“She’s a manager at a video game store, but I’m not sure which one. And considering the size of Glenndale, there could be a dozen of them, if not more.” I hadn’t even started the full-on search for her, yet I was already feeling defeated.
“Start there.” Jessa pushed my cell toward me from across the table. “Make a list of every video game store in Glenndale and call until you find the right one.”
It was a tedious task, but as of right now, it was the only way to find her.
Almost two hours later, I finally dialed the right number. “Oh, Tasha? Yeah, she doesn’t work here anymore.”
There had to be some sort of mistake. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same Tasha? Her last name’s Lewis, and she’s the manager—assistant, I think.”
“Yes, sir, we’re talking about the same person.”
“Well, do you know how I can get ahold of her?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t give out that information.”
“Okay…” I decided to try a different tactic. “Do you happen to know where she’s working now?”
Unfortunately, that didn’t work, either. No matter what I asked, I hit a dead end. So I hung up and went back across the yard to Jessa’s house. Even though we were much older than when our lives had fallen apart many years ago, she was still the one I went to when I needed help or advice. I didn’t think she could help in this particular situation, but at least I knew I could lean on her for emotional support.
“What’s something else she’s told you that could help us get ahold of her?”
I scrubbed my face with my calloused palms, too frustrated to concentrate on one thing. I knew there had to have been something significant that she’d told me, but I couldn’t seem to come up with anything other than the obvious. “Dave works at a youth center in town.”
“Okay, so let’s call them. There can’t be that many, right?”
Not surprisingly, only three called themselves a “youth center,” the others were simply summer camps. I should’ve started with this lead rather than waste hours trying to track down where Tasha worked.
“What am I supposed to ask? If they know anyone named Dave?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
“I don’t know his last name. She’s only ever called him Dave.”
Jessa must’ve noticed the defeat on my face because she held out her hand and demanded, “Give me your phone.” After tapping on the screen a few times, she held the device up to her ear, leaving me in complete suspense.
“Hi,” she said in a cheery tone that matched the smile on her face. “By any chance, is there a Dave who works there?” She furrowed her brow for a moment before relaxing it and saying, “To be honest, I’m not sure what his last name is. I’m not even sure I have the right youth center. You see, I’m a foster parent, and I met with him last month regarding the different programs the center offers for all the age groups. He mentioned something about a video game area, and I just got a teenager who would love to spend some time there, so I thought I’d try to get ahold of him because I’m not sure which youth center he’s at.”
Her eyes immediately lit up, and with an enthusiastic thumbs-up, she switched the call to speaker and set the phone on the table between us. It was my turn now. She’d gotten me this far, so now it was up to me to do the rest.
I just prayed he at least gave me a chance to speak.
If I were Tasha’s best friend, I’d have a few choice words for me before hanging up.
“This is Dave.” His voice came through the speaker, making my heart rate skyrocket.
I looked at Jessa; she stared at me, and in that brief moment of eye contact, I felt her unwavering support. Either that or it was when she placed her hand over mine. Either way, I had no doubt that she had my back a hundred and ten percent.
“Hello?” he asked again. I’d clearly spent too long composing myself.
“Uh, yeah…hi. Is this Dave?”
“Yes.” He slowly dragged out that word, the way you would when insinuating that the person you were speaking to was not very bright. Then again, I think I’d proven how not bright I was when it came to Tasha. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry…what I meant to ask was, is this Dave, Tasha Lewis’s best friend?”
There was a long beat of silence—which did nothing to help my racing heart. Then he softly cleared his throat and said, “Yes, that’s me. Who am I speaking with?”
I was terrified that as soon as he knew it was me, I’d lose my chance of getting ahold of Tasha, but I didn’t have a realistic lie lined up, so my only choice was to tell him the truth. “Jacoby Abbott, I live—”
“I know who you are. What do you want?” At least he didn’t hang up. I’d never been more relieved.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and just went for it. “I’m trying to get ahold of Tasha, but her phone is turned off.”
“No, it’s not,” he argued, but then he sang the familiar ah-ha tune. “I’m assuming you were calling the number she used while pretending to be Tiffany? Yeah, that’s not her phone number. She left that behind when she came home. Why do you suddenly want to talk to her now? Why didn’t you do that before she left?”
Part of me hated the interrogation, but a bigger part of me was beyond happy to know that she had someone who loved
