slammed it down on the counter. "You find her child in there and I might even promote you to head meter reader. Okay? Now go round up the other two we got on patrol and get over there!"
Travis looked at the sheet the Sheriff had written out, embarrassment turning his face red. He muttered that he understood and then quickly left the room. He left the page where it was.
Rockwood shook his head. "Travis is a good enough officer but he's as green as a newborn toad. Listen, Jon…can I call you Jon? Good. Let's you and me step into the back and discuss this more. Uh, Darcy, is it?" He waited for Darcy to nod. "Okay. Darcy, you and Miss JoEllen stay out here for now and I'll be right back to take your statements."
The door that led from the entryway of the Sheriff's Office to the inside of the building stood to the right of the service window. Sheriff Rockwood pressed a hidden button under the window counter and the door buzzed, indicating it was open. Jon gave Darcy a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back. Stay here, okay?"
After the door had closed again and the buzzing stopped, Darcy and JoEllen were left alone. The Sheriff had left the service window open, and leaning in a little Darcy could see every angle in the building on the monitor screens. On them, Jon walked down a hallway with Rockwood, then down a turn to another hallway, and finally into an office. The door closed. Scanning the bank of little screens, she couldn't find any that showed the inside of the room.
"I can't just wait her e," JoEllen said. "He's my son. I should be out there looking, not these cops!"
Darcy kept watch of the monitors, waiting to see if Jon would reappear. "The deputies here can take care of that, JoEllen. If your son is at Carson's house, they'll find him."
She snorted at Darcy's comment and began pacing up and down the short entryway. "I could probably do it better than these yokels. Did you see that Travis guy? Did he just get hired yesterday or something? For crying out loud, his Sheriff had to write him a note! I mean, come on!"
Darcy looked down at the yellow page of lined paper still right beside her on the counter. Under the five pointed star and the name of the Bear Ridge Sheriff's Office, Rockwood had written, "Your going to go to Carson's house…"
Hmm, she thought. That was odd. Coincidence, maybe. Sure. It had to be.
Her eyes drifted from the words on the page to the emblem imprinted at the top. The star. Why were Sheriff's badges shaped like stars? Like in those old westerns or those songs. A star.
A memory of her dream drifted back to her. Smudge humming his little tune. Twinkle, twinkle, little bat. What had he said to her? Something about preferring the other version of the song. The dormouse had sang those lyrics at the Mad Hatter's teaparty to the tune of the old children's rhyme.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star…
The other version.
A star.
Oh, no. Oh no no no no no .
" JoEllen, we need to get inside. Now!"
"What? What are you talking about? I don’t want to stay here and give a statement . I want go and find Connor."
Darcy grabbed the note off the counter and stuffed it into the pocket of her shorts. "I don't have time to explain. Just give me a boost. I'll climb up through this window and then help you in."
JoEllen blinked at her. "You're serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious! Give me a boost."
Just as Darcy was deciding she could jump up and over the counter herself JoEllen leaned past her and reached under the counter to the hidden button Sheriff Rockwood had used to unlock the door. It buzzed, loudly, indicating it was open.
"Oh," was all Darcy could think to say.
"Hurry up," JoEllen told her. "And you'd better start explaining what's going on here."
Past her, on the monitors, Darcy saw Sheriff Rockwood leave the room he and Jon had gone into, no doubt alerted by the sound of the door
Travis looked at the sheet the Sheriff had written out, embarrassment turning his face red. He muttered that he understood and then quickly left the room. He left the page where it was.
Rockwood shook his head. "Travis is a good enough officer but he's as green as a newborn toad. Listen, Jon…can I call you Jon? Good. Let's you and me step into the back and discuss this more. Uh, Darcy, is it?" He waited for Darcy to nod. "Okay. Darcy, you and Miss JoEllen stay out here for now and I'll be right back to take your statements."
The door that led from the entryway of the Sheriff's Office to the inside of the building stood to the right of the service window. Sheriff Rockwood pressed a hidden button under the window counter and the door buzzed, indicating it was open. Jon gave Darcy a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back. Stay here, okay?"
After the door had closed again and the buzzing stopped, Darcy and JoEllen were left alone. The Sheriff had left the service window open, and leaning in a little Darcy could see every angle in the building on the monitor screens. On them, Jon walked down a hallway with Rockwood, then down a turn to another hallway, and finally into an office. The door closed. Scanning the bank of little screens, she couldn't find any that showed the inside of the room.
"I can't just wait her e," JoEllen said. "He's my son. I should be out there looking, not these cops!"
Darcy kept watch of the monitors, waiting to see if Jon would reappear. "The deputies here can take care of that, JoEllen. If your son is at Carson's house, they'll find him."
She snorted at Darcy's comment and began pacing up and down the short entryway. "I could probably do it better than these yokels. Did you see that Travis guy? Did he just get hired yesterday or something? For crying out loud, his Sheriff had to write him a note! I mean, come on!"
Darcy looked down at the yellow page of lined paper still right beside her on the counter. Under the five pointed star and the name of the Bear Ridge Sheriff's Office, Rockwood had written, "Your going to go to Carson's house…"
Hmm, she thought. That was odd. Coincidence, maybe. Sure. It had to be.
Her eyes drifted from the words on the page to the emblem imprinted at the top. The star. Why were Sheriff's badges shaped like stars? Like in those old westerns or those songs. A star.
A memory of her dream drifted back to her. Smudge humming his little tune. Twinkle, twinkle, little bat. What had he said to her? Something about preferring the other version of the song. The dormouse had sang those lyrics at the Mad Hatter's teaparty to the tune of the old children's rhyme.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star…
The other version.
A star.
Oh, no. Oh no no no no no .
" JoEllen, we need to get inside. Now!"
"What? What are you talking about? I don’t want to stay here and give a statement . I want go and find Connor."
Darcy grabbed the note off the counter and stuffed it into the pocket of her shorts. "I don't have time to explain. Just give me a boost. I'll climb up through this window and then help you in."
JoEllen blinked at her. "You're serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious! Give me a boost."
Just as Darcy was deciding she could jump up and over the counter herself JoEllen leaned past her and reached under the counter to the hidden button Sheriff Rockwood had used to unlock the door. It buzzed, loudly, indicating it was open.
"Oh," was all Darcy could think to say.
"Hurry up," JoEllen told her. "And you'd better start explaining what's going on here."
Past her, on the monitors, Darcy saw Sheriff Rockwood leave the room he and Jon had gone into, no doubt alerted by the sound of the door
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