He called all her friends, but they said they had not seen her. Where could she have gone? He called her mother’s place last. “Hello?” Florence Caldwell’s scratchy voice said. “Florence, it’s me, Luke. Is Alyssa there?” “Oh, it’s you.“ She sighed. “So you tracked her down. Yes, she is. But she doesn’t want to speak to you.” “Would you please put her on? This is important.” “This is out of my control. I’ll have to ask her.” In the background, Luke could hear a laugh track from a sitcom on TV. Then, he heard muffled voices, one of which sounded urgent and angry. He thought he could make out a ‘no.’ Finally, Florence’s voice came back on the line. “She’s not interested in speaking with you. She tells you to stop calling her and let her move on.” “Move on to where?” Luke’s voice was demanding, with just a hint of fear. “I don’t know. I have to go now.” “Wait, don’t hang up,” Luke said, but it was too late. He heard a click, then the dial tone.
