“Not that,” Nick said, obviously attuned to what he was thinking. “He hasn’t been at school all week, he’s not answering his phone, and I can’t even contact his parents. I even went over to their house, but no one was home.” There was an odd look on his son’s face, one he couldn’t read, and something about that left Kyle feeling unsettled.

“It could be a coincidence. You called at the wrong time. Or maybe his mom or dad had a family emergency. One of his grandparents could have had a stroke or died, and the whole family had to—”

“I think they might be missing.”

He could tell from the look on Nick’s face that it sounded shocking even to him when spoken aloud, but he could tell as well that his son believed it, and that conviction set off alarm bells in his own head. “Do you want me to call the sheriff?”

Nick shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I don’t know. I mean there’s no…” He took a deep breath. “I was thinking maybe you could come over to their house with me and…see what you think. I mean, maybe they’re there,” he added quickly, “and I’m just overreacting. But maybe…if you think…”

“We call the sheriff?”

Nick nodded unhappily.

Kyle walked around the counter and touched his son’s shoulder. “Come on,” he said kindly. “Let’s check it out.”

He locked up the store, flipped the sign from Open to Closed, and the two of them exited out the back, where Kyle had parked his truck. “You didn’t ride your bike?” he asked Nick.

“Walked.”

“Long walk.”

Nick shrugged.

They got in the pickup’s cab, and, following his son’s directions, Kyle drove to the Clarks’ house.

He had a bad feeling as he pulled into the driveway. The family’s Explorer was parked in front of the garage, and Nick informed him soberly that the vehicle had been in the same spot, unmoving, for nearly a week. Getting out, the entire neighborhood seemed quiet and abandoned. Granted, it was the middle of the afternoon, and most people were probably at work, but there were not even any dogs barking. The two of them walked up the steps of the front porch, Kyle intending to ring the bell or knock on the door to see if anyone was home.

His cell phone rang.

“Don’t answer it!” Nick said quickly. There was an edge of panic in his voice, and when Kyle looked over at his son, the boy’s face was ashen.

“What is it?”

“Don’t answer the phone!” Nick looked quickly around. “You know what? Maybe we should get out of here.”

The phone stopped ringing, going to voicemail. “Hold on, bud. Why are you panicking about a phone call?”