The World More Full of Weeping Read Free

run
through him, a nervous certainty that he was not alone.
    â€œHello?” he called, his voice barely raised, as he glanced
around the clearing. There was no one there.
    A light breeze rustled in the branches around the still
pond.
    He felt someone’s eyes upon him.
    â€œDad?” he called, rising slowly to his feet. The sample
spoon dangled limply by his side.
    â€œHello?”
    He turned in a slow circle, taking in all of the clearing as
he thought of the stories in the books he had read. Stories
about bear attacks, and what would happen if a wolf pack
got you. Or worse. The stories of crazy people who took
little boys like him out to the woods where no one would
hear them —
    â€œHello?” he called again, his voice cracking. “Is anybody
there?”
    â€œI’m here,” came a soft voice from the tree line behind
him. A girl’s voice.
    He turned quickly, almost losing his balance.
    She stepped from the path into the clearing without a
sound. “I’m sorry,” she said, raising her hand in a half-wave.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Carly.”
    As she stepped toward him, she smiled.

    You never really get a look at your own life , Jeff Page thought, until you’re showing it to someone else.
    Dean Owens was the first of the Search and Rescue to
arrive, parking his truck under the cedar tree at the side of
the driveway. As he climbed out of the cab, he straightened
his ball cap and grabbed a metal clipboard.
    Jeff nodded as he approached. “Thanks for getting here
so fast.”
    â€œI was on duty. The rest of the crew should be along
pretty quick. How you holdin’ up?”
    Jeff glanced over at Diane. His wife — ex-wife , he
reminded himself — stared at the edge of the woods like she
could will Brian to reappear. Her arms were folded tightly
across her chest, her jacket zipped to her throat against
a chill that wasn’t coming from outside. “We’re pretty
worried. It’s gonna be getting dark soon.”
    â€œOkay,” Dean said. “Let’s get this out of the way.” He
opened the metal folio and clicked a pen to start.
    As they ran through Brian’s distinguishing characteristics, Diane drifted soundlessly, wordlessly toward them.
    â€œAnd when did you last see him?”
    â€œMaybe eleven this morning. I was working.”
    â€œAnd you’re sure he went off into the woods?”
    Jeff nodded.
    â€œAnd you’ve checked with all of his friends? Maybe he’s
over at one of their places.”
    Jeff glanced at Diana. “He doesn’t . . . he’s pretty much
a loner. He’s mentioned a girl, Carly, a few times, but I don’t
know her last name.”
    â€œWe’ll look into it,” Dean said, making a note. “Did you
have a fight or argument recently?”
    Jeff was startled by the question. “Why? What does
that — ” He glanced at Diana, who was staring at him.
    â€œWe’re just trying to determine if maybe he ran away.
Maybe there was a fight, or some punishment . . .”
    â€œBrian wouldn’t run away,” Diane said. Her first words
in more than half an hour were calm, but there was an edge
of fear under them.
    Dean looked at her. “You’d be surprised at the number
of kids we end up rescuing from the video store or the
arcade in town ’cause they were pissed off at their parents.
Husbands and wives, too,” he added, looking between them
and trying to lighten the mood.
    â€œThere was a fight,” Jeff said quietly. “This morning.
Brian didn’t — he asked if he had to go to his mom’s place
in Vancouver this week. He wanted to stay home.” He
avoided looking at Diane as he recounted their breakfast
conversation, but he could feel the force of her stare.
    â€œIs that it?” Dean asked. “He just didn’t want to go on
vacation in the city?”
    â€œNo,” Diane said