Ch. 5

I waited for Sunday—the day I would see Bella again—to arrive the way a child waits for Christmas. Time seemed to move so slowly Friday night into Saturday morning that it might as well have been going in reverse. Truly I might have preferred it to move backward so I could relive the reverie of finally acting on my feelings for Bella. As innocent and virginal as our touches were, I knew I would never be able to be away from her for any significant amount of time after those wondrous moments of intimacy we experienced together the night before.

If my family thought that I was obsessed with my love before, they knew I was addicted to her now the way I could barely function without her. She was a drug to me, the sweetest dessert, the strongest tobacco, the most lethal dose of medication. Even just the thought of her drove me wild with need.

I had been lying in bed most of the morning Saturday, replaying our kisses over and over until my memory slowly warped them into a more passionate rendition. In my mind, when I embraced her with that first kiss, I didn't stop there. I unclenched my fists and recklessly allowed my hands to trace down her back, not even stopping once I reached the dip in her lower back. I cupped my hands around her full rump, and she jumped into my arms, wrapping her willowy legs around my core. I held her there, deepening our kiss until we were each pulling back, gasping for air. I heard her in my mind repeatedly crying out my name in euphoria, unable to form a proper sentence as her coherent mind was lost further and further to my conquest. Her sweater fell off her shoulders and the tie at the front of her chemise loosened exposing her creamy, pink bo—

Knock knock

"Sir, your dearest is on the phone downstairs. Are you not well? I can't recall the last time you stayed in bed past eight."

Helen's voice snapped me out of my daydream, and I reflexively covered myself with the thick comforter. I hadn't touched myself inappropriately—yet—but that hadnt stopped my body from responding accordingly to the erotic fantasy.

"Just a moment, Helen! And what did I say about calling me sir? It's so unnecessary!" My face felt like it was on fire as I realized what she might have heard—or seen—if she had come to my door just moments later. 'Get a hand on yourself, man! No, actually not a hand...'

What had Helen just said? Bella was waiting on the phone? I threw my covers back, jumping out of bed to look over myself in the mirror to make sure I was decent enough to be seen and rushed to the door. I threw it open, excited as always to speak with my love, but my steps faltered when I saw Helen's face. She seemed hesitant to speak, as if she were thinking on how to tell me something.

"What is it? Is Bella alright?"

"Well..." She trailed off.

"Helen!" Her silence spoke more than any words could. Helen was nothing if not verbose on a bad day. "Oh God...what is it?"

"She's alright, I think." She finally answered with a frown.

"What does that mean?" I wanted to yell, "Spit it out!" at her, but I controlled myself as best I could.

"She sounded like she was crying. I didn't get much out of her besides your name..."

"Let me pass!" I allowed myself to behave as rudely as I ever had, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I pushed passed Helen, taking the stairs down two at a time.

When I reached the entryway table, I nearly ripped the telephone cord out of the wall, remembering belatedly that I needed the device intact to speak with her. "Bella?"

"Edward..." She began clearly, but she must have worked hard to lull herself into a calm long enough even to just say my name because after that all I could make out was a rushed emission of broken syllables and tearful gasps.

"Bella? Bella, please, love. I can't understand you. What happened? Are you alright? Is it your father? Should I call a doctor?" I was growing more frantic by the second when she stopped speaking altogether, her sniffling the only sound audible to my ear. "Bella? If you don't answer me now, I'm sending the doctor, and I'll be right behind him."

"No, no. I'm fine. We're ok...it's...it's Ruth. She's gone—missing." Her voice broke nearly between each word. I could hear the panic in her tone.

"Ruth? Ruth Harris? We just saw her last night. What do you mean she's missing?"

"Her mother called me early this morning just after dawn asking if I had heard from her. She said she never came home last night after she went to the movies with us. My father has been over at the Harris's house since just after midnight questioning them and some others. Edward, it's awful. This is all my fault."

"Your fault? How?" My beautifully innocent, sweet Bella couldn't harm the smallest of insects much less her best friend.

"I should have gone with them when Tim asked—"

"Tim! That little snake! He had something to do with this. I know it!" I knew that scoundrel was suspicious. He was nothing but a creep!

"No, he says they went for a milkshake, and he dropped her off at home last night, says he saw her go inside the house before he left..."

"Of course he did! No felon would out himself if he had a chance at freedom. I'll hunt him down and question him myself. I'll make him confess!" I also wouldn't mind wringing his neck if it meant bringing my Bella peace. I had only been constraining myself for her benefit. This was almost too easy a crime to solve.

"No, Edward. Let the police handle it. You'll get yourself hurt. Please!" The fear evident in her voice was enough to make my resolve waver.

"Alright, Bella. Don't worry about me. I'll have mother call over to the Harris's to see what we can do. Just stay where you are, and lock your door. I'll be there later to check on you. I'm so sorry about your friend, love. We'll find her."

I wouldn't upset Bella anymore, but I would confront Tim. She would be happy enough once her friend was back. No matter what he sold to Mr. —Officer—Swan, I knew his real motivations. He was no gentleman. So off I went to find Timothy Caldwell Jr.

XOXOXOXO

"Forgive me for visiting unannounced Mrs. Caldwell, but I must speak with Tim. It's a most urgent matter." I knew it was improper to be so rushed with Tim's mother, a stranger, but I had to fix this for Bella, not to mention there was no telling what had happened to poor Ruth.

"He's not here, and if this has to do with the missing girl, he already spoke with the police. Please leave or else I'll call and have one of their officer's escort you away." She ended her speech in a firm staccato. I had always assumed that Tim had learned his impropriety from his father, but maybe it was learned from his mother too.

I narrowed my eyes at the woman, but let my tone cordial as a reminder to her of proper behavior, "No, thank you, ma'am. I'm quite capable of leaving by my own will. Please tell Tim that Edward Masen is looking for him." I didn't mean for it to sound as threatening as it did, but if that was the sentiment which Mrs. Caldwell passed along to him, so be it.

I left their home feeling unsatisfied. What could have happened to the girl? I pictured my poor Bella distraughtat home alone and knew I had to go see her.

XOXOXOXO

I arrived at the Swan residence and nearly jogged to the door. There was a feeling of uncertainty surrounding the property, a sense of foreboding, and I didn't understand it. I pushed through the aura and rapped on the door urgently. I couldn't seem to stop my foot from tapping in impatience. Where was Bella? Why wasn't she answering the door? Was Mr. Swan home yet? Had he taken her some place?

"Bella!" I was banging on the door as the minutes passed and my mind played tricks on me, spinning every hypothetical situation into worst case scenarios and what-ifs..."Bella!" I continued to pound on the door only stopping when I nearly hit my beloved right in the face as the door unexpectedly opened.

"Edward!" Bella's face was twisted with surprise for half a second until she grasped my still closed fist and pulled me into the house.

"Forgive me, love. Why didn't you answer my call sooner?" My voice was much more on edge than I would have liked as I came back to the reality that Bella was safely in front of me.

"I was in the back. My father told me not to answer for anyone, but I don't think you are included." She said as I pulled her into my arms.

"Have you heard from Tim or Ruth?"

"No. I'm so upset. Where could she be? What might have happened? She wouldn't have run from home. She was so giddy last night. Every time I close my eyes I just see her spinning around in that blue dress and fluffing her blonde curls laughing about looking like Mary Pickford." Bella's voice hitched, and she was bawling again.

"Shhh. Love, we'll figure this out. She has to be ok. I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding..."

It was all a misunderstanding. It had to be. Happy, innocent girls like Ruth Harris don't just go missing. Surely she would turn up. Yes, this was all just a misunderstanding...

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