Tyler should have called instead of showing up at the Schuyler Square Police Department in person. He realized his mistake about three seconds into walking through the front door and being confronted by a policewoman who was approximately the same size as a Sherman tank. She reminded him somewhat unfortunately of his first grade teacher, Mrs. Welsch, who had intimidated him so much that Tyler spent most of the year going home at lunch time to change into dry pants.
"May I help you?" the policewoman growled at him.
Forcing himself to man up, after all he was there to report that his mother was missing, not some penny ante crime spree, Tyler walked to the desk where the woman sat hulking. Up close the resemblance to Mrs. Welsch was uncanny. Tyler swallowed. It was Mrs. Welsch! "Mrs. Welsch! What are you doing here? When did you stop teaching?"
Mrs. Welsch squinted at Tyler through her bifocals. "Is that you? Tyler Schuyler? Well! You're all grown up now!" She shook her head and chuckled. "I guess everyone grows up sooner or later. You don't have much of a choice, do you?"
Tyler wasn't sure, but that sounded like an insult. Mrs. Welsch had always been on the sarcastic side, always making kids redo their finger paintings because they weren't up to her artistic standards. It was a good thing the woman got out of teaching. Working with hardened criminals was really much more up her alley. "I'm here to report a missing person."
Mrs. Welsch raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"
"Why would I joke about a thing like that?"
"It's just that we don't get all that many missing people in Schuyler Square. The people who are MIA usually want to be that way, if you know what I mean."
"Not really," Tyler admitted.
"I mean they leave Schuyler Square of their own free will," Mrs. Welsch said in the same overly patient tone that Tyler still had nightmares about. She spoke slowly and clearly. "They choose to leave, Tyler. I'm sure that whomever you are reporting as missing also chose to leave. Who is it?"
"My mother."
Now both of Mrs. Welsch's eyebrows shot up. "Your mother is missing? Mavis Schuyler?"
"Yes."
"How long has she been gone?"
"No one's seen her since yesterday."
"What time yesterday?"
Tyler had to think about that one. The last time he'd seen his mother had been around lunchtime. Tiffany claimed she hadn't seen her aunt all day, Brad didn't either and of course his father hadn't seen his wife since getting out of bed the day before. It made Tyler sad to think that he had been the last one to see his mother and he also seemed to be the only one who cared that she was gone. "Around noon."
Mrs. Welsch sighed. "OK, it's been over twenty-four hours so I guess she does qualify as a missing person--barely. No one's heard from her? No messages, phone calls, nothing?"
Tyler shook his head. "Nothing. That's why I'm here. It isn't like her to vanish."
"Any chance she ran off with someone? I know that isn't something a child would like to think about his mother, but do you suppose she might have a boyfriend on the side?"
"No!" Tyler said quickly, pushing all thoughts of Peter Van Husen out of his head. There was no way his mother would leave would Officer Van Husen, even if something was going on between the two of them.
"All right, all right, calm down. We have to ask. I'm going to hook you up with an officer who will take a more detailed report. It will be just a moment, Tyler. Go have a seat."
Obediently, Tyler walked to a wooden bench and sat down, feeling like Mrs. Welsch was going to tell him it was snack time at any second. Mrs. Welsch mumbled into the phone. After hanging it up, she looked at Tyler again. For the first time ever, he thought he saw a small flicker of sympathy behind her tan eyes. "I'm sure your mom is all right, Tyler."
Tyler wasn't so sure if scary Mrs. Welsch was feeling sorry for him. Uncomfortably, he shuffled his feet across the tiled floor in lieu of a response. He wanted to get out of the police station in the worst kind of way.
"Tyler Schuyler?" a deep voice asked. "How can I help you?"
Tyler looked up and gulped. The officer who was offering his assistance was none other than Peter Van Husen.
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