Unravel // Van McCann

20. How Life Would Change

As the days went on, I quickly realized my worry was all for nothing. Theo showed no change in behavior; it was safe to assume that Mrs. Calland kept things between the both of us. And Megan went about her normal routine not knowing I had lied to her.

I felt guilty lying to her more than I did to Theo. Trust doesn't come easily for Megan. It doesn't matter that I have her trust; I can easily lose it and never gain it back. But I had a plan to find this man and turn him in.

At work, I was supposed to finish the Clemons report which was almost complete, but I did research on the two men instead. Looking at the wealth of information online, I was able to find their work history and socials. I saved photos I could find from around 2010 to show Mrs. Calland, and I hoped she would recognize them. The thing that worried me most was how Megan told me they were at work when they worked on the house so it's unlikely any of these faces would ring a bell. The only person who would know is Megan, but how do I casually bring up the photos without her suspecting?

My mind went through several options, one of them being to pretend I was working on a new case and casually bring up the photos. But it wasn't as easy as I thought. I have never brought work home and I was never this open about the work I did. She'd instantly know I was up to something.

Since I officially closed out the Melbourne cheating case, Cam allowed me to help Theo and Mark. Their job was to conduct interviews while my job was to analyze their notes and see if there were any significant findings. Some of the interviews I read were blatant lies and I never really understood why people would lie about these things. I've come to the conclusion that they're mentally ill and want the attention.

For example, someone said they spotted her at the hairdressers. To my knowledge, Megan never got her hair cut because it's still long. I had to resist scrapping the interview entirely because how was I supposed to explain that wasn't true?

In addition to reading their notes, I had to create a timeline of what day they saw her, what time, and where. Once I was done going through all the interviews, it'd interesting to see if anything actually lined up. I've yet to come across someone noticing her in the apartment complex I lived in. Have my neighbors seen her yet?

I managed to find Theo's notes from the day he talked to the nurse. It turns out she did recognize Megan that day but the story didn't make sense. Why would she go to the hospital and visit Ada? There is nothing linking Megan to her. I read Theo's notes trying to decipher his handwriting which was shite. Despite me helping Theo on his case, he kept conversations at a minimum with me. I could tell he was still upset with me so I had to tread carefully. But I still couldn't figure out what he was trying to say and this was preventing me from doing my work so I had to get off my arse and talk to him. I begrudgingly pushed my chair back and got up, grabbing the note in question, and making my way towards Theo's desk. As soon as I got to his desk, I knocked and he turned around.

"Hiya Van, come on in," he said, beckoning me to come in. I walked further into his cubicle. I didn't bring a chair as I didn't plan to linger around. Theo finished what he was typing, saved it, and turned around. "So what brings you here?"

"I'm reviewing your notes and can't read what you wrote. A ten year old writes better than you," I added. Theo crossed his arms and smirked which was a good sign.

"Like your handwriting is any better. Lemme see the paper." Theo reached out for his notes and I gave it to him, pointing at the paragraph I couldn't read. "This was a while back. Give me some time to remember...." Theo faced his desk once again to read his notes. I took the opportunity to sit on his desk.

While he was reading, I took the opportunity to look around his desk. As usual, it was immaculate except for the recycling bin labeled "to shred" which was overflowing with papers.