The Goats Knew

Gina's Gone

It was after dark when Scott finally turned up back at his house. His mother was waiting in the kitchen.

"Scott! Where have you been?" She was frantic with worry. "Gina's mom has been calling everyone she knows looking for the two of you."

Scott dropped dejectedly into a kitchen chair. He was a mess. His hair was disheveled. His jeans were caked with dirt and mud. His jacket was torn in several spots and covered with stains. He hung his head as he sat there and didn't seem to hear his mom at all.

"Scott! Answer your mother," ordered his dad as he came to the kitchen from the office. "She's been worried sick about you. What the hell have you been up to?"

Scott looked up at his father with bleary eyes. He looked at his mother and just shook his head and looked down at the table again. He seemed to be saying something, but neither of his parents could make out what it was.

"Scott," his dad tried to get his attention. "Speak up. We can't hear a word you're saying." He raised his hand as if to strike the boy, but Tanya shook her head and waved him off.

"Something's wrong Mike," she said to her husband before turning to her son. She squatted down next to Scott so that she was looking up into his face. In her most nurturing voice she asked, "What is it Son? What's wrong? Can you tell me what happened?"

This close to him, she could see that he'd been crying. His tears had left tracks down his cheeks through the dirt. He opened his mouth to answer, but instead just started sobbing. He was shaking so hard that she decided this wasn't the time to interrogate him.

"Come on Scott. Let's get you into bed." She took him by the shoulders and drew him to his feet. Mike was about to intervene and the expression on his face was all about anger. Tanya gave him a look that stopped him in his tracks as she silently mouthed Not now. Scott followed her guidance like a man in a trance as she took him up the stairs to his bedroom.

As she undressed him and helped him into his bed she thought, It's like he's not even here. Out loud she said, "You just get some rest now. We'll talk later."

She was exiting to the hallway when she heard him clearing his throat. She turned back. He was sitting up in the bed. The anguish on his face was horrifying. She waited to see what he was going to do next.

"Mom," he croaked. "Gina's gone Mom."

She quickly returned to his bedside."What do you mean she's gone, Scott?"

"She's gone Mom." He was clearly having difficulty assembling his thoughts. "I think we were fighting."

"Scott. You think you were fighting? What does that even mean?"

"I don't know Mom. It's all blurry." The fog was beginning to lift, but the events of the evening were still shrouded in haze. "We were out in the woods, looking for the spot the totem pole came from."

"You were where?" Mike nearly shouted from the doorway. "What the hell were you two doing out there?"

But Tanya wasn't having any of it. "Michael! Keep your voice down! Can't you see how upset he is?"

"No Mom, he's right. We shouldn't have been out there," Scott mumbled softly. "There's something just, wrong there. I don't know what I was thinking. I was so pissed at her. And for nothing. I mean, there was no reason for it. I just got so mad. I think I pushed her down, or something. I don't know. Next thing I knew, the sun was going down and she was gone."

"Gone where, Honey?" Tanya was trying to get sensible information out of him. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know. I don't really remember her leaving. It's like, one minute it's afternoon and we're looking for the hole. The next minute the sun's going down and she's just gone. I tried to find her, Mom. I really did. I've been looking all over the woods for her. But all I found was one of her sneakers."