Howard Bleeserman was the town screwup. He had been in trouble with the law since he had hit his teens in those years his Mom and Dad tried everything they could think of to help the boy, they spent more than they had on recovery camps for his theft, then his drink and most folks in town would tell you that finding out that he pedaled pills to kids at the highschool well the shame just killed them. He went to jail for that in his 30's and 12 yrs and budget cuts in the prison system and now he was out a very different man than the one who went in if you were to believe him most folks didn't and so they didn't give him any thought at all. Howard made his money now working at the pretzel stand. It was in the mall and he got around on the bus. This would have made a person of interest some a cop should have interviewed but they saw him on camera working his pretzel job until closing and the camera on the bus had him getting on and off at his parents' house, which is the only thing he had left of them.
He was a changed man regardless of what this little town thought of him. Losing his ability to see his parents buried had changed him completely. He had not even been able to say a proper goodbye. He never wanted to be the kind of guy who would lose so much and have it mean so little. he kept waiting for the police to question him. He'd hear the sirens at night and wonder if they had finally realized that they had forgotten to question him.
One day he realized that they weren't coming to question him So no matter what he knew no one would find out that unless he went down and offered to give a statement voluntarily. he knew this was the right thing to do but he was still a convict and the thought of setting foot into the police station gave him the shakes. But he was also a man of his convictions. He was going down to that station house in the morning and telling that new police chief what he knew. Tiffany didn't deserve to go missing and no one would have any idea what could have happened to her and in some way Howard hoped was still happening to her.
He drank two cups of coffee dressed respectably and went to the desk to ask if he could speak to the Chief. When he was finally shown into the office he addressed the Chief as if he was talking to a guard at the prison. There wasn't a lot of fluff or guessing in the way he spoke. He repeated only what he knew was fact not only because so many of the inmates talked about it as fact but that much later he was able to use the library at the prison and he saw the writing right there small but buried in the new roads bill that had been approved by a town vote. Howard wasn't living in town when they made the vote but because it had passed so easy and the pint being so fine he told the Chief most folks probably didn't even know what else they had agreed to let into town. When he was asked why he had never bothered sharing any of this with the police who interviewed him, he answered honestly no one had bothered to ask him a thing which he thought was odd.so he came down to give his statement himself in hopes that if they acted quickly enough Tiffany would be safer then if the police didn't know what he had to say.
Howard Blesserman walked out of the chief's office a little lighter than when he went in. Yes, he wanted to use and drink but he didn't. He got himself a 21 oz Pepsi and a big bag of M&M's went to the church lit a candle hoping that what he had done might do some good visited his folks and then went home. There wasn't anything more he could do now but wait and pray.
YOU ARE READING
The Missing
Mystery / ThrillerA Highschool girl goes missing from a mall. It's a small town so one girl is worrying enough. But the cops have been keeping a massive secret from the town. If this girl isn't found soon the secret will have to come out.
