Sorry - getting married in 28 days and planning a wedding has kept me very busy! But onto the story - Gemma.


Chapter Fourteen: Twelve Minutes Past Eleven

Reid had just finished his second sweep of the bead store and Vanessa was nowhere to be found. He sent a Caleb a text asking for her number and waited for an answer.

Ten minutes passed and there was no reply.

Reid then asked one of the employees for help. She was an elderly woman with silvery-white hair pulled up in a bun. She wore a purple smock, pockets overflowing with trinkets and beads.

"I seem to have lost someone in here," he began. "I was wondering if you had seen her."

"Lost!" the woman exclaimed. "Did you say lost?"

"I did, but…" Before Reid could finish the old woman screamed across the store to another employee.

"Stella, we have a CODE 14!"

Instantly the lights in the store flashed and someone (Reid could only assume it was Stella) announced over the store speaker, "Attention all Beadery employees we have a CODE 14 in process. That is a CODE 14. Please report to your assigned stations."

Reid didn't know what the hell a Code 14 was, but two girls with purple smocks ran to the front of the store. One closed and locked the main doors while the other kept the customers trying to leave inside.

"Come with me," the old woman pulled Reid's arm and led him back to the office, where Stella the store manager was waiting.

"I've already called the police. They are on the way," Stella told Reid. "They'll want a full physical description and a recent photo if you have one."

"Why did you call the police?" Reid asked in astonishment.

"It's all part of the procedure," Stella said reassuringly. "Don't worry, sir, we'll find your lost child."

"Lost child?" Reid ran his hands down face in Caleb-like fashion. "I didn't lose a kid. I'm looking for my friend, Vanessa…"

"So there's no missing child," Stella's voice hardened.

"No," Reid shook his head. "I think she," he pointed to the old woman, "needs to get her hearing checked."

"No," the old woman's head swept side to side emphatically. "No," she told Stella. "He said 'lost'. I even asked him to make sure and he said…"

"I lost my friend," Reid interrupted. "Not a child."

Stella looked back and forth between the pair of them then tiredly rubbed her temples. The phone on her desk buzzed and she reached over pressing a button on the display.

"Yes."

"Ms. Stella the police are here."

"Walk them back to the office please."

"Okay."

That was fast. Reid thought to himself. Boston PD seemed to be a little more on it, than the county police out in Ipswich.

Moments later two uniformed men came into the office waving badges.

"Is this him?" one of them asked gruffly.

"Yes, but…" before Stella could complete her sentence Reid felt the cop's hand on his shoulder, forcing him face first into the wall.

"Hands behind your back." This statement was followed by the clinking of metal.

Now Reid never had much respect for authority, nor did he tolerate being pushed around. He'd been in more than his share of fights and was always ready for the next one, even if it was with a police officer.

"Get the hell off me," Reid wriggled out from beneath the officer's pudgy hand.

"Do yourself a favor, Sport. Save it for your cell mates," the cop used his wide girth to corner Reid between a chair and bookcase. "You have the right to remain silent." A cold silver cuff slipped over Reid's left wrist.

"What the fuck?" Reid yelled at the officer, as he pulled his left arm free. "I didn't do shit!" He grabbed the back of the chair, scraping it across the floor until it was between him and the fat cop. "Why am I being arrested?"

"Because you're a lousy thief," Fat Cop scoffed.

"A thief?" Reid was pissed now. "You think I'm a shoplifter?"

Fat Cop tossed the chair aside and came after Reid, who scrambled to safety behind the old woman in the purple smock.

"I could buy this whole fucking store!" Reid told Fat Cop.

"Officer, I think there's been a mistake," Stella said. Unfortunately her words were drowned out by the squeal from the old woman as Reid knocked over a stack of papers and a cup of coffee as he attempted to get away from Fat Cop's grasp.

At this point Cop2 put away his little cop notebook and went to assist his partner. He crept behind Stella on Reid's right hand side.

"Officer do something!" the old woman screamed in a panic.

"Put your hands in the air, Sport!" Cop2 ordered.

"I didn't fucking steal fucking beads!" Reid yelled at Cop2 as he raised his hands overhead. "Tell them I didn't steal," the blonde looked at Stella who was just standing there.

The phone on Stella's desk buzzed again, and that seemed to bring her back to the present situation.

"Yes," she answered picking up the handset. "More police?" There was a pause. "Send him back please." Stella hung the phone back in its cradle.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," she told Fat Cop and Cop2. "We reported a lost child, not a shoplifter."

Reid brought his hands to rest upon his head as Cop2 called into dispatch via his shoulder walkie-talkie.

Fat Cop was still giving Reid the evil eye as his partner spoke with the crackly voice down at the station.

"…suspect being held at 2180 Fifteenth Street…."

"We're 2118 Fifteenth Street," Stella answered, seemingly relieved at the little mix-up.

There was a knock at the door, which the old woman answered. Another policemen came inside the office, which was now quite crowded with people.

"Someone called in a Missing Child." The Officer then noticed his badge wearing buddies. The three of them had a brief conversation about police-related things that Reid didn't quite understand before Fat Cop and his partner left.

"Officer we are so sorry to trouble you," Stella gushed. "There was a miscommunication…,"

"No missing child," The Officer made a note in his book.

"No we….,"

"Your name?" he briefly looked up at her.

Reid let his hands fall to his sides. He was still pumped up from the almost incident with Fat Cop. Garwin briefly wondered what would have happened if they'd actually gotten into it. Would he be sitting in the back of a squad car for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest?

Ten minutes later the situation was resolved. Reid left the office and went back into the store where business went on as usual. Vanessa was standing by the front counter.

"Reid what happened?" she asked as soon as she saw him. "They locked down the store and the police came."

"I was looking for you. And they called the police. They thought you were a missing child."

"Why would they think that?"

"I don't fucking know. That old fucking lady can't hear for shit." Reid didn't mean to be so snappy with Vanessa. It was just one of those nights. He could tell from the look on her face that he was upsetting her. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's okay."

"Where were you anyway?"

"I was upstairs."

"Upstairs?" Reid looked back toward the office where there was a small sign hanging from the ceiling that read 'stairs.' "This place has a second floor?" Reid gasped in shock. How many fucking beads are there in this place?

"Yeah," Vanessa replied. "They have some really great stuff up there. I'm definitely going to come back here."

Without me – That's for sure. Reid thought to himself.

"So you want to get some coffee now?" she asked.

"We should probably head back to campus," Reid shoved his hands in his pockets. He'd had enough of Boston for tonight.

They walked back down to MBTA and waited for the next train. Vanessa was trying to make conversation, but Reid just wasn't in the mood to talk – at least to her. His mind kept thinking about all the fun things he should be doing; like parties and girls – not standing on a crowded platform waiting for public transportation.

Eventually the train came and after that the shuttle to take them back to campus. Vanessa sat next to Reid, her bag open as she perused her Beadery purchases.

Reid's phone buzzed and he looked at the incoming message.

It was a picture of some stripper's ass complete with a silky red thong. One her left cheek the word "Happy" was written in what was probably lipstick. On the other cheek was the word "Bday." There was also a hand in the photo (which belong to Tyler – Reid recognized the pattern on the shirt's sleeve) with "Caleb" written across it in black sharpie.

Reid shut his off his phone angrily and buried it deep in his pocket. He didn't need another reminder of the good times he was missing.

Official OC Counter:
1. Vanessa Gardella - Sarah's roommate
2. Sara - From Calculus

3. Stacey – Women's Swim Team Captain

4. Ashley - cheerleader

5. Adam Abbot – Aaron's older brother

6. Kim Wilkinson – From English class

7. Emily Hawke – Kim Wilkinson's roommate

8. Erica – Java Junction barista

9. Fat Cop – Boston PD