Old Windows

Mysteries

* One Week Later

"I can't get to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll call back as soon as I can," Claire heard for about the 7th time now.

"Go**amn," she huffed, setting down the phone.

"What's wrong?" Mort asked still involved in his newspaper, sitting comfortably on her couch.

"7 times Mort. I've called 7 times. It's like the girl forgot how to answer the damn phone!"

"Who?"

"Elise," she replied, plopping down next to Mort and stretching her legs across his lap.

Mort's eyes shifted and his mouth couldn't conceal a smirk. He cleared his throat, "I'm sure there's a reason. Maybe the phone's went out over there or something."

"Yeah, but," Claire contemplated, "this is so unlike her. Whatever," she shook her head.

"You got work today?" Mort asked.

"Yeah, I go in at 3. You writing today?"

Mort set down the newspaper and elevated himself like he had been dying to share his newest ideas all day, "I've got a really good one I'm working on. I'm planning on this one ending- the girl ultimately dies but a huge fight goes down between her and the guy-"

Claire cut him off, "I swear sometimes you scare me with how much you write about couples murdering each other," she smiled, but Mort sensed the seriousness in tone. Which worried him for the wrong reasons.

"It's what sells, Claire. Everyone likes a plot twist," he smiled.

This was the first time she had seen Mort since their break, and just within a couple hours Claire asked herself why she allowed him back in her life. The man was getting weirder and weirder.

She gave a fake smile and sunk into the couch. An eerie mass draped around her like a thick coat and she wouldn't dare to move.

A couple more hours had passed by and Claire had to leave for work once Mort left. She got in her car and decided a detour was her priority instead of work. As she pulled in Elise's driveway, she noticed her car was gone. Scrunching her eyebrows in curiosity, she got out and walked up to the door. The entire property seemed a little too quiet.

She looked through the mucked windows as she cupped her eyes against the glass. It looked as if she got up and left. Her purse wasn't even in the place she had always left it. Claire's confusion grew and she stormed up to the front door and pounded.

"Elise! If you're there please come to the door. I'm worried about you!" no answer, "Elise!" "F*cking hell," she grumbled to herself.

Her once frustrated assumptions for her whereabouts worsened into panic and concern. Claire checked the time on her watch and knew she had to get to work. As she drove, there was nothing on her mind other than Elise. Where the hell could she have gone? And why? Tears began to materialize but she quickly wiped them away.

As soon as she got into work she headed straight for her boss, "Mr.Conrad," she began, swinging his door wide open, "I need a wellness check as soon as possible."

He took notice of the agitation in her body language and tone, "Claire, what happened? For who?"

"My good friend Elise. She hasn't been answering my calls all week and when I went to her house before I came here, her car was gone but everything in her house looked as if she up and left. When I tell you this is extremely abnormal for her to do, I mean it."

"Hm. Do you have any idea of where she could be?"

"Not at all. I just need access into her house. I'm starting to really think the worst happened."

Mr.Conrad thought as he tapped his pen on his desk, "Alright. I'll tell our investigation team as soon as I can. Would you like to be there when they go in?"

"You'd let me?"

"I see no reason why not."

"Thank you, truly, so much. Thank you," Claire praised.

This should have eased her a bit, but it didn't. Even if she wasn't in there, there's no way of tracking her.

-

2 Hours Later

Claire returned physically to her normally scheduled work but her mind was on Elise. Desperately trying to piece together what could've happened. As she was thumbing through the criminal record files, she came across Mort's. Elise's suggestion played in her mind and her heart pounded at the risk she was taking.

"Claire!" her boss called from just a few steps down the hallway.

Claire panicked and threw the record into her purse for later, "Yes?" she answered as he walked through the door.

"They're getting ready to go to her house, if you're still up to go?"

"Oh yes. Let me grab my things and I'll be there."

Claire gathered her things and rode in the police car as she guided them to her house. Once they arrived, they picked her lock and opened up the door.

"Elise?" Claire called out.

The two men began their investigative search, but Claire just wanted to find Elise.

She walked upstairs and continued to call for her, but to her dismay, the house was deathly silent. Claire ran downstairs, hoping the men might've found something.

"We couldn't find anything," one of them confessed.

"Damn it-" she ran her hands through her hair.

"We could get a search dog?" Claire's eyes perked up at their suggestion, "Now, since her car isn't here, it's still likely that she left somewhere. So I can't say the dog will be able to find much but we can try."

"That would be perfect. Thank you."

They drove back to the police station and they confirmed the dog hunt would take place the next day. After the day was done, she headed home in a demoralizing car ride. As soon as she walked through the door, her phone was ringing.

"Hello?"

"How'd work go?" Mort asked.

She rolled her eyes at his urgency, "Well, I went with some of the investigators to do a wellness check on Elise at her house, but her f*cking car's gone. And obviously she isn't there," Claire sighed as she slipped her heels off, "So tomorrow they're gonna do a dog search and try to sniff her out."

"I doubt they'll even be able to find anything," Mort's tone and lack of faith put her off.

She glanced over at his file that was peeking out of her purse.

"I have to go," she asserted.

"Wait-"

"I'll talk to you later. Have a good night Mort."