Suddenly There Is Love

I couldn't believe Zooey and I have had our first fight. She had looked so incerdibyl hurt, deceived and utterly broken, and the sight and memory of it completely broke my heart. I sat down on the couch, and was simply shaking my head. Why hadn't Zooey understood why she needed to be protected? First, some guy follows her in the park, and then there is a man in the neighboubuilding who was taking photos of her. My guess is: the same man! It hurt me that she couldn't see that I was trying to keep her safe, and it took my all to keep from getting in my car and drive after her. I turned on the TV to try to distract myself, but to no use. I picked up my phone, and was about to call herm but I changed my mind after one ring. She would surely be thinking that I didn't trust her - and that was the absolute last thing I would want right now. I was pacing in the livingroom, the TV still on, making noise. I was going to have to wait patiently no matter what. No calling her, no driving to get her. I needed to wait.

The next six hours went by very slowly. It was now 10:30 at night, and I had not heard a single word from Zooey. I was sure she was fine. She was probably watching a film with Matt, which was much needed, as the two of us had been together pretty much 24/7 during the last four weeks. I was reading the warninglabel on a pepperspray I had kept in my drawer for three years, and this was probably the 50th times I read the label. I tossed the can across the room, knocking one of my icehockey trophies over. I didn't even bother picking it up, and I took out my phone for the 30th time, and I jumped when it rang. It was an unknown number, but I did not hesitate to answer.
"Zooey," i said immediately.
"No, Matt," the voice in the other end corrected me. "But I am calling about Zooey..." I interrupted.
"Is she ok? Did her phone die? Do I need to come pick her up? Are you the messenger to tell me she's ending it?" I was totally rambling and I was guessing Matt had not caught anything that I had just said.
"Calm it, Booth. I have been trying to reach her, because she never came to my place. I think her phone died." Matt was completely calm, obviously not knowing how serious this was.
"She's not with you?"
"No. What? She's not with you?" he asked, while I felt every shade of colour drain from my face. I started freezing, and panic was spreading through my body.
"Oh no," I whispered, feeling my heart stop beating.

Matt came over to my place, and we decided to walk everywhere she might have gone to search for her.
"Take this," I threw a flashlight to Matt, and we ran out the door. I knew exactly which way she would have walked, and that was the direction we were headed.
"You think something happened?" Matt asked bluntly, a little out of breath.
"I don't know, but we need to find out." I answered shortly, and sped up, while Matt struggled to keep up, but never complaining. I did not know Matt, not really. We had talked a few times, watched a film with him and his girlfriend Wendy a few times, but we really did not know each other. Still, I knew that Matt was just as worried as I was, and that he cared for her just as much as I did, but in another manner.
"I'm sure we'll find her," he said while panting slightly, turning his flashlight in every direction possible. We walked for 30 minutes, one hour, still nothing.
"We will find her, right?" Matt asked, and a distinct worry was pierced in his voice.
"I hope to God we do!" I said shortly, looking wildly around, not knowing where she might be.
"Maybe she's in the hospital. You know how clumsy she is!" Matt said with reassurement - more to himself than me.
"We can check."

We rushed into the hospital lobby, and over to the frontdesk.
"We need to know if you have gotten a woman in here," I started, but the lady behind the desk held up a finger, as a sign for me to hold.
"Look, we need to.." she gave me a sharp look, showing her finger more clearly.
"So Ben said that I needed to chill, and that totally made me mad..." I smacked my hand on the desk, making the lady jump in fright.
"Sir..."
"Hey, there is a woman missing, so I really don't give a fuck if some guy needed you to chill. You need to do your freaking JOB, and help us out!" My voice was a little to loud, and I felt Matt place a hand on my shoulder, as a sign for me to calm down.
"You will not speak to me like that, sir..." This time it was Matt who interrupted her.
"Sorry for my friend here, but we really need your help, so why don't you take a little break in your rumour talk, and you give us a hand here." His glare was intense, scared and afraid. The lady finally decided to move in her seat, and placed her hands at the computer keyboard.
"What's the name of this woman?" she asked, blowing a bubble with her gum.
"Zooey Davis," we both said sincerely. She started typing, then she read, and turned her glance back to us.
"No one with that name, sirs," she said. "Now, leave." She cocked her head to the side, and moved to keep talking to her collegue.

It was now 3 in the morning, and Matt and I had been out searching for Zooey all night. She was nowhere to be found, and both of us felt the fright and terror of her being simply - gone.
"I have to sit!" Matt exclaimed, and sat down on a nearby bench, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "I never smoke, really, unless I am very stressed, and I am definately stressing right now," he said, and inhaled deeply, and his face relaxed a little. I could not stand still, so I started pacing from one side of the bench to the other. My face, and body in general, was covered in sweat, and I was cold, but I could not care less. Zooey was missing, and I was terrified that when I came to work the following morning, I would be told that another body had been found, and that body would be Zooey.. I shook the thought away, as it only made my heart sink in my chest.
"You want one?" Matt asked suddenly, holding a smoke out for me. I never smoke, but I accepted and fired it up. I coughed a little as I inhaled, but I didn't care. How anyone would find a smoke relaxing was beyond me, but at least it was something to do while waiting for Matt to finish his cigarette.
"Is there any place we haven't looked?" I asked, and Matt shrugged.
"I don't think so. We've been in the park, the road to my place, her place, your place and Market4U. We even went all the way to The Royal Diner." Matt was tapping with his foot, looking as stressed out as I felt.
"She has to be here," I said more to myself than Matt, and I pulled out my phone, and dialed her number. One ring, two rings, three rings... No answer, before the call went to voicemail:
"Hi, this is Zooey Davis. I have obviously not picked up the phone, but I am guessing because my phone got lost in my huge purse. Leave a message." Then there was the beep, signalling for me to leave a message. I hung up.
"Nothing?" Matt asked, a tiny sign of hope in his voice.
"Nothing." I confirmed, putting my phone back in my pocket.
"I'm contacting the office."

"Henderson, Booth here. Ehm, Zooey is missing. I need to put out a search for her." I said shortly, not wanting to expand the conversation much longer.
"How long she been missing?" he asked, apparently chewing on something.
"A few hours. But..."
"You know we can't start a search before 24 hours have passed, dude," he answered shortly, swallowing loudly, which made me cringe.
"Henderson, listen to me! Two people from the bank are murdered! If we don't find her quickly, she might be next!" I was half screaming, while Matt stared at me with big eyes, waiting for the ready.
"It would be a waste - she was extremely pretty!" I punched my fist into a nearby tree in anger.
"Henderson, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! Listen to me! She might be dead in the next 24 hours!" The was a long pause before he spoke again.
"Alright, I'll talk to the boss-man. I'll call ya back, dude." I rolled my eyes, and hung up. I rubbed my temple, as a terrible headache was getting ready to explode my head.
"He sounds like a douchebag," Matt said in a whisper, and I nodded in agreement.
"He is, not FBI material what-so-ever. I have no idea why Hacker hired him. He's of no good use to the department."
"You have contacts in the business, don't you? Can't you track her phone of something?" It was as if a light flicked on in my head, and I started dialing a number, calling the IT guy in the FBI.
"Tom, hi, Booth here. I need you to track a number for me. Find out where the phone is." I read the number to him, and hung up.
"Hopefully this will work," I exclaimed, feeling incredibly nervous.

I received a message, read it and started walking quickly, Matt followed quickly.
"You got something?"
"I know where her phone is, and hopefully she'll be there too." We came to a clearing, lightened up by the moonshine. I started looking through the smaller bushes, and Matt did the same thing, although I hadn't told him anything about where to look. A sigh of disappointment escaped his lips, as he reached down and picked up a purse - Zooey's purse.
"It the phone in there?" He nodded, and pulled out the phone. There were several missed calls, most of them from me and Matt, except for one unknown number.
"We'll check this number," I said with finality, and we walked toward the department, in the hopes of getting some clues from the number.