Sheriff Smith heard Sheriff Johnson's voice over the radio, but she couldn't take her eyes off the boy. Kyler didn't understand why she kept staring at him.
Mikey finally broke the silence.
"Sheriff… do you know this boy?"
She was still in disbelief. The little boy who had vanished in 1967 was standing right in front of her, looking exactly the same age as the day he disappeared.
Not wanting to frighten him, she spoke softly.
"Kyler Smith… do you know who I am?"
He shook his head. "No, ma'am."
She smiled. "I'm not that old."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
Kyler quickly added, "No disrespect. I just don't know you. It looks like you know me, though. Can you tell me who you are?"
"My name is Angie Smith," she replied. "I'm your sister."
Mikey's and Allen's jaws dropped. They both knew Sheriff Smith's younger brother had disappeared in 1967. After that tragedy, Angie had dedicated her life to becoming a police officer so she could one day find out what happened to him.
Kyler frowned. "That's impossible. My sister was only three years older than me. You're more like twenty or thirty years older than I remember."
Angie's expression turned serious.
"That's because the year is 1987. You vanished twenty years ago."
Kyler stared at her in shock, unable to find the words.
"Let's get in the car and head to the police station," Angie said gently. "I'll explain everything there. Besides, Sheriff Johnson wants me to see something."
As they drove, Kyler couldn't stop asking questions.
"If you're really my sister… what's my favorite color? What's my favorite food? And what's my dog's name?"
Angie looked at him through the rearview mirror.
"Blue. Pizza. And that dumb dog, Buddy."
Kyler's eyes widened.
Now he believed her.
She was the only person who had ever called Buddy "that dumb dog."
"Sis…" Kyler asked quietly. "Where's Buddy? I saw a man carrying him away while he was chanting some words."
Angie's smile faded.
"When we got home, the back door was open, and you were gone. Buddy was in your room. He waited by your bed every day, hoping you'd come back. But he couldn't wait forever."
She paused, holding back tears.
"He died five years after you disappeared."
The car pulled into the police station parking lot.
Sheriff Johnson looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
"You've got to see this," Johnson called as they stepped out of the car. "Do you remember the twins who disappeared a year before Kyler? And the little girl named Mimi?"
Angie nodded slowly.
"Of course I do."
"They're here. Inside the station."
Angie's eyes grew wide.
"That's not all," Angie said.
Three kids climbed out of the car. One of them everyone recognized—Allen.
When Johnson saw the other two, he froze like a statue.
"…Mimi… Kyler…"
His face turned pale.
"How is this possible?"
The room spun around him.
Everything was happening too fast.
Johnson collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by the impossible.