Chapter 29
Cam
My eyes opened, and I was overjoyed Katie had stayed over, even though that had not been her initial intention. I rolled over and rested my head on the pillow to watch her sleep, I felt happy she had stayed over, and I wished she would do it more often. I could see Katie was changing and slowly being more accustomed to being here with me, but she was worried about all the sneaking around and the stares from the concert last night.
I showered and got dressed and left Katie a pair of my sweatpants and one of my old baggy t-shirts to wear once she finally surfaced. I was surprised Emmy had not woken up early again this morning as she had been doing for most of the week. I sneaked into her bedroom, and she was sleeping like a log with her new stuffed unicorn under her arm. Since we arrived home, her unicorn had been in her hand. She even sat it next to her while we were eating, and pretended she was feeding it.
I shook Emmy gently, and she started to wake up.
“Good morning princess,” I said as I kissed her on the head.
“Morning Daddy,” she said as she sat up and started to play with her unicorn.
I washed and dressed her ready for a fun day, a relaxing stress less day just relaxing at home. I chased Emmy into the kitchen area, and Katie had started to prepare breakfast. I played with Emmy on the living room floor when the cell phone rang.
Shit, there goes my stressless weekend, I said to myself.
Owen had called and had asked me to go to their house urgently. The shit had hit the fan, and he needed my assistance.
“Owen needs me,” I said to Katie as I grabbed the car keys.
“No problem, I have Emmye, go and help Owen,” she replied.
I quickly jumped into the car and drove over to Owen’s house. He had said he had gone to his house and a big argument had started.
“Owen, what’s the problem?” I asked.
“I tried to get into the house, and I find she has changed the fucking locks, to my house and I’m locked out,” he screamed.
“Calm down a minute. Explain what’s happened,” I said.
“I came for my motorcycle, and I have just found out she has sold it without asking, I want my god-damned money,” he screamed as he banged on the door.
“Quiet, she will call the cops,” I said, trying to calm him down.
“She already has. They should be here any minute. I was a bit louder earlier, but I had calmed down a bit just before you arrived,” he responded.
“Fuck, this is just what you needed. And you know you got warned last time you argued like this,” I added as I heard sirens in the distance.
“Well, it is her that is going to be in the shit. It was my name on the god-damned papers. But… that was different though. I hit someone, and there is no one to hit this time,” he said between clenched teeth.
After a few minutes, the police arrived and somehow, I managed to convince them that everything was cool between them and it was a misunderstanding. Owen and his ex were given a warning and told to keep their problems quiet, and behind closed doors. Owen was also reminded that it was not for the neighborhood to listen to at this time of day, or at any time of day for that matter.
Owen apologized to the police and said everything was cool. He would just call his ex-wife rather than cause a confrontation in public.
“I’m sorry for dragging you out this early in the morning,” Owen said apologetically.
“It’s alright bro.”
“You must have been worried I had really gone off on one?” he said with a grin.
“No sweat, any time you need me, is fine by me. We have been through thick and thin, so why should this time be any different. That’s what buddies are for,” I said.
“Thanks, Cam,” Owen said as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
“No sweat.”
“It is appreciated,” he said as he leaned on the car.
“Nah, it is nothing. You were there when my wife died, so it is the least I can do to help you back,” I said as I patted Owen on the back.
“Where is Emmy anyway?” Owen asked. “I’m surprised not to see her in the back of the car grinning at me.”
“She’s fine, I have left her with Katie. So, she’s in good hands with her. She loves Emmy as if she was her own.”
“You left her with Katie, she was up this early or did she… ooh, I get it she stayed over?” Owen said when he realized.
“Things are looking serious, so how is it going with her?” he asked.
“Well it isn’t easy I can tell you, she’s young, so it is going to be hard,” I explained.
“Well you have had some rough times, so it will probably be a breeze,” Owen replied as he leaned on the car.
“I’m falling for her though, big time. She has got me hooked badly,” I explained.
“Well, you better get back to her and Emmy, you don’t want women problems like mine that is for sure,” Owen replied with a grin.
“If everything is okay here I will head off home,” I said.
“It’s cool, I promise you,” Owen said as I climbed into the car.
I walked into the house and was greeted by the smell of burnt food and oil, Katie was stuck to the sink scrubbing burned food from one of the pans.
“Damn. What happened here? I asked.
“I burned the food, I needed a pee, so I ran off. I thought I had turned the stove off but obviously not,” Katie said. I opened the patio to let the smoke out.
“Emmy Daddy is home,” I called.
Silence. There was never silence when I arrived home; maybe the door had closed to her room with the patio open. I walked to her room, and the door was closed.
She has been locked inside? I opened the door and walked into Emmy's room.
“Emmy, where are you?” I called.
Maybe she's hiding?
“Are you hiding from Daddy,” I said jokingly as I opened the closet door.
Nothing.
“Or maybe you’re hiding, under the bed,” I yelled as I dropped to my knees and looked under the bed.
Still nothing?
“Have you seen Emmy?” I called to Katie.
“She was here, is she not in her room?” Katie called.
“She’s not there, and she’s not in any other rooms,” I yelled back.
“Emmy, where are you?” I yelled as I ran into the back garden.
There was no sign of Emmy in the garden, and I went around the side of the house. Fuck, the gate was open. I ran back to the kitchen.
“Where the fuck is Emmy? God, she’s not here,” I yelled.
“She was just playing, and when I went for a pee, she was still there. I opened the patio door to let the smoke out,” Katie explained.
My heart raced like a freight train.
“I only stood by the sink so she must have just sneaked out because of the smoke,” Katie added.
“Well she was fucking gone now, God knows why I left her in the charge of a kid, I must have been crazy to think she would be okay,” I screamed.
“I only took my eyes off her for a second,” Katie said in defense.
“Katie, it only takes a fucking second to disappear, fucking kids, they have no sense,” I screamed as I headed to the front door.
I ran down the driveway and looked down the road. There was no sign of her anywhere.
“Katie, how the fuck could you let this happen to Emmy? I have already lost one woman in my life, and I don’t want to lose another one due to you being irresponsible,” I yelled.
“It was a second Cam. That’s all! I wasn’t irresponsible. You know how I care for her,” Katie said as tears started to fill in her eyes.
“Well, she isn’t in the street. You go down that one, and I will check this one toward the day care center. Bang on fucking doors and ask if anyone has seen her!” I yelled.
Katie had tears streaming down her face. She was devastated, but I was too. I couldn’t see past my own horror to help the situation at all. I had to find my little girl.
“You can forget crying. That isn’t going to help, this is Emmy we are talking about, and if anything happens to her. Goddamn it, just move your ass and get looking,” I yelled as I headed off down the next street.
I ran to each house and asked the families there if they had seen a little kid walking around. Many answered they had not been out front so they wouldn’t have noticed. The feeling was worse than war. One by one the houses were checked on each side of the road. I could see the base shopping strip in the distance and maybe she had walked this way to look for me.
Fuck, Katie, why did you do this to me? And why would you do it to Emmy? You know how much she means to me. Shit, fuck. Emmy, where are you?
Where the fuck are you Emmy? You can’t walk that fast. You wouldn’t get that far. Damn. It is my fault! I should have taken her with me, I always knew Katie would be trouble and what fucking trouble it turned out to be.
I glanced behind me up the street, and there was no sign, but I could see a few of the families checking around the area. Emmy was small, and she could have gone anywhere, even the drain covers could have swallowed her up if she had fallen and fell funny.
“Emmy,” I yelled. God, no. Fuck no. “Where are you dear? Daddy’s not angry. He just wants you to come home.”
I approached the shopping strip and ran around the shops. I stopped by the ones that were open and asked the staff if they had seen Emmy anywhere. No luck. There was just the day care center and then from there to the gate was the park. Fuck if she has walked into the park she could have fallen and hurt herself in the trees.
I got to the daycare center and it was closed, the only person who worked there on the weekend was the janitor.
“Clive, have you seen Emmy this morning?” I called into the playground.
“No Sir, seen no sign of any kids this morning, and I have been here since six,” he called back.
“Just keep your eyes open will you,” I asked.
“Sure thing, if I see her I will bring her home,” Clive said as he entered the center.
I sat on the bench for a few minutes to gather my composure. She wouldn’t be able to go further into the base as there was another security gate and they would have brought her straight home. There were only the park and two other streets she could be in.
Katie appeared at the bottom of the one street, and I walked over toward her.
“Any sign?” I asked.
“Nothing down that street, I knocked on all the doors, and everyone has checked their yards,” Katie explained.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, Katie, why did you not watch her all the time, you know how quick she moves now that she can walk,” I said angrily.
“I’m going to the security gate for the base, you check the end street, and I will do this street, and I will meet you back at home.”
“Okay,” Katie said as she walked off upset I was holding her responsible.
I walked toward the gate on the main road. If there was no sign, the only explanation could be she has been taken, and God knows what would happen if someone has the indecency to nab her and take her from the base.
“Morning Sir,” Scott said as he saluted me.
“Fuck that Scott, Emmy has gone missing. Have there been any strange vehicles in or out this morning?
“Not really, it has been quite after the concert,” Scott said.
“Do me a favor, keep an eye out for her,” I said.
Shit, the fairground, I never thought of that, maybe she had toddled onto the base and gone back to the fairground. I ran across the bottom of the support road and headed into the base. I could see teams of people busy wrapping up the fairground and loading it into trucks.
I asked around all the teams, and none of them had seen her. I quickly ran back to the last street and checked all the doors. No one had seen Emmy, and they would all keep their eyes open in case they saw her.
My head bowed I walked back toward the house very slowly and mulled over the whole situation of what could have happened to Emmy. I could see Katie sitting on the curb, her head was bowed, and I could hear her sobbing as I approached.
She looked up at me as I neared her.
“I take it no one has seen her?” I asked Katie.
She shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. I could see her holding something close to her chest.
“What you got there?” I asked.
“It is her unicorn from the fair,” Katie said as her tears flowed.
Emmy had instantly fallen in love with her stuffed unicorn and wouldn’t put it down. She even took it to bed with her last night.
“Well that won’t help find her,” I said angrily.
“No, I found it,” Katie said as she wiped her eyes.
“Where was it, in the house?” I asked.
Katie lifted her head and looked deep into my eyes. “No, it was on the road.”
Well at least we know she went down here, and it is the only street left that we have not checked. My heart sank as I started knocking on all the remaining doors, and asking if anyone had seen Emmy this morning. The answer was the same from each home. No one had laid eyes on Emmy. I reached the bottom of the street and could see Katie slowly walking down the center of the road.
Her head was bowed down as she took short steps toward her home.