AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” A wave of relief swept through me as I continued to follow him through the police station until he halted at a desk.
“Your friends explained the situation, and we spoke to the Harpers, who vouched for you. So, if you can promise we won’t see you again, we’ll let this one slide. I would not go looking for Mark Dwyer again.”
“I promise.” I hesitated, the weight of my next question anchoring me in place. “Umm…”
“Something else?” the officer asked.
“Yeah, I’m looking for my dad.”
His expression softened.
“Could I file a missing person’s report, or…” I trailed off, unsure how to broach the topic of his potential death.
“We can do that.” His hesitation was clear, his eyes flickering with something akin to sympathy. “But first, would you be willing to give a DNA sample?”
“Because you think he’s dead.” My fingers absentmindedly fidgeted with a pen on his desk—a futile attempt to distract myself from the implications of his request.
“I don’t know for sure. I made a few calls. A body was found in the river in a nearby town late last year. Never identified, no ID, nothing.”
“They think it was my dad?”
“They’ve heard rumours but haven’t been able to confirm. We can crossmatch your DNA and hear back in a couple of days.”
I nodded slowly.
“I know this is hard…”
“It’s fine. No problem.” My response was automatic, a hollow attempt to cover up the emotions swirling through me.
“Alright. Come with me, and we’ll get this sorted.”
I followed him, the finality of the situation pressing down on me with each step.
After another hour of filling out paperwork and giving a cheek swab, I left the police station. Kinsley and Finn were waiting for me, perched on the tailgate of my truck. They hopped off as soon as they spotted me.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Kinsley exclaimed, rushing into my arms.
I hugged her tight, burying my face in her hair and breathing her in.
“Are you okay?” She pulled back to search my face.
“I’m fine,” I assured her with a smile.
“They said you didn’t need bail. I was ready to—”
“No charges. I’m good to go.” I pulled Finn in for a quick hug as well. “Did the others get home okay?”
“Yeah, we drove Grace and Noah home. Told Alice and Ethan what happened. Ethan said he would make a call—”
“Yeah, he did. Thanks for that. Where’s Grady?”
“In the truck. He fell asleep a while ago.” Finn pointed towards the truck.
Peering through the back window, I spotted Grady fast asleep in the backseat.
I chuckled. “Well, at least someone got some rest. We’ll put him to work today so we can catch up on sleep.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s get back before we all collapse here and get arrested for ... something. I don’t know. I’m too tired. Everyone, in the truck,” Finn mumbled.
