Chapter Ten: Missing
Barkley arrived at the hotel near Los Angeles early the next morning, to give Icing plenty of time to get back to Arizona, and have plenty of time for him to look for Venice.
He took the other Dodge and parked in almost the same spot in Hollywood as the day before. He didn't know where to look. The main part of Hollywood wasn't very big, but the houses went up the hill almost to the sign, and there was miles the other way which Venice could have taken. He began to ask on the streets and in stores, no one had seen her. He showed them the picture of the three siblings, taken last Christmas, in his wallet, no one had seen her. He even started knocking on doors by the main part of Hollywood, no one had seen her. But, he didn't give up hope, if he asked one person once, he asked them a thousand times and he stopped nearly everyone he saw. Returning to hotel, he knew one thing. Venice couldn't be in Hollywood anymore.
In Arizona, Phoenix and Harley had started with the legal things, still in tears, having almost not stopped from the previous day, and missing their sister like crazy, they filled in forms, and filled in forms. Icing saw Levi, as she wanted to, and helped comfort her cousins, even though nearly all she could think about was her missing sister.
Barkley didn't phone that night, Icing tried phoning him but he didn't pick up, she didn't know if he was at the hotel or driving back to them, whether he'd found Venice or not. At the minute, the whole lot of them were very delicate.
Icing tried phoning Barkley the next day, again he didn't answer, and she cursed the size of the United States of America, knowing it would take her hours to get back to Los Angeles and she didn't want to leave Phoenix and Harley.
In the afternoon she tried him again, and then she tried the hotel, after looking the number up in the book.
"Can you put me through to room thirty four? I'm trying to get hold of my brother Barkley Hales."
"The Hales key was left yesterday evening, the room is empty."
"Oh. So, they left yesterday, about what time?"
"About half past eight."
"Alright, thank you for your help."
"Barkley's left the LA hotel," Icing tells Phoneix back at the Arizona hotel. "I'm surprised he hasn't got here yet, but maybe there's back traffic, or he took a wrong turn."
"Yeah, wait until tomorrow, give him some time. And Icing?" Phoneix asks.
"Uh huh?"
"Thanks for all your help, and Barkley's, you've been great. Have you not got through to him at all?"
"Nope," Icing says.
"So you don't know if he's found Venice?" Icing shakes her head, and Phoneix gives her a hug.
"Then you need some comforting too."
"If Barkley doesn't get here tomorrow, we're gonna have to report them both missing, Venice has been gone three days now," says Icing, a tear forming in her eye.
"Yeah, they'll be alright, they're probably together," comforts Phoneix.
Barkley didn't get to the Arizona hotel by the next afternoon, and Icing did report them missing. The police approached Icing, Harley and Phoenix, and asked them if they wanted to do an appeal, that would be on the news that evening. They agreed, and the police organized everything.
"We just want Barkley and Venice with us, if you're out there you know where we are, and if you know anything about them, please, please tell the police," says Icing into the camera, Phoenix and Harley sat at her side. The camera switches to the reporter.
"The unidentified missing girl in the Arizona Califoria state line area has been identified, the police reveal, as Levi Andrews, sister of Phoenix and Harley Andrews, cousin of Icing Hales and missing Barkley and Venice. If you know anything about the whereabouts of the two missing people, please come forward as soon as possible, this family needs some comfort as this dreadful time. Nicola Quinn, ABC News, Arizona."
There was no sign of Barkley and Venice for the next two days, and then a phone call came to the police in Arizona, from Hollywood. An officer approached Icing, when she was alone, to tell her what had been said.
"We've just had a call from another police station, two bodies have been discovered just outside Los Angeles, teenage girl and boy in his twenties. We've very little information at the minute about it, but it has come to our attention, that it could be your brother and sister," she says. Icing collapses into tears. "We understand this must be a very difficult time for you, firstly losing your cousin, and now having your brother and sister missing. We've organized a helicopter to take you to Los Angeles."
"I need to see Phoenix and Harley," says Icing, almost gagging. As soon as the door is opened she runs through and hurls herself at Harley, who is waiting outside.
"There's, there's. There's," she tries to say.
"Calm down, breathe Icing, breathe. Alright, try again," says Harley.
"There's, there's," she pauses and breathes for a while. "There's bodies in LA," she manages to say. Harley, who had been holding back a fresh bout of tears for her sister, let them run down her face freely.
"Icing, oh, Icing."
"They're flying me there in half an hour, you can come if you want to, but I'll understand if you want to stay here," Icing cries into Harley's shoulder. Harley considers this for a moment.
"I'll stay, but we've got to tell Phoenix, he's at the hotel," says Harley, she puts Icing, who's shaking uncontrollably, on one of the chairs in the police station, where a petitte policewoman sits with her, and heads off to the phone, she knows exactly where it is, and dials the number.
"Phoneix?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"The LAPD think they've found Barkley and Venice's bodies."
"God, no."
"They're flying Icing out there in twenty minutes, she said I could go with her if I wanted but I said I'll stay here."
"No, you go, I'll stay and sort things out."
"Are you sure? It's so awful being so far apart. If you're really sure, then I'll go with her, she gave us so much support, and is still giving it, even though the chances for Barkley and Venice are slim. I don't know when I'll speak to you next then, but I'll try and phone as soon as possible, I'll phone when we know. . ." she let the sentence trail off. She said goodbye and went back to Icing, who's still sitting in the same chair, a plastic up of hot chocolate in her hands. She stands up as soon as Harley comes back.
"We're going now," she says.
"Is the helicopter here yet?"
"No, but I want to be ready when it does, I have to get there as soon as possible."
A/N: Not looking too bright is it?