She Never Came Home

Chapter 12

"We've got to call Stephen...and Chris..." Richard told Chuck in between sobs. Chuck simply closed his eyes and nodded, unable to speak.

"Um, Sir?" One of the uniformed officers approached Rich hesitantly. "I overheard what you said, and I must ask you to please not make any phone calls until you've spoken with the detectives."

"Screw that!" Chuck had suddenly found his voice. "Our dad is out of his mind wondering where Reeny is.... He needs to know!" He paused and started sobbing uncontrollably again. "No matter how bad the news is..." he managed to gulp. Rich pulled his brother-in-law into a quick, reassuring embrace.

"We have to inform the rest of the family," Richard said over Chuck's shoulder. "They're out there driving to different police stations filing reports..." He paused and sniffled. "My God, they don't need to be wasting their time now that we know..." His face crumbled and the tears started flowing again.

"Excuse me, Mr.....?" The tired-looking plainclothes man with a badge hanging around his neck on a chain approached Richard a few minutes later. Rich was starting to wander around and wave his cell phone upward in search of a signal.

"Huh? Oh, Colbert. Richard Colbert." Rich continued to check his phone as the detective followed him.

"I'm Detective Dwayne DeWitt," the man continued, "I was at the station when," he glanced down at his pocket notebook to make sure he got the names right, "Joyce Crowley and Christopher Cox came in to file a missing person report..."

Richard barely turned to acknowledge the detective as he replied, "That's my mother-in-law and Coreen's boyfriend..." He paused a beat and then whipped his head around quickly to confront the detective. "...and as I recall, no one we called about Coreen's disappearance gave one good Goddamn about it!! 'We can't file a report until she's been missing 48 hours, girls will be girls...'" He repeated the words he'd heard from law enforcement officials in a mocking tone.

"I apologize for any dismissive responses you might have received from some precincts," DeWitt replied, trying to calm Rich down. "But, unfortunately, at this time that 48 hour time frame is standard protocol."

Chuck turned away from his brother-in-law and hissed menacingly at the detective, "And look how good your fucking protocol worked." He walked closer to DeWitt and then in a quick movement grabbed the detective by the shoulders and aggressively pushed him toward the railing of the bridge. He grasped the back of the detective's head and pushed it forward so that the police officer was forced to look downward into the creek bed, where Coreen's body was grotesquely spread out on the ground below like a rag doll. "That's my baby sister, you son of a bitch!!"

One of the uniformed police officers quickly moved to restrain Chuck, but Dwayne called out, from his bent-over position, "Stand down! Let him be!"

Chuck released his grip on the detective and slumped over the railing, looking down at his sister.... Just lying there like so much tossed-away garbage.

"Sir?" A voice from behind made him raise his head and look behind him.

"What??" He growled at the young man who was approaching him, notebook in hand.

"I'm sorry to ask such questions at this very difficult time," Steven Park said, almost as if he was reciting a script, "but we need some more information from you. Can you tell me about your sister's state of mind?"

"Her what?!" Chuck stood up at his full height and turned to confront the officer.

"Her state of mind," Park repeated. "Did she exhibit any signs of depression?"

"What the hell – " Now it was Richard's turn to be restrained from physically attacking a detective. One of the uniformed officers had grabbed Richard by his arms before he could get too close to Park.

"Let me go!" Rich shouted. "I'm not going to hurt that dumb-ass, I just want to know what the hell he is talking about?!"

Steven Park took a moment to regain his composure and then replied, "In situations like this, we have to consider every possible scenario. Including the possibility of suicide..."

"Park!" DeWitt shouted over Richard and Chuck's cries of outrage, "get back to the car and radio this in!"

"But – " Park started to protest, "according to regulations..."

"...and according to not getting your ass kicked, radio in that we've located the body of a missing person and request that officers to be sent to the addresses of the reporting persons to advise them." He felt a familiar but unwelcome heaviness in his chest. "Make sure they advise the family members in person, not by phone."

Detective DeWitt turned his attention back to the two grieving men who were almost surrounding him. "First of all," he said, "I apologize for the possible insensitivity of my colleague... He's learned the technical aspects of the job, but not necessarily the personal ones. Secondly, I want you both to step over to the side here," he pointed at the grassy area on the shoulder of the dirt road, "and keep on the edge while you walk back to your vehicle." He didn't elaborate, but during the time he'd been on the scene he'd noticed a second set of tire tracks behind those left by Coreen's car. He was trying to preserve evidence while also trying to keep her family members as calm as was possible at a time like this.