“When police arrived on the scene, Mr. Rolly’s vehicle was in the river. Witnesses heard a loud series of shots just before the vehicle swerved off the road, making impact with several trees. The truck flipped, then careened into the river below. It was clear the driver....” Officer Thomas took a deep breath. “He didn’t survive. Investigations are under way to determine the chain of events.”
“Shots fired?” Riley pressed her hand over her heart. “And Jake? What about Jake?”
“No one else was in the truck, ma’am.”
Kasey’s tears flowed, but her voice was strong and steady. “We have to find him.” She grabbed for Riley’s arm, her eyes pleading for one shred of hope.
“Jake’s her son. He’s three.” Riley pointed to the picture on the table of Nick and Jake.
“There was no sign of a car seat to suggest a child was in the vehicle at the time of impact. Could he be at a sitter’s, or with a family member?”
“Oh, my God, my baby. Where is he?” Kasey cried into her fists. “This can’t be happening.”
“We’ll find him.” Riley turned to face the officer. “Nick never leaves Jake behind.”
“I’ll call it in to the investigating team right now.” He turned his back and made a call.
The room fell silent except for the sound of the policeman talking to the investigating unit.
The loss hung heavy.
Officer Thomas approached them. “They have the information. They’re stepping up a search for your son.”
“My husband is an investigator,” Riley explained. “You might know him. Perry Von? Who can he call to get all the details?”
The officer took a business card from his chest pocket and scribbled some information on the back. “I’ll be happy to assist in any way. We’re going to need someone to identify the body.” He extended the card to Riley. “This is the name of the lead officer. I’m really sorry for your loss.”
“Me too.” Riley’s voice quivered. “Me too.” She licked her dry lips.
“My husband will identify the body for her.” Riley turned to the officer. “I heard something on the news about some shots on that stretch of road a few weeks back.”
He nodded and said, “An older couple from here in Virginia Beach. They were shaken up, but no injuries.”
“That’s the one. Was this in that same area? Do you think there’s a connection?” asked Riley.
“It’s early in the investigation. I’d hate to speculate.”
“I understand. I guess living with an investigator rubs off on you.” Riley flipped the card in her hands.
She showed the officer to the door.
Kasey rocked, hands to chest, eyes closed—praying.
Her words came out just above a whisper. “Please, please, Lord, don’t do this. I need Nick.” Her breath caught, choked by the tears. “Where’s my Jake?” She swept the tears away with trembling fingers.
Riley knelt beside her. “I’m calling your grandmother. I bet Nick left Jake with her.” She stroked Kasey’s back. “Breathe, honey. I’m right here,” she said as she dialed. On the fifth ring, the old woman picked up the phone. “Hi, Grandma Emily. It’s me, Riley. I expected Jeremy to answer.”
“He’s got the day off. Again,” Grandma Emily complained. “Good to hear from you. When are you coming to visit? It’s been too long, dear.”
“I know. I need to get over there. It’s overdue, I know. By the way, is Jake spending the day with you? I have something for him.”
“No? Why would you think that?”
“Oh, you know me. I must’ve gotten the dates confused. Sorry to bother you,” Riley said as she disconnected the call and rushed back to Kasey’s side. “Where else could Jake be? He’s not with your grandmother. I didn’t tell her about Nick. I figured that could wait.”
Kasey shook her head and stared off. “I don’t know. Nick never leaves Jake behind. You know that.”
“I know, but he has to be somewhere.”
“Jake was with Nick when I talked to them at nine. Nick would never lie to me. He wouldn’t. There is no other explanation.”
“But there was no car seat.” Riley moved in closer to Kasey. “You know how cautious Nick is. He’d never have Jake in the truck without the car seat.”
“Maybe it came loose. I don’t know, but what I do know is that Jake needs me. I can’t explain it, but I can feel it. We’ve got to get out there.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea? Detectives are working the scene. I’ll have Von get in the loop and make sure they’re doing everything possible to find Jake in case he’s out there.”
Kasey drew on inner strength. “I need to be there. I have an eye for detail. I might see something they didn’t. I have to find Jake.” She ran her sleeve across her face to dry her eyes, then grabbed the keys out of her purse.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m
not
going to just sit here.” Kasey stood, her chin held high. “I’m going to find my son.”
Riley got her phone out of her purse. “You’re in no shape to drive. Neither am I. I’m calling Von. He’ll take us.”
* * * *
Perry Von jumped in his truck and headed to Nick and Kasey’s house, less than a mile away. Riley had given him the information she had, and he’d called the lead officer on the case as he drove. They didn’t have much more to share at this point.
The news echoed in his thoughts. He and Nick had been childhood friends. Losing him was like losing a brother, and it tore at his gut. He knew what Kasey was getting ready to face. Deidre’s murder was ten years in the past, and his life had moved on, but the blow of that loss still held power. His focus needed to be on Kasey.
Before he could remove the key from the ignition, Riley and Kasey took the porch steps two at a time toward him. Riley jumped in the front seat and leaned in to give him a kiss as Kasey climbed into the back.
“Kasey. I can’t believe it. I’m so sorry.” He reached over the seat and gave her hand a squeeze.
“Me, either.” Kasey slapped the back of his seat. “Don’t worry about me. Just drive. Quick. Jake needs us. This can’t be happening.” She secured her seatbelt. “Hurry!”
Chapter Three
They rode in silence to the scene of the accident nearly eighty miles away. With just ten miles to go, traffic came to a complete stop on Route 58.
Kasey clutched the seatbelt in anticipation. “Can we walk?”
“I’ll get off here and take the side road,” Von said as he whipped the SUV onto the grass to get to the next exit. He sped down the single lane road and then got back on the interstate closer to their destination, then drove on the shoulder the rest of the way to the scene. He parked his red Yukon behind the row of police and rescue vehicles.
Blue lights bounced across the lanes, bright against the dimming day. Flares kept the small trickle of traffic from the local roads off to the far lane. Officers waved on the rubberneckers in an attempt to keep the traffic moving past the yellow tape that marked off the section of road before the overpass that spanned the Nottoway River.
Kasey jumped from the backseat and ran for the railing with her camera in hand. A police officer caught her by the arm. Her body swung past him, then recoiled like a bungee. She tugged hard, trying to free herself from his grip. Von ran up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her to calm her.
Von said to the officer, “She’s the victim’s wife.”
The officer took a step back. “I’m sorry. I can’t let you get any closer than this for now. You’ll have to stay behind the marked area, and I’ll need some identification.” He waved to another officer, who hustled over to his side carrying a clipboard.
Von gave the man their identification.
Kasey stepped toward the whipping tape. She clutched her hands near her heart and peered over the guardrail. The water rushed and sloshed against the truck in the middle of the rocky bed.
Her heart seized when she caught sight of the one-of-a-kind farm sticker on the back window. It was definitely Nick’s truck.
She lifted her camera and clicked off several pictures. Through the camera’s lens, she’d see things later that she couldn’t absorb now. She snapped another picture then let the camera swing from the strap around her neck.
Is this camera all I have left? Nick, Jake, what more could I lose? This can’t be happening. It wouldn’t be fair.
Von reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
She noticed something dipping in and out of the water near the truck. She lifted her camera to snap a picture, then turned back into Von’s arms, pointing to Nick’s ball cap bobbing in the water.
Riley ran to them and wrapped her arms around Kasey, too.
The truck was in bad shape. It was little wonder anyone could have survived that crash. The big truck sat twisted, cocked to one side, half-covered by the rushing current. Several trees were injured witnesses. Oaks and pines, with fresh wounds that shredded their bark, recorded the path the truck had taken off the road and into the water.
The smell of fresh pine burned Kasey’s nose. She dropped to her knees and snapped more pictures. The lights of the emergency vehicles bounced around the terrain.
It looked like Officer Thomas’s call had expanded the team to find Jake. Kasey leveled her camera on two divers as they marked off a grid in the water. A land and water grid search ensued to find her son. Men and women, some in uniforms, others in jeans, combed the edges of the waterway.
Please find him on land. In the water, that would be...no, that can’t be an option.
Officers and volunteer firefighters fanned out into the woods.
Had the car seat been thrown from the truck? Swept away by the current? Did Jake crawl to safety? He could. He’s a tough little boy.
So many questions. So much to process. So much going on.
She clung to her camera, not sure what to pray for first.
Kasey watched as almost fifty volunteers gave up their Saturday night to search for Jake, walking, step-by-step in unison, through the thick swampy underbrush and vines.
Please let him be safe.
Men erected huge generator-run work lights to enable the team to continue the investigation in the dark, if needed. A tropical storm was supposed to push through on Monday. With Saturday nearly gone, they were running out of time and time was precious in these first few hours.
They wouldn’t let Kasey into the woods. It was numbing to stand by. Helpless. Clinging to the camera brought comfort, but she only took a few pictures. She lowered herself to the curb praying for news—whispering promises to God, and anyone else who might matter, that she’d do anything in exchange for Jake’s safe return. Nick was gone. She couldn’t process that now. Not with Jake missing.
Please don’t take Jake, too.
Voices rose and people gathered near the bright yellow tape at the tree line.
Kasey grabbed Riley’s arm. “Please let it be good news.”
Von sprinted toward the commotion.
Kasey and Riley clung to one another in hope.
Von joined the small group of men.
The minutes ticked by as they waited.
Kasey and Riley jumped to their feet when they saw Von heading in their direction.
“Anything?” Kasey pleaded.
“It’s all hands on deck. Even the neighboring counties have sent in their best to help,” Von said, trying to reassure her. “They found shell casings. They could be connected to the accident. There were also marks in the mud on the bank but it’s hard to know what made them.” He grabbed for his hat as a gust of wind lifted the bill. “The wind is picking up.” He tugged it lower on his head.
Kasey spun away.
Von put his hand on her shoulder. “It takes time, and with the storm coming, they don’t have much of it. They’re collecting everything in the grid to insure no evidence is overlooked.”
“Jake!” Kasey screamed into the woods. “It’s okay. Where are you?” Her whole body trembled as she choked on the words.
Von stepped behind her. “It’s getting late. Let’s get you home. They’ll call us if something turns up.”
“I’m not leaving.” Kasey folded her arms across her chest. “He’s out there. He needs me.”
Von and Riley exchanged a glance. Von moved closer to Kasey. “Things are going to go even slower as it gets darker. You need your rest to keep up your strength.”
“Jake!” She shouted over the rail. “Jake, where are you? It’s Mommy.” Tears blinded her and choked her voice. “Jake. I’m here.” The plea carried across the riverbank.
Men paused and heads turned in her direction.
Riley wrapped her arms around Kasey. “Come on, honey.”
“I can’t leave him.” Her voice faded to a hushed stillness.
“We’ll come back first thing in the morning.”
Von guided Kasey and Riley to the truck. “Once they finish collecting the evidence you’ll be able to get closer. They’ve put an Amber alert out, too. He’ll turn up.”
Kasey followed blindly a few steps, and then stopped. “No. I can’t. You go. I’ll be fine.”
Von stepped closer. “Kasey, it would help if we knew what Jake’s wearing. If I take you home, do you think you can sort through his clothes and figure it out?”
She nodded.
“And a picture. They’d like to put a report in the paper and on the news to see if anyone has seen him.”
“He’s alive. I know he is,” she said again.
Riley held Kasey’s hands. “This could help us find him faster.”
Kasey tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked back over her shoulder. Von and Riley led her to the Yukon to head back home.
“Don’t be afraid, baby,” Kasey whispered into the dark as they drove away.
* * * *
Kasey froze in the doorway to Jake’s bedroom. The familiar smell of his favorite fruit loop cereal overwhelmed her. The room was in disarray from the random attention that only a three-year-old could give to so many interests. On the floor, trucks and tractors corralled a herd of plastic horses and longhorn cattle alongside blocks and a superhero.
Jake’s Spiderman shirt was on top of the dresser. She reached for it and held the worn cotton to her cheek. Nick probably had to scrape it off him to get him into something clean for their road trip this morning. The short-sleeve camouflage t-shirt, his second favorite, wasn’t there. She sat in the middle of the toys with the Spiderman shirt in her lap. This was the world at Jake’s level. It had to be so scary in the dark, in the woods. Her heart ached. She closed her eyes tight, hoping that when she opened them she’d see Jake sitting amongst the chaos with his tiny fingers curled around one of the action figures.
She dragged herself to her feet and walked back into the harsh reality with Jake’s shirt clutched to her chest. The late night show echoed in the room around her. The shutters slammed against the house as Von secured the old home for the storm.
“The wind is really kicking up out there,” Von said as he stepped back inside and pushed the front door closed behind him.
Kasey told Von what she thought Jake was wearing and gave him a picture they could use. He gave her a hug for reassurance, kissed Riley goodbye, then left to take the information and picture back to the police and identify the body.
Riley walked Von to the door. “Are you going to be okay.”
He pulled her close and whispered into her hair. “It’s Nick’s truck. It’s just protocol, but I couldn’t let Kasey go through that. It’ll be bad enough for me. He was like my brother.”
“I know. I love you, Von. Thanks for being here through all of this,” Riley said.
He hugged her close. “I’ll call after I check in up there.”
“Be careful with the storm.”
“I will. I’ll stay up there if I have to. I know you girls will be safe here together.” He squeezed her hand and left.
Riley waved one last time from the door as Von pulled away.
Kasey curled up on the couch next to Riley and cried into the sweet smell of Jake’s shirt.
Riley held Kasey’s hand. “We’ll get through this. Somehow.”
* * * *
A stiff-haired news anchor leaned into the camera to make his point about how serious the weather had become. School closings crawled across the screen in preparation for the dangerous storm.
Graphics from prior storms popped in time to the ominous music in the background. A swirling icon exploded across the television screen.
“The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Tropical Storm Ernesto to a hurricane. This storm is slogging north along the I-95 corridor dropping inches of rain in its wake. Flooding is the biggest concern. Meteorologist Wendy Raines will have an update after the next commercial break. Stay with us for up-to-the-minute coverage.”
These newsy folks loved a good storm.
The storm headlined all three local channels along with the Rolly accident. Kasey hated that the weather might shift attention away from finding her son.
She sat forward and turned up the volume as Jake’s picture filled the right side of the screen. That was fast. The local newscasters recounted the accident. A list describing Jake, right down to the camouflage t-shirt and his trigger thumb on his left hand, preceded requests for information that might give them a lead. Jake’s wide smile and laughing blue eyes broke her heart again.
Kasey flipped from channel to channel, reliving the moment when that officer had shown up and given her the news for what seemed like the hundredth time. She wanted to be at the accident site—to at least do something besides wait.