Page 45 of Mortala
“We don’t need space, Maddie. Don’t you get that? This is what he wants. He wants to keep us apart and keep you vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable? Are you fucking kidding me, Miles?”
Shit. I did it again. Foot, meet mouth.
“Maddie, you know what I mean. I didn’t mean it like that, baby. Please. Just listen to me for a minute.”
When she stays quiet, I know she’s listening, so I continue. “I miss you. I know it’s only been a few hours since you left, but knowing that you want this space between us is killing me.We don’t need space, Mads. I don’twantspace, and I know you don’t either.”
“Oh yeah? And how do you know that?”
“Because if you really wanted me to leave you alone…” I say, leaning back in my chair, “you would’ve ignored the third phone call too.”
A quiet laugh reaches my ear. It’s small, barely more than a breath, but hearing it feels like winning the lottery.
“I’ll let you go,” I tell her. “Just do me one favor.”
“What?”
“Text me tomorrow. That’s all I’m asking. Just let me know you’re okay.”
She sighs and I know I got to her. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.”
“Good night, Princess.”
“Good night, Miles.”
When the line clicks, I set my phone down and rub my face with both hands. Fuck, this girl is getting to me. Grabbing the box for my new laptop, I break into it.
Time to get to work.
15.Miles
I’ve been searchingfor every Madelyn I can find from Alabama for hours. Three hours of dead ends, outdated profiles, and yearbooks that all start to blur together until my eyes burn. I’m about to give up when a tiny high school in a town called Hillsboro catches my attention.
I click the link and am met with a picture of Maddie.
She’s younger, dressed in a red and black marching band uniform, a silver flute tucked under her arm. Standing beside her is some shaggy haired football player with his arm wrapped around her waist, grinning as he holds a large trophy above his head.
Underneath the picture reads “Hillsboro Quarterback and senior, Austin Crawford and friend, Madelyn Bohr smiling after winning state championships.”
Who the fuck is this?
The mere image of seeing this stupid fucking jock with his arm around what’s mine has me seething. And the fact they just address her as this guy's friend, not even including her title like they did for him, just pisses me off even more. Maybe this is the guy Maddie was telling me about, the guy from her past. I need to find more information.
Opening up a new tab, I type in the Austin guy’s name in the search engine to see what I can find. There’s literally nothing here. It’s all quarterback, state championships, quarterback, more football, some kind of football camp. Just a bunch of useless bullshit.
I slam my hand against the desk. “Fuck!”.
At least I didn’t come up empty. I found my little princess. She thinks she can hide from me.
She should know better by now. I will always find her.
I type Maddie’s full name in the search engine, along with the name of the town, and find a link from a news media that immediately catches my attention.
What’s this? A house fire?
On Friday May 26th, 2020 authorities responded to a call about a house fire on Highway 377. The home is reported to be owned by a local man by the name of Jeffrey Bohr (44). Bohr lived in the home with his daughter, Madelyn Bohr (18), and his late wife Melinda Bohr, who passed away in June of 2017. Authorities reported that a body was found inside the home, but the name of the victim has yet to have been released.
