Sheriff McDonald was not a superstitious man by any means, but he believed that no lead was too foolish or far-fetched to give careful consideration. Some of the officers under his jurisdiction thought his methods were a little too exact; too nitpicky. His need to research every possibility in even the most minor of crimes around the city bordered on the obsessive. Still, he had built up his reputation as one of the most diligent of sheriffs in the general area, and his men were willing to go the extra mile for him.
But his reputation was firmly shaken after the Kelland case.
Sheldon was perplexed by the whole thing. Most of the people on the force and in the town, for that matter, felt that it was simply the result of a tragic accident. So what if his body was never found? Those mine shafts were deep and dark, and it would have been easy for someone to fall in. Tragic, but completely explainable. Others were convinced that he had run away. It was a well-known fact that his father, Charlie Kelland, had deserted them years ago. Maybe there was a "run away" gene in the males of that family. That was another perfectly logical explanation. This explanation never sat well with Sheldon, though, especially after he met with Janice, Chaney's mother.
Sheldon had dealt with several missing persons cases in his lifetime, and he had met with the family members more times than he wanted to count. Janice was completely different than all the rest. For one thing, she wasn't in shock. She was completely focused and handled everything with a business-like attitude. The first time Sheldon mat with her, in fact, she had invited him to sit down and offered him a drink.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kelland," Sheldon had said, as if an apology would help the situation. "We'll do everything in our power to find your son."
She had smiled, slightly. "Thank you, Sheriff. You should know right off the bat that my Chaney is not dead."
Sheldon remembered being a little taken aback by the confident manner in which she said this.
"Well, ma'am, we're not entirely sure of his whereabouts, but I like to think he's still alive and we will continue the search until we find him."
Janice poured some more lemonade into his glass. She had insisted that they meet out on the porch. It was an unusually warm day for fall, and if it hadn't been for the circumstances, Sheldon would have thought that he and Janice were old friends spending a beautiful indian summer afternoon together. She poured herself a glass as well and sank into her chair. She looked out across the landscape, staring into the woods that had presumably claimed her missing son, sipping thoughtfully. Sheldon couldn't help but notice how beautiful this woman was. She was slender and had almost regal posture. She looked young to have a child of fifteen; her hair was a deep brunette color and had no gray streaks that Sheldon could see, and the only wrinkles on her face were smile lines that showed she was prone to being cheerful.
After taking a few sips from her glass, Janice turned to Sheldon. "You know, this is where Chaney and I always sit. He's a good boy, a wonderful son. His father left when he was seven or so, and since then he's been very protective of me. I know that people think he ran off, but they don't know Chaney. He wouldn't leave me."
"We're looking into every possible scenario, Mrs. Kelland. Now, is it possible that he could have gotten lost in the woods?"
Janice shook her head, chuckling slightly. "You don't know my son, Sheriff. He was practically raised in those woods. He spends most of his free time out there, and he can find his way blindfolded. I promise you, Sheriff, he's out there still. And he's still alive."
Once again, Sheldon was surprised at her confident, almost carefree manner. "Ma'am, I know that you know your son better than anyone else, and that you feel very strongly that he's out there, but you need to be prepared for the scenario that something happened to him, and that he won't be coming home. We're doing everything we can, but I don't want to give you any false hopes."
Janice was silent for a moment, staring intently at Sheldon. "Sheriff McDonald, have you ever known something to be true, even though you have no proof? I don't know what you call it. Intuition, faith, a hunch. It doesn't matter what you call it, but you feel deep down in your soul that something is true. Do you know what I mean?"
Sheldon looked back at his life, particularly his professional career. One of the reasons he was sheriff now was that he had followed his instincts, and they had rarely failed him. He nodded at Janice.
"Then hopefully you'll understand what I mean when I tell you that I know Chaney is alive, and that we'll find him. We just have to keep an open mind. He's out there."
And Sheldon knew she was right.
As soon as he returned to the station, Sheldon jumped with both feet into the case. Search parties combed every inch of the forest. It seemed that every person in the entire city was questioned. Months and months went by without any leads at all, but Sheldon was determined to make headway. He couldn't shake the feeling that Chaney was right under their noses. He just had to look harder.
Every few days, he would check in on Janice, just to make sure she was doing alright. They would sit on the porch together, both confident that soon Chaney would be found and they would be able to give up the exhausting search.
After taking a few sips from her glass, Janice turned to Sheldon. "You know, this is where Chaney and I always sit. He's a good boy, a wonderful son. His father left when he was seven or so, and since then he's been very protective of me. I know that people think he ran off, but they don't know Chaney. He wouldn't leave me."
"We're looking into every possible scenario, Mrs. Kelland. Now, is it possible that he could have gotten lost in the woods?"
Janice shook her head, chuckling slightly. "You don't know my son, Sheriff. He was practically raised in those woods. He spends most of his free time out there, and he can find his way blindfolded. I promise you, Sheriff, he's out there still. And he's still alive."
Once again, Sheldon was surprised at her confident, almost carefree manner. "Ma'am, I know that you know your son better than anyone else, and that you feel very strongly that he's out there, but you need to be prepared for the scenario that something happened to him, and that he won't be coming home. We're doing everything we can, but I don't want to give you any false hopes."
Janice was silent for a moment, staring intently at Sheldon. "Sheriff McDonald, have you ever known something to be true, even though you have no proof? I don't know what you call it. Intuition, faith, a hunch. It doesn't matter what you call it, but you feel deep down in your soul that something is true. Do you know what I mean?"
Sheldon looked back at his life, particularly his professional career. One of the reasons he was sheriff now was that he had followed his instincts, and they had rarely failed him. He nodded at Janice.
"Then hopefully you'll understand what I mean when I tell you that I know Chaney is alive, and that we'll find him. We just have to keep an open mind. He's out there."
And Sheldon knew she was right.
As soon as he returned to the station, Sheldon jumped with both feet into the case. Search parties combed every inch of the forest. It seemed that every person in the entire city was questioned. Months and months went by without any leads at all, but Sheldon was determined to make headway. He couldn't shake the feeling that Chaney was right under their noses. He just had to look harder.
Every few days, he would check in on Janice, just to make sure she was doing alright. They would sit on the porch together, both confident that soon Chaney would be found and they would be able to give up the exhausting search.
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