Confessions of a Healing Heart

Chapter One - Story Time

I can't begin to tell you how frustrated I am right now.  I've been sitting here for at least two hours, and I had to miss a very important presentation today. I just bought this suit, and the last place that I wanted to wear it was in this nasty hell hole. I had everything planned for today.

I rehearsed this presentation a million times. I was ready to woo the partners, with the hopes of being welcomed as a partner myself. Just when I thought I'd put things back together, they seem to be falling apart rapidly. Four years! Four years it took me to build my life back up from my last relationship. I can already tell that I'll need to go the bar with Rich, but I have no idea how long this will take.

Rich is my best friend, and he's pretty much my
brother. We grew up together in a small town in Louisiana. This was inevitable because our mothers were best friends as well. Back home, there were four of us- my cousin Kyle, who was a couple of years older than us and the wild child of the bunch; Andrew, who lived two doors down and was the nerd of the group, and of course Rich and myself. 

Andrew ended up going to an Ivy League school. Afterwards, he moved to LA where he had his own medical practice. He is now the Dean of a Medical School.

None of us were surprised by his life. The guy has practically done everything right since we were kids. You should see his house! To add the cherry on top of it all, he has an amazing wife and three beautiful kids.

Rich and I ended up getting athletic scholarships to a California state school, following Kyle's footsteps in San Diego. After Law School, I ended up getting a job at a Law Firm in San Francisco. Rich landed a financial gig not too far away in Oakland. Kyle stayed in San Diego for a while but moved to Antioch with his wife. Soon after, he opened a successful charter school in Oakland. 

Anyway, Rich was the guy who could always take my mind off the craziness. After my divorce, Rich held me up. I was a mess. I mean like eating beans out of the can, in my boxers while wearing dingy tube socks with a hole where my big toe rests. I'd gained 20 pounds, was slacking at work, and it was Rich that helped me get out of my slump. 

Detective Wilson walks in the room and slams his note pad.

"Mr. Colton Emerson, thanks for coming in. We are questioning persons of interest in the disappearance of Kristin Tillman. You're familiar with Ms. Tillman, right?" Detective Wilson's scowling look is so intense that he could burn a hole through your soul.

Does he look at all persons of interest this way? I know he's trying to play the tough cop, but I can't help but to stare at the huge coffee stain on his wrinkled white shirt. I mean seriously, he looks like the typical detective in movies – but I'll play his game.

"Yes sir, I know her very well. She's my ex-wife. Have you heard anything? Has anyone else given you any information on her whereabouts?"

"I ask the questions, Mr. Emerson. Now, if I may ask, what happened with you and Ms. Tillman? Two good looking people–you're a hotshot lawyer, her a principal at one of the top schools in the city. What went wrong?"

"Why am I even here? We've been divorced for some time now."

"Mr. Emerson it's protocol for us to question anyone who has had history with Ms. Tillman. You're her ex-husband, so any spouse, former spouses or even old boyfriends are questioned in a case like this. The sooner you start talking, the sooner you can get back to your fancy law firm. So again, what went wrong?"

I pause in thought because I know how these things go. I raised my head slowly. "She wasn't who I thought she was."

"What do you mean she wasn't who you thought she was, Mr. Emerson? Did she lie about her identity?"