Loves Me Not

FIFTEEN

AFTER
DETECTIVE BRETT PORTER

I've managed to find a last name for this Scarlett woman Ben told me about. It was in her laptop, along with everything else in Catalaina's brain and life. Scarlett Brooks.

I track her down to a prim condominium on the north end. I wait until someone exists the building, then I hurry through before the door closes again. I look at the wall and find her number, then ring in. Once I tell her I'm with the police, she buzzes me up.

"You still haven't found her yet?" is the first thing Scarlett Brooks says upon my arrival.
"No ma'am, I'm afraid not."
I take in her appearance. Tall, standing at about 5'8 or 5'9. Long legs, slim build, bright red hair that she keeps in a tight ponytail pulled back on her head. Her blue eyes search my face for something. Answers.
"Would you like to come inside?" she offers.
I nod and step in. She closes the door behind us.
"God, this is just so crazy," she says, walking towards the couch in the living room. "Her face is everywhere. All over the news and everything. She's famous!"
"Do you mind if we sit?" I gesture towards the sofa.
"Oh, yes, of course." She waits for me to sit first before placing herself on the chair adjacent to me.
"So," she says, surveying me, eyeing the notepad I keep in my hands. "What did you say your name was again?"
"Detective Porter."
"Your name," she says. "What's your name?"
"Brett."
"Brett," she says. "I like it."
"Ms. Brooks," I say firmly. "When was the last time you saw or spoke with Catalaina?"
"It must have been a couple of weeks ago."
"Why's that? From what I've gathered, the two of you are quite close."
She makes a face. "Who told you that?"
"Her fiancé."
She pauses a moment. "We were. We are. Sort of, I guess. We had a bit of a falling out a few weeks back. But it's not the first time. She and I have gotten into disagreements before, about stupid things. But we always bounce back. So I assumed she'd be calling me again any day now to go for lunch or grab a drink."
"But then she went missing."
"Yes."
"What was your 'falling out' about?" I ask.
"Stupid things."
"I'm going to need specifics."
She sighs. "I'm not going to play the blame game and say who's at fault here. But sometimes Catalaina would just get mad at me for no reason. I honestly don't even remember what the fight was about, but she stormed out of my place and hasn't spoken to me since."
"So she can be a bit temperamental then?"
"I guess you could say that. But I don't want to talk negatively about her. Especially not now. With everything going on."
"So the last time you spoke with Catalaina, the two of you were on bad terms," I say. Not a question. A statement.
"Well, I wouldn't put it like that."
"Then how would you put it exactly?"
She's quiet, purses her lips together. "Okay, so we might not have been on the best of terms. But it's not like we hated each other. I would never wish ill upon her."
"When was the exact date you last spoke to her?"
She thinks. "Probably three weeks ago."
"And during this time, how did Catalaina seem? Was she happy? Sad? Depressed? Anxious?"
"Catalaina is all of those things. She's a million different personalities in one."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. She's a little bit crazy, if you ask me. Bipolar, almost."
"Was she officially diagnosed?" I ask, even though I already know the answer is no. I've spoken to Ben and raided the medicine cabinet. Confirmed it with her doctor as well. No signs of mental illness.
"No. But Cat was never one for diagnoses. If anything, she'd diagnose herself."
"What else can you tell me about Catalaina that might pertain to this investigation?"
"I'm not really sure what else you want me to say."
"Would she have taken off? Ran away in the middle of the night?"
She thinks about this. "You know, I really couldn't say."
"So you think it's a possibility?"
"Anything's possible with her."
"How would you describe Catalaina?"
She thinks about this for a moment. "She's sociable. Friendly. Intricate. You're familiar with the saying, the grass is always greener on the other side?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, she's kind of like that. Always thinking that what everyone else has is better than what she has, even if what she has is perfect. Although if you told her that saying, she'd tell you, the grass isn't greener on the other side – it's green where you water it."
"So she's a difficult one to please, I presume."
"Sure."
"How is her relationship?"
"Fine."
I raise my eyebrow. "You seem to know Catalaina better than most of the people I've spoken with thus far, so I think you'd know best the state of her relationship."
"It was a relationship, okay? It wasn't the best thing in the world, but it wasn't the worst."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because it's not like Cat was over the moon. She was just... I don't know, settling."
"Settling? For Ben?"
"Yeah."
"She told you that?"
"Well, no. But I could tell. The way she acted, the things she insinuated. It was like she was only with him out of something to do. Because she had nothing better going on."
"That sounds a bit harsh," I say. "Are you sure she'd agree with that statement?"
Scarlett shrugs. "You asked, I'm telling."
"You didn't know Ben personally?"
"No."
"Why is that? If you and Catalaina were so close?"
"We just never crossed paths, I guess."
"Seems a bit odd if you ask me, no?"
"Not really."
"When and how did you and Catalaina meet?"
"It was only a few months ago. In January. We met at a bar, of all places. She was there by herself one night. Seemed lonely. I approached her and we got to talking. We became friends and the rest is history."
"Clearly," I say. "Do you know if Catalaina was in any sort of trouble? If anyone wanted to hurt her?"
"No," she says. "Why would anyone ever want to hurt her?"
I stare at her. "That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out."