Discretion by David Balzarini Read Free Book Online Page A

idea how I’ll survive this. Or worse, that I will survive and Natalie will be gone forever, without explanation, and living on without her—it would be like losing Chelsie all over again. And that I cannot take.
    Two heavy-duty lights shine in our direction and we stand at attention as a boat pulls beside ours. Two uniformed officers stand at the head of the boat. One of the officers begins interacting with my father and steps aboard. A second officer looks around, his heavy Mag light hard at work on the surface, and then he makes a beeline for me.
    The officer asks for the missing person’s name, description, home address, and phone numbers. He gets my information second and disappears as fast as he came, without a word otherwise. I get the sense he knows all the information already, and is following procedure. I wish Natalie hadn’t left her cell at home.
    A deputy barks instructions into a handheld device while stepping to their boat, and pulls away. My father sits, looking off into space, and then begins to twiddle his thumbs—something I’ve never seen him do before.
    “Dad? You okay?”
    “She’ll turn up, son. Don’t worry.”
    “I’m glad you’re sure.”
    Then he says, “Two other kids went missing today and both were found. This sort of thing happens and the deputies know what to do.” He pauses a moment and exhales like he’s composing himself. “Maybe it was a good idea Marc called them.”
    A good idea? Nausea comes on, and I feel the need to lie on the floor for a while. To be on dry land. Because I know, and suspect my father does, too, that Natalie is gone for good. For the first time in years, I am deeply afraid of the future.

SEVEN
    W ith my father for company, the sheriff and his deputy, the right-hand man, Reed, question me about Natalie. Her father feels the need to be included, believing he has special clout as a politician.
    The sheriff denies the request and Marc takes it personally. My father and I become his immediate targets.
    “She’s been gone now…for what…five hours?” Marc Merian asks the deputy, who stands by to keep the peace.
    “Four hours and thirty-seven minutes,” Deputy Reed says.
    All two hundred pounds of Marc sits, slouched forward on a bench; his hands hold the sides of his scruffy face. He sighs loudly, close to how I feel. The seating outside the sheriff’s office is tight for Marc and Allison Merian, Natalie’s bewildered parents, and my father and I. Allison has a composed look about her; her face is expressionless and her hands are folded in her lap. She makes little movement. She is a cheerful person, a treat to be around—this is a somber contrast, but she’s not apoplectic, as I prepared for. Natalie is all she has—an only child.
    “I feel helpless and…can’t imagine how Natalie is,” Marc says.
    “She’s probably passed out on a friend’s boat somewhere, unaware that anyone is looking for her,” my father offers. “She took off with friends and forgot about us and didn’t think about it.”
    Marc glares back. I’m happy there’s distance between them and the deputy stands by.
    “Are you still insisting that Natalie is irresponsible? My daughter wouldn’t do that. She would’ve informed you if she were leaving,” Marc says. The anger in his voice shows his feelings better than words.
    “She’s sixteen…”
    “Enough, both of you. This isn’t helping,” the deputy says, taking charge.
    Marc’s disdain for my father is clear. No doubt he wishes he hadn’t allowed his only daughter go on the lake today. He probably wishes Natalie never met me.
    The Merians are special people, like Jamal’s parents. The strain of Natalie missing drives a rusty nail into the relationship—one that will be painful to remove and leave a scar.
    “What are we waiting for?” Marc asks no one in particular.
    The deputy says, “We’re waiting to hear back from several contacts. It’s a holiday. No telling how long it will take. The lake,