Gone - Part 1

The press was already gathering outside.  Dan opened the door for his wife.  Detective Madsen was waiting for them in the lobby. 

“Are the reports true?” Megan asked nervously, gripping Dan’s hand.

“Please come to my office,” Detective Madsen responded softly. 

“Jack, what do you know?” Dan demanded his eyes fixed on the detective he had known for 10 years.  He remembered meeting him for the first time in his living room March 1994.  He had received a phone call from his wife that completely changed his life.  Michael was missing.  His wife had gone to the store to do a little grocery shopping.  5 year old Michael was with her.   She said she had only turned her back for a moment, and he was gone.  No one in the store had seen a thing; something that never sat well with Dan even to this day.  He had rushed home to a house full of police officers.  There, standing in his living room was 33 year old Jack Madsen.

“In my office, please,” Detective Madsen motioned towards his door.  He placed his hand on Dan’s shoulder as they walked together into his office.  He closed the door behind him.  Slowly he helped Dan and Megan have a seat behind his cluttered desk; his desk was never clean.  Carefully he sat at the edge of the desk and looked at the Taylors.  10 years had taken their toll on them.  He took a deep breath and spoke, “Thank you for coming down on such short notice.” He folded his arms across his chest took another deep breath.  “You know we found a bone in Bakersfield Park yesterday.”

“Is it Michael?” Megan questioned, her voice quivering.  She brought both hands up to her mouth.

“We are doing testing on it now,” Detective Madsen responded kindly.  “The bone is human.” He swallowed, “The lab identified it as belonging to a male child.”

“When will we know if it’s Michael?” Dan asked looking at his hands.  He was trying to hold it together, trying not to let the excitement creep in.  His eyes were starting to water.  

“Hopefully tomorrow morning at the latest,” Jack got up from the corner of his desk and walked around to his chair and sat down.  He continued, “I need to warn you that this is a long shot.  This bone could belong to anybody.”

“We understand,” Dan responded rubbing his eyes.  This wasn’t the first time they had found a bone.  It was the same response each time.  The media would get a hold of the discovery and instantly predict it was Michael’s.  The phone calls would start immediately.  Interview requests would come in by the dozens.  Dan and Megan would ultimately find themselves in Detective Madsen’s office, only to find out it wasn’t their son.  Dan was not about to get his hopes up, not this time.  Even after 10 years, the mention of Michael's name still stung.  The hurt had never gone away.

“I hope it’s him,” Megan whispered with tears streaming down her face.  She had taken a beating in the aftermath of Michael’s disappearance.  The media had questioned her every move, wondering how a mother could lose a child.  She was even considered a suspect for a short time.  It had been extremely tough on her, but she had fought through it.  She was ready for closure.  It was time to heal.  Michael was never coming home and she knew that.

“We will wait for the results, that’s all we can do at this point.  As soon as I know, you will know,” Detective Madsen responded trying his best to be of some comfort. 

“If it’s him,” Dan stumbled “if it’s our son, you tell us first!” He was starting to cry.  He stood up quickly and faced the door.  He wanted to hit the door as hard as he could.  He wanted to hurt somebody.  He wanted to rip the pain out of his body and leave.  Michael was his little buddy.  After three daughters, they finally had a son.  Dan could still remember hearing the news.  Megan was glowing.  They were finally going to have a son.  He could still smell him after Megan had given him his bath as a newborn.  Dan would lay on the couch with Michael on his chest.  They would stay that way for hours, Michael never making a sound.  Dan looked forward to his time with Michael every day.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Dan turned around.  “If it’s not him, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

The room was silent.  No one moved for what seemed like an eternity.

Detective Madsen stood up and walked over to Dan.  He had become close with this man.  He wished he could have met him under different circumstances.  They could have become the best of friends.  Jack had seen this family go through hell and back.  He wasn’t about to ask them to do it again.

“Dan, let’s wait for the results.  As hard and cruel as that sounds, that’s all we can do.  That’s all I can offer you, I’m sorry.”  Jack could feel a lump creeping up his throat.  This case had changed him.  He knew his work would never be complete until he found out what happened to Michael.

“You know what I miss most?” Dan asked smiling through his tears.

Jack looked at this broken man, wondering if he should answer.

“I miss his smile,” Dan looked away, a tear sliding down his cheek. “That smile was electric, and he knew it.” Dan laughed, and closed his eyes.  For a second he could see Michael.  It was getting harder and harder to picture him as time went on, but his smile was clear.  There he was as Dan came through the door from work, waiting for his dad.  His smile stretched from ear to ear.  He would run and jump into his arms and instantly start telling him about his day.  

That smile. 

Jack stood in silence.  He had nothing to say.  He knew all he could do was listen.

Nothing more was said that afternoon.  Dan and Megan left Detective Madsen’s office as quietly as they arrived.  They did not stop and talk to the media.  They had stopped giving interviews two years before when the media had turned on them, making them both out to be bad parents.  

Detective Madsen stood from his office and watched as the Taylor’s walked to their car.  They were holding hands.  He did not know how they had remained together after all that had happened.  From his experience marriages were destroyed, and families torn apart over something like this, but they were strong.  Silently, Jack closed his eyes and said a prayer.  He hoped that the bone they found was Michael’s.  

Please let that bone be Michael.

Jack walked over to his desk and sat down.  He was tired.  He closed his eyes again, only to open them to the sound of his phone ringing.  He rubbed his eyes, leaned forward and picked up the phone.

“Jack Madsen,” He answered roughly.