The costume

The Search For Sue Part 17

   I left my house to search for her. I  had asked Ash to try to get in contact with Sky to see if we could zero in on her location. " I'm calling out for Sky but she won't answer me." Ash said. "Keep trying Ash. We have got to find her." I said. "I'll  keep trying Tom." Ash answered me.

   I kept looking that  day for Sue. I started with the obvious ones mostly her gal pals. I didn't have much luck. None of them had seen or heard from her. Most of them were worried when I told them that she was missing and gave me some places to check out that I wouldn't of thought of. I thanked all of them and continued to search. They said they would keep a eye out for her or anything else that would help me. They also said they would set up a social media dragnet to see if they could find out any clues on Sue's whereabouts. I went to Jenny's house and asked Jenny one of Sue's best friends (Sue had a lot of best friends) what a social media dragnet is. Jenny told me that a social media dragnet is when they set up a site and collect any information about that person. They send out what the person looks like, what their last location was and where she might be now. Then would gather all the information and set people out to look in a certain area that was mentioned. It would cover across the state and across the country. "Ok" I said. 

"Don't worry Tom we'll find her." Jenny said. "Keep looking for her and I'll send any new information right to you." She added.

    "You know the police are looking too." I said.

    "Ha. The police. They have no time to listen to a teen who has heard something on social media. They'll just say whatever and send us off on our way. They will say we're following up on some leads and thanks for the information we'll make out a report. That's all." Jenny said.

    "I thought that they would want any kind of information." I said.

   "They do. From an adult not a crazy teen." She said. I chuckled at the "crazy teen" comment.

    "Ok, so you got my cell number?" I asked.

    "Yep, don't worry Tom we'll all help you find her. I'll send you any new info I get." Jenny said.

   "Thanks Jenny I knew I could count on you guys to help me." I said.

   "No problem. Now go look for her. I'll keep you informed." She said shoving me out the door.

    I left Jenny's and kept looking. I stopped at the mall and looked around I asked some of the cashiers of Sue's favorite and frequently visited stores if they saw her. They all said no. I left the mall and went to some restaurants that we went to and got the same "No" answer.  I looked at some of the places that her friends told me about. Same answer "No".  It was like she fell off the face of the earth. I was getting desperate from missing my mate. Ash said he still couldn't get a hold of Sky either and he was getting worried. "I don't know why she's not answering me Tom. This isn't like her." Ash said. "I know. The best we can do is to keep looking and maybe we'll come across some kind of clue." I said hopefully.

    I decided to go to the park. There are woods there and I thought maybe she went for a run there and fell and got hurt and was laying there knocked out. I parked my jeep and headed for the woods. I scoured the woods for three hours and found nothing. Now it was getting dark and I was tired but I wasn't about to give up. That was until I came out of the woods and saw a couple of police cars next to my jeep. This is not going to be good I thought.

    "What are you doing out in the woods?"  The cop asked me.

  "I came out here to clear my head and maybe spot my girlfriend out here." I answered.

   "Or maybe hide your girlfriend's body." He spoke with anger.

   "No! I would never hurt my mate..er...girlfriend ever. I wouldn't hurt anyone." I said with emotion.

    "We heard about you and what happened at the school's parking lot." He said. Oh brother I thought I knew that was going to come back and haunt me. "Well?" He asked.

    "They all ganged up on me I was just trying to defend myself." I said knowing where this was heading.

   "Anyone that can beat up four people at once and maybe I don't know had a argument with their girlfriend and beat her senseless and came out here to hide her so no one would know and she happened to die from her injuries...." He said.

    I started to see red. "HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST THAT I WOULD KILL MY MATE AND DUMP HER BODY!!!" I screamed. Ash was struggling to keep me from shifting to a werewolf. "Calm down Tom! Slow down before you change!" Ash yelled at me. I took a deep breath and calmed myself but it was too late I was put into handcuffs and shoved into the back of a squad car and heading for downtown. "Can you tell me what I'm being arrested for?" I asked.

    "As a suspect in the disappearance of your girlfriend. We've been watching you all day long and when we saw you head into the woods that raised our suspicions. Like maybe he's checking to make sure no one would find her." He said.

    "I already told your detective that I was at home. He called my parents and ask them if I was home that  night and they said yes." I said.

   "Ever heard of the old saying that the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime?"  He asked. I nodded. "Well you returned."

   "But I wasn't there that night." I said.

   "Tell it to the judge. We're sending dogs out there to see if there is anything out there." He said.

    We got to the station and I was fingerprinted, photographed and put into an orange jumpsuit (orange is not my color) I called my parents and told them what happened they came right down. They asked what the bail was and they told them we'll know as soon as the judge arrived.

    When my hearing began the judge asked for all the facts they had against me. The judge looked at what was there and asked for my side. I told him what I was doing and they picked me up at the park. The judge asked if the dogs had found anything in the woods. They had to send in a report on what they found. The report said: No body or trace of a struggle or marks anywhere. No scent trail to follow.

    The judge read the report and looked at the two officers with a scowl. They had a worried look on their faces.

    "Since there is no evidence proving he was doing something illegal and there was nothing found in the woods and his parents said he was home all night. There is no reason he is to be here any longer. Excuse us for putting your son through this ordeal. From what I see this boy is innocent and shouldn't be here. You're free to go. As for you two (the officers), I want to talk to you." The judge said.

    I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the judge. We went to the impound to get my jeep back. Since I was innocent and my jeep was towed for no reason there was no charge. I thanked my parents for coming and I got in my jeep to leave my dad said. "Son why don't  you come home and get some rest. Then start looking again in the morning."

     "I don't know if I can sleep knowing my mate is out there somewhere. I've got to find her. I have to find her I'm going to go crazy if I don't." I said.

     "I know son but please come home and get some rest." My dad said. I thought for a minute of just going on to look for Sue but seeing the look on my mom's face and considering what they just went through I decided to do what my dad said and head for home.

   When I got home I called Jenny to see if anything came in while I was out of action for a while. Jenny said no one had seen or heard from her. Jenny said that it was strange for Sue since she was like a social butterfly and always talking to her friends. I said. "OK, I'm going to get some rest and start looking tomorrow." She goodnight and we hung up. I tried to sleep but it was a fitful sleep my mate is missing. That's all I thought about all night. Where is my mate? I need my mate. I want my mate.