Adrenaline pulses through my veins as I watch him leave. I don't know for how long. As soon as the door shuts, my face softens, and I feel my legs begin to give out. Lowering myself back to the sofa, my hands rest on my temples, uncontrollable tears streaming down my cheeks. "He's right," I sob. "I push away everyone I love. Everything that's happening is my fault."
"No. No, it isn't. You haven't done anything wrong," Zane tries to soothe. He sits down next to me, knowing words won't help right now. My head falls to his shoulder as I let my emotions pour out. I've held as much as I could in. But, it all wants out. "Hey, we should do something to make you feel better. Want to go check in at the station?" he asks gently, rubbing my back. I glance up at him, my eyes wet. Shrugging, he stands up, pulling me up with him. "Come on. I've been MIA for a while. I need to be filled in on the details of the case," he says, dragging me with him to the car.
Going to the station feels productive. I need to feel like I'm doing something. I need to be a part of this case. I need to help bring her home. Sliding into the car, we head to the station. "So, fill me in on what we know so far," he asks, trying to subside my thoughts about David.
"Well, if I'm being honest, the cops are doing a pretty shitty job," I say bluntly. He chuckles. "Umm... well, we know for sure it was Brian. I identified him on a tape at her house," I explain, pushing the visions from that film away. "We don't know where they are, but we've identified the plates of the van he used and tracked it using highway cameras to Utah. Then they lost it," I explained in a solid voice. Something about knowing that progress has been made comforts me. It gives me strength.
Pulling up to the station, Zane cuts the ignition. I remember the last time I came here and the unwillingness of the other officers. They don't think some teenage friends can do anything. There is a new power to my stride. My face hardens, and Zane notices the change. He looks a little surprised, but I don't say anything, continuing to look forward. He turns back towards the entrance, getting the sense that he's just along for the ride. I'll be doing the talking.
Stepping into the station, I immediately stride over to the front desk. "Where's Pollak?" I ask immediately. I don't have the time, energy, or patience for small talk.
"Oh, I'm sorry. He's not in right now. Would you like me to leave a message for him? Name?" she asks in a sickly sweet, condescending tone. I know it's gonna take a lot to phase her. But, thanks to my personality, theatrics are my strong suit. Slamming my hands down on the desk, I lean closer to her face, menace dripping from my words.
"You know damn well who I am, bitch. I've been here every day for a week. I've also been in here enough to know Pollak starts his shift at 7:00. And it would be 8:30 at the moment. So, call him out here, send me to his office, or I'll have to take matters into my own hands," I assert. Fear comes across her face, and she nods quickly.
"Yes, I'll send you in immediately. I'm sorry for the miscommunication," she tries to apologize. Straightening back up, I turn to see Zane wide-eyed.
"Sorry," I mouth. He puts his hands up as if saying, "hey, whatever you gotta do."
She hits a few buttons on the phone next to her and says into the device, "Hi Officer. Yes, I'm good. I'm just sending Miss Koshy in to see you," she says, returning to her sweet voice. "He's in the fourth door to the left right now," she smiles. Without making another remark, I turn to go find him, Zane following closely at my heels. Not feeling the need to knock, I push the door open to reveal him with a team of five other men.
"What've you got?" I ask immediately. "And none of that 'You might want to sit down' bullshit. If you've got something to say, Pollak, say it." He nods to one of the other men and, they begin their spiel.
"Ok, so, as you already know, Brian Mazzola is the main suspect. We've identified the previous owner of the van you identified, and it belonged to a Mr. Seamus Macksey. After bringing him in for questioning, he states he's never seen the suspect. We got a list of the people he's sold cars to and pinpointed the next owner of the vehicle as Filbert Clerke," he states, moving the picture of the car dealer off the screen set up and switching it to this man. "However, after further investigation, we've determined this was an alias, and no such person exists."
"So, what you're telling me is, you've got nothing," I interrupted.
"No, we've been working to figure this out--" Pollak starts.
"No, you know what? I don't know what I expected. It sounds like you've been spending your time on a dead lead. So, when you have real evidence, call me. But, for now, I'll be going. And maybe a private investigator needs to get involved. Since, clearly, all of you are incompetent assholes who wouldn't be able to identify the suspect if he was standing in front of you," I jeered, turning on my heels and walking out. Zane follows behind me, confused about what just happened.
"Uh, we literally accomplished nothing. Don't you want to at least try to talk to them? And we don't have the money for a private investigator," he whispers.
"I'm very aware of this, Zane. Sometimes, you've just gotta put people in their place," I grinned devilishly. "I've got enough information to go on a lead myself."
"Liza! That's dangerous! We shouldn't meddle in the investigation," he warned.
"Shh. Keep your voice down. We know more about the people involved in this situation than they do. I'm fully aware of the danger it pertains. But, currently, our situation is less dangerous than hers. So, you can join me if you want. But, I'm going either way." We get into the car and drive in silence for a few moments. Finally, he speaks up.
"So, when do you wanna start?"
AN: ok so i have some news that might be classified as bad news... we're officially caught up to date in the prewritten chapters. so the good news is the creative juices are flowing! the bad news is i'm gonna need more time to write. i want to make sure i'm putting out quality chapters and, even though it's not much of one, i do have a life ;) so chapters will be updated once a week on thursdays. thank you for all of your support and patience
YOU ARE READING
She's Gone
أدب الهواة"'David, Gabbie can't be next,' I said, my voice breaking. He pulled me into his chest, and I broke down sobbing. 'She's not safe,' I wailed. He stroked my hair, knowing there was nothing he could say."
