Unravel // Van McCann

9. She's a Fighter

"Someone said you were looking for me."

Theo's voice caused me to jump out of my skin. I was so focused on the case that I didn't realize he was here.

"Um...yeah!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my cool.

"Jumpy today, aren't ya?" he teased. "I went to the dentist this morning. Didn't expect anyone to miss me."

"I wouldn't call it 'missing,'" I said, grinning. After a brief pause, I continued. "Okay...maybe I missed you a little bit. Just a little." Theo laughed.

"So what do you need?"

"Nowt...I was just bored and looking to bother someone. My case isn't going anywhere at the moment so I need to talk to someone or else I'll go mad. I was hoping you could update me on your case."

Theo's eyes lit up. It always did when he talked about one of his cases. He was very involved when it came to investigations. He knew them like the back of his hand.

"I actually do have an update," he replied slyly. "Why don't you come over to my desk?" He beckoned for me to follow him.

"Just gimme a sec," I said, closing my notebook and trying to make my desk presentable. When I'm down a rabbit hole, my desk is a right mess. One clean notebook turns into several pages ripped out—some even crumpled. Theo didn't wait for me to clean up because he knew it'd take a while and he didn't have all day.

My notes were out of order but I put them together in the top drawer of my desk to look at later. I threw the crumpled papers away in the recycling bin and gathered all the pens I had out. I'm a visual person so my notes need to be in color. Each color serves a different purpose and allows me to find information easily. I downed the rest of my tea and pushed my chair over to Theo's.

As always, Theo's office was immaculate. I think the dirtiest thing in his office was me, physically and mentally. I crossed my legs and shook my foot in anticipation. As I was waiting, I noticed I had a new hole at the bottom of my boot. I uncrossed my legs to look at the other boot. The other boot didn't have a hole yet but almost. Fuck...those are my favorite boots! Theo caught me looking at my boots with a scowl on my face.

"Did you step in dog poop or what?" Theo questioned. I quickly looked up and put my legs down in an effort to draw his attention away from my boots.

"No...even worse! I have a hole," I complained. If it was dog poop, he'd burn my boots and the whole office.

"You should buy a new pair."

"I got a new pair from my parents for my birthday but haven't had the chance to break them in yet." Theo nodded his head and turned his attention back to his computer.

"They tested the hair sample and it's a match!" Theo said excitedly.

"So it's his hair?" I questioned. I was still thinking about the darn hole, damn it!

"No, it's not his hair. It's Megan's hair. The DNA is a match. They uploaded Megan's DNA in the database back in 2015 and the sample they found was a match."

"Unbelievable," I muttered.

"I know, right? I can't believe it either."

"I'm not talking about the case, I'm talking about my boots!"

"Van—just get a new pair. Did you even hear what I said?"

"Yeah, the DNA was a match. So what does that mean?"

"It means she survived the fire. She's alive," Theo answered as if I was crazy.

"So why isn't she coming home to her parents? What is she doing?" The smile disappeared from Theo's face.