Free Night Waves by Wendy Davy

strayed in multiple directions before she decided to flip on the television. Her mind needed a break as much as her body did. The mental stress had worn her down along with the hot, humid weather.
    After discovering the remote control had been nailed to the end table sandwiched between the beds, it didn’t take long to loop through the whole eight channels of reception on the TV. The only one that caught her interest was the local weather. A newscaster stood in front of a large map of the area, pinpointing the white, swirling storm threatening the East Coast. The forecaster made a general guess at when and where the storm could hit, but it was too early to be concerned about it. Right now, her focus had to remain on finding Serena.
    She turned off the television and listened to the monotonous sound of the air-conditioning unit rattling in the window. As hard as she tried to unwind, her mind kept running in endless circles. Even with her father’s reassurances, Sheriff Justice’s words haunted her. Maybe his statement had more truth to it than she cared to admit.
    Did she live her life expecting special privileges? She could see how the sheriff had formed his opinion, especially since she had walked into his office a stranger and demanded everything he knew about Serena’s disappearance. Humility rose from somewhere deep inside, bringing with it another spurt of guilt.
    Her tense muscles didn’t relax until she prayed for guidance and for Serena’s safe return. Snuggling deep under the covers, she didn’t try to fight sleep. Although it was barely seven o’clock, she soon drifted off into a dreamless oblivion.
    What seemed like minutes later, her cell phone rang.
    She flipped it open without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?” Her voice sounded low and raspy.
    “Did I wake you?”
    She bolted upright. “Sheriff?” Hearing his clear, deep voice caused an unexpected wave of goose bumps to travel up her arms. Not the creepy kind of goose bumps. But the good kind. The kind that made her nerve endings feel alive. An odd sensation considering she was still mad, even if his earlier words did have a ring of truth.
    “Yeah. It’s me. Sorry to call so late.”
    Cali automatically glanced at the bedside clock before she wiggled back under the covers and cleared her throat. “Is it ten-thirty already?” The darkness outside the window agreed with the time on the clock. “I must’ve fallen asleep.”
    “I won’t keep you. I just wanted to let you know I’m holding a press conference tomorrow afternoon regarding the abductions. It’ll be on the local channels. You’ll have some of the answers you’ve been waiting for.”
    Her heart pounded and she came fully awake. “So you do have more information?”
    “A little. But not enough.”
    “Can you tell me now?”
    Sheriff Justice hesitated and blew out a breath. “No.”
    “Why?” She had a feeling she already knew the answer. “Is it because I’m a reporter? You don’t trust I’ll keep it to myself?”
    “We aren’t the only two people involved in this. Too much is at stake. You’ll have to wait until everyone else hears about it tomorrow.”
    Cali felt a tinge of disappointment. “What can you tell the public tomorrow you can’t tell me now?”
    He sighed. “Cali…”
    Her newfound humility returned and she said, “Never mind. Forget I even asked. Sometimes I forget I’m not in my hometown, and you have no reason to trust me. You have no reason to treat me different from any other stranger on the street.”
    His voice softened, “I was out of line earlier today on the beach. I’m sorry.”
    Although she wanted to remain angry, the sincerity in his voice weakened her resolve. There hadn’t been many men in her life willing to apologize without being forced into it, and she appreciated his offer.
    Cali ran a hand through her tangled hair. “I’m sorry, too.”
    He lowered his voice close to a whisper, “And for the record, I don’t think of