Out of the Darkness

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Any sign of a struggle?" Ms. Whittier asked.

Esme's voice chimed in my head and said that they were staging it like she had struggled. "Yes. You may want to call the police," I said, crouching down and thrusting my hands into my hair. I was barely holding it together. My eyes welled with tears and I was sick. Ms. Whittier knelt down in front of me, awkwardly patting my knee. I wiped my tears away. "I'm going to my room. You may want to speak with Lauren and Jessica. They were at the same station as Bella."

"Oh, we will," Mrs. Cope snarled. "Who's watching your classrooms?"

"Ms. Brandon and Mr. Clearwater," I answered. I shuffled away and saw that Alice had combined our two classes, showing a video in Angela's room. The kids were entertained by Sing and I was able to catch my breath, but I wouldn't truly be able to do that until I had Bella back in my arms. Alice sat next to me, pulling her arm through mine, offering me comfort as best she could.

Shortly before the bell rang, Mrs. Cope wished the kids a great summer and that she couldn't wait until next year. I could hear the tremor in her voice. She also asked for me, Lauren and Jessica to come to the office to discuss the situation after we'd sent the kids home. Twenty minutes later, I walked into the office, trying not to lose my temper. Lauren and Jessica were bitching about how Swan's disappearance was cutting into their summer vacation.

"Lauren!" Mrs. Cope snapped. "You're going to meet with Chief Hamilton from the Port Angeles PD in my office. Jessica, you're going to work with Detective Omari in Ms. Whittier's office. Edward, you'll be talking to Chief Burke from Forks PD. They're going to help with the search."

"Where are we meeting?" I asked.

"Conference room," she said, following Lauren into her office.

I turned on my heel and went to the conference room, across the hall from the main office. Charlie was inside, pacing the length of the tiny room and his face was ashen. He turned when I closed the door and he pulled me into his arms. We both cried, scared for Bella. I was worried about the fragile psyche of my mate and he was obviously terrified for his daughter. He took my face in his hands and he narrowed his eyes. "Show me. From the moment ..."

I nodded, closing my eyes and allowing my memories to filter to his. He felt the same dread I experienced when Bella went into the forest. The emptiness I experienced when she was taken was passed through our connection. The wavering darkness was apparent in my thoughts and memories. "We have to find her, Charlie," I whispered. "If we don't, she'll be lost forever."

Charlie nodded solemnly. "I just got her back. I can't lose her again," he choked out. "Now, that wavering sense of evil ... what do you think about that?"

"I don't know, but there was something familiar about that signature," I muttered. "It's corrupted by darkness, but they haven't given completely over to the evil. They still have some control ..." I trailed off. "Come with me." We got up and left the school, making our way back to where Bella had been taken. I knelt down, putting my hand on the muddy ground. I allowed the signature to penetrate me. "I know who took her."

"Who?" Charlie asked. "Someone I can arrest? Shoot? I want to use this fucker." He took out his gun and glowered at it.

"It won't hurt him. Not now," I answered. "Prior to working here at the school, I did rehab work for a guy. His name is Emmett McCarty. He was the project manager. He started dating Bella's boss/landlady Rosalie Hale."

Charlie took out his notebook, flipping through some notes. "Both of them were reported missing by loved ones. Rose, you know about, but Emmett, his disappearance was more recent. He vanished, without a trace, about a week ago. He still went work, went home and hung out with his friends up until then."