Chapter Four

Duncan's Pov

Saturday 24th July 2010

It was almost three o'clock in the morning and we been driving around for hours. Henry's words had been swimming around my head since he received that phone call from him mum, 'Courtney's missing'. Missing. Courtney didn't go missing. My brother Theo, was driving slowly through the streets. It was pitch black out and the dim street lights barley lit up the fucking ground below them. We could have missed her a thousand times because we couldn't see, but I couldn't go home and do nothing.

"Duncan, you okay?" Theo asked. That stupid question was shot at me about every ten minutes. Of course I'm not fucking okay!

"No," I mumble in reply. Where was she? Courtney didn't run off, she wasn't the type of person to run from everything. She was strong willed and stubborn. She always stayed and sorted any problem out as soon as it happened. That was the reason we never argued for more than a few minutes, she wouldn't let it go on for long.

"We'll find her soon, bro."

"Yeah." I agreed with him, but I wasn't so sure. I hoped we would more than anything but there was a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me something had happened. I didn't ever want anything to happened to her. "She could be anywhere by now." It had been over seven hours since she disappeared and there wasn't one trace of her so far.

"Summer wouldn't fun off," Theo said.

My heart dropped. "That's what im afraid of. She wouldn't run off, so someone must have her." Or done something to her.

"Don't do that, Duncan we don't know anything yet." I didn't know, that was true. But I did know Courtney. "Do you want to carry on and go into town or turn back and go the other way?"

"Other way." Bridgette said she had gone left at the social cub. We had checked there before coming this way, but we could have missed something.

The police had people out looking around the area where she was last seen, but because she hadnt been missing over twenty-four hours they were reluctant to put too many officer into it. Apparently, a load of neighbours had stared their own search and were going door to door, hoping that someone would have seen something. Everyone except Courtney's mum, Dawn were out looking for Courtney. Dawn was told to stay home in case Courtney turned up or called.

I pulled my phone put of my pocket and checked it for the million time-no missed calls. I sighed and held down number two, to speed dial Courtney's phone again. It started to ring and I held my breath. Please answer, Court. My heart dropped when it went through to her voice mail. "Babe, please call me back as soon as you get this. I just need to know you're okay. Im going crazy. I love you, Courtney." I hung up and clenched my phone in my hand. This is bad.

We drove through the nigh and into the next morning. My eyes stung where I was so tired. As soon as the shops opened, Theo bought some food and energy drinks. I hadn't been home or to Courtney's since we got that call at the nightclub. "I'll pull over here and we can check the back fields and the park by foot." I told Theo. He nodded, stuffing the last of his sausage roll into his mouth.

"You sure you don't want anything to eat?"

I shook my head as I pulled up in the car park besides the church. "Not hungry. Let's try the park first." He nodded and got out of the car. I walked off ahead. "Courtney," I called out. Of course, she wasn't going to be here. If she were she would have been found by now. "Come on, Theo," I shouted over my shoulder. He didn't seem to have the urgency I had, he wasn't in love with her.

With every passing minutes she was missing. I was lost. My stomach felt as if it were turning over and over and that sick feeling wasn't going away. "Duncan," Theo shouted. "What about there?"

I looked to where he was pointing. The overgrown footpath between that ran besides the park and between acres of farmland and fields. I nodded and walked over to the gate. The park had been searched a lot, the overgrown path wouldn't have been searched thoroughly enough in the dark.

"Anything?" I asked Dawn, as I walked through the door after Theo. We had found nothing. No trace at all.

She shook her head and whispered, "No." her eyes were bloody shot and puffy.

The remains of smudged make-up stained her cheeks. "The police are starting a proper search today, though. They'll find her." She nodded her head as if she were telling herself that, convincing herself.

"Right, im going," Courtney's dad, Mark, announced. He stopped as he saw me. "Oh, Duncan. Nothing?" I shook my head. It was as if she just vanished. Mark sighed. "I'll be back later," he said, and gave Dawn a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Are you hungry?" Dawn asked, staring into space. "Your mum's making food, I don't know what."

"Thanks, Dawn," Theo said. "Why don't we go through to the kitchen." He led her through, as if he was taking care of a young child.

I didn't want to hang around, I just wanted to find out what the plan was and get back out there. Us sitting around eating wasn't going to get Courtney back. "Theo, Duncan," my mum, Emma, gushed, throwing a tea towel down. "Sit, sit"

I shook my head. "I just want to know what I should be doing. Is someone coming to sort a proper search out?" Surely, the police had a plan rather than just sending everyone out looking randomly.

"They've already been, sweetheart," Mum replied. "They're starting with a thorough search of the area they believe Courtney last was-"

"How do they know that, though?"

"Know what?"

"Where she was last seen?"

Mum shrugged. "Im not sure, a combination of the direction she went in, where a young girl would go, and how long it was before Bridgette called Courtney and noticed she wasn't answering to work out how far she away she was likely to be. I don't know exactly.

"So they're just guessing? They don't even know Courtney and they're guessing where she would likely go to look for her fucking friend?"

"Duncan, calm down," Theo ordered.

"No, fuck this!" who the hell were they to decide that? They didn't have a clue and now Courtney could be anywhere if she didn't magically go the way some profile said she was likely to! They were concentrating a search on a small area, where she might have been, yesterday!

I stormed out of the house. I didn't know where I was going but I had to get out. My girlfriend was missing and I had no clue where she was or how to find her. And It didn't seem like the police had the slightest clue where to start either.

"Duncan!" Theo shouted. I heard his footsteps getting louder so I knew he was following me. "Wait up." He grabbed the top of my arm and swung me around. "You cant just go running off. Look, im going to the village hall, that's where the search is based. Come with me and we can ask as many questions as you have before we get out there."

I sighed and my hand over my face. "Theo, what if she's…" Dead.

"Don't. she's. fine."

"You don't know that," I exclaimed. My heart was racing. "Its been hours and no ones heard from her. She never goes off and-"

"Duncan, stop! This isnt helping Courtney. She needs you, so quit the bullshit and do something to help her."

He's right. I nodded. My eyes stung but I refused to cry. I did need to be strong for her and falling apart now wouldn't get her back. "You're right." I sighed, and my heart dropped. "I just cant loser her," I whispered. As cheesy as it sounded my biggest fear was losing Courtney – in any way. I loved her more than anything in the world. To me, she was perfect.

"You wont lose her, but you have to stop this shit now."

"Let's go then."

Theo smiled and unlocked his car. "Here." He handed me something wrapped up in a sheet of kitchen roll. A bacon bagel. "Eat." I got in the passenger side and forced myself to eat. Every bite made me want to hurl but Theo was right, Courtney needed me, and I had to be strong for her.

"She's okay, isnt she?"

Theo nodded. "She'll be fine." She'll be fine. He didn't think she was fine now, but she would be when we found her? Where was she? I should be able to tell. I love her so shouldn't I just know what was wrong?

"What do you think's happened?"

"Duncan, don't do that, you'll drive yourself crazy." It was too late for that. "Okay, we're here," Theo mumbled under his breath, and pulled into a tight parking space, the only one left. The place was full. Were all those people here to help us?

I got out and walked to the village hall. When I walked into that room with all the search related maps and whatever else they had, It wouldn't be real – too real. I gulped and followed Theo through the door.

The main hall was heaving with people. Right at the front was a long stacked with maps and high visibility vest. A picture of Courtney was pinned to a board beside the table. My heart dropped into my stomach. I took a deep breath and walked towards the police officers.

Above Courtney's picture were the words. 'Missing 16 year old Courtney Rodriguez'