280 South exit toward Half Moon Bay. He opened the window and enjoyed the refreshing wind flowing from Crystal Springs. He desperately wanted to floor the pedal to reach his destination quickly. But he controlled his enthusiasm. The last thing he needed now was to get stopped by a cop for speeding.
    He drove steadily at sixty miles an hour and then took the exit leading to Route 84. Then, he drove for another twenty minutes and took the Alpine Road exit. Here, he took a sharp right and drove on rough road for seven minutes. He passed a cattle farm on the right and stopped in front of a large house. He got out of the Escalade, stretched his arms, and then whistled. Two pit bulls stormed out of the house and surrounded Bob. He sat on his knees and hugged both dogs.
    “Hello, boys! Ready for a treat?”
    The dogs howled with excitement.
    He scanned the surroundings before lifting the trunk door. The girl was still unconscious. Barbie Doll . He lifted her, placed her head on his left shoulder, and carried her inside the house. The pit bulls followed him.

    * * *
    B elmont Police Detective King consoled Gabriella Goldberg. “Please calm down. We’re here to help you. Can you please describe what happened?”
    Gabriella wiped her tears. “Teresa sent me a message at six twenty. She was on the bus. She normally walks on her own. Today, I went to the bus stop to pick her up because it was dark already. I was just a minute late,” she bawled.
    The detective gently touched her shoulder. “Ma’am, then what happened?”
    “I couldn’t find Teresa. But…” She pointed at the violet-colored backpack lying on the floor and cried. “Her school bag was lying on the pedestrian walk. I called her.” She took a deep breath before she continued, “I heard her ringtone. Her phone was abandoned on the road!” she cried from her stomach.
    “Did the bus come on time? Did anyone see her getting off of the bus?” the detective questioned.
    “I don’t know,” she sobbed. “Why are you asking me these questions? How come her school bag was lying on the road? Don’t you understand?”
    “Sorry, Ms. Goldberg. I do understand. I want to make sure.”
    The detective grabbed the gloves from his coat pocket and pulled them on before inspecting the backpack.
    Schoolbooks, notebooks, a pink-colored pencil pouch with Taylor Swift’s picture on the top, a calculator, chapstick. Nothing more.
    He looked up and asked, “Do you have pictures of your daughter?”
    Gabriella nodded. “I will go and get the pictures.” She walked toward the room on the left.
    The detective turned to the officer on his right and gave series of instructions. “Call SamTrans and get the bus driver on the phone quickly. The driver will have a fresh memory now. The sooner we talk to the driver, the better…” He paused before adding, “Call the chief and let him issue an Amber Alert now. I’ll send the pictures to his phone.”

    * * *
    T eresa woke up to the barking sound of pit bulls. The apartment has a no-dogs policy, right, Mom? Panic surrounded her when she realized that she was not at home. What is happening? Am I dead? After