Vanished || l.h. au

twenty two

A/N: Whaaaattt? An update? I know, finally haha Sorry for the hiatus guys, I just had to finish up my semester at uni, it takes a lot of focus. But I'm on break now and to celebrate, here's a new chapter :) Thank you for all those who continued to read and vote, means a lot. Also, during the brief period off we have gotten almost up to 6k views! That's exciting haha

Beth

My mind remained spaced out for the rest of my work shift. I was suddenly appreciative of the minimum amount of work that came with this job because I could not focus on anything but Michael and his possible association with Luke’s case. Was it possible that Michael was the mastermind behind it all? It didn’t make any sense though. Michael and Luke were best friends, what would even be his motivation? They seemed so close. Luke, Michael, and Ashton were like the three musketeers; none of this is making sense.

“Something bothering you, Miss?” A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I let out a quiet groan, lifting my head from the position where it was previously buried in my hands. I made eye contact with the officer who worked across from me, someone who I have yet to learn his name yet even though I talk to him more than anyone else in this station aside from Holden.

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Just a headache. How long until my shift is over?” I asked, knowing that he knew my work schedule better than I did for some reason.

“Eager to get out already?” He asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. He shrugged back his sleeve a little, flicking his wrist to get a better view of his wristwatch. “About ten more minutes. You can leave now though if you want, I really doubt anyone is going to care. Besides, the Sheriff isn’t even in today.” he shrugged, shifting back in his seat.

I rolled my eyes with a slight smile, turning around in my chair to grab my bag. “Is he ever though?” I asked, rhetorically.

“Nah.” He laughed, then turned back to face his computer screen where a game of Solitaire was probably displayed.

I placed my bag’s handles on my shoulder, standing up and tidying my shirt before reaching in my bag to grab my car keys.

“Have a nice day, Ms. Laude.” The still unknown officer waved to me as I walked past his desk and towards the exit.

“You too sir.” I called back, promising myself that next time I see him I will ask for his name. Why couldn’t his desk have one of those name plates that you always see in movies? But at the moment, I had more pressing matters to deal with than over an officer’s name.

I sat down in the driver’s seat of my car, sticking the key into the ignition and listening to my car come to life. I rubbed my hands together, getting them to defrost from the frigid temperature of the station, a sharp contrast from the blazing summer heat of outside. Finally putting my hands on the steering wheel, I back up out of my parking spot and started my drive home, where Luke would hopefully be.

Sometimes I hated being alone because that’s when my thoughts took complete control. At least when I was with other people I could block out most of what was creeping up from my subconscious, solely focusing on what they were talking about or the topic being discussed. But being alone after uncovering news that could change so many things, there was no one there to distract me or to set the record straight. I knew I had to confront Michael, but should I just come right out with it or trick him into telling me? Would I even have enough restraint to do that? Should I bring Luke with me? I mean it is kind of his problem too. After all, he is the case.

“You look stressed.” I heard the voice I’ve been longing to hear for the past few hours, say. I looked up, closing the car door behind me and just about ran into his arms, until I realized where we were. I looked around quickly, searching for any lurking neighbors.