JJ Maybank imagines

missing (pt. 3)

Once again this chapter takes place during part 2 but after part 1.
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JJ's pov

"What if this doesn't work? What if Shoupe doesn't know anything?" Sarah asked from the front seat as we pulled into the parking lot of the sheriffs office.

"He does," I replied and found myself thinking of the scratch marks on the porch, "On the porch there was—"

"JJ, don't." Pope scolded me. I looked at him and clenched my jaw.

"Say it." John B spun around in his seat and looked at me with pleading eyes. I had to tell him. I knew those marks were from his sister and I'll be damned if I keep it to myself. Six long months without the only family he had left, I couldn't keep this from him.

"There were scratch marks on the porch railing, like someone was using it as a way to pull themselves," I explained and everyone's jaws dropped, "I don't know how none of us noticed it before."

"Do you really think they're from Y/n? What if they've been there the whole time?" Kiara asked, "I want to believe you, Jay, but it's been so long."

"JJ, how sure are you?" John B gulped and I looked him right in the eyes, almost too scared to speak, "How. Sure. Are. You?" He annunciated each word as he asked again and I shook my head.

"I'm sure." That was all John B needed to hear before he jumped out of the van and slammed the door shut behind him. We all caught up quickly and my heart raced out of my chest. The five of us stormed into the building, going straight for Shoupes office.

"Where's my sister?" John B gritted his teeth and slammed his hands onto his desk. Shoupe was taken back, gasping at our sudden entrance, "I want to see her file. Now."

"Now, son, I don't have anything to go off—"

"Give us the damn file, Shoupe!" I shouted. Shoupe let out a long sigh, his eyes darted between each of us before spinning in his chair and digging through the filing cabinet. My heart dropped when I saw hers.

Routledge, S, Y/n.

As the file dropped onto the desk John B flipped it open. On the first page was a picture of her and all of her information, 5'5 is wrong, she's 5'3, I thought to myself as I skimmed the paper.

"Presumed dead?" Pope asked over my shoulder. At the top of the page on her case file we're the words 'presumed dead' in red lettering, "How can you presume someone dead when there's no body? She's either dead or she's not."

"Listen, kids, she's been missing for six months. After awhile there's not much more we can do." Shoupe grabbed the manila envelope and slid it back into its place, "I'm sorry. I think it's time we all move on, she was a great girl, had a big future ahead of her."

I felt myself breaking so I rushed out of the building. Screams and shouts for my name rang out behind me but I ignored them.

She's not dead. She can't be dead.

Halfway back to the chateau my knees buckled and I fell to the pavement, smacking my fists so hard against the ground I could no longer feel them, "Dammit!" I screamed.

I let myself unleash all the emotions I had been bottling up before screaming again. I felt like my world was crashing down around me. My world was falling off its axis without her in it.

Quickly pulling myself together the best I could I stood up to my feet and continued the rest of the way to the chateau. I saw lights on in the house through the darkness and the Twinkie in the driveway, they just have beaten me here.