CHAPTER 4
Caitlin looked through the room again. "I just don't know where he could've gone."
String had figured he ran away much like the time when he had first introduced the idea of adopting him, but they had already looked all of the places he could think of that he might have gone, and still no Le.
The police officer, Sergeant Renolds, reentered the room, reporting they still hadn't found anything out. Hawke quickly noticed the strange resemblance this man had to Le's principal and found it extremely hard not to take an immediate dislike to him as well.
"Might any of you have an idea where he is?" Renolds asked accusingly.
"We've already searched every place we can think of."
The first day without Le was already drawing to a close, and none of them were any closer to finding him. Sergeant Renolds promised to continue the search, but told them that they should all go home and get a good night's sleep. Something should turn up soon.
\A/
Caitlin watched as her husband paced between the bar and the kitchen, muttering about how it had to be his fault that Le was gone.
"Didn't you hear what the sergeant said about getting some rest?"
"You actually think I'd be able to sleep?" He paced back and forth yet again. "Maybe with the Lady I could find him…" he slowed the pacing down dejectedly as he remembered the condition the Lady was currently in. She wouldn't be doing much of anything until she'd had some major repairs. "Major - Do you think he went to Mike's apartment? It's not too far from Saint John's, and they do get along pretty well."
"Already tried. Mike is out on some course for the air force. Survival course or something like that."
Shaking his head, String went back to pacing again.
"You can't blame yourself for him running away, you know."
"Who said I was?" he returned defensively.
"You did actually," she replied gently. "Besides, I know you and you how you are. You always do."
"Doesn't it have to be? If I stayed out of the whole mess there wouldn't have been that big argument, and Le probably wouldn't have left."
"You don't know that," Caitlin pointed out.
"Maybe it is though."
"Just because something bad happens doesn't automatically mean it's you fault."
"Maybe not everything, but an awful lot of them do link back to me one way or another."
"You're going to wear a hole through the floor if you keep that up, you know."
"I'll be back, Cait, I think I'm going to go for a little run to clear my head."
"It's getting dark out. You don't want to fall and…" run was right; he was gone.
Choosing a path around the lake, String started at a slow pace to warm up and gradually increased his speed, but his thoughts raced. Where was Le? When would they find him or him come back? Why exactly had he left? What was the whole story? Was there any strange link between Peters and Renolds or was it all in his head?
He stopped abruptly to avoid plowing into the fallen log in front of him. Maybe Cait was right; running as it got dark wasn't the most brilliant idea. He started back the way he'd come, still lost in his own baffling thoughts.
Somehow, they were going to find Le and get him home safely. He wasn't sure how, but they had to.
The dark path, illuminated only by the moon and a sparse scattering of stars, wound its way through the trees back toward the cabin. Hawke was amazed at just how far he had come on the short run, and that he hadn't run into any of the many obstacles in his path. At last the wooden cabin come back into view, smoke streaming up from the chimney. The cabin had always been home, but with Cait and Chance it was truly complete. Maybe he wasn't as cursed as he thought…. Forget that. Le was gone and it was all his fault.
\A/
Early the Next Morning…
The Bell Jet Ranger landed suddenly on the tarmac just outside the hangar.
"Anything?" Saint John asked hopefully.
"Nothing. Dom should be back in a few minutes; maybe he'll have found him."
"Yeah," Saint John sighed heavily, "maybe."
This wouldn't be the first time Le had run away, but this time he was really gone. He didn't have much money, twenty dollars maybe, so he couldn't get that far, and Sergeant Renolds had promised to let all the local transportation agencies know about his disappearance and to on the lookout, but what was left to search?
Dominic arrived, but with no better news. Amongst the four of them it seemed they had searched every inch of Los Angeles and Van Nuys by foot, car, and air, but still no sign of Le van Hawke.
"We'll find him," Caitlin encouraged. Somehow they would find him; she only hoped it would be soon.
