Where My Love Went - A Novella

Twenty-Nine : Dead Girl

Will

April 2, 2017

I stare at the hole in the ground as rain begins to pour. The grave diggers keep throwing more dirt on the casket, covering it up little by little.

"Will." I don't turn to look at Kevin, but I feel him step up beside me. "Come on. I'll give you a ride home."

"I'll walk," I say hoarsely.

"You don't need to be out here in the rain. You'll get sick."

"So let me get sick then. I'll leave when I'm ready."

Kevin sighs. "Look, kid. I know you're still mad about..."

"Josephine," I state. "That's her name. It's about fucking time you start using it."

He sighs. "Why don't we go get a drink? We'll talk."

I scoff and turn to look at him. "You want to talk?" I shake my head with a clenched jaw and watch as they carry Lori's picture away. "Alright, let's talk." I shove my hands in my pockets.

"Not here."

"Why? Don't want your uniform to get wet, princess?"

"William." His tone has a warning to it.

"No." I take a step back. "You didn't put any effort into trying to find her."

"I put my life on the line every day to find that girl." He points to the ground. "She's gone, Will. It's about damn time you accept that."

I laugh bitterly. "You wanted a dead girl?" I nod to Lori's casket in the ground as I brush past him, hitting his shoulder with mine. "You fucking got one."

Present Day

"You bastard!" I shove Kevin up against the wall. "I told you she wasn't dead. You gave up on her. You didn't care. And she was five minutes away from me."

"Will."

"No." I spat. "I listened to your bullshit apologies for five years."

The door swings open and three cops walk in, but Kevin holds his hand up, stopping them.

"You believe me now?" I gesture to Josephine who has tears in her eyes. "Because she's right fucking there, where she should've been ten years ago." I push my finger into his chest. "But you quit on her." Tears fill my eyes. "Everybody did. Everybody but me." I shudder. "We buried an empty casket because of you." I laugh, not finding any of this particularly funny. "Well look where we are now. Where's her mom, Kevin?"

"We've got a job to do, Will."

"Yeah, well where was that job ten years ago? When I needed you to do your job." I point to Jo. "When she needed you to do your job. Because you haven't given a damn until now."

"Will." Jo's voice meets my ears as she steps up beside me. "I think you've said enough." I look at the tears in her eyes and take a step back, letting go of Kevin's collar.

Kevin rolls out his shoulders before nodding at the cops in the room. He turns to look at us. "Change of plans. You two are staying here. When we've made an arrest, we'll go from there."

"I-" Kevin cuts me off with a stern look. "I can't trust your emotions right now, and she needs you when she goes in there. I'm giving you time to cool off." He pats my shoulder. "I've been nothing but patient with you through all of this. Now, I need you to be patient with yourself."