Free Body of Ash by Bonnie Wheeler

Their hormones are all out of whack.”  He added a spoon of sugar to his cup. Before drinking, he tested the temperature with a poke of his finger. 
     
    Pursing her lips, Angela watched his big hand bump the mug, leaving a wet ring on the linen.
     
    “What can we do?”  She wondered if Rachel brought a coat. Earlier, the girl had been wearing just a sweater. Almost November, nights were cold. 
     
    How much did she hear? What if she doesn’t come back?
     
    “We don’t file a missing person’s report until someone’s been gone for twenty-four hours, but I’ll have the guys keep an eye out for her while on patrol tonight. If she’s not back, tomorrow we can discuss filing the report.”
     
    “I’m sure she’ll be home soon,” Brian interrupted.  He leaned in towards the officer and gave him a confident smile. “You know George, she’s still young and reputations are important at her age. With all of your experience, I’m sure you understand why I would like to keep this quiet if possible.”
     
    Angela swallowed back a sob.  She wanted to scream at him to shut up. Even with their daughter out at an ungodly hour, he still only cared about himself. 
     
    We drove her to this. 
     
    “Of course,” the big man acknowledged with a smile. His eyes lit up when Brian used his first name.
     
    Another victim of Brian Jones’s flattery …
     
    “My Christy is twelve. I never know what will set her off these days.” With two big swallows, his mug was empty.  He glanced at the tea pot, but Angela pretended not to notice.
     
    George wasn’t a help if he couldn’t see beyond Brian’s sideshow.
     
    Overwhelmed and frustrated, Angela couldn’t stand her growing sense of claustrophobia. Just the inaction in the room left her damp with perspiration and on edge. If the men were too pitiful to help, she wouldn’t waste a moment longer listening to them blather on. There had to be someone who knew where Rachel was and Angela wouldn’t rest until she found her. Grateful to have direction, she rose to a stand and steadied her legs beneath her. Free from his silencing reach, her husband watched her with skeptical concentration.
     
    “I don’t think my daughter will be returning home tonight. So, if you would be so kind as to update your patrolmen, I would be grateful.”  Straightening her spine, she placed the empty mugs onto a platter, and headed for the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, she tilted her chin over her shoulder.

 
    “And if you do find Rachel, please let her know we aren’t sending her away… I want her home.” 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    1 8
    BRIAN
    Friday 12:30 AM
     
    Opening the door for Officer Barry, Brian stepped out into the cold. A quick glance at the street, and his worries that his neighbors were alerted to the night’s events were put at ease. With their lights still off and the officer having the sense to refrain from the use of his strobe lights when he pulled up, the only sound of movement was the autumn leaves scraping against the walkway in the wind. 
     
    Shoving his hands into his trousers, he followed George to the cruiser.
     
    “Listen, I hope you weren’t off put by wife’s rudeness,” he began. “Angie has just been going through a lot lately. With Rachel going off to school, and me being invested in the church, she gets pretty emotional.”
     
    Officer Barry stopped at the car. Scratching his neck just under the collar, he nodded. “No need to apologize. Teens are stressful.”
     
    With a keen eye, Brian sized up the cop. The man was tall, at least six feet. His build was massive, weighing in somewhere around three hundred pounds. Brian knew the type. A high school career in football left the guy with a lot of muscle that turned to fat with age.  Barry probably thought a job as a cop would keep him fit, but grew obese sitting behind a desk or in his car filling up on drive thru and donuts. 
     
    Just like my brothers. Fit in high