Reunited Ch. 04

So here's the deal, y'all. If you don't like the brevity of the chapters, sorry. But no one is forcing you to read them, and as the author, IdowhatIwant. :P Thanks for those who say positive things. Thanks for those who write negative ones, though if they have nothing to do with content and are mainly just complaining about time/length, they're not really all that helpful. To the person with the suggestion to put two chapters together: that would totally work, but my next chapter takes place a month later and personally, I don't want it mushed into this one. Maybe the one after that can be added to it though to make a longer one. I've got to reread it. Anyway...enjoy, or hate, or whatever it is y'all do. Makes no difference to me because I'm gonna post it my way anyway since I'm a meaniefaced cotton headed ninny muggins. Cheers!

*****

"What do you mean she quit?"

"She just called us yesterday and said that she was sorry but that she would no longer be able to work here anymore. She wouldn't give a reason why or anything and she said that Gene could keep her last paycheck for the trouble."

"Damnit!" Alec was surprised by the intensity of his anger. Perhaps it was the investigator in him, but he hated not solving a mystery.

"It's fine, bud," Jake offered comfortingly. Of course, Jake was upset as well, but he was more reserved than his friend. He also suspected that Alec still harbored feelings for the girl. The two had had a brief relationship—if you could call it that—right before Alec and Jake had graduated. Though Alec had originally tried to keep in touch with Ellie, both had busy lives. Ellie was still in school and Alec had moved pretty far away.

The few times Jake had questioned his friend, Alec had denied feeling anything for the girl, but Jake could read his friend pretty well and he remembered how he'd originally spoken about Ellie.

"It's not fine, Jake. This can't be coincidental." To the bartender, he asked, "Is Carrie here today?"

"I think she's about to leave. You want me to bring her out?"

"Yes please."

While they waited for Ellie's friend to come out, Jake tried to soothe his friend. "It's probably nothing. Maybe we were mistaken and the mystery girl had an emergency come up."

"You know that's not true. That was her. It was."

Jake stayed silent, but Alec raised his head, catching his eyes. "This can't be a coincidence and we both know it. Something is not right. Call it a cop's intuition, but we have strong evidence supporting my theory."

Jake nodded, letting his friend get everything out of his system.

"First, we both recognized her. She's changed a lot, but that was definitely her. Second, when you called her out, I swear she looked almost terrified at first. Third, she immediately took off, and fourth, she apparently quit her job, giving up her earnings for no known reason." He looked down at the bar, sifting through his thoughts, trying to find the patterns that could lead to an explanation.

"Hello again, gents. How can I help you tonight?" Carrie batted her eyelashes at them, smiling coyly.

Jake decided to do the questioning. "You're Ellie's closest friend here, correct?"

"Yes sir." Now she looked a bit nonplussed.

"Do you have any idea where she is?"

"Is Ellie in trouble? Should I be afraid? Are you a cop? What's going on?" Carrie was obviously downright flustered, and Jake could see that she was worried.

"Is there anywhere private where we could speak to you?" he asked.

Carrie looked around in thought before answering, "Yes, come with me." The woman's original flirty demeanor had vanished as she led them through the door marked "Employees Only" and into a room off of the kitchen. "Nobody should bother us here. Now tell me what's going on. Please."

Alec spoke up now. "We were hoping you'd be able to tell us. Is Ellie the type to leave work early and then quit out of the blue?"

"No. Ellie's one of the hardest workers we have. That girl has never left work early before. She's never even taken a day off without asking a month in advance. All the other girls count on her to cover their shifts. Half the time she's here more often than the managers."

"Did you speak with her since we last talked to you?"

"No. Ellie keeps to herself normally. I figured that if she felt ill enough to leave early there must be something real serious going on with her, you know? So I didn't want to bother her."

"And yesterday she just called here and quit? Just like that?"

"That's what Gene said. He's our boss. He was worried but figured Ellie knows what she's doing. He'll be sorry to lose her though. She's the best worker we have."

"Has Ellie been acting strange recently? Has she done anything out of the normal?"

"Hey you never told me. Is she in trouble? Are you two cops? Should I be worried about her?"

"I work for the police, ma'am, and my friend here works for the government. But right now we're just two old friends of Ellie's who are a bit worried about her."

"Ok well I haven't noticed her acting weirdly. Though there was that one night...Didn't you come in a few weeks back? Walked in right before closing?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well that night she seemed a little off somehow. One minute I looked over at her and she was cleaning the tables, then right as I started talking to you, she got this funny look on her face and went to the back. I found her washing the dishes afterward and she told me that Gene told her that she needed to do so, but I could tell that she was lying."

"Hmm." Alec turned to Jake. "Do you think there's any chance she could have recognized me that very first night?"

"Probably. How many other guys do you know that could be confused for you?"

"Ok, Carrie, you've been a great help. I have one more favor to ask of you. Is there any way that you could give us Ellie's address or phone number?"

"Her phone's disconnected. I tried calling her right after I heard she had quit, but there was a message saying the number was no longer in service."

"How about her address then?"

Carrie told them and then gave them her number. "Could you guys call me if you figure anything out? That girl is the sweetest kid around and I don't want to be left worrying without answers for the rest of my life. I know she's only a few years younger than I am, but I think of her as a kid sister."

Jake promised they would and the men walked out of the bar.

*****

Several states away, a man glowered at the idiot in front of him.

"There's still no sign of her sir. We've checked all of her usual hideouts, every town she's lived in, and hundreds of plastic surgeons in case she went that route."

"Thank you, Nick. What are your next plans?"

"Now that we've exhausted the search for her, we figure we can continue keeping an eye on her family and friends. Other than that, we've been thinking about sending men to all the major cities to keep a lookout for her as well as to continue to expand the business."

"That sounds like a good plan. You know how important it is to find her, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"That she managed to leave at all is astounding. If she were to go to the cops...well, that would be the downfall of us all, now wouldn't it?" He didn't wait for a response. "It has been over a year since her disappearance. I suggest you and your men find her in the next two months or I shall have to take drastic measures. And you wouldn't want to find yourself on the receiving end of my drastic measures, Nick."

Still scowling, the man gestured for Nick to leave the room. As the door closed behind his lackey, the man picked up his phone and hit redial.

"Hello?"

"This is Mendon. I just talked to Nick. There's still no sign of her, sir."

"You've had Nick's men searching for months. She must be brought back, no matter what the cost."

"You're telling me what I already know, boss."

"Keep me updated. We only have a few months left. If she were to start talking, we'd lose everything we've spent years working for. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the consequences of losing everything."

"Not at all, sir."

The call disconnected.

*****

Ellie looked around her new apartment, actually rather pleased with the move.

The place was perfect for her. It had huge windows with window seats, a fireplace, and a walk-in closet. The kitchen was perfect, a mixture of quaint charm and utility, while the bedroom was spacious enough for a queen bed. A queen bed! She would never have to sleep in a twin again in this place. It was everything she would have wanted in her younger days.

"Look at you, thinking about your younger days," she said to herself drily. "You're only twenty-six and you're already looking longingly to the past." She actually smiled at that.

"Plus you're talking to yourself. I think that hints at senility." Still smiling slightly, she unpacked her bags, humming a tune to herself as she worked. Though she couldn't see it, the Ellie that she used to be was emerging. Today she'd empty out that storage unit and finally make herself at home in this new city. Then she could use her savings to buy some new furniture. A queen bed, indeed. Who'd have thought that such a meaningless material object could cause such a change in one's spirit?

*****

To escape the hustle of the city and the growing conundrum of Ellie, Alec decided to treat Jake to a few days in the great outdoors. He drove his friend to a state park known for its backpacking trails and spectacular views and the two spent hours hiking, taking pictures, and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

"My favorite spot is at the top of this next rise," Alec called to Jake at one point toward the end of the day. They had decided to pursue one more trail before nightfall and Alec strongly recommended this one. Upon reaching the top of the trail, Jake immediately understood Alec's fascination with the spot. The rise was one of the taller ones in the area and the two could see all the way to the city. The view was beautiful; it successfully combined the splendor and natural beauty of the wilderness with the grace and power of the city.

"Can we set up camp here?" Jake asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course!"

They set down their packs, cleared the ground of debris, and began to make camp. While Alec set up the tent and sleeping pads, Jake gathered wood and lit a fire. After preparing for the night ahead, they fixed a meal at the fire and brought each other up to speed about their lives. Though she was on Alec's mind, he refused to broach the subject of Ellie. Instead, he inquired about Jake's job and family.

"Yeah, my mom and dad finally retired and sold their business. My brother was going to take over since I didn't, but they said they'd rather have him keep his current job since he loved it. And, man, can you believe he's getting married?"

"He finally got the guts to propose?"

"Yep, and Andrea said yes. I still can't get over it. My baby brother is getting married."

That led them to discussing old friends who'd tied the knot, started families, or gotten divorced. Life had a way of sneaking up on you like that. One day, they were all in college, hitting up bars or having game nights. Now friends had grown up, started living in the real world. Alec thought again of Ellie.

"You can't get her out of your mind, can you?"

He looked over at his friend, weighing his answer. "I played the what-if game a lot in that first year. Tried to date a couple other girls. None worked out; all of the girls were lacking...something. By the time I'd figured it out and decided to apologize to her and tell her what she'd meant to me, it was too late. Now she's here and something is wrong and it's killing me. It brings back all those what-if scenarios. I just wish I had known then what she was to me. And I wish I knew now what's going on."

Though Jake knew he could give him some shallow words of comfort, he merely moved over next to his friend and nodded. Sometimes the best gift of all was merely to listen.