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Authors: Dawn Lee McKenna
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window and wandered down the hall to the bathroom, walked in without shutting the door. Maggie’s stomach turned a little as she listened to him urinating a night’s worth of Dr. Peppers.
She picked at the rope furiously, and almost stopped breathing for a moment when she felt the knot give just a bit. It was almost imperceptible, but it was movement. She couldn’t help but huff out a little breath, and when she did, she met Sky’s eye.
Wyatt shifted uncomfortably in a chair that felt as though it were made of recycled shopping carts. He’d already done his pee test, and was waiting for the nurse to draw his blood. Apparently, all of this was to save time tomorrow, when he had his surgery, but he failed to see the logic of that.
His phone vibrated in his shirt pocket, and the nurse gave his a disapproving look over her shoulder.
“Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “I’ll turn it off after this call.” He pulled out his cell. “Hello?”
“Hey, Wyatt, it’s Gray Redmond,” Maggie’s father said.
“Hey, Gray, how was the cruise?”
“It was great, but I was wondering if you’d heard from Maggie.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they’re not here,” Gray answered. “We got in about half an hour ago, but there’s no sign of them.”
Wyatt frowned and looked at his watch. “Did you call her?”
“Yes, but it went straight to voice mail. I called the kids, too. Same thing.”
“Maybe there’s a problem with T-Mobile,” Wyatt said. “They might be overloaded with the storm.”
“Maybe,” Gray said. “I was hoping you’d heard from her though.”
“Not since last night. She called to tell me that Kyle came home early, so they were going to head out. That was about six or seven.”
Gray was quiet for a minute. “Maybe we should rent another car and drive home,” he said finally.
“No, don’t do that,” Wyatt said. “I’m sure she’s fine. Maybe traffic on I-10 sucked with everybody headed inland. They may have stopped somewhere for the night and gotten behind. She’s headed your way, so you should stay there.”
“All right, we’ll wait a bit longer. I don’t suppose you could get the Highway Patrol or somebody looking for her?”
“I’m planning on it,” Wyatt answered. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll call you as soon as I hear something.”
“Same here,” Gray said.
Wyatt hung up and thought a minute. He’d talked to Deputy Dwight Shultz earlier, and he knew that what remained of the Sheriff’s Office and the Apalach PD were people who were busy helping with the evacuations and taking emergency calls. The National Guard had been in Apalach since before sunrise, and Apalach was being evacuated, along with several other coastal towns between Cedar Key and Biloxi.
Hurricane Faye hadn’t made landfall, but she wasn’t heading out to the Gulf, either. She’d just been sitting off the coast, collecting and dumping more and more rain. Between the rains and the wind, storm surges of up to six feet had begun flooding the streets along the bay.
Wyatt opened his contacts list and began scrolling, then found the number he was looking for and tapped it. It was answered on the second ring. “Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Capt. Burrell speaking.”
“Hey, Paul, it’s Wyatt.”
“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Paul answered cheerfully. “If you’re looking for your old job back, I think the Sheriff’s ready to let you have it.”
“No, I’ll keep the one I’ve got, thanks,” Wyatt said. “But I need a favor. It’s important.”
“Shoot.”
“One of my people was supposed to have driven over to Jax last night, and she never showed. I need you to check the accident reports.”
Five minutes later, Wyatt called Gray back and at least let him know that Maggie’s Cherokee hadn’t been in a reported accident. After reassuring Gray that Maggie was bound to turn up shortly, he tried her number himself and got the same result Gray had.
She picked at the rope furiously, and almost stopped breathing for a moment when she felt the knot give just a bit. It was almost imperceptible, but it was movement. She couldn’t help but huff out a little breath, and when she did, she met Sky’s eye.
Wyatt shifted uncomfortably in a chair that felt as though it were made of recycled shopping carts. He’d already done his pee test, and was waiting for the nurse to draw his blood. Apparently, all of this was to save time tomorrow, when he had his surgery, but he failed to see the logic of that.
His phone vibrated in his shirt pocket, and the nurse gave his a disapproving look over her shoulder.
“Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “I’ll turn it off after this call.” He pulled out his cell. “Hello?”
“Hey, Wyatt, it’s Gray Redmond,” Maggie’s father said.
“Hey, Gray, how was the cruise?”
“It was great, but I was wondering if you’d heard from Maggie.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they’re not here,” Gray answered. “We got in about half an hour ago, but there’s no sign of them.”
Wyatt frowned and looked at his watch. “Did you call her?”
“Yes, but it went straight to voice mail. I called the kids, too. Same thing.”
“Maybe there’s a problem with T-Mobile,” Wyatt said. “They might be overloaded with the storm.”
“Maybe,” Gray said. “I was hoping you’d heard from her though.”
“Not since last night. She called to tell me that Kyle came home early, so they were going to head out. That was about six or seven.”
Gray was quiet for a minute. “Maybe we should rent another car and drive home,” he said finally.
“No, don’t do that,” Wyatt said. “I’m sure she’s fine. Maybe traffic on I-10 sucked with everybody headed inland. They may have stopped somewhere for the night and gotten behind. She’s headed your way, so you should stay there.”
“All right, we’ll wait a bit longer. I don’t suppose you could get the Highway Patrol or somebody looking for her?”
“I’m planning on it,” Wyatt answered. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll call you as soon as I hear something.”
“Same here,” Gray said.
Wyatt hung up and thought a minute. He’d talked to Deputy Dwight Shultz earlier, and he knew that what remained of the Sheriff’s Office and the Apalach PD were people who were busy helping with the evacuations and taking emergency calls. The National Guard had been in Apalach since before sunrise, and Apalach was being evacuated, along with several other coastal towns between Cedar Key and Biloxi.
Hurricane Faye hadn’t made landfall, but she wasn’t heading out to the Gulf, either. She’d just been sitting off the coast, collecting and dumping more and more rain. Between the rains and the wind, storm surges of up to six feet had begun flooding the streets along the bay.
Wyatt opened his contacts list and began scrolling, then found the number he was looking for and tapped it. It was answered on the second ring. “Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Capt. Burrell speaking.”
“Hey, Paul, it’s Wyatt.”
“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Paul answered cheerfully. “If you’re looking for your old job back, I think the Sheriff’s ready to let you have it.”
“No, I’ll keep the one I’ve got, thanks,” Wyatt said. “But I need a favor. It’s important.”
“Shoot.”
“One of my people was supposed to have driven over to Jax last night, and she never showed. I need you to check the accident reports.”
Five minutes later, Wyatt called Gray back and at least let him know that Maggie’s Cherokee hadn’t been in a reported accident. After reassuring Gray that Maggie was bound to turn up shortly, he tried her number himself and got the same result Gray had.
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