Lost Girl

Riding from Mt Sinai to Midtown North barely gave him time to read the notes. The detective held a cell phone to his chest as he walked him back.

"Right here, Doc," Pointing into a room with young, blond woman sitting with a uniformed officer. "Speed-talking for the last half-hour. Took blood already, but will be hours on the results." He opened the door, already back on the phone. "Miss Meadows?...let's back up..."

"Is that Liz...?" the woman looked over as he came in. "Was...is that man speaking with Liz?"

The door closed, cutting off all sound from the hallway. He noted the time as he set his phone down beside his notepad. 9:42 and his shift would have been over at 10:00. The uniform stepped into the corner to give him his seat.

"Did he say that was Liz...?" The girl turned and searched his face eagerly, then looked down at his phone, frowned, and checked her own watch.

"Not sure who 'Liz' is, Miss," opening his notebook. "I am Dr. Brennan. I'm hoping you can walk me through what's happened to you this evening."

"Doctor?...wait...has someone been hurt?" Her eyes were a pale, lively green, searching his own, confused, with a hint of worry.

"That's what we're trying to assess. Have you taken a fall this evening...had any head injuries... lost consciousness?"

"No,...no," She shook her head dismissively, keyed up, but puzzled, not angry. "As I told the officer, we'd just walked over from my family's place for a drink...at the Elephant & Castle..."

"That's a bar?"

"Yes...well...a pub. Just up the road. Bit stodgy, but just around the corner from Great Gram's place. So Liz, Essie and I..." She looked at him quizzically. "You've never heard of it?"

"No," He smiled. "Don't get out much." She was cute, if bookish. Fair, hint of freckles, wispy blond hair pulled into a messy bun, but somehow still put together at the same time. Her accent was adorable.

"We'd only just went for one or two," She continued. "We'd spent all afternoon moving in...still half unpacked, y'see." She was clearly in some degree of shock, but not especially frightened. "But it was quite fun and this lovely ginger boy, Pete, showed up." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "Oddest thing. I've never had a thing for gingers," she shrugged. "Much prefer tall, dark and Mediterranean, two days since the last shave and all that." She blushed. "But Pete had that messy hair and such a baby face...like boys from Art school do." She waved dismissively. "I was having the hardest time getting another drink but he offered. Maybe he worked there? He was back so fast." She tilted her head as if just then remembering something. "He'd said he knew my family..."

"This man did?" Circled 'family friend?' "How many drinks would you say you'd had by then?"

"Well, let's see...a couple of gin 'n tonics before he started buying, but he'd botched it up and brought back these funny coconut shells with something fruity...like with Goldschlager or something?" she waved her finger over the table, making a circle. "...little glowing bits sprinkled in. Guess we had a few of those...didn't seem very strong, but I had the most lovely buzz going."

"And you'd been drinking how long?" Jotted '5+ drinks'.

"From nine I suppose...until two when we went to leave," she glanced at his phone again, puzzled. "wait...that can't be right...?"

"So two AM, you left the bar...sorry...pub?"

"Right," she nodded. "Told the girls we'd meet out front and Pete walked me out." She giggled. "Tried telling him I was just down Holland, but somehow we got spun...walked toward the park...he was telling a story..."

"Central?...or Bryant Park?" Checking notes, said she was picked up at Broadway around 51st.

"No... the gardens, outside St. Mary Abbotts," She waved it off. "He was asking me...if I had my choice, would I prefer a gift of a thimble, acorn...or a kiss." She blushed. "I said I'd take only take a kiss from him in Time Square...and I was about to say on New Year's Eve, but he'd already gone in and then...," she shrugged apologetically. "Well, it got all glowy after that...felt like I was floating for a moment." Head tilted. "Then someone bumped me. I got turned around...all the lights...started running trying to find the pub again." She looked up at the officer. "How does this...any of this...make sense?"

"Take it slow, Miss Darling. Let's go through it again."