Episode 07

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A screeching, buzzing noise woke him. Ash blinked away the dream he had been in the middle of. The sound was unfamiliar, and it took him several moments to realize it was Cascadia's alarm clock, and several moments more that why he was hearing it was because he was still in her apartment.

Stumbling to her bed, he turned it off. It was too early for his tastes, but early enough for him to have plenty of time in the day to continue with his search. He patted his pockets for his phone before remembering it was still charging in his apartment, and he said a prayer of gratitude that he had remembered to plug it in the night before.

After being disappointed at the lack of new communication, the first thing he wanted to do was breakfast, but the thing he ended up doing was making a phone call.

"Hi, Jack, it's Ash… Sorry for the short notice, but I can't come in today, at all… Yeah, it's an emergency, but I'm fine… I don't really know when I'll be back, sorry… I'll keep you posted… Thanks, talk to you later."

Back at the kitchen corner, he assembled a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, doing the math on the remaining eggs and realizing that he didn't have to multiply by two for this meal. The absence at the table was conspicuous and painful. No one was getting ready for class or wondering where they had left the printout for their assignment. Nobody thanked him for the fried eggs or confirmed schedules for meeting up later. He felt an acute loneliness, and considered Gabrielle's earlier offer to chat, but he didn't have her schedule.

After breakfast, he went back next door, since it was past lunchtime on the other side of the ocean. He didn't want to wait much longer. He looked up the number on his cell phone, but dialed the landline handset that was intended for this very purpose, making sure to get the extra digits in the area code right.

The call connected on the third ring. "Hello?" The man's voice sounded far away, because it actually was.

"Hi Aidan, it's Ash."

"Ash, how are you? Good morning, right?" Ash had always wondered how two Irish nationals with definite brogues had managed to raise two children who sounded just as American as he did. Probably school and television.

"Yeah, that's right. Good afternoon to you." He hoped it was for him, since it certainly wasn't a good morning so far.

"Thank you, what are you up to this day?"

"Well…" He wasn't sure how even to begin. "It's about Cascadia."

"I guessed, since she's usually the one to call. Is she alright?"

Ash breathed more easily than he had in any of his previous conversations about this topic. "No, she's not. She's missing. I haven't seen her since yesterday morning."

There was a brief silence while Aidan registered this. "That's not good."

Ash couldn't help an ember of a smile at Aidan and Gayle's similar reactions to the situation. "No, it isn't." He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, and told Aidan the entire story so far, everything he could remember. Ash envisioned Aidan nodding slowly like he did when he processed information, and wished he didn't live across the ocean. He could have used some help right then.

"I see…" Aidan said, after Ash was done. "So… you said the campus security officer told you there had been a failure in the camera system?"

"Yeah, that's what he said."

There was another pause on the line, and when Aidan spoke again, his voice was quieter. "Do you think there could be foul play involved?"

And there it was. The question that had been dogging him since yesterday afternoon. The one he couldn't have brought up with Óscar Mario, Gabrielle, or Gayle, only with another person who knew Cascadia as thoroughly as he did.

"I don't know," he said. "I haven't ruled it out yet. We've been really careful, though. There haven't been any incidents since the swimming pool a few years ago. I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, no unmarked vans following us or anything, but… I just don't know."

"I see."

Ash sighed. "So, I wanted to call you first, and see if you knew when a good time to call your folks would be."

He heard Aidan shift around in his chair. "Oh, don't worry about that, I can talk to them. They'll feel much better that… well, I suppose they won't feel good about this at all, but… it'll be easier news for them when I say she's gone missing, but you're on the case, as it were."

Ash felt his fire brighten a little. "Yeah, I'm doing whatever I can to find her."

"I know you are, brother. Mom and Dad do too. I don't know if I ever told you, but one of the reasons they were so willing to let Cascadia stay in the States and not study here instead was because you'd be there with her."

Now his fire practically roared. He could feel it in his face, the powerful emotions that burned forth. Courage, honor, and most of all, determination. "Oh," was all he could manage.

"Clearly I never did," Aidan said. "But, it's true." He exhaled audibly. "Alright then, what can I do to help?"

Ash frowned. "I'm not really sure yet. I need to file a missing person report, but after that, I don't know what to do next."

"Hmm, I could call around to the local hospitals to see if she's been admitted there."

"Okay, that sounds good…" Ash and Aidan formulated a plan, who would call where and when. Ash would handle the tasks 'on the ground,' as Aidan had termed it, such as the police reports and asking around the neighborhood, as well as posting fliers in places she was known to frequent; her favorite bookstores and restaurants. His previous fear of facing the Dewlenser family had completely burned away, especially after discovering he actually had their approval.

Their planning concluded, the conversation came to a close as well. "Thanks Aidan, for all your help. I know this has gotta be hard for you."

"Yes, well, it is," Aidan said. "But honestly, I'd prepared for it some time ago. God knew what He was doing when He gave her her gifts, and yours as well, right?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

"We just have to trust that He'll help us get through this." Aidan's chair creaked again. "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," he said. Ash swapped the phone to his left hand to make his own Sign of the Cross. Aidan continued: "Dear Lord, we trust that You will not put any obstacle in front of us that we cannot overcome. Your grace is sufficient for us. Please protect my sister and guide Ash on his path to find and protect her too. In Jesus' name we pray…"

"Amen," they said at once.

"I'm sorry Ash," Aidan said, "I know this can't be easy for you either. Call me anytime, alright? Oh, and you know where she keeps the emergency credit card, right?"

"Yeah, I know where it is. Thanks Aidan." It felt much better to be fully honest at last. "And I'm sorry too, I mean, sorry for you. I know this wasn't the surprise phone call you wanted today."

Aidan laughed a little. That was a good sign. "Yes, you could definitely say that."

Ash sighed. "I'll check in later today, after I get some fliers put up."

"I'll be praying for you, Ash," Aidan said. "Keep burning, brother."

"Thanks," Ash said again. "I'll pray for you and your parents too. Talk to you later."

He ended the call, then set the handset back in its cradle. It felt like a much greater weight than it actually was.

Ash sat back down at the computer, initiating the modem's cacophony of connection once again while he went to refill his coffee. He went over both of their email accounts again, then looked up the phone numbers for the one hospital and the homeless shelters they had agreed he'd contact. As he suspected, the police department in their district required reports to be filed in person, so he added that to his list for the day. With phone calls, police stations, and posting fliers, he knew he would be spending most of the day just on the bus.

He got down the landline phone again, wanting to conserve his cell battery as much as possible.

"…Good morning, I'm trying to find someone who might have been admitted as a patient, her name is Cascadia Dewlenser…"

"…She just turned twenty-four, she has really long, light red hair, usually in a braid, and blue eyes, she's about five foot six…"

"…Her occupation is, university student…"

"…She was wearing a blue hoodie, and a long skirt, down to her ankles…"

None of the helpful or unhelpful people at the other end of the phone had anything to offer him. As he hung up with the last women's shelter, he noticed a new voicemail on his cell phone. It must have rung during his last bathroom break, and he felt a little better that he hadn't been obsessively checking it every few seconds.

Hello Ash, this is Gabrielle, we spoke yesterday. I wish I could be the bearer of good news, but unfortunately Cascadia was not in the class that we share this morning. I inquired of others who know her and none of them have heard from, or seen her either. So, I just wanted to let you know. Please call me anytime. Peace be with you.

Ash ended the call slowly. Her news wasn't surprising, but still disappointing. He texted a reply to Gabrielle's number, but stopped. He didn't even know if that was a thing she could do.

Posting fliers required having fliers to post. He remembered there was a print shop in the same complex as the movie theater and Grace's, but didn't want to think about how much that would cost. Aidan had offered the special credit card, but he wasn't about to use it for anything short of having to pay her rent at the end of the month. Instead, he got creative and drew something up himself, making copies using Cascadia's multi-purpose printer. She had plenty of color ink; she only used black to print out her assignments before turning them in.

He tried texting with Óscar Mario to have some form of company, but he didn't have any time to chat until his lunch break. After hunting through the photo albums on her bookcase for a recent picture, he gently taped it to the middle of the paper and set it down on the scanner glass. He wasn't sure how many to make at first, so he decided to just use up the ink and start there.

By now it was late morning, and he got tired of watching the machine noisily duplicate his home-made plea for information. He called Gabrielle back to thank her for her earlier update, but got her voicemail in return. Her greeting message consisted of her singing a song with a barking seeing-eye dog for accompaniment, and he was once again struck by her simple zeal. He studied his own hands, smooth and brown, not scarred and gnarled as they should have been after handling as many hot things as he had in his life. Could he ever feel as joyful over the gift God had given him as she did?

After a while, the printer ceased to fulfill its purpose in life, and he gathered up the copies, only smearing the ink on a few. Next, inserting each one into a clear plastic sheet protector. After completing this task, though, he realized he didn't have one of those large staple guns to nail them to telephone poles. Time for a trip to the hardware store.

Backpack full of sleeved fliers, sandwiches, and bus maps, Ash set out at last. While crossing the plaza to the bus stop, he realized he had forgotten to add one of the most important stops to his list, and to put it on the top where it belonged.

The chapel was emptier than usual, the only other faithful being an older gentleman near the front who might have been asleep. Ash walked to the very front pew and knelt down in front of the golden, ornate tabernacle. Ash prayed to God harder than he had in quite some time, asking again for the guidance he needed to find Cascadia, and to do whatever was needed to get her home safely. He prayed for Aidan and their parents also, that they would have God's help with the fear they were undoubtedly working through right now. But apparently, Cascadia's parents trusted him enough to leave their only daughter in another country under his care. Under his protection. He gazed up at the crucifix as that reality settled over him. He was Cascadia's protector. The thought crossed his mind again, the question Aidan had asked him. He didn't want to believe any kind of adversarial force was involved, but every hour that passed without any sign of her definitely made it seem like someone was working against them.

After all, a protector had something to guard, and something else to guard against.

On the bus ride to the police station, Aidan texted his update; no luck at any of the institutions he had called, either. Ash was in the middle of composing a reply when he received a call from an unfamiliar number. He answered it without thinking.

"Hello?"

"Howdy Ash, it's Gayle." He could hear the bustle of the diner in the background.

"Oh, hi Gayle." His disappointment that it wasn't Cascadia at a payphone rebounded into hopefulness that Gayle might have good news.

"Sorry I cain't talk long, it's real busy here. I wanted to call you right away though, as soon as I had news."

"About Cascadia?" He found himself fidgeting in his seat.

"Yeah, that's right. I know someone you should talk to. They're real good people, you won't regret goin' to see her."¹

"Okay…"

"I'd go with you, but I cain't get away right now. Just go to the big library downtown and find Azalea. She's wearin' a hat with a frog on it, you cain't miss her."

"Azalea's a person?"

"Sure is, but like I said, I cain't talk. Trust me, you need to go. See you later." And she hung up.

Ash kept the phone at his ear for a few moments. It wasn't quite the good news he had been expecting, but it was better than nothing at all. Her words resonated with him; her request to trust her. While he saved her name with her number in his cell phone, he reflected on this, and prayed about it as well. As the bus continued toward the downtown precinct, he decided he did. It wasn't just the desperation and the willingness to pursue any path to find Cascadia. When it came down to it, he knew in his heart Gayle wanted to help, and wouldn't have called him if she didn't think whatever this was would be worthwhile.

At the bottom of his list he added: 'Downtown library- Azaylea?' He frowned at the last word, unsure if he had spelled it right,² then finished responding to Aidan. He had already found a lead, and would let him know how it turned out.

The police station was crowded and busy, with delinquents and homeless people sharing the space with actual criminals. Ash was grateful he was not part of the last category any more as he waited for his number to be called. He mused further that he'd belonged to each of those three groups at some point in his life.

The lady behind the desk looked like a kind mother, with straight black hair pinned away from her face. He answered all her questions as best as he could; name, date of birth, other basic information. Her address was only two numbers less than his, yes, they lived in the same apartment complex, in fact they were next-door neighbors. They had known each other for over ten years, all of her family members were overseas. For the question about any current or past relationships, he confidently answered none. He let her make a copy of Cascadia's school schedule he had brought along, as it had her student ID and a few other details which might be of interest.

And then he was done. She gave him a copy of the paperwork, highlighting the phone number to call if he learned any more information that might be helpful to the authorities. Out on the sidewalk, watching the busy downtown traffic, he consulted his list of what to do next. He wasn't quite hungry enough to stop for lunch; there was a department store a few blocks over that might sell staple guns, although he was planning to only post them around their apartment building, and as he turned around to face the other corner of the block, he felt the grace of God standing tall and firm in front of him. A quiet, yet confident peace.

He could see the front steps of the downtown library from where he stood.

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1. This is intentional, ‘good people’ is both the plural and the singular form

2. Looks like he needs that dictionary more than she does