Chapter 37

…Dickinson POV…

Just as I was about to order another round, I saw Max walking through the door. "Excuse me," I told the young man.

"Alright man" He nodded his head as i made my way to greet Max. "

"Hey man, it's good to see you," I said, shaking his hand.

"You too, how are you holding up?" He said as we moved to a table and sat down.

Who is that guy he said motioning to Henry.

"Oh that's just someone", I made friends here.

"Oh wow, i thought you hardly make friends," he said as he gestured to a waiter to hurry up and attend to him.

"I was drunk that night and we chatted for some time before Jim took me home."

"You were drunk with a stranger?" He asked.

" I don't really make friends though just a select few but he seems like a jolly good fellow. Oh my Max are you jealous?

"No no just surprised," he scoffed.

"He doesn't look like a bad person either." I said as Max turned and looked at Henry who smiled at him. Max nodded at him and turned to me. "So how about Emily, your wife?"he asked.

"She is said to be involved in an accident but her condition is stable." I said.

The waiter came up to our table. He was a tall, thin man with a friendly smile. "Welcome, gentlemen," he said. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"I'll have a coffee," I said.

"Make it two," Max added.

The waiter nodded and made a note on his pad. "And for your entrees?" he asked.

I looked over the menu, trying to decide what to order. Everything sounded delicious, but I finally settled on the chicken piccata.

"I'll have the steak," Max said. "Medium rare, please."

The waiter nodded and made another note on his pad. "I'll have those right out for you," he said, before turning and walking away.

"That's good to hear?" he asked, leaning in.

"I am happy she didn't enter coma"

"You really do still care for her", Max smiled.

"Not that, it's just that she has refused to sign the papers till now and if she was in coma the papers wouldn't be signed for as long she is still in coma and I lack patience", i said, the words heavy on my tongue.

The waiter came to the table with the stake for Max and my chicken piccata.

"I've been trying to move on, but she's making it very difficult." I added as I watched Max five into his stake.

Max shook his head in sympathy. "That's rough, man," he said. "I'm sorry you're going through that." He said with a full mouth his words sounding muffled.

I let out a sigh, feeling the weight of my troubles pressing down on me. "

"Emile is missing too". I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Max's eyes widened in surprise. "Missing? What do you mean?" He said looking up from his plate.

"She disappeared a few days ago after we came down from the plane. She took a taxi and rejected my offer to ride her home. Her phone is switched off and I haven't been able to reach her," I said, my voice trembling with emotion.

I went to her best friend and her mother's house. They both do not have any clues about her whereabouts.

"I've not yet filed a missing person's report, it's just a case of kidnap, but I have not been called. I said as I input my head in my hands.

Max placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "I'm so sorry, Dickinson," he said. "I had no idea you were going through all of this."

I felt a lump form in my throat, and I took a moment to compose myself. "It's just been a lot, you know?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Between Emily, the divorce, and Emile's disappearance, I feel like I'm losing my mind."

Max nodded, understanding the gravity of my situation. "I'm here for you, Dickinson," he said. "Whatever you need, just let me know."

I felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. Max had always been a true friend, and I knew I could always count on him. We spent the rest of the night talking about everything that had happened.

I sat as I leaned on the table, staring into my drink as Max sat down next to me. "Max, we need to file a missing person report for Emile," he said, his voice filled with concern. "It's been three days since she disappeared, and we still haven't heard from her or the kidnappers."

Max shook his head, feeling a sense of despair wash over me. " You can't file a report yet," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "If it's a kidnap, the kidnappers will contact me soon. I can't risk doing anything that might make them angry or harm Emile."

Should I create separate bills or should I put it together he asked.

"No" , I told him.

"You don't have to," he said.

"No I am the host and you are the one who doesn't have to be polite", I forced a smile.

The waiter left to prepare the bill.

Max placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "I understand your concern.

"You know it has been three days, three days is a long time for the kidnappers to not get in touch. If it was just a kidnap, they would have contacted you by now. We need to get the police involved, so they can start searching for Emile." I said I took a deep breath and let out a sigh, feeling the weight of my troubles pressing down on me.

"Ok you know, I might be right," he said.

"I'll file today." I said as my voice trembled with emotion.

"We can go there tomorrow". Hehe said, sipping his drink.

"We can still go there now." I replied.

"Oh if you say so, if you want to go home and calm down but the faster the better" he said.

The waiter came at this moment and handed me the bill, I took out cash and handed it to him. "You can take the remaining money."

"Thank you sir, come back again", he said smiling.

I stood up then turned to the other end of the bar and saw Henry sipping his drink. He was frowning on a call.

I waved at him when he turned to face me then I began to head out with Max. A drunk suddenly ran into me.

Get off I said as I pushed him back and walked out of the bar.

Jim drove us to the police station and we stepped out, the police station was a chaotic scene. There were squad cars and ambulances outside and officers rushing back and forth. We made our way inside, trying to navigate through the sea of people.

"Excuse me, we're here to file a missing person report," I said to the officer at the front desk.

The officer, who looked overwhelmed with work, nodded and handed us some forms to fill out. "Take a seat over there and fill these out," he said, pointing to a row of chairs against the wall. "Someone will be with you shortly."

Max and I sat down and filled out the forms, providing all the information we had on Emile. Her name, age, physical description, last known location, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

After we finished the paperwork, we waited patiently for someone to come and speak with us. But as the minutes ticked by, it became clear that we were not going to be seen anytime soon. The station was too busy with other cases, and the officers were stretched thin.

"What do we do now?" Max asked, frustration creeping into his voice. "We can't just sit here and wait."

"I know," I said, feeling a sense of despair wash over me. "But it's out of our hands now. All we can do is wait and hope that they find her."

Just as I finished my sentence, we saw an officer walk by and Max stood up and walked up to him.

"Excuse me, officer," Max said, catching the officer's attention. "We've been waiting here for a while to file a missing person report, is there any chance we could speak with the officer in charge? We have an important situation of a missing person.

The officer looked at us sympathetically, "I understand your urgency, but as you can see we are swamped with cases. The officer in charge is currently unavailable, but I assure you that your report will be looked at and given priority. I suggest you leave your contact information with us, in case we need more information or have any updates for you."

I felt a sense of disappointment wash over me. I had hoped that by coming to the police station, we would be able to get some answers and take action. But it seemed that all we could do now was wait.

"I understand," I said, trying to keep my frustration in check. "We'll leave our contact information and wait for updates."

Max and I left our contact information with the officer and walked out of the station. As we stepped out into the bright sunlight, I couldn't shake off the feeling of helplessness. All we could do now was hope and pray that Emile would be found safe and sound.