The Gift

by Kim Pritekel

  Glancing at the contact information for that police department, she grabbed her desk phone and quickly typed in the number before sitting back in her chair, waiting for the call to be picked up.

  ****

  Catania sat quietly, waiting for her news to sink in and those who received it to react. This was a part of her job that she hated, but it came with the badge. The tears of the woman sitting across from her cleared, but Catania offered another tissue from the box sitting on the coffee table between them.

  “I’m sorry,” Megan’s niece Lara said with a heavy sigh as she wiped at her nose with the fresh tissue.

  “No need. I’m truly sorry my news isn’t better.”

  “No, I’m glad to know, to be honest, Detective. It’s been more than two years.” The young brunette dropped her hands into her lap where she watched as she fiddled with the tissue she held. “How do you guys know for sure it’s her?”

  “Fingerprints. Your aunt was arrested for a DUI back in 2012. They were able to compare them.” She grabbed the notebook she’d set on the coffee table, pen attached, and set it on her lap. “Can you tell me anything about her? Did she have any enemies, any issues with anyone?”

  Lara shook her head. “No. Aunt Meg was a really amazing woman. Very generous, fun. Everybody loved her.”

  All except for one, Catania thought to herself. “Can you give me a road map of her life? How did she end up in Arizona since she’d lived her entire life here, right?”

  Lara nodded. “Yes. She was born up in Denver, but my grandparents moved with Aunt Meg and my mom here when they were little. But, yeah, she’d never lived anywhere else.”

  Lara’s husband re-entered the room, a cup of coffee in both hands. He handed one to Catania and set one in front of his wife before sitting on the couch next to her.

  “Thanks, Mike,” Catania said, carefully sipping the hot brew.

  “What about that dude she was dating?” he asked, looking to Lara.

  “What dude?”

  “The one when you and me first got together. She thought he was following her and stuff. Remember?”

  “Oh! Yeah. Damn, what was his name?” Lara whispered, snapping her fingers as though the motion would revive her memory.

  “What can you tell me about him?” Catania asked Mike. “Why did you bring him up?”

  “Well,” Mike explained, resting his elbows on spread knees as he used his hands to gesticulate as he explained. “She started seeing this guy back in 2002 or around there. I remember that because me and her had just gotten together,” he said, indicating his wife. “So, this dude was really secretive. Meg used to talk about it a lot. It made her really mad. Like, they’d meet at hotels and stuff to hook up, rather than going to her place or his place.”

  “Was he married?” Catania asked, notating what she was being told.

  Mike shook his head, running a hand over the shaved scalp. “Not that he told her or that she knew of. I mean, it’s possible, but she never said nothing about that.”

  “Do you know this guy’s name? How long did they date? What did he look like?”

  “I don’t remember his name at all. We never even met him or saw a picture of him. I think she said once he had long hair. He used to braid it or something. She didn’t bring him around us, just talked about him. Like, she’d invite him to family stuff all the time and he’d not show. Just a real jerk. Finally she had enough.” He turned to his wife again. “What was it, baby? Something happened over Christmas or something, wasn’t it?”

  “No, it was New Year’s,” Lara said, hands cupped around the warmth of her coffee mug. “He got angry or something. I’m not real sure what happened. But it got violent and she had enough. Broke it off.”

  “That’s right, that’s what it was. She was pretty sure he was following her after that,” Mike added.

  Catania glanced at him, meeting a troubled hazel gaze. “Tell me more about that.”

  “Well, when she’d go to work or home or our place, whatever, she was being followed. She’d get weird notes left on her car, stuff like that. I honestly don’t think she told us everything. But,” he added with a heavy sigh, “she was pretty damn spooked.”

  “Did she ever go to the police?” Catania asked, looking from Mike to Lara.

  Lara shook her head. “No. She said she knew they wouldn’t do anything, so finally she decided to leave.”

  “To Tucson?”

  “She started in Gilbert, but yeah, she ended up in Tucson. Loved it there.”

  “Did she come back here that much?” Catania asked, making a few notes before looking back to the couple sitting across from her.

  “Not really. We usually went down to see her when the kids were on summer break, or during the holidays once in a while.”

  Catania sat back in her chair, studying Lara for a moment. “Did she not come back up here because she didn’t want to? Couldn’t afford it?”

  The couple exchanged a quick glance before Mike responded. “She was afraid.”

  “She only came back once, and that was for our son’s birthday,” Lara said softly.

  After a moment, Lara pushed up from the couch and disappeared for a moment to another room before returning with a photo album. She reclaimed her seat next to Mike and opened it up. With tears in her eyes she flipped through a few of the stiff pages before settling on one. Carefully she pulled the clear plastic up and worked to dislodge one of the snapshots.

  “This is the last time we saw her,” she explained softly, handing the picture over. “She was headed back home.”

  Catania took the picture and was struck by what she saw. The woman’s face was one she’d come to know, but this one was smiling, alive and full of energy. It came across through in the image, frozen forever. But what stopped her cold was the summer dress she was wearing and the car she was standing next to, her arm resting along the top of the open driver’s side door.

  “Lara,” she said softly. “Can I please take this with me? I promise I’ll return it.”

  Lara nodded. “Whatever you need to do, Detective.”

  ****

  Oscar studied the photograph even as he absently reached for a French fry. Munching quietly, he nodded, seeming to come to some conclusion in his mind. Setting the picture on the table—a copy, as Catania wanted to get the original safely back to the family—he met her gaze.

  “And, the kid identified this as the car he’d seen?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yup. Dropped by his high school yesterday and it took him about three seconds. Same car. I got a BOLO sent out for it.”

  “Damn, you’re good at this cop thing.”

  “I know,” she said with a grin. “We’ve got to find this old boyfriend. But, every person I’ve spoken to who knew Megan Murphy either didn’t know about him then, doesn’t remember his name, or doesn’t remember enough to be helpful.”

  “Agreed. We need to find this guy.”

  “I heard from Gwen today,” Catania said, pushing her empty plate away, only the pickle and tomato brought to top her cheeseburger left on the plate. “Tests came back on Megan’s tissues. They’re dating it between September or October when she was frozen.”

  Oscar nodded, pushing his own plate away as he finished the last of his French fries. “What year?”

  “Two zero one five,” she said, holding his gaze.

  “Kind of creepy, isn’t it?” He wiped his mouth with his napkin before tossing it onto the empty plate. “Like your dream, if your brother was right.”

  “Yep, Exactly. Total coincidence, but still weird. Anyway, what a sick bastard. She was reported missing in early August, but Gwen said they feel she was frozen late fall.”

  “You think he was keeping her alive somewhere?”

  “Makes me wonder.”

  “Stomach contents?”

  Catania chewed on her bottom lip, noting out of the corner of her eye that Ally had just strolled in, still wrapped in her heavy winter jacket. Her heart swelled b
efore it nearly imploded, remembering her childish reaction to her last time they’d seen each other. She cleared her throat and forced herself to focus on Oscar and their discussion.

  “That’s my thought, too. We’ve got to retrace her steps from the moment she left her niece’s house to her home in Tucson. We haven’t found a single soul who seems to have seen her in between.”

  “Alright,” Oscar said, leaning to the side so he could pull his wallet out from the back pocket of his trousers. He pulled some money out and grabbed the check their waitress had left for their individual meals several minutes before. “I gotta get to Hunter’s piano recital. I’ll be back at the station later.”

  “Okay. Tell Linda I said hi.” Catania grabbed her own ticket to see the amount, which was the same as it always was, of course, considering she always ordered the same thing.

  Left alone, she pulled out her wallet and some money, tossing a few bills on the table for a tip. Sliding out of the booth, she saw that Ally was at a table full of men, all three of them seemed to be slightly—if not a lot—intoxicated. But one specifically caught Catania’s eye.

  “Come on, sugar,” he said, his mouth nearly hidden behind the massive lumberjack beard he sported. “When do you get off work?”

  “Sorry, I just got here,” she said in a singsong voice and flashed a polite smile. “What can I get for you fellas?”

  “What you can get me ain’t on the menu,” the Paul Bunyan of the trio said, the other two laughing.

  “Well, how about I give you some help,” Ally said, her voice becoming a bit lets firm and all business. “Our specials today are—”

  “Honey, until you’re on the menu, I don’t give two shits about specials.”

  Somehow stopping herself from flying across the distance between her and that asshole and murdering him where he sat, Catania got to her feet and made her way over, making sure her badge was visible.

  “Good evening gentlemen,” she said, her “cop face” fully on display. “How are things going tonight?”

  The two men who had remained silent glanced at her badge, then buried their noses in the single-page menu in their hands. The loudmouth, however, obviously wasn’t so inclined to back off.

  “What do you want?” he asked, getting to his feet. He easily had eight or nine inches of height on Catania and was using it to try and intimidate her.

  “Sir, I’m Detective d’Giovanni and I recommend you sit back down and find your manners with this lady.”

  He smirked down at her. “And I don’t recall asking for the help or advice from some pussy with a badge.”

  “John, man, cut it out,” one of the big man’s companions said. “Knock it off.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Frank,” John said, never taking his eyes of Catania.

  “Sir, I’m going to ask you again to sit down,” she said, her voice remaining calm even as she was already making a decision of how to handle this guy, who she could tell wasn’t about to back down. His tiny ego was being fueled by his insecurity and two buddies watching.

  “You can ask all you want, bitch.” He grinned, looking back at his mates at the table, neither of which was even looking at him.

  Catania put her hands on her hips, her finger just barely touching the cold canister of PAVA spray that was clipped to her belt should she need it. “I’m going to ask you for a third and final time, sir,” she said, voice low and filled with warning. “Sit down and be quiet or I will assist you out of this diner.”

  “And again, ask all you want, you stupid cunt.” His whiskey-scented breath wafted down into Catania’s face.

  He reached out a large hand and went to flip her badge when, before he could get out his startled yelp, the man found himself whirled around and flat on his face on the floor with his arms yanked behind him and the solid click of handcuffs holding his wrists tight.

  “Jesus, bitch!” he yelled, struggling to turn over, but Catania’s hand at the center of his back held him.

  “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Understand?” She lessened the pressure of her hand just slightly as she felt the fight going out of him. “You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning.” She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced up to see a uniformed cop enter the diner, the lights of his cruiser seen flashing in the parking lot. Apparently, someone thought she needed backup. “Nice to see you,” she told the officer. “Do you understand your rights as I’ve explained them to you?” she asked, returning her attention to the large man on the floor.

  “Yes,” he muttered. “Why are you doing this?”

  “You’re under arrest for disorderly conduct as well as refusing to obey a direct order from an officer.”

  “Fuck,” the man growled.

  “Officer,” she called out, waving the young rookie over. “Help me get our friend here to his feet before you take him away.”

  The drama contained, Catania turned to Ally, who was huddled in a nearby booth. She looked like a frightened little girl, nearly curled up in on herself. She walked over to her and slid into the booth across from her friend.

  “Hey, sweetie,” she said softly, bending her head down a bit to try and catch Ally’s downcast eyes with her own. When she did, she gave her an encouraging smile. “You okay?” When all she got was the vigorous shake of Ally’s head in the negative, Catania slid back out of the booth and reached down to grab Ally’s hand, gently tugging her to her feet. “Come on.”

  Holding firm to Ally’s hand, Catania led her down the narrow hallway of the diner where the pay phone and bathrooms were, the old pay phone a relic of the aging diner that remarkably still carried a dial tone. Once they arrived there, she took her into her arms and held her, Ally’s smaller body trembling.

  She ran her hand in small circles over her back as the other cupped the back of her neck, Ally’s hair up in a tight bun. She expected tears to come, but they never did. Instead, Ally took several deep breaths then seemed to sink into Catania, who tightened her arms around her.

  “You okay?” she asked into the hug.

  After a moment, Ally nodded, but didn’t retreat. “Yeah. Just brought back some really bad memories for me.”

  “I’m sorry.” Catania pulled back and looked at Ally’s beautiful face. “I have to get to the office to deal with that jackass, but I’ll be back. Okay? What time are you off tonight?”

  “Midnight. It’s only a six-hour shift.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back before then.” She smiled at her, feeling a surge of affection and protectiveness over the lovely woman standing before her. She had to stop herself from bringing up a hand and running her fingers down the softness of Ally’s face. “See you soon,” she said instead, giving Ally’s hand a squeeze before turning and returning to the main part of the diner to pay her bill and head out.

  ****

  Catania stood back, hands on hips and head slightly cocked to the side as she studied the timeline she and Oscar had created. Red dry-erase marker in hand, she stepped up and underlined where Oscar had written “Burger King” in green.

  “Here,” she said, tapping the words with the re-capped marker. “According to the financial records you got from her bank, this was the last time she made any sort of purchase. And that was, what?” She looked at the date scribbled next to it. “August first. She wasn’t reported as missing until two days later.” Eyebrows falling, she turned and looked at Oscar, who was perched on the edge of the conference room table, arms crossed over his large belly. “How long does it take to get to Tucson, Arizona?”

  He shrugged. “It’s about a ten-, eleven-hour drive, give or take. She could have easily gotten home by the second. And it was the neighbor who reported her missing.”

  “An eleven-hour road trip. She would have had to stop to get food, gas, possibly a hotel. But, nothing,” Catania, again tapping the fast-food chain name. “This meal isn’t goi
ng to suffice.” She placed the marker into the metal tray. “I don’t think she ever made it out of Pueblo.”

  “Well, she was found here, Nia,” Oscar said, pushing up from the table with a grunt of exertion. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped sucker, pulling off the paper before popping the blueberry-blue candy into his mouth, white stick bobbing as he spoke. “Obviously she was at least dumped here.”

  “I know, but I think she’s been kept here. The whole time. Somewhere in this town of a hundred thousand people, she was on ice. And, here’s the thing, Oscar,” she continued. “Whoever did this kept her car, doesn’t appear to have used any of her credit cards, accessed her bank account. Why? I mean, if you had done something like this, would you hold on to not only major evidence like your victim’s body, but also her car?”

  Oscar shook his head. “No way. Unless it was revenge. If it was simply opportunity for rape or a thrill kill, her car would have been found in the Pueblo Reservoir by now.”

  Catania smirked. “Yeah, likely with her in it. Yet he kept everything, and I mean, everything.” She met his gaze, troubled. “That says to me he was punishing her. ‘I own you, now.’”

  Oscar nodded as a jaw-splitting yawn took over his face. “It’s late,” he said after.

  “What time is it?” Catania asked, suddenly panicked.

  “Uh…” Oscar checked his wristwatch. “Almost midnight.”

  “Shit!” She quickly began to gather her reports and papers. “I told Ally I’d be back to the diner before she got off work.” When she heard nothing forthcoming from her partner, she spared a glance at him over her shoulder. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “You like this girl, don’t you?” he said, removing the sucker from his mouth. “You really like her,” he added, pointing the half-dissolved candy head at her.

  “Why do you say that?” she said, scoffing his words aside as she finished her task. “I just made a promise and I like to keep them.” She met his gaze again. “Damn it, would you stop?”

  “Nia,” Oscar said calmly, gathering his own notes and papers. “You took the woman home to meet your mamma during a major holiday.”