“May I help you?”
“Detective D’arbie, working on a disappearance case,” I show her my card, “is your husband at home?”
“Yes, he is,” the woman nods, “Viktor! It’s the police! For that girl that disappeared!”
The guy comes to the door next, letting the wife disappear into the house. He’s shirtless, and he smells like shaving cream. “What do you need?”
“I wanted to ask you a couple of questions since you’re the first witness of Marie’s disappearing.”
“I just saw her get into the car, man,” he shrugged, “come on, it’s my day off…”
“It won’t take long,” I step forward, signaling to him that I’m not in the mood for a ‘no’.
He sighs and rubs his face, opening the door wide enough that I can go through. The smell of expensive cologne and fresh coffee fills the air.
I step into the living room, a little girl is sitting on the carpet beside the fireplace, reading a book.
“Who are you? Are you daddy’s friend?” She immediately asks.
“Yes he is sweetie,” Viktor replies, putting on comfortable shirt, “just give us a minute, okay?”
“But you said we’d go to the park!”
“I know sweetheart, we will go! Why don’t you get ready while I speak to my friend here?”
“Okay! Don’t keep him too busy!” She tells me before going up some stairs.
“Alright, what do you need man?” He sips on his cup of coffee and leans against a wall, crossing his legs. He’s comfortable and confident, good.
“Anything you can tell me about those last moments. You said Marie got into a man’s car, a man with a suit. Describe me both the car and the man.”
“Car was a black limousine, tinted windows,” he says, “that’s all. Didn’t catch the plate, I didn’t know that she was going to disappear, of course.”
“Right. The guy?”
“He was a blonde young man. Expensive watch, nice suit...and a shitty smug face. You know...probably daddy’s boy. He didn’t look old enough to have a good paying job, especially in the undergrounds.”
It’s the same guy, then. Marie was dating him, and she ended up being kidnapped by him on the job.
A rich stalker? He gave her gifts, which I spotted at the apartment. He tried to date her, but Momi told me she looked like she wasn’t feeling it...and then he got so mad he took the harsh path.
But how could he bring her from her car to his? And why through the club in front of everyone's eyes?
“Alright Viktor, thank you. Can you also tell me something? How many people are overseeng the club’s security each night?”
“We gotta be at least ten or so. I was the bouncer that night, but I also work in the back.”
“And are you sure you saw Marie coming out of the front door and not the parking lot’s gate?”
“I’m positive, she and the little guy came out the front door,” he affirms.
“Oliver, the manager’s son. Is he the only one that sits at the desk in the corridor connecting the back and front of the club?”
“Yes he’s always there, why? You got something on him?”
“Not really…”
But he must have seen who was bringing Marie to the blonde guy, then. I need to question him again.
I step back into the cold air. It’s almost lunch break.
I’m starting to piece everything together. The blonde guy falls for Marie, he asks her out. She doesn't feel the connection, she rejects him after a couple of days…he reacts badly, he has the power and money to bribe a staff member and force her into his car one last night. She disappears.
It was quite easy, figuring out the whats and hows.
Now I just have to pinpoint the whos.
Finally, evening comes.
I step into the HoHole. It’s way more lively now, women dancing sensually on men for a few bucks, men getting drunk and filthy because they have nothing else to enjoy…yeah, no, it’s not lively at all. It’s sad.
I get to the counter, and this time, a young bartender nods at me.
“What can I get you?”
“The permission to go into the back, I’m working a case for the police.”
“Uhm...I…”
He doesn’t even know where he is.
I sigh and go to the door myself, a security guy blocks the way.
“Can I help you?” He asks.
“Yes. Police. I’m investigating a case and I gotta get in there,” I reply casually.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He hesitates for a split second before nodding, stepping aside to let me through. “You’re here for Marie. Go in. Hope you get the bastard.”
“I will,” I smile at him and push the door.
The manager looks at me with a surprised look. He’s at the desk.
“Detective D’arbie, hello,” he says, looking rather surprised.
“Where’s Oliver?”
“Oh, he said he felt sick and left early. I’m staying at the desk for him.”
This is weird. He looked just fine this morning.
“Where can I find him?”
“At home, but he’s sick, again...do you really need to bother him?”
“I do. Where does he live?”
He hesitates for a second, but he gives in and tells me his address.
"One last question. Was Oliver at this desk the night Marie disappeared?"
"Yes. Why?" He asks, becoming more and more worried.
I leave without wasting my time with an explanation.
I reach the door, the apartment’s pretty cheap and in a very ugly zone. The father doesn’t pay him much, it seems.
Just before my patience starts to run thin after knocking, he finally answers the door.
“Detective?”
“Kiddo, I got some questions for you,” I cut to the chase, “about Marie.”
“I told you everything, Detective…” he replies with tired eyes, “I’m feeling sick, can we do this tomorrow?”
“I think you didn’t tell me everything, let me in.”
The air gets tense. He looks at me with wariness, he didn’t expect me to be so pushy.
“What do you even want to know?”
“The night Marie disappeared, you were at your desk, right?”
“N-No…” he muttered, “I was sick that day too.”
He just lied.
Not only he saw who forced Marie, but he’s also covering it. He’s in on it.
“Your father told me you were there, you just lied to my face.”
He attempted to close the door, I put a foot inside and stopped him immediately.
“You don’t have a warrant! You’re trespassing!”
“Oh really, Oliver?”
I push him inside his house and lock the door behind us, I grab his collar and slam him against the nearest wall.
“You’re gonna see what an angry human police officer is capable of. I don’t care about going by the book.”
“W-What the fuck?! L-Let me go!”
“I will if you tell me the truth. You saw who kidnapped Marie, right?”
“L-Let me go! I don’t know anything, I-”
I slam him against the wall again, making him whimper in fear.
“You’re gonna be so fucking sorry for acting oblivious, kid. We used to beat the shit out of those who hurt women, you know?"
My eyes pierce him with growing irritation.
"Talk.”
He finally gives up, “f-fine...I’ll talk. Just don’t hurt me, please…”
“Good. Sit, there,” I point over his ruined couch.
He slowly sits down, still shaking slightly.
“I...I didn’t help him out, okay? I don’t have anything to do with what he did. He just paid me to keep quiet."
“How did he pay you? When? What happened, exactly? Tell me everything.”
He stares at the floor, like it’s gonna help him out of his situation. His hands still shake.
I bet he doesn’t even feel guilty. He’s just afraid of being in jail.
“Some days before Marie disappeared, he ordered a girl to bring upstairs, in a private room. She wasn’t Marie, she was a random worker. When they were done, they came back downstairs...but instead of heading back to the club’s public area, he stopped by my desk. He asked me if...Marie did private services, and I told him no...she signed off them, she was just a dancer.”
“And then?”
“Then he randomly sneaked into the back again the night she disappeared. I immediately asked him what he was doing there, and he put an envelope on my desk...cash. Triple the amount I make in a year. After that, he went out in the back and came with Marie alongside him.”
“Was she scared? I found out that all her things were still in the car. She was forced.”
“No...she was smiling, actually.”
What? She didn’t resist?
“She wasn’t trying to ask for help or anything?”
“No detective, she was very willing. I...I didn’t understand neither the bribing money nor the situation at all. I was stupid, okay? I’m sorry.”
Viktor even said she came out of the main entrance. Wouldn’t she have screamed for help, now that I think of it?
He was confident in what he was doing, because he didn’t bother bringing her to his car from the parking lot’s fence gate. He went through the whole club with her, as she smiled.
“I don’t get it,” I shake my head, “so...she was willing? But she’s been leaving her car and apartment untouched for days.”
“I don’t know, detective. I mean...maybe she ran away from her old life.”
“But what about the bribe money, then? This blonde guy made it look like you were about to see something you had to be silent about."
Oliver looks at me with a dumb expression. He’s not following my thoughts, of course. He’s not a detective.
I should ask Lowe about this. I’m...confused.
I reach the nearest payphone and immediately dial Lowe’s number.
“Not yet,” I chuckle, clearing my throat and getting serious again thereafter, “listen, Lowe...something’s not right about this case. Marie...I just found out from Oliver, the son of the club’s owner, that she was smiling and comfortable with the blonde guy.”
“Yes but, hear me out. Not only she was smiling when going along with this man…I just started to realize something else. The blonde man, our suspect...he bribed Oliver and went through the club’s back to fetch Marie. But then...he brought her to his car going through the whole club again...from the back to the front, among customers and staff, instead of going through the parking lot’s gate.”
“Exactly, Lowe. Good to know you’re catching my drift. Things are out of place...”
“Right, thank you.”
“Lowe, he was at the club. It can’t be anything else.”
“I know, I know...but he must be connected. You really didn’t find anything at all?”
“Thank you. I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon, I have a private gig to take care of in the morning. I hope you find something by then.”
I sigh and step away from the phone, stuffing my hands in my pockets. The streets are clearing...it’s 10:00 PM.
Time to go home.
Home. It’s exactly how I left it. Dimly lit, cluttered, cold and dusty.
I throw my coat on the hanger and stretch, unbuttoning my undershirt until I feel free enough.
I grab a beer from the kitchen, the can hissing loudly. I drop myself on the couch and stare outside...my apartment is right in front of a pharmacy...so I always see a funny green cross blinking against my window. I’m not in the mood of flashy colors now, so I pull the curtain and end up in even deeper darkness.
The beer goes down bitter, I hate it but I can’t afford more expensive liquor. At least I get to drink it cold.
Tomorrow morning, I have to look into an infidelity case a husband hired me for.
My mind goes back to Marie’s case.
She was smiling. A fake smile? But why didn’t she ask for any help? The club was probably filled with security guards like always.
Was a “help me, please!” too hard?
I don’t get it, really. Maybe she was blackmailed or threatened in a way that forced her to cooperate? But I didn’t find anything in her apartment that traced to loved ones of deeper secrets.
Was she drugged? Drugged to the point she was manipulable? Meh...
Also, the blood tax is coming soon. I’ll have to head over to the hospital. I just hope they don’t suck too much like last time...I fainted in front of everyone.
Every month, you have to donate part of your blood, the day is the same of your birth date. This is because Other Ones need our blood to survive.
I shake my head, trying not to overwork my head with any other frustration I have right now.
Every time I’m back home, I remind myself I should relax.
But honestly, I forgot how to relax a long time ago.
Let’s just hope tomorrow’s a better day than today.