Part 20 (1/2)
Tia grabbed the hat. ”Well, then, why is it here?” There was a faint sound of hope in her voice. ”Does that mean she didn't go?”
”I don't know,” Tony sighed.
”Either she went and didn't wear the hat,” Shari said. ”Or she didn't go at all.”
”Then where is she?” Tia cried out.
Tony placed his wife's hand in his own, and then extended his other hand toward Tia. ”Let's pray,” he said.
Shari held Tia's hand firmly in her own as they lowered their heads and Tony began to pray.
”Father, in the name of Jesus we come to You.”
”Yes, Lord,” Shari whispered.
”Have mercy, Lord. Let Your grace be with Serenity right now, Father, and keep her safe from all harm wherever she is. Give Tia strength, Lord,” Tony squeezed her hand harder, ”strength to make it through this situation. You said we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us, Lord. And because you said it, we believe it.”
”Yes, Lord,” Tia said through her tears, ”I believe.”
”So let it be done,” Tony continued. ”In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.”
”Amen,” Shari and Tia whispered in agreement.
Shari raised her hand and wiped the tears away from Tia's face. ”Remember, G.o.d is in control,” she said.
”I know,” Tia sniffed. ”But where is Serenity?”
Chapter Thirty-nine.
Twenty minutes later, two female police officers arrived at Tia's house. She opened the door and immediately pointed to where Homer lived before noticing a squad car was already parked in front of his house.
”Ma'am, you called about your missing daughter?” one of the officers asked.
”Yes, yes,” Tia said continuing to point toward Homer's house. ”He knows something.”
”How long has she been missing?” the officer asked.
”Well, I dropped her back off at home,” Tia said wringing her hands, ”and then I went to work. That was around two o'clock. She called me at work a few hours later to tell me her father had fallen and n.o.body's seen her since.”
”We were out looking for her,” Tony said, ”but obviously we didn't find her.”
”And how are you two related to Mrs. Sparks?”
”We're her friends,” Shari said, ”and we also live in the last house next to Homer's.”
”Did either of you see anything suspicious going on over there?”
”Well, it's like my husband told you,” Shari said, ”we were out looking for Serenity.”
”But we did find her hat here at home,” Tony added.
The officer looked at the hat. ”What's the significance of the hat?”
”My daughter said she was supposed to wear this hat when she went to meet a boy she met online.”
The officer addressed her next question to Tia. ”I thought you said your neighbor might have something to do with your daughter's disappearance.”
”That's what he implied,” she said with a worried look on her face.
”But it's possible your daughter might have gone to meet someone else?”
Tia placed both of her hands on the side of her head. She shook her head violently from side to side. ”I don't know. I don't know.”
”What time did you get home, ma'am?” the police officer asked Tia.
”A little after eight o'clock,” she answered.
”So pretty much no one's seen your daughter or heard from her in about six hours. Would you say that's about right?”
”Yes,” Tia answered. ”Yes.”
”What was she wearing?”
Tia thought back to the rush she'd been in to get to work. ”I don't know.” She became distraught again. ”I can't remember.”
”Didn't you take her to that audition after church?” Shari asked.
”That's right,” Tia perked up. ”I did. And she had on a black chiffon dress with a white lace trim.” Suddenly, her shoulders slumped. ”But I doubt she kept that on because it got torn when she fell.”
”She fell?” Shari asked.
Tia remembered the exact moment when Serenity had tumbled off the makes.h.i.+ft runway. She remembered the look of total devastation on Serenity's face as she'd gotten back up and hobbled to the other end. As hard as she'd tried not to, Tia could also remember the look of dissatisfaction she'd worn on her face as she'd watched Serenity fall. ”Yes,” Tia said sadly. ”She fell.”
”She must have been pretty upset about that, huh?” the police officer asked as she continued taking notes.
”She was,” Tia said, feeling convicted by the fact that she'd done little to console Serenity before she'd rushed out of the house to get to work.
”Do you think she might have run away?”
Tia looked at the officer. ”Of course not,” she said enraged by the question. ”I just told the lady on the phone that my neighbor called saying he knew something about my daughter! Why would I think she ran away?”
”Try to stay calm, Tia,” Shari said, patting her knee. ”They're just trying to get all the information they need.”
”All the information they need,” Tia said, her anxiety escalating, ”is right down the street.”