Free Never Ever by Sara Saedi Page A

the fire escape way past their curfew (which was midnight), but they’d be safe and present at the breakfast table by morning. And maybe it was understandable that they wanted to spend this particular night without their parents. Gregory took great pride in the fact that his children loved each other as much as they did, though he refused to take any of the credit for it. He hadn’t grown up with siblings, but he still knew that the kind of bond his kids had was rare.
    It wasn’t until he was stepping out of the shower at seven the following morning that Maura called him in a state of panic.
    â€œThe kids did not come home. The kids did not come home!” she’d cried.
    No matter how often they snuck out, they always returned. And today of all days, with Joshua’s court date, they knew it was vital for them to look well rested and presentable.
    â€œI’ve tried all their phones,” Maura had said frantically. “They all went straight to voice mail. And they haven’t responded to any of my texts.”
    Gregory could feel his blood pressure rise. Straight to voice mail? Texts unreturned? Something was terribly wrong. His kids were glued to their phones. Despite his own fears, Gregory was able to get Maura to calm down. He told her the kids had probably spent the night at a friend’s and would meet them at the courthouse. He would be at the brownstone in twenty minutes in a town car to pick her up.
    Once at the courthouse, they were met by Joshua’s team of lawyers. The parents of the girl in the coma were sitting across the aisle from them, but Gregory couldn’t bring himself to look at them. They waited for their kids to arrive for close to an hour before the judge declared Joshua a no-show. What was his son thinking? He had already ruined his life, and now he was going to make things even worse.
    Gregory couldn’t control himself. He insisted to the judge that it didn’t make sense. His son was a very responsible kid (apart from the time he drove drunk and put a girl ina coma). Something must have happened to him. The judge told him to sit down, or else he’d be in contempt of court. Out of the corner of his eye, Gregory could see the girl’s parents shaking their heads at him.
No wonder his son nearly killed our daughter,
they must have been thinking.
His own parents can’t even keep track of him
. The lawyers followed Gregory and Maura to the local police precinct, and they’d been sitting there waiting in the lobby ever since.
    The cops would put an APB out for Joshua, since he was technically on the lam, but that had no impact on the fact that their oldest and youngest were missing along with him. Finally, after Gregory had paced the room a hundred times, he and Maura were taken into the police chief’s office. The chief was a gruff, middle-aged man. His gut was protruding and his hairline was receding. He was either nursing a sunburn or his complexion was always a leathery red. He took a sip of his coffee as he faced the Daltons.
    â€œWhen did you last see your children, Mr. and Mrs. Dalton?” he asked them.
    â€œYesterday evening, around six-thirty.” Gregory answered. “It was Wylie’s birthday, and I went to her room to give her a birthday gift. We spoke for a few minutes, and then I went back downstairs so she could get ready for dinner.”
    â€œDid any of them leave a note?”
    â€œWhen was the last time a kid left a note for her parents after sneaking out?” he responded. Maura shot him a look. “No,” he said. “They did not leave a note.”
    â€œIs it unusual for them to sneak out?”
    Maura and Gregory looked at each other. What was theright way to answer that question without sounding like deadbeat parents? She spoke up first.
    â€œNo. They do it all the time, but it’s very unusual for them to not come home or answer their phones. I keep calling, and it keeps going to