Missing

Chapter 6

"Can I speak to someone?" I ask. My voice is frozen by the look on the woman sitting behind the desk of the police station.

"Who may that be?" She seems tired and doesn't even make eye contact with me.

"He's in custody."

"Are you a family member?"

"No."

"Then you can't see him."

"Why not!"

"I'm sorry, it's our rules."

"Please." I beg.

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Ugh!"

I throw my hands up in fustration. As I'm about to exit the thick air of the police station, someone stops me

"Emily."

"Yes."

It's the police officer that questioned me earlier today.

"What is it that you need?" He comes out from behind the counter and walks over to me.

"I wanted to see someone." I ask nervously.

"Who is it?"

"Daniel."

"Daniel who?"

"How many Daniels do you have here?"

"It's a very common name, Miss"

"You know who I'm talking about. Daniel. The one you have in custody. You put him in a cell about two hours ago." I'm trying to draw a map for him but its obvious that he is playing games with me.

"Alright. I'll give you ten minutes. Get what you need to get out, out and then you can leave." It's written all over his face that he doesn't want me here either.

"That's good." I agree sullenly.

He leads me down a long line of doors each one more depressing than the next. Finally, at the end of the line he stops and gestures to a door that is made out of what looks like normal glass but is most likely bullet proof glass. I slowly walk towards it. My hand touches the cold handle and I wonder how many people have done this before me.

He walks in with me and shuts the door with a loud clang that makes me even more jittery. The police officer pulls out his walkie-talkie and says a series of numbers and tells the person on the other side to release said number. I'm guessing the number is Daniel.
The room is just as gray and sad as the rest of them. It's split into two. One half, the side I'm on, and the other side, where the holding cells are most likely to be at. A grey table made out of the same material as the one I was sitting behind earlier today, is also split into two. A chair is set up on either side. A bullet proof sheet of glass is used as the divider. There are holes in the glass and a ghetto phone on either side.

I turn around to see two new officers standing by the door. I'm guessing they are my guards. On the other side, two other police men are mimicking the ones on my side. A police officer opens to door on the opposite side and he brings Daniel with him. I feel a rush of pity and regret. I shouldn't have given him such a hard time for so long.

"Hey." He says, his voice is muffled but it's better than nothing. I sit down and so does he.

"What's going on?" I ask. I look behind to see what the police officers will do but they stand as still as statues.

"I'm in custody. They have twenty-four hours before I get released, or charged, which ever comes first. They are trying to find proof that I kidnapped Riley but they aren't finding
anything nor are they gonna. They're using your freak out against me though." He answers me bitterly.

"How?" I must look as confused as I sound because Daniel gives me a face that tells me to smarten up.

"They're saying that I know something." Daniel says in a firm voice.

"Do you?" I ask.

"That's not my point."

"Then what is it?" I'm completely lost.

"Do you know something?" His voice makes it sound like it's a statement.

"No." I say with no feeling so the cops behind me can't hold anything against me.

"Then you really shouldn't have messed with me. If you didn't have that conversation about safety with Riley, then maybe she wouldn't be like this. And just so you know I wasn't going to-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it." The idea of it is just as bad as when I first thought of it.

Daniel rolls his eyes and continues.

"I would help you but I can't." His voice is merely a whisper. It's hard and firm and urgent.

"What?" I gasp. He knows something. Do the police know. Probably not or he wouldn't be in custody. This must be big.

"These things are dangerous, Emily." He leans up closer to the glass, "You don't play with matches unless you want to get burned."

"What do you mean?" I'm starting to get scared and the police are noticing too. They start towards Daniel.

"Don't mess up Emily. This is counting on you, if you don't want to die, don't get burned." He is being pushed out of the room. The last memory I have of him is not going to be his wide grin and innocent eyes. It's going to be his crazed voice with bags under his eyes and his voice saying "this is counting on you".