She Never Came Home

Chapter 9

Alicia struggled to stay awake as she drove home from work on the I-15. She'd volunteered for extra shifts at the department store because she needed the money, but she hadn't planned on being assigned to the Return Desk. Here it was, three days after Christmas and folks were still lining up to ask for exchanges or refunds. And nothing made customers crankier than having to wait in an endless line while clerks such as herself had to fumble for the proper keystrokes on the cash register and find the correct forms, not to mention eventually informing them after all that time that the store would only exchange their "defective" video game for one of the same title.

She glanced at the clock on the dashboard of her VW Beetle and saw that it was getting close to 11:00. Her babysitter had drilled it into Alicia's head that she started charging double after midnight, so Alicia was determined to make it home in time so that she didn't have to spend that money she'd earned standing on her feet for hours dealing with customers attempting to return cocktail dresses with obvious perspiration and make-up stains while insisting that they'd never worn the garment... It would be such a relief to return to her regular job at the cosmetics counter once the holiday return rush had ended. That was truly her element, advising women on their best foundation colors and how to line their lips with a contrasting color before applying lipstick. Alicia wasn't stupid; she knew that part of the reason that she'd been hired for the cosmetic department was because she was, quite frankly, a pretty girl. She read all the latest fashion magazines religiously, so she knew how to create trendy things like "smoky eyes" on her customers. It didn't hurt that she'd been blessed some serious cheekbones and a thick mane of dark blonde hair, which she wore shoulder-length and which she had highlighted regularly at a nearby upscale salon. It was pricey, but since she earned a commission on all the beauty products she sold, she considered it an investment. Her supervisor had told her more than once that a Pretty Girl sold more make-up than a "middle-aged housewife". Even though Alicia appreciated both being described as "pretty" and also the extra money that she earned as a result, that "housewife" comment made her stomach churn. Some of her co-workers were struggling single moms, just like her, and they were working at the department store for the same reason she was – she had a child to support and rent to pay. But she was always put on the "front line" due to a particularly fortunate set of genes...

She hit the accelerator a bit more aggressively... it was late on an uncharacteristically cold night, traffic was light, surely she was safe... That quickly a flashing red light seemed to illuminate the entire interior of her car. She simultaneously slowed down and lowered her driver's side window. She heard a voice over a loudspeaker... "Please proceed forward and exit on the Mercy Road ramp..."

Alicia followed the instruction. She was a little bit confused, but she was also very tired. "Maybe it's because it's dangerous to pull off on the freeway shoulder," she thought. "So many speeding cars." After all, she'd been driving at almost 15 miles above the posted speed limit...

"License and registration, please," were Officer Peter Gregg's first words when he approached her open driver's side window.

"Just gimme a sec, they're right here in my purse," Alicia told him as she rummaged through the Coach bag she'd bought last Summer via her employee discount. "Here," she said moments later, handing him the requested items.

"Miss? Or is it Mrs. Johnston?"

"I'm not married..." Alicia murmured as she continued to search through her purse for her most recent insurance card. She now regretted not taking the time to actually put it in her wallet, rather than just tossing it into her purse. But she'd been in such a rush when that envelope had arrived in the mail... she remembered tearing the envelope open and just stuffing the card into her purse while simultaneously buckling Chloe into her car seat so she could drop her off at day care before clocking in at work.