Bare Feet

Chapter 2

          "I'm already late Mike, I don't have time to indulge in your clinginess right now," Kate warned, shoving the excess bottom of her white tank top into her navy dress pants.

          "Exactly! You're never home anymore for god's sake, it's like I'm the only one in this marriage." Kate turned to face him, sitting up in bed as she juggled her feet into the black dress shoes, eyes blazing and lips pursed.

          "You knew what my job was and what it involved. I'm not giving up my career for you, and how dare you suggest it," she fumed sliding her arms into the short sleeved matching dress shirt and furiously pushing the buttons through their holes.

          "I'm not asking you to give up your job! I want a compromise; take the 8 and ½ hour shifts. I'm tired of only seeing you every 4 days!" She strapped the nylon duty belt around her waist securing it in place and grabbed the keys to her patrol car.

          "We're not having this discussion, this is over." She spun on her heal and slammed the bedroom door shut behind her, throwing herself down the stairs three at a time until she was whirling out the front door, leaving behind her breakfast, lunch, and supper.

          In the quietness of her car, she curled her fingers around the steering wheel closing her eyes and leaning her head against it, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. She would not compromise her duty or her position for a relationship, a man, who couldn't respect her strong career.

         Keys jingling in the ignition, she turned it over and backed out of the driveway, headed for the busy but relaxing commotion of her unit's office. She had no big cases, which meant a low stress day of patrolling.

          At the station, she tucked her hair up sliding the elastic off her wrist around the folded hair and pinned the rest of the loose tendrils down. She flipped a styrofoam cup right ways up under the coffee dispensers nozzle and waited for the streaming caffeine to come to a stop.

          "Officer Dawson! You're in the area today right?" A processor approached her, a note in hand.

          "Yes, what is it?" She asked tiredly, securing the plastic top over the cup and turning to face her.

          "A man called in, said there was a woman who seemed to be in distress roaming around. Said she was headed for the junior high school."

          "Alrighty. I'll check around the area, see if she's still around and if there's anything I can help her with. Got a description?"

          "Right here ma'am." She took the post it note, gazed over it curiously and headed out again.

          It was barely 7 o'clock, and traffic was beginning to die down from the early morning drivers. She made a few laps around the outer roads that circled the school, glancing cautiously about, seeing nothing suspicious.

          Turning away from the forest that bordered the west side of the town, she started up and down the side roads, seeing a few morning joggers but still no woman in distress. She wondered what was wrong with the woman, whether she was married or not, and if the husband could be the problem.

          "10-25 West Bridge Intermediate," the radio buzzed, requesting a dispatch to the junior high school, currently within her view.

          "On scene, what's the information?" She requested, and listened in disbelief to the dispatcher update her on a case that had been ongoing for over four years. A girl, gone missing midday from her school at the age of fifteen had apparently found her way back.

          Removing her gargoyle like tinted glasses from her eyes, she hooked them on the breast pocket of her shirt and exited the car to confront every missing child's parent's dream come true.