The Disappearance and Reappearance Of Mr. Kingsley

The Principal

The unspoken words of the past couple of minutes allowed May to exhale, still regretting ever opening her mouth. It defied all reason; all judgment. Even though it was a simple, mindless mistake, she couldn't shake it.

What other mistakes would she make?

This was too much. It reminded her of her deep, dark past with her drunk of a father. The father who beat and sexually abused her mother for years. Those years her mother spent dealing with it in fear of his wrath.

Her mother endured all that for the sake of her children. For she did not know what he would do to them if she defied him.

Her brother got arrested for nearly beating her father to death. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take his mother's cries nor the constant fear weighing down the family anymore.

May idolized him for that. For sticking up to the very man who ruined her chances of happiness at such a young age. Though, she did find it. She found it with Ryan. Her husband, her love.

But she ruined it.

She ruined the only thing going for her and now she was stuck with a man who would do who-knows-what to get what he desired.

To get her.

If Ryan found out she could say bye-bye to her perfect family. To the one thing, she wanted ever since she was five years old, hiding in the closet as her mother cried.

Though, her deep regret would bubble up. Her conscience could even make her tell Ryan herself.

Oh, how tragic that would be. Sealing away her own fate, dooming herself in the way she feared the most.

"Mr. Perez!" Ethan shouted, grabbing May's attention to the situation at hand. She would worry her very heart away later.

Vincent Perez was the principal of the school James worked at. In other words, that last person that saw Kingsley that night. That they knew of, of course. Though there were a lot of things they were yet to know about that night. And Vincent.

"Not now." He told Ethan, shoving up his hand. He speed-walked towards his red Mazda.

"Sir, you have denied questioning for too long. Either you answer some questions willingly or we'll have to do it forcefully." It was an empty threat, but Ethan had to do what he had to do.

"Fine," Vincent muttered, placing his suitcase in the front seat of his car before walking over to the pair of detectives.

May scrambled for her notebook, ready to take notes. She figured Ethan was the best choice for questioning him. He wasn't a grieving wife or a suspicious half-brother, he was a grumpy middle-aged man. This situation didn't need a comforting, overly emotional May.

"So, I understand that you saw Kingsley last that night." Ethan started, warming him up.

"So I've been told."

"What can you tell us about James? How was his work ethic? Any notable events?"

"Slow down, boy. My head can't take all those questions at once. I have a ringing headache ." He told Ethan, wincing slightly and holding his head. May wondered if he was rude all the time or just frustrated about his headache. Either way, he didn't rub May right.

"I apologize," it felt odd to see Ethan so polite.

Maybe he's intimidated. May thought but kicked herself for even considering it.

Ethan? Intimidated? Nonsense.

"How was Kingsley at work?"

"Work ethic wise, he was excellent. He never caused any trouble. Always nice, too."

May noticed something. Something that bothered her. His eyes were... red. Irritated, maybe? Perhaps he was taking eye drops. She wrote "RED EYES" in bold, blue ink.

"What can you tell me about when you saw him last?"

"He walked by my office around six fifteen. He acted like he did every night. He always stayed late, too, so it wasn't surprising in the slightest." He seemed bored. Well, he probably was. Annoyed, probably, too. No one wants to get questioned by the police or detectives. No one wants to get questioned period, really.

"Last question: what about Kingsley as a person? What was he like?"

"Psh, a real faithful one." It was clear he was being sarcastic.

"What do you mean?" Ethan was officially intrigued.

"He brought this girl over sometimes after hours."

"Monica Dixon?" May chimed in, hopeful that it would be his fiancé.

"Nope. Some blonde. Sharon? Erin? I can't remember."

May wrote "SHARON?" , "ERIN?" and lastly, "MISTRESS?" in large, large letters. Her stomach dropped. She wanted to judge him, and she would've. But she had done the same. She had been just as stupid and reckless.

"Are you positive it wasn't his wife?"

Vincent nodded. "Well, that was the last question, right?"

Before Ethan could even answer he had already hopped into his car and driven off.

It made May feel odd about how rushed he was. About how unwilling he was. Sure, no one wants to be in his position, but if he had nothing to hide shouldn't he want to get it over with? Shouldn't he have been even just a bit more nice or more likable?

If May was in his shoes, she would want to be as polite as possible, to not be suspected. He was doing the opposite. She wondered if he had done that to cover up the fact that he knew something. Something important.

Or maybe May was analyzing the situation too much and he could be just a guy who didn't want to get wrapped up in something he had no part of.

She didn't know, but she couldn't shake the feeling.

Once back at the station, Ethan and May searched everywhere for an Erin Something and Sharon Something. Every website, every database. They even posted notes and got others to join them in their hunt for a blonde Erin or Sharon.

They weren't even sure that was her name. They could've used a false name or maybe even Vincent heard wrong.

Though this was their only lead, and they were set on finding it.