Love... or something like it

Part 19

By the time Charles parked his truck on the road at the bottom of the ravine road the police were taping off the area and people were calling Nell's name as the searched from the road side. The chief of police was explaining to volunteers that a search party was likely to develop in the coming hours but they had to do things the right way. The bag was found at the top of the hill on the ravine side just off the road in the grass. They were blocking the area and would search in a grid pattern from that point out. 

Charles watched people mill around and try to peek their heads around the roadblock to see if they could see anything. He felt sick. These people were gawkers not worried loved ones. He felt like they were violating the privacy of a very personal moment. 

"If you would like to volunteer, please sign the clipboards going around. The grid search will be set up in teams and you will be assigned to a team leader. The leader will give you instructions, if you can not follow these instructions please do not join a search team. There are opportunities to assist in the organization and refreshment areas. There is also a first aid area being set up for anyone who may need medical attention..." The woman with the bull horn drew the attention of the crowd away from the yellow police tape across the road and into a driveway to the water pump building beside the bridge covering the river. 

Charles ignored her doraning voice and stood alone watching every move anyone in a uniform made. He watched facial expressions and tried to hear radio communications. 

"...Possible Broken headlight at the scene..." Charles heard crackle over the CB. 

"...No signs of a victim..." 

"...no signs of missing girl..." 

Charles sat quietly praying for Nell. Her family was gathered at the top of the hill along with neighbours and friends. He couldn't be with them right then. He felt like a fraud. He loved her, he wanted to be in her life, but he was new, where many of them were old, they had known and loved her for years. He wanted to let them have their comforts and didn't want to intrude. Instead he sat alone on a road side boulder that marked the beginning of the bridge. He thought of how close he was to her last known location. 

He sat and held his splayed fingers together in a cage between his knees. He wondered what she had been doing there. Was she walking? Had someone tossed her bag out of a car? Why hadn't she called him that night? She wouldn't have taken a ride with a stranger. Right? Her mom already said there were no Uber charges that night, and her sensei said she was the last to leave the dojo. He wondered if the police had interviewed everyone from the dojo that night. He was sure they had, but what if they missed something? Did they just ask 'did you take Nell?' and then they were like 'No.' and that was the end of it? Charles looked at the police in uniforms standing around and wanted to scream. Why weren't they doing anything?

The wind picked up and Charles pulled his jacket tighter. He looked around at the gawkers/volunteers who were all dressed for the cooler weather. Did Nell have clothes for the cooler weather? He had no idea. Was he prepared with a toque and mitts? Did she even have a coat? Was she even outside? Charles stood and paced the bridge listening to the water. 

"Hey, Do you know the missing girl?" A man in a nice jacket asked and Charles shrugged not wanting attention. 

"Would you be willing to make a statement about how it makes you feel to have a young person go missing in such a safe neighbourhood? Do you still feel safe here?" He held a voice recorder intrusively close to Charles' face and he was lucky Charles wasn't a hot head. He considered punching the Man's face, but he doubted that it would make him feel better. 

"I think, you should leave people alone while they are worried about a missing seventeen year old girl." Charles said standing up to his full height and towering over the man.