Action
.
“Everyone has a mask and a vest?” John, head of Thorns security holds up a facemask and a yellow reflective vest, one of the many taken from their stash for game day volunteers and staff. “Flashlights?”
The group nods collectively, itching to get moving. These are soccer players, they know all about patience but, the truth of it is, they are women of action. Players from the Thorns and Utah Royals have come together, plus staff from both teams. Any missing player would result in this turnout, but hearing the mystery of how Tobin disappeared, knowing there is a body in the morgue that could possibly be her, yet this new idea of her being alive since her phone is pinging on the same road the accident occurred has them needing to do something. These soccer players are optimists and the Thorns love Tobin and the Royals love Christen and most of the players actually love both of them, so this crowd is no surprise.
The plan is for the group to travel to the site where Tobin’s phone is supposed to be. Since they don’t know if the vehicle Tobin was in was travelling east or west when the phone got on the ground, the group will search both sides of the road in both directions, with an emphasis on coming towards the accident site. It’s estimated that the phone is about three miles from where the accident occurred.
The group is assembled in the Thorns team room, John up at the whiteboard, a basic diagram drawn with Xs for the vehicles and where they’ll park, how the search will be done and what to do if Tobin is found. He has been in communication with the Police and they would send a couple of cars to help with traffic to keep them safe.
Pierre Soubrier, Thorns Head Athletic Trainer and Bailey Torrez, a team trainer are in attendance, both armed with their medical kits and somber expressions of their faces. They’ll remain in two separate vehicles, so they can reach the searchers quickly.
Once the game plan is laid out and everyone understands their role, they move out.
XXXX
“This is fucking insane!” Lindsey Horan exclaims from the backseat, “I can’t believe we’re doing this!”
A.D. Franch is at the wheel, nodding as she speaks. “I’m praying Tobin got out of the car before,” she clears her throat, “before, you know,” she finishes quietly.
“How did the crash happen?” Kat Reynolds asks, she’s squeezed in the backseat between Lindsey and goalkeeper coach Nadine Angerer. Christine Sinclair is in the front passenger seat.
“The cops said that Tobin’s car clipped a car coming from the other direction at the turn and spun out and rear ended a truck. It burst into flames instantly and rolled over a few times off the road and into the woods a bit.” Christine informs them, her voice thick with emotion. “They figured it was going at a high rate of speed,”
“Fuck,” Kat mutters in the silence as they all visualize the horror of the crash.
“Did they look around for Tobin there?” Lindsey asks, the horrible thought entering her head that Tobin could be lying there, injured and forgotten.
“Yes,” Nadine and Christine answer in unison.
A.D. slows the vehicle, braking when the Thorns van in front of them slows. “Why would she be all the way out here?” she questions.
“Maybe whoever was in the car with her was taking her somewhere,” Christine speculates, “they found a gun in the car,” she mentions darkly, “It really sounds that Tobin could have been carjacked.”
They drive on in silence, all of them in their own worlds as the miles pass by.
XXXX
“Thanks, Daddy,” Christen sniffles, “we should know for certain tomorrow after they look at the dental records,” she explains. She listens as her Dad speaks, “Okay,” she nods, “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she sighs, “Love you,” she ends the call and tosses her phone on her lap, “He’s coming up here in the morning,” she says to Becky and Kling, “he insisted.”
Becky nods sympathetically and Kling looks up from her phone, “Sinc just texted that they’ve arrived and found Tobin’s phone. It might still work,” she says hopefully, as if Tobin’s phone not being demolished means Tobin might be alive.
These next few hours will be brutal, Christen thinks to herself. Cindy Heath and her daughters and son are flying in tomorrow. Tobin’s Dad is coming as well. Channing is trying to get a flight, Tyler is on her way now. She should be here in an hour.
At least I’ll be surrounded by family when they tell me the body is Tobin, she thinks glumly, at least we’ll all know at the same time and I won’t have to call them and tell them. She begins to cry again, wondering how in the world she has any tears remaining in her body at this point. She leans against Becky, feeling a comforting arm around her shoulder, crying harder with the thought she may never feel Tobin hug her again.
XXXX