“I don’t know, but that’s a good suggestion.” Bella turned to Becky Lee. “I’m going to take Jeremy to help me look at the school.”
“I’ll go look the other direction. I’ll ask around some of the shops and see if anyone has seen him.” Becky Lee stepped outside with Bella and Jeremy. “I’ve got my cell. I’ll call if I have any news.”
Bella nodded then turned and hurried down towards the school, with Jeremy right by her side. Maybe Timmy had left a book at school that he needed for homework and was afraid she’d be mad at him for forgetting? It didn’t sound like him, and he knew he wasn’t supposed to leave the apartment alone. But it was worth a shot. Her heart beat faster with every step they took.
Jenny was just leaving the school when they came rushing up to the building.
“Jenny, have you seen Timmy?”
“No, why?”
“He’s missing. Becky Lee is looking downtown for me. I can’t—” The words choked her, threatening to strangle all rational thought. The only reason she was able to keep from breaking into sobs was knowing that wouldn’t help her find him.
“Okay, let’s search the school. I’ll do the lower grades, checking each room. You two do the upper grades.” Jenny took charge, which was good because Bella could barely squeeze out a coherent thought, her eyes constantly scanning around her.
Jenny headed back inside and Bella followed her friend. A plan. Jenny had a plan. Someone to tell her where to look. Where to find her son. She swiped at a lone tear that escaped. She didn’t have time for that. Stay focused.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I was supposed to watch him.” Jeremy’s face held a scared and forlorn expression.
“Jeremy, we’ll talk about that later. You are supposed to watch him, but it’s obvious he didn’t want you to know he left. I do appreciate you helping me look for him.” She gave her son a quick hug. “Let’s go look.”
They looked in every room and came back to meet Jenny at the front of the school. “No luck?” Bella’s face fell as she saw Jenny standing alone.
“I called Becky Lee, but no sign of him yet.” Jenny slid her cell phone into her pocket.
“I should call Rick.”
“I think you should.”
Bella dreaded the call, but knew it was Rick’s right to know Timmy was missing. Besides, he could help with the search.
Rick picked up on the second ring.
“If you’re calling about my talking to the lawyer about changing the custody arrangement, I think it best to let the lawyers hammer that out.” He didn’t even give her a chance to say anything. No hello to her. Just a barrage of words. She hated caller id sometimes.
Bella took a deep breath. “Timmy is missing.”
“What do you mean missing?”
“I can’t find him.”
“See, I told you it wasn’t working out to have the boys live with you when your life is such a mess.” His accusations and anger thundered through the phone. “This is it. When we find him, I’m taking the boys back home with me.”
She let him yell at her, because she felt badly enough. Guilty for not keeping a better eye on Timmy. Wondering why he’d left. Rick might as well blame her, because she sure blamed herself. What kind of mother drove her son to run away?
“Where have you looked?” Rick’s voice held a cold and accusing tone.
“We’ve looked at the school, the park, and the cafe.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
The disconnect of the phone echoed in her ear. She had made a mess of the boys’ lives. Planning on moving them to Gil’s, knowing they would move again. Closing her shop and not knowing when she could open it again and start earning an income. Timmy running away would be one more piece of ammunition Rick would use to try and take the boys away.
She looked at Jenny, trying to fight back tears. Jenny crossed the distance between them and took Bella into her arms. Bella no longer had the strength to fight back the tears. They came in big, ugly gulps of breath. Her shoulders heaved and she clung tightly to her friend. Jenny held her and let her cry.
Bella finally pulled away and swiped her hands across her face to wipe away the tears. “I can’t do this. I need to pull myself together and keep looking.”
“Mom, you okay?” Jeremy’s small voice sounded scared.
“Yes, I’ll be okay.” She knelt down and wrapped her arms around her son. “We should get back to looking for Timmy. Do you have any other ideas of where to look?”
“Maybe we should go back home and see if he went there?”