Chapter Seven
1212 Words
Jack
As my second knock on the door went unanswered, a wave of panic washed over me.
What if Lola's mother hadn't been home when I left her here earlier?
She could be lying somewhere inside the house unconscious and in need of help.
I cursed myself for not insisting that I walk her inside.
I would have never left her on her own if I had known.
Not knowing what else to do, I tried the handle on the front door, hoping it would be unlocked.
To my frustration, though, it wasn't.
I stepped off the front porch and made my way to a window at the side.
If I could see Lola inside and needing help, I would break the door down to get to her. I am sure her mother would understand when she came home.
I bent down and put my head right up to the glass to get a clearer view of the inside.
I couldn't see Lola anywhere, and nothing seemed to be out of place. That didn't mean she wasn't hurt, though. She could be upstairs or in the bathroom.
" Who are you?"
I heard a voice call out from behind me.
Stepping back from the window, I turned to see a man standing at the end of the drive on the sidewalk with a small dog on a lead.
" I'm a friend of Lola's from school. I just came by to drop some things off for her."
" Lola?" He looked puzzled for a moment.
" Oh, you mean the young girl who cleans for the Bensons. Right, well, you won't find her there this week. They are away."
Now, it was my turn to be confused.
" She doesn't live here?" I asked the man as I walked towards him.
" No, just helps out. I see her a few times a week. I live next door."
" Do you know where I can find her?"
" Afraid not. I haven't spoken to her much. She's a quiet girl."
" Thanks anyway."
I shook the man's hand and walked back towards my car.
" If you happen to see her, can you let her know that Jack was here looking for her?"
" Will do, but like I said, the Bensons are away this week. Won't be home for a few more days."
I nodded, and the man carried on walking up the sidewalk with his little dog trotting happily on the end of its lead.
Once I was back inside my car, my head began to spin. I just couldn't make sense of it all. Why on earth would Lola lie about where she lived?
The only reason I could come up with was that she didn't trust me enough to tell me where she lived.
Maybe she thought I would tell my brother and Ruby, and they would go looking for her at home.
Whatever the reason, I was now even more worried about her. She had obviously walked from this house to her own in the state she was in and who knew how far that was from here.
I decided to drive home and see if Drew could do some digging for me. He did run a security business after all. Part of it also involved finding people who didn't want to be found. I'm sure he could track Lola down easily enough. I did consider driving around for a bit just in case I could find her somewhere, but I didn't have any idea which direction she had gone.
So I drove home and made my way straight to Drew's office.
I didn't know if he would be in the middle of a meeting or a phone call, so I knocked and waited for a response.
The door opened not long after by my mother and she beamed when she saw me.
" Jack! Come in. How was school?" She asked as she pulled me into a hug.
I hugged her back and gave her a peck on the cheek before I stepped past her into the office.
" Honestly, not great." I sighed as I sat down on the leather sofa at the side of the room.
" Why what's happened? Has Jacob been pulled into another detention?" She asked.
" No. He hasn't done anything."
I had decided before I got here that I would leave his and Ruby's names out of this.
We were both already annoyed enough with each other. He would be furious if he thought I had gone to our parents telling tales on them both.
Mum and Drew knew he was seeing Ruby, but they had no idea what she was really like. They hadn't even met her yet, and I was sure they would dislike her if they did.
I wondered if that was why Jacob hadn't brought her over yet. He always went to hers or a friend's with her.
" So if it's not Jacob getting into trouble, what's wrong?" Drew asked me from behind his desk.
" A girl at school got hurt today, and she didn't want the nurse fussing over her, so I offered to take her home. I drove her home and wanted to walk her in and make sure she was OK, but she was worried her mother might not approve of some random boy coming home with her.
I left her after she went inside."
" Such a caring boy." My mother beamed at me.
" I went back after school to see how she was, and the house was all locked up. I was worried she was hurt until a neighbour informed me she didn’t live there. It's just a couple she cleans for a few times a week."
Mum and Drew looked at each other now as confused as I had been.
" Why would she lie?" My mother asked me.
" I don't know." I shrugged.
" But I was wondering if you might be able to find out where she lives?" I looked at Drew hopefully.
" I probably could, but you have to ask yourself why she didn't tell you her real address. Maybe she doesn't want you to know."
" It might be best to respect her privacy," my mother agreed.
" But I am just worried about her. I need to know she is OK. At the very least, could you get me her number so I can call her?"
I pleaded with them both.
" I suppose so. What's her name?"
" Lola."
" Surname?"
I don't know, sorry."
" Anything else that might help me?"
" She cleans for a couple by the name of Benson. They live in Oakford Lane."
" It's not much to go on, but leave it with me."
" Thank you, Drew."
I gave them both a hug before I left the office.
I went to the kitchen and grabbed a quick snack, I had missed out on much of my work today and needed to try and get some homework done to make up for it.
I headed up to my room and opened a history book.
I said a silent prayer to the moon goddess before I started reading.
Please let Lola be ok.
- Writer
