Animals

Day 11

Sunday, May 20th

I sat with my chin in my hand, staring blankly at a tree gently swaying in the wind with a high-quality camera around my neck and zero thoughts in my mind. I was unequivocally bored out of my mind, which was disconcerting because I was on a job. I used to love snapping photos from afar, but now... Now...

Shit.

I sat up straighter, my heart beating a bit faster as I realized I no longer knew where my perp was. "Oh, fucking hell," I grumbled, throwing my bag over my shoulder and standing, but my feet didn't move. It had been four days since I'd seen Mitch or heard anything about the Midnight Anarchists. Four painstakingly long days. I thought taking this job would snap me out of it, but it only made it worse. When I was supposed to be focusing on the perp, all I could think about was what was happening on the Anarchists case.

Down the street, there was a bench to the side. On it was a couple doing nothing but reading. They each had different books in their hands, completely lost in opposite fictional worlds, yet they couldn't be more in sync. The only part of them touching was their knees.

With a final thought, I muttered, "Fuck it." I would give Mrs. Dao all her money back. I was done with this. There was only one place I wanted to go as I went back to my car, and surprisingly, it wasn't a bar. My hands and feet controlled the car as though my mind was on autopilot.

It didn't take long at all to get there, and the familiar scent of old books and used pages welcomed me into the building. I took a moment to inhale deeply, a smile spreading on my face as the first sign of fulfillment in four days filled my senses. I traveled slowly down the aisles, content to let my fingers drag along the spines of the books surrounding me. Who knew happiness came in the form of a hidden bookstore in a small town?

My eyes stopped on a book I'd yet to read. It wasn't typically my style, but why not try it? I didn't feel like reading a mystery book today. I slid from between two books A Walk to Remember, starting the read before I even found a seat.

There was a chair in an empty corner, far from any prying eyes or disturbing sounds. I could relax for once.

——————–

Stan hung his head for a moment, releasing a short sigh, and Mitch sat quietly at the table next to him. When Mitch told Stan he was working alone, he wasn't too happy about it. In fact, it seemed to Mitch that Stan was putting too much stock in Elle's abilities. There was nothing super special about her, yet Stan was doting on her like she was his own daughter. It frustrated Mitch to the point where he almost resented the girl. Times like now, Mitch hated his job because Stan was most likely about to say, 'I told you so'.

"Look," Mitch defended, gesturing to the open laptop in front of the two of them. "I got what I could, but these people are more secretive than we thought. They've got tricks to keep people out of their business."

Stan held up his hand, nodding to Mitch half-heartedly in his own way of saying, 'yeah, yeah, now shut up.' He leaned forward, staring intently at the photos on the screen like they would read off everything he needed to know like a book. Every passing moment left Mitch a little more on edge than before, but finally Stan leaned back and crossed one arm over his chest while rubbing his forehead. "This is a crock of shit. There's nothing here."

Mitch opened his mouth to speak, but immediately closed it as he rolled his eyes away from Stan. He knew Stan was right, but he realized he really didn't like people telling him he wasn't good enough.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

Mitch's brows furrowed as he thought. "That-."

"It means that now you get to be the one to bring Elle back."