Death & Other Lies

by Carol L. Ochadleus

  “So,” Sergeant York said, finally taking note of the good-looking young man in front of him, hunched over, head hung dejectedly, “how about if we start at the beginning.” With a practiced eye that immediately sized people up, the detective studied the man before him. Neat and well dressed, late twenties maybe, clean nails. Tall and trimly built. A lean body that reminded the sergeant of a runner, with short dark hair that framed his strong face with its straight nose and dark hazel eyes. Not chiseled looks, but a handsome young man. Only Matt’s dark beard, which was becoming thicker as the evening wore on, marred his youthful face, that and the pain that swam in the man’s eyes when he looked up.

  “Okay, spell your name and give me your address.” Matt’s hand shook as he took a quick sip of the hot coffee and answered the Sergeant’s questions—age; occupation; where he worked; how long he had known Kate; etc. They spent about ten minutes going over what Matt thought was trivial information. They were wasting time filling up page after page of the yellow pad.

  “Why is it so important to know all about me? She is the one that’s missing.”

  The Sergeant nodded, ignoring the question. “When was the last time you saw Kate?”

  “This morning before I left for work,” Matt was getting more impatient. “As I said before, she sells supplies and equipment for Atlas Medical, but she didn’t have to get up early this morning, no appointments until eleven o’clock. She was still in bed when I left about eight-thirty.”

  “What time do you normally start work, Mr. Errington?”

  “Please call me Matt. I don’t see what difference that makes, but I am usually there early, around seven-thirty, but I was delayed this morning.” He immediately regretted the remark.

  “Delayed by what?”

  Matt was getting red and felt the heat rising from his collar just thinking about the morning’s session, and he would rather not have to explain it to a total stranger. “We, I, ah got up late this morning that’s all,” stammering as the lie tangled up his tongue. Matt was beginning to ramble and knew the Sergeant watched him struggle. Feeling like he was disloyal to Kate talking about their private life, Matt said, “I was late because we had sex this morning.” Sergeant York looked bored.

  “Look, Matt, you’re the one reporting something is wrong. I want to be sure I can fill in the details about the last time you saw Kate. Gaps throw up red flags. You know what I mean?”

  They went over and over again all the facts he knew about her, how they met, where she worked, filling in all of the details Matt could provide. After what seemed like an eternity to Matt, Sergeant York leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his rather rounded girth.

  “Matt, from what you have told me, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of foul play. It sounds like Kate just wasn’t as much in love with you as you thought. You know it does happen ... people change their minds, find someone else, get scared, or they don’t know how to say goodbye, so they move on. I don’t know what you want the police to do.”

  “No,” frustration launched Matt out of the chair. He slapped the desk so hard the empty coffee cup nearly bounced off.

  “I know she loves me, I’m sure of it. I can’t explain what happened to her, but don’t you think you should send someone over and at least check out the apartment. Check out the blood. Do some fingerprinting or whatever the police do. Look for evidence?”

  “Evidence of what, Matt?” Sergeant York said quietly. “Evidence of what? From everything you told me it sounds like she packed up and left and maybe cut herself on her way out.”

  Matt was tired. It had been a long day in the lab, and the discovery of Kate’s disappearance drained him. Slumping back in his chair, his head throbbed. The slow dawning of her apparent rejection of him was nearly as painful as the tragedy of his youth and the horror that shredded his life. Taut muscles and nerves twitched and cried out for relief. The ache in his chest grew stronger and more insistent. His mind raced, and he desperately sought something that would make them take her disappearance seriously, but he could find nothing to add to his story.

  Sergeant York was sympathetic, but without more to go on, there wasn’t much the police could do. “You shouldn’t give up hope. This could be some sort of misunderstanding between you two. Kate may have needed some space and felt like getting away for a while. You said there was an uncle in the area. Are you sure you don’t know his name or where he works, anything that would help find him?”

  “No,” Matt barely mumbled through tight lips. “She only mentioned him once, and only called him Uncle Ben. I never knew any more about him than that. Because she was so vague about him, I felt maybe he wasn’t an uncle. You know? Maybe a former boyfriend she didn’t want to discuss. It was just a feeling I had; I didn’t want to pry.”

  “I see,” Sergeant York looked down at his folded hands and made mental notes. “Well, I can’t do much about a missing person’s report for the first twenty-four hours anyway unless we suspect foul play, criminal activity or believe the person is in danger. None of which apply here. A few drops of blood hardly indicate foul play and not enough for me to go to my Lieutenant and request an investigation. Most missing people show up within that timeframe, you know. Matt, people do come back, and there is no sign of any crime here. That’s good news. A kidnapper wouldn’t stop to put things back on the walls or restock your cupboards. It sounds to me like she was getting scared about your relationship and didn’t know how to tell you. Maybe she just needed some distance. Go home and try not to worry too much. If you don’t hear from her in the next day or two, give me a call. I have a friend who does some investigative work, maybe he could ask around and see where it goes. Okay?”

  “Yeah, fine.”

  The Sergeant handed him a business card. “She may have gone to stay with her uncle. You said she stayed there before.”

  The drive home was a blur, and he never saw or felt the dark eyes watching him from the lot outside his door. Matt was so tired he could barely think, and his head pounded. Walking up the steps he was prepared to wrestle with the key again, but instead, he found the door unlocked and it swung open easily at his touch. Matt could have sworn he pulled it shut and tried the lock as was his habit, but in his state of mind, anything was possible. As he pushed open the door, an arrow of light from the streetlamp outside raced across the floor ahead of him into the cold dark apartment. Once inside the inky chill moved up his legs and a tremor ran over him head to toe. He passed through the rooms in blackness, not wanting to turn on a single light which would only reinforce the emptiness and his loss.

  In spite of his grief, he saw the irony. Only yesterday his home, their home, was a sanctuary from the world. Warm, welcoming, and safe. But, now, barely twenty-four hours later, the real world went on as before on the other side of the door, and he had re-entered a barren place devoid of life.

  Night found him edgy and restless, and the weight of his loss pressed him deeper into the bed, nearly suffocating him. Lying alone in the space they shared was lonely and forbidding. Unmanly or not, he couldn’t hold back the sobs of his tormented heart. He missed her warmth and how their nights together banished the anguish of his past and offered his future healing he hadn’t even known he sought.

  Sleep was elusive, and his mind played tricks as he could almost hear her gentle breathing next to him in the dark. With closed eyes, he tried to find her scent among the sheets. The fragrance was a part of her, and he’d been branded by it. She told him it was called Beautiful. And it suited her. Kate was beautiful, petite and slim, with soft, strawberry blond hair that cascaded like silk over her shoulders when she pushed it back behind her ears. Her smooth skin glowed with health and was perfect as the rest of her. But the feature that touched him more than the deep blue eyes that held him captive was her warm and constant smile. Disappointment racked his body when no trace of her perfume could be found.

  When sleep finally claimed him, bizarre scenes played out in the muted landscapes that
are dreams. Kate was there, holding his hand, and then running behind huge boulders the size of houses. She blew him a kiss as she disappeared and gigantic waves crashed over the rocks dragging her away. “Kate!” he yelled, as her golden hair floated effortlessly on blue-green water caressing her lovely face. He watched helplessly as the waters closed to him and she sank beneath the surface. Gnarled, disembodied hands motioned to him; waving a small bunch of dried flowers and a thousand different voices hissed what sounded like his name. Walking away, he was startled by the sound of his feet crunching on a path littered with bones, and he awoke in a cold sweat, breathing hard, his alarm clock grating in his ears. He was tired and thoroughly drained, but the memory of his nightmare drove him out of bed. He needed daylight and reality to exorcize the fear and dread it evoked.

  It was going to be another long day he knew. His project was nearing completion, and under normal circumstances, he would have been excited to get to the lab and share his results with his boss, Dr. Jeff Nowak, but how could he possibly concentrate on anything with his mind still on Kate? His body ached with his loss as he headed to the shower and he tripped over his clothes uncharacteristically discarded on the floor. The memory of life with Kate continued to play over and over in his head, like a video stuck on replay.

  Heated blood moved faster through his veins as the hot water beat away some of the strain and a new vigor overtook him. He didn’t care what the police would do he decided; he couldn’t just let Kate go, not like this with no explanation. He would find her somehow. But, again, exactly where he was going to start was the definitive problem. None of the facts added up, round and round and back again his mind churned.

  Why would she leave without a note? The question taunted him. I could have handled her decision to go; she should have known that. And, of course, it would have hurt, but I would have taken it like a man and respected her choice.

  As he stepped out of the shower, he started to grab his rumpled towel, then stopped and deliberately took Kate’s. He couldn’t stand to see it mocking him, looking fresh and unused next to his. Denial was dying a slow death; reality was going to win. He knew what the answer was in spite of what his heart refused to admit. Besides, nothing else made any sense. What would be the point of anyone wanting to hurt her? Take her away? Briefly, he thought of the broken door lock and the odd chill he experienced from time to time, or the feeling he was being watched. Paranoia, he decided and tamped down any idea of sharing such nonsense with the police. His story already sounded strange. No sense making them believe I’m a total fruitcake.

  As he pulled out of his parking space, he spotted two of his neighbors and only hesitated a second before deciding to ask them if they’d seen Kate leave. Although in the past they had nodded politely to each other in passing, he didn't know them, so the conversation was a bit awkward. It took a minute of small talk to get to the point. They were polite, of course, at his new friendliness, and they seemed genuinely interested, but they could not help him. They were astonished to hear anyone except Matt lived there. They blankly looked at each other and then at him, shaking their heads. They never saw her leave. They never saw her at all.

  Chapter Four

  Matt paid no heed to the light overhead as it turned green, he was focused inward. The shock of Kate’s disappearance overshadowed everything else in his life. The not so patient driver behind him honked angrily at the delay. With a sheepish wave in the rear-view mirror, Matt hit the gas and hurried to catch up with the line of cars now far ahead of him.

  The day was unseasonably cold, but the sun streaming through the car window warmed him as he sped along the boulevard with its neat row of trees. Fall was definitely in the air. Green leaves, their edges trimmed in gold and red showed traces of the glory to come, but Matt was blind to their beauty as he passed beneath their colorful branches. He slowed as he passed the shops on the outskirts of the city, searching for the small jewelry store, its windows decorated with fake pumpkins and twinkling orange lights. Wrenching pain seared his insides as he spotted the little building near the row of restaurants, a few doors down from the antique shop. His future had looked so different just a few days before.

  “Good morning Doc, you oversleep again today?” Hank, the security guard, grinned as he waved Matt through the rolling gates. “Two days in a row getting in past eight o’clock.”

  “Yeah, had a bad night.” Matt grimaced as he pulled into the private lot. He hoped no one else would notice his late entrance. Matt was not in a sociable mood. If he were lucky, his co-workers would be too busy to see him walk in.

  The heavily protected facility had security scan stations at both doors, and it took Matt a few extra minutes to empty his pockets, swipe his badge through the reader and slide his briefcase and backpack through the grill. There were elevators off the main lobby, but they often ran slow, so Matt chose the stairs. His long legs dragged heavily as he climbed the steps to his floor. The labs were locked behind double doors, and once again, he swiped his I.D. card and spread his fingers to allow the scanner to read his handprint. Matt was in luck; his colleagues were bent over their work-stations and never noticed his late entrance. Good, as only their backs greeted him; already dressed in their blue bio-suits they were oblivious as he hurried past. The last door on the right was his lab, and with one more swipe, he was in.

  Usually, Matt was eager to dive into his work. Two years of research were wrapping up a truly fascinating project, and by this time of the morning, his computer would be humming as he entered data. But today it would be difficult to keep his mind on the work.

  Kate brought magic to his days. It was hard to describe how being with her changed the fabric of his life. As if when they were together, they stepped out of time, or perhaps into another dimension. Whatever powers she possessed, she somehow transformed his mediocre existence and filled a void that had been growing for years. Her presence muddied his head, but her warmth clarified his life. He reveled in being alive. No other woman ever affected him like Kate. He was rough stone, flawed with a tormented past, but she was a jeweler’s cloth who healed him, rounded out his edges, and made him whole. But now, she was gone.

  Could I have been so mistaken about her? If she didn’t love me, how had she deceived me so well? Maybe not love, he corrected, wanting to be completely honest, since she never actually said the word. He had never suspected she was unhappy. The fact that Kate had fallen so unexpectedly into his life was something he often wondered about but didn’t examine too closely lest the dream should end as quickly as it began. Although it was useless, Matt continued to call her cell phone, hoping just once she would answer.

  The hours crept slowly, and a glance at the oversized lab clock showed it finally to be five-thirty, and most of his co-workers were headed to the doors. He was in a hurry to put the day behind him, but because of the confidential nature of his work, he preferred to do clean up himself, adding another half-hour to his work day.

  Perhaps if she left town on business, she might have taken her clothes, but what of the rest of her things? And a note? Why couldn’t she have left me a damned note, even if it was to say goodbye? Cold as that would have been, at least it would have explained her actions. He still couldn’t believe she would leave him without a word. He had spent the entire day wrestling with the problem, which only made his head hurt more. By the time he headed home, he was exhausted mentally and physically, but no closer to an answer than before.

  The following day, Detective Don Orliss called to see if there was any news about Kate. Matt painfully informed him Kate had not returned, there was no message from her or anyone else about her, and he was more confused than ever. The Detective told him he received the report from Sergeant York, and although they didn’t believe it was a police matter, he would conduct a preliminary investigation for their records. Matt sincerely thanked the man and hung up. Once again, a flicker of hope shot through him knowing he was not alone, at least the police were going to look into Kate’s disappea
rance.

  A long and frustrating week went by before he heard from the detective again. There was still no word from Kate. Intently focused on his work, Matt finally realized the phone was ringing in the lab. He put down the tubes he was holding, turned down the flame on the burner, and grabbed the phone on the sixth ring. “This is Matt Errington,”

  “Matt, it’s Detective Orliss. I didn’t think you were there.”

  “Sorry, I can get pretty involved, and the noise from our equipment drowns out the phone. Did you find Kate? Are you calling with good news?”

  “I’d like to talk about my findings in person. Could we meet sometime today, say around four?”

  “Yeah, of course, although I can get away earlier if you wish, but if you think ...”

  The Detective cut him off. “Four is good. I’ll take a run up there. I need to get out of the office this afternoon.”

  “I guess that’s okay,” Matt answered; frustrated, he would have to wait to get any news about Kate. “The labs are off limits to visitors, but we have a conference room down on the second floor we can use, it’s usually empty later in the day.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then.” As Matt hung up the phone, an eerie feeling gripped him that he couldn’t shake for the remainder of the day. He wasn’t expecting miracles or anything, and he might not be able to get her to come back, but at least if he could find her, talk to her, he would deal with the rejection. He only wanted to know the reason.