The wheels of Jack's truck protested loudly as they came to a halt in the parking lot of the Steeplechase Academy. He had barreled down the Pass at a dangerous speed, not slowing until he had reached the school. Jack jumped out of the cab of his truck, not bothering to take the keys out of the ignition or close the door as he ran full speed towards the front entrance of the school. Wild-eyed and determined, Jack raced up the marble steps to the second floor, completely bypassing the main office. The second floor hallway outside of room 219 was crowded with students. Jack nudged his way through the sea of scarlet and gray uniforms until he reached the door.
"Why are you all standing out here?" he asked of a blond haired boy standing nearest to the door.
"Door’s locked. Teacher never came to school,” said Shawn Trafford.
Jack saw faces he recognized, including Cole who was leaning quietly against the wall opposite the door. Jack approached Cole, his temper beginning to overflow into every word he spoke. "Have you heard from Tristan?"
Cole, looking taken aback, replied, "No, I just assumed she was sick today... what's happened?"
"I'll let you know when I know," Jack said coolly.
He turned around and looked at the door again. “Locked,” he remembered hearing the blond boy say. If there was a chance that Tristan or Kendricks was inside, he needed to know. In an instant triggered by fear and adrenaline, Jack hurtled himself towards the door, the full weight of his body crashing against the wooden frame. The door cracked under the pressure. With the full force of his kick, Jack began chopping away at the wood, desperate to get inside, desperate to find his daughter. The children watched as Jack destroyed the door and finally entered the dark classroom. From inside the classroom, loud noises began to erupt, the sound of desks being overturned, and doors banging open and shut. Finally, a scream sounded in the room. The sound of defeat. Jack emerged from the room, his hair standing on end, his face stripped of emotion.
Vice Principal Irwin came rushing from the opposite side of the hall, heels clacking against the marble floor.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Jack spoke calmly, "My daughter is missing, and my sons saw Mr. Kendricks running away from my property."
Taken aback by Jack’s admission, Irwin remained her high-powered, laced-up self.
“Mr. Morrow, I am sorry to hear about your daughter, but surely there must be some mistake. Mr. Kendricks is a highly esteemed member of the Steeplechase staff."
"And I assure you, there is no mistake."
"I cannot just let you leave, you must pay for the damage."
"I will pay for a new door and install it myself, I assure you. In the meantime, I am more concerned with finding my daughter."
The sound of racing sneakers against the floor sounded from the other end of the hallway as Adam and Frank showed up, out of breath. Frank bellowed down the hallway, "Time to go, Jack!" Adam followed behind Frank, in shock as he looked at what remained of the classroom door.
Jack left the school quietly, disheartened after embarrassing himself at the school.
"What the hell were you thinking breaking down a door at the school?!" Frank yelled.
"I did what I had to do. What if she was in there? What if he was? It won't be the first door I break down for her. We need to find her as soon as possible. God only knows. "
"Jack, this is above our heads. We need to call the cops. We're not twenty-five again. We can't just go around busting heads and kicking in doors..."
Jack slumped down in the back seat of the Dodge, knowing Frank was right.
"All bets are off if anyone has harmed her though," said Jack. "If anyone has hurt her, I will be in jail with you, and that bastard will be lying broken, six feet under."
Adam cleared his throat. "Can we focus on finding her? Trafford’s has been put on notice. The school knows she is missing and that Kendricks is involved somehow. Let's go home and figure out our game plan."
Frank pulled into the driveway shortly before 11:00 A.M. Jack raced inside the house hoping that some news had turned up about Tristan's whereabouts. Before Jack could ask, there was a banging on the door behind him, heavy-handed and with purpose.
"Police! Open up!"
Jack gave Frank and Adam a nasty glare as if to say “Who called the cops?" as he opened up the front door. A female officer in a white shirt and stern demeanor spoke first," I’m Sergeant DiNolfo, this is Officer Rutledge. Can we come in?" Jack opened the door wider and let the officers come in, while he stood there wondering who had reported her missing already.
Chapter Eight
Elkhart, PA
December 24, 1981
Early Evening