Missing Without A Trace by Tanya Rider Read Free Book Online

desperate to reach it. Panic overtakes reason. I can’t reach it! I have to reach it! God, please let me reach it! “Tom!” I scream. “Tom, I’m here!” The phone stops. I cuss and yell and tap my foot on the floorboard. Oh, my God! Tom, I’m here! I want to hear his voice of reassurance! I want to call 911! I want help!
    I think about my dog, Lady, who has comforted me countless times in the past. Lady is such a good friend and she means so much to me. Where is Lady? Lady, are you with me? I love you, Lady
.
    I am hungry and thirsty. What’s the last thing I ate or drank? I know! I got off work in the morning and stopped at Whole Foods. I felt so gross, after working all night at my dirty job. What did I buy? I usually trust whatever my body’s craving and buy something to have later because I’d usually need to go to sleep when I got home. I’m sure I got a bottle of water, which is always my first priority. Since we’re building our house, we don’t have a fridge so, whenever I stop at Whole Foods, I’d usually get pancakes, make a salad in the deli, or sprinkle cheese on scrambled eggs…
    I am so hungry, I feel weak. I don’t understand why I can’t have some eggs and a bottle of water. My lips are cracking and I am tired. I feel blurry
.
    I need help! I realize that I need to call for help. I reach through the steering wheel and pick up my phone from the dashboard. I call 911
.
    “911,” she says. “What is your emergency?
”
    “
I went off the road and I need help!
”
    “
That’s stupid!” says the dispatcher, laughing at me before she hangs up
.
    I am so mad! I can’t believe it. I want to tell Tom, so I call him
.
    “
Hey,” he answers. He sounds happy and casual
.
    “
What the hell, Tom?” I yell at him, furious
.
    “
What do you mean?” he asks
.
    “
Why are you taking so long to come and get me?
”
    He doesn’t answer. The line goes dead. In an instant, the phone rings
.
    The phone! Where is my phone? I see the blue light, over there. I try, but I cannot reach it. I am pinned in my seat and I cannot reach my cell phone. I claw at the seatbelt until my fingertips are raw and burning, then I pound on the window and yell. Finally, I am tired. I let my eyes close
.
    “Hi, Lady!” I say. She looks startled but then she smiles at me. She has a cute smile and her teeth are white. Her tongue is hanging out and it glistens with wet saliva. I look out my window, where there’s just a bramble of bushes, but I see a reflection of Lady on the window. I realize that she’s sitting in the other seat, looking out the front window at the scenery, and then she turns her head in front of me and smiles again. “Aw, Lady,” I say, reaching for her. “You’re always right here!
”
    I am cold. The night is cold and I shiver. It is harder to rest at night because the animal sounds scare me. My adrenaline flows and, besides, it is cold. I am wide-eyed, staring into darkness. I hear the brush rustle, as a critter moves through the darkness. Maybe it’s a squirrel. Or a rat. What if it’s a raccoon? They are mean, so I hope it is not a raccoon. A car passes on the road and the red of their tail lights flashes in the night above me as the animal scurries away. I reach for the clasp and try again
.
    Forest animals make a lot of noise at dawn. A large bird lands on the hood of my bright blue SUV. Sideways, I see his head, his beak. His head is white with a little black streak. I don’t see the rest of him but I know that he is a bald eagle. He looks at me with yellow-green eyes and is very interested in me. I’ve never been so close to a bald eagle. He stays with me. His skinny legs try to keep their grip on the hood of my car. Now, he seems more interested in getting off the hood, and he is not looking at me. He’s looking down, in front of the car. He is focusing on what’s below and thinking about going. Why does he get to hop off the hood? I’m glad that he doesn’t. He stays with me. I