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Third Person POV - Kirby's Car - February 14th
When Kirby returned last night, she had brought back some good news for Liam. Her and the police had been made aware of a woman in a nearby town who had claimed to have seen Fallon. When Kirby told Liam this, he was ecstatic and demanded that he come with the police to question this stranger.
It was now five pm, and Kirby was driving Liam down to the station for the questioning.
His foot tapped the ground as the car slowed to a stop at a red light. He rolled his eyes when the light didn't change after a full minute had passed. He didn't understand why the light durations were so long when it was on a non-busy street.
"Relax, Liam. They won't start without you."
Liam nodded, acknowledging his friend, but not saying anything out loud. At this, she rolled her eyes.
"Seriously. Calm down. The woman probably won't even be there yet," she told him.
"Yeah, yeah, okay," he responded, not really thinking of what she had just said.
When they pulled up at the police station, Liam hurriedly walked inside, Kirby following shortly after.
"Mr. Ridley," said an officer. "I assume you're here for the questioning."
Liam nodded.
"Right this way."
With that, the three walked down a series of hallways and eventually were led into a room. It was small and comfortable with a few cushioned chairs and a coffee table.
"Just take a seat right there."
The man motioned to one of the chairs that was pushed off to the side. There was another chair right next to it that was designated for Kirby, and the two made their way over to sit down.
Only a few moments later, another officer and a woman entered the room. Within another two minutes, everyone was seated comfortably and situated for the questions to begin.
"So, Mrs. Dabney, shall we begin?"
An elderly woman, looked to be in her late sixties, nodded and replied with a simple "yes."
The officer then looked to Liam and Kirby, who both then nodded in acknowledgement.
"Okay, then. You claim to have seen Mrs. Carrington, is that correct?"
"Yes, I saw her."
"Can you describe her to me? And the location?" he asked.
Liam leaned forward in his seat, impatient to hear the woman's answer. She had paused to think over her thoughts, and he grew annoyed at the lengthened silence.
"I was outside of the grocery story, right down the road from here. Y'know, that Walmart that's a few blocks away?"
The officer nodded and scratched some notes down in his notepad as Liam rolled his eyes. If the lady was going to answer each question like this, they'd be there all night.
"So I exited the store and was walking to my car, and I thought my shoes were untied, so I went to tie them, but they were already tied!" She laughed and turned towards Kirby. "Don't get old!"
Kirby chuckled at Mrs. Dabney's exclamation while Liam leaned back in the chair with a huff.
Why can't she get straight to the point?
"Yes, yes, please continue," the police man urged.
"So I got in my car and started to drive home, and as I was passing by the intersection, I saw Miss Fallon walking in the grass along the road."
At this, Liam abruptly sat up.
"Are you sure it was her?" he asked, the words quickly spluttering out of his mouth, not trying to hide his hope-mixed scepticism.
"I am quite positive, Mr. Ridley. She had long, brown hair and the most brilliant shade of blue eyes," Mrs. Dabney described.
Liam nodded, a grin growing on his face.
"She was wearing a white button-down shirt and blue skinny-jeans."
"Does this sound like your wife, Mr. Ridley?" the officer asked, turning to Liam.
"I mean, Fallon does have brown hair and blue eyes, but so does a lot of people. How can we be sure it was her?" he responded. He took a deep breath before continuing; his hope was diminishing. "Plus, when she disappeared, she was last at the hospital, most likely with a hospital gown on. Where did she get new clothes? I guess it's possible that she got her hands on some money and bought some, she's been gone for three months, and-"
"Liam, shut up," Kirby interrupted, cutting off Liam's rambling.
He cleared his throat and nodded.
"Sorry. Please, continue."
Mrs. Dabney chuckled at the man and smiled humorously.
"No worries. But I know what I saw. And what I saw was Fallon Carrington."
"Would you mind pulling up a picture of your wife, Mr. Ridley, so we can see if she's seen the right person?"
"Yeah, of course," he said, pulling out his phone, finding a picture, and then handing it to the officer.
"Is this the woman you saw, Mrs. Dabney?"
The old woman squinted and looked at the picture of Fallon. She took hold of the phone to get a better look, but quickly handed it back, nodding confidently.
"Yes, that was who I saw."
Kirby and Liam looked to each other, large smiles on their faces.
"And did you see where she was headed?" the officer asked, not wasting any time.
A pause of silence filled the air as she thought.
"If my memory serves me right, she was headed south, away from the McDonald's next to the intersection," she stated.
As the police man wrote more notes down, an image of the intersection entered Liam's mind. He traced a path south from the McDonald's and followed the imaginary roads further into his memory. His eyes widened with a newfound hope.
"South of that intersection is the Carrington Manor."
Three heads turned to face him.
"Do you think that was where she was headed?"
"It's possible," said Kirby. "That would make the most sense, but we can't be so sure."
"But what else would she be doing walking next to a busy road in the direction of her home?"
"I mean, she's been gone for a while, maybe she doesn't want to come back just yet."
Liam stared at Kirby as if she had grown two heads.
"If she didn't want to come back, which I can't understand why she wouldn't, why would she walk around so close to home, in the direction of home?"
She shrugged.
"I don't understand why she would, either, but I don't think we should expect much."
Liam leaned over and grabbed the redhead's shoulders, shaking her back and forth.
"It was Fallon, Kirby. She was here, right down the street. And you don't expect much? She's here! Home! In Atlanta! We should most definitely expect much!"
"Alright, alright!" She pulled away from his hard grip. "Well now we have to go see if she's home! What are we waiting for?"
Kirby, with a large wave of excitement, quickly stood up and dashed out of the room. Liam's shocked stare followed after her until she could no longer be seen. He blinked a few times and looked back to the officer.
"I'm sorry, she's my ride. I should catch her before I'm forced to walk home," he said, trying to hide his eagerness to run out of the room as well.
"Oh, yes, yes, go. Keep us updated."
"We will, thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Dabney, for your help!" he called as he exited the room.
"No problem, hunny!" she called back, though Liam was already out of sight.
Liam stumbled out the door, scanning the parking lot for Kirby's car. He hoped she hadn't left without him, and much to his relief, she was only just climbing into the driver's seat.
"Well come on, then!" she shouted across the dark lot. "We've got a Fallon to find!"
Liam ran across the pavement and hurriedly got into the car, impatiently waiting for Kirby to turn the key into ignition. His foot tapped the ground and his finger bounced on his thigh as they sped down the road. Luckily, all of the traffic lights were green when they passed. Unluckily, they didn't seem to be going fast enough for their liking.
In record time, they made it back to the manor. The car wasn't even fully stopped when Liam threw open the door and flew out, racing past the large doors and up the stairs. His heart pounded as he scrambled to his and Fallon's room, calling out her name as he ran. He called her name one last time as he flung the doors open, his voice abruptly cutting off as he nearly fell into the room.
His eyes welled with tears to fill the empty sight of the cold bedroom.
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