Unfound

8

The police were utterly useless. I had decided this within ten minutes of the so called formal report. One of the cops seemed to take in everything I said, nodding as I went, but the other stared at me blankly. I could tell he didn't want to be there and was probably day dreaming about being anywhere else. My words were going in one ear and immediately out the other. The one who was paying attention even gave me a blank stare. There was no way either of them were going to help me. They either didn't believe me or thought she had just left me and I was reacting badly. He was as out of the report as his partner. I could tell he thought I was full of shit and anyone else wouldn't be much help is he was as stubborn as he appeared. I was on my own.

I stormed out of the station, the glass door slamming behind me with a long, loud bang. A few officers sitting outside jumped at the noise and watched me leave with precaution. The female cop taking me in, her male counterpart reaching for his radio just in case. I ignored them as I had been ignored. My girlfriend was in pain and struggling. I knew it. I couldn't tell how I knew it, but I did. She was somewhere, frightened, stolen away from me and the rest of her friends. I didn't know how her family would live with this again.

The police had kept me there waiting for so long that the sky had begun to turn a mix of dark blues and purples, the stars already starting to emerge. I paused, still in the parking lot of the police station, and looked up at the stars. I closed my eyes and smiled. Kara was always trying to get a glance of the stars. She would take walks at night just to see them peaking out from the trees and clouds. She didn't get to see them much in the city, but out here they shone bright. She would point them out to me as my arms were wrapped around her, reciting the names and meanings mostly to herself. She always ended with the Orion's Belt, for reasons unknown to me. She would point it out and repeat it's name under her breath and simply stare. I assumed it had something to do with her family as there were only three of them and three points on the belt, but I never asked. It was always intimate for her to look upon the stars, and though we were intimate in other ways I could never disrupt her peace there.

Thinking about her and the stars made me furious. Picturing her trapped somewhere with no outlet to the night sky was infuriating. I marched back toward the station and approached the two cops who were sitting outside. The man reached for his belt as if reaching for his gun, but the woman stood up and met me halfway. She too was ready for trouble, but I wasn't a threat, well, I could be, they just didn't know that yet.

"Excuse me, but I need to report a missing person. I did inside already, but they obviously didn't care. Her name is Kara Williams and that's Kara with a 'K'. She's about 5' 5" and has long dark brown hair and brown eyes. She's beautiful. She's been missing since Saturday afternoon after telling me she was going to meet a friend at his house. She didn't tell me his name or address or phone number but she missed her yoga, she never misses yoga. Then she missed her classes. That doesn't happen either. She's on scholarship and it means more to her than anything else. She's the most dedicated person I know and would never dip. or at least if she needed a mental day and even then she would have told me first." The woman just nodded at me, I could tell she was trying to calm me in case I became agitated. I sighed, "Look, I'm asking for your help. I will look for her with or without the police, but anything you have to offer is highly appreciated." I rested my shaky hands at my sides, not having anything else to say.

The cop on the bench pulled out his radio, "10-65, I repeat we have a 10-65. Missing person named Kara Williams abducted near the college campus Saturday afternoon. All patrols be on the lookout for a girl of average height with brown hair and brown eyes." He gave me a nod before heading inside.

I loosed a breath, they were finally listening. The female cop stood in front of me, seemingly still unsure of what to say. Finally, she pulled out a card from her pocket and handed it to me. Officer O'era, "We can't do much else until we converse with the officers who took your statement. I'm going to request to handle this case personally, but no promises. Give me a call if you hear anything new or have any questions. We'll put out an APB too and start asking around. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, she's lucky to have you." She gave me a slight smile and turned to follow her partner back into the building.

I was smiling by the time the interaction was over, not quite sure how to handle myself. I began to walk back towards campus, since it wasn't far, feeling 100 pounds lighter. I had successfully let someone know what was going on, which was amazing because I didn't know how to begin an investigation myself. I knew I should probably start with her friends to see if they knew anything, but I knew that would be a dead end.

I wished I had a picture or a name so I could ask around about the guy in the cafeteria, but I had a strange inkling that no one would know who he was either. He was most likely a stranger from off campus who had played the role of another student to get close to her. I know how big her heart is. If she saw anyone eating alone or seemed lost, she would invite them to join her, no matter the circumstances.

I smirked, remembering when she had invited a woman who had been stood up to join us during one of our dates. Of course I didn't mind, the woman was kind enough, but it always amazed me to see how far she would go for other people. I'm actually fairly certain that the two keep in touch, Kara checking up on her to see if she has found a new man yet, the answer usually no though the woman was happier to have a new friend than a boyfriend who would have the chance to break her heart again. She cared, and someone had taken advantage of that.

My hands tightened into fists. I was going to kill the sick bastard.