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Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO: A Broken Heart

Come Sunday night is the night that I receive the worst news in the world. I guess you could say that my day started off pretty normal, nothing much happening except for watching a little TV and hanging out Devin. Stuff I pretty much do every day when I’m not spending time with my awesome, lovely parents.

It’s nearing six in the afternoon when I get the news. Devin and I are in the kitchen, cooking up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and brownies for my parents. They’re either returning tonight or tomorrow morning. Either way, I want to finish their favorite sweets as a welcome home present even though they weren’t gone for that long.

Devin puts the pans in the oven and fixes us a glass of orange juice. I always did love it when he would fix me food or something to drink in my own house, as if I’m the guest and he isn’t. But that’s something he’s been doing for as long as I could remember. It’s his, “Men should do all the work, even if it’s petty, small shit like this” motto he goes by all the time. I laugh every time he repeats it whenever I tell him I can do things for myself. But Devin is stubborn and doesn’t listen to anybody, just like me. We’re alike in that sense.

Just as I’m about to take the glass of OJ from him, the telephone in the living room rings. It’s probably my parents, wanting to let me know when they’re going to return. So I jump out of my seat and run over toward the phone. Devin laughs at my eagerness to talk to Mom and Dad, but I brush him off, smile, and answer the phone.

“Mom. Dad. How is your trip going, and when-” but before I can finish my statement, someone cuts me off. Someone with a deep voice that doesn’t belong to Dad and most definitely doesn’t belong to Mom.

“Logan Monroe?” the other voice asks, and I nod despite them being able to see me. “This is Officer Davis from Lincoln Police Station. Do you think you can make some time right now to come down here? It’s urgent.”

My smile is immediately replaced with a frown. Devin comes into the living room, asking me who is it with his eyes, and I merely shrug before answering Officer Davis.

“Now?” I ask, my voice coming off as a squeak. “How urgent is it?”

“It’s about your parents.”

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As I sit in the waiting room at Lincoln Police Station, my mind fills with thoughts of my parents. Are they okay? Are they in danger? Did they get arrested? I have to hold back a laugh at the last option. My parents? Arrested? It’s not likely. They are role models in Lincoln County. Almost everyone looks up to them. When they’re not at work or spending time with me, they’re doing charity events and fundraisers to help schools, churches and organizations raise money. Not once have Mom and Dad been in trouble with the law. I mean, they have been involved with the law, but not in that sense.

I start biting on my nails as the time ticks by. It’s been twenty minutes since I’ve arrived, waiting for Officer Davis to finish whatever it is that he’s doing. My cell phone vibrates in my pocket, but I make no move to get it when I see Officer Davis walking out of his office, smiling at the woman walking away.

His muddy eyes snap in my direction, and he’s no longer smiling. He has a solemn expression on his face, his eyebrows pinched together not in anger or frustration, but something else I can’t exactly pinpoint. With a finger, he motions for me to stand and follow him in his office.

I take a seat as Officer Davis takes the chair opposite of him. He takes his glasses off and rubs his temples, as if he has a headache or something. He looks tired and overstressed, with wrinkles in his forehead and dark circles under his eyes. I guess police officers don’t sleep at that much.