Possession of Justice

Possession of Justice, Chapter Four

Chapter Four

         Emma was still voraciously pouring through case law at 6:45 p.m., looking for something, although she was not sure what.  The case was solid, but there was still the City’s angle that it appeared to Officer Rhodes that Alex Kramer was pointing a weapon at him. In reality he was pointing in the direction that the killer fled. This account was supported by a witness at the scene, a man who pulled into the parking lot as the officer confronted Alex. The City’s case was that the officer believed he had arrived at a robbery in progress, and the assailant was the man leaving the store. The patrol car was clearly marked, and the officer was in uniform. The correct action, in the City’s position, would have been for Alex to put his arms up, clearly indicating that he did not have a weapon.  All well and good, thought Emma, had Alex Kramer had any reason to assume that the cops would think he was the killer. A man at a convenience store seeking a late night snack had no reason to believe this was the case.

         Sighing and leaning back in her chair, she realized that she needed to file a missing persons report. At least 24 hours had passed. But to do so would make Ethan’s disappearance real. She tried to remember her last meaningful exchange with her husband. Was it yesterday morning? No, he was asleep when she left for work. Was it the night before? No, he was holed up in his office while she fed, bathed and put Ryan to bed without his assistance. In fact, the last conversation she remembered was two days before his disappearance. On Sunday Ethan took a shower while she and Ethan read a book together. He appeared in the hallway halfway through the story, a towel around his waist, asking where the shampoo was.  She told him to look in the bathroom cupboard and that was the end of it. Barely a blip in her day. God, they had not really talked in weeks, maybe months.

         Ethan’s car is still in the garage. Why had she not thought of this before this moment? This meant he left on foot, or with someone else. This was unlike the Ethan she knew. He liked to be in control, in the driver’s seat. The idea that he would leave on foot was extremely unlikely, at least in the context of doing it on purpose. Perhaps he might leave with someone else, but who? Not his brother, who seemed genuinely worried about his whereabouts. He had a scattering of friends, some leftovers from college, some from his previous employment, but nobody that she could imagine he would pick up and leave with.

         The clear fact she was presented with was that Ethan was missing and she needed to report it to the police. The police. Specifically, the Seattle Police, the same department whose officer gunned down Alex Kramer. How was she supposed to go after them on Alex’s behalf, while at the same time seeking their help in her husband’s disappearance? The irony was so rich that she resisted the urge to laugh madly for the second time that day.

         But she must report it; it was what a decent wife would do. Not that I’m a decent wife. A sense of resolve filled her, and she turned off her computer, filled up her briefcase with her night’s work, grabbed her keys, and headed for the door. She faced a grim task, one that forced her to face reality, but it needed to be done. Amy agreed to watch Ryan until the wee hours with the knowledge that Emma needed to finish her summary judgment motion. Emma trusted Amy as if she were her own sister, knowing that Amy will read to him, make him brush his teeth, read him a story, and tuck him in. Thank God she does not have to worry about Ryan’s well being at a moment like this.

         A thought occurred to her on the elevator. She needed to call Ethan’s mom. Lorene was a benevolent but distant mother and grandmother. She loved her progeny, but preferred to keep them background to her senior activities of golfing, bingo and shopping. Emma had never been close to Lorene, but the relationship had always been cordial. Lorene had never heard a word, from Emma at least, of the troubles between Ethan and Emma. But she was Ethan’s mother and she had a right to know. She would have heard from Lorene already if Brad had already filled her in, so she assumed Brad had not voiced his concerns to his mother yet. Emma dialed the phone before her courage evaporated.

         “Hello, Emma.” Lorene was one of the few seniors Emma knew that fully utilized caller ID.

         “Hi Lorene.”

“What’s new with you kids?” Lorene’s voice had a curious tone as Emma did not call often.

“Listen, I am worried. Ethan…seems to have disappeared.” Emma stated bluntly.

         “Disappeared? Are you sure, honey? Are you in a fight?” Lorene sounded distant, yet concerned.

         “Well, no, but things have not been great lately. I don’t know, maybe he needs a breather. But I’m worried because he’s been gone for a whole day and he didn’t take his car.”

         Only dead silence ensued for a moment on the other end. Emma glanced down at her phone to see if they had been disconnected. The reality hit Emma at that moment that she had finally given voice to a real concern. Finally, Lorene responded.

         “Oh, Ethan, dear God, I hope he is okay. When did you last see him?” Lorene’s voice quivered. Emma had never experienced such a display of emotion from her mother-in-law.

         “Well, technically yesterday morning. But he was asleep and then I went to work. He was gone when I got home and I assumed he was running errands…”

         “Without his car?” Lorene’s voice seemed to take on a brittle tone.

         “I guess I didn’t think about that at the time because I was sure he would be home at any moment.” Emma replied, feeling defensive.

         “But he’s not.” Lorene’s voice sounded tight in her throat.

         “No.” Emma admitted.

         “Did you report this to the police?” Lorene’s tone seemed accusing.

         “I am going there now. I just want you to know about it.”

         “I see.” Lorene’s curtness put Emma on edge. She felt every ounce the heartless and cold wife.

         “I really thought he would be back this morning, Lorene. I’m scared…and worried. I’m sorry to have to tell you about this.” Why the hell was she pleading?

         “Well, please call me after you talk to the police. I mean, this is my son we’re talking about here.” Lorene’s voice seemed to tremble.

         “I know, and I will. I will call you later.”

         Ending the call, Emma was filled with a feeling of self-reproach and increasing fear. God, what if something really happened to Ethan? What if he was dead somewhere?

         The downtown headquarters of the Seattle Police Department emitted an aura of efficient distrust; visitors were allowed, but with a hostile eye. The SPD officer manning reception surveyed her with suspicion, or at least maybe imagined suspicion.

         “Ma’am, can I help you?” which translated in Emma’s mind to “State your business.” The officer at the desk was round faced and pudgy, but with a burly enough chest to lend credibility to his law enforcement status.

         “My husband is missing.” She blurted out. Emma realized she wished she had taken time to look in the mirror before she came to the station. The man before her was in all likelihood viewing a mascara smudged, messy haired version of herself, but she could not even remember if she put on makeup that morning.

         Maybe she imagined the Here we go again expression on the officer’s face. Her emerging sense of urgency hit a brick wall with his bored tone. “When was the last time you seen him?” He pulled out a form.

         “Yesterday. Well, he was asleep before I went to work, but I guess that’s when I last saw him.” Emma replied.

         “So, he was at home? And where is that?” The officer poised his pen above the form, waiting for her answer.
Emma gave him their address in West Seattle.

“Are you fighting?” The officer shot her a knowing look under bushy eyebrows.

         “No. Well, we don’t the greatest marriage right now. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.” Emma wondered why the hell she just offered that; as if it was any of his business.

         “Do you have reason to suspect any threat to his life, any enemies, any health conditions?” He continued.

         “Um…no.”

         “Does he have a cell phone? Have you called him?”  Emma wondered what type of person that question was for.

         “Of course. No answer, it goes straight to voicemail.” Emma felt her impatience with the process growing.

         “Has he done this before?” Asked Officer Banks, whose name Emma had now gleaned from the tag on his uniform.

         “Never.” Though there may have been times she wished he had.

         “Do you have a recent picture of your husband?” Emma nodded and pulled out a wallet sized family photo taken last Christmas. “It’s a few months old, but he basically looks the same.” Emma felt a contraction in her chest looking at the three of them, even though Ethan’s smile appeared manufactured, as did Emma’s.

         Officer Banks took the picture and attached it to the form that was now complete. “Okay, I’m going to send this over to the Data Center and we will begin an initial investigation.” He leaned back and met her eyes. “Are you sure this isn’t just a marital squabble?”

         Emma the lawyer bristled at this question. Looking Officer Banks square in the eye she fired back. “If there was a squabble, as you put it, would there be any less reason to search for a human being who is missing?”

         Officer Banks looked back at her with a resolutely pissed expression, but so what? She had a hell of a lot more to worry about than the consternation of the man in uniform on the other side of the desk. “You can make assumptions, or you can investigate a missing person. Thank you for your time.”

         She wished she could feel good about her classy exit; the turn of her heel, the swift exiting through the SPD precinct doors, but she did not. Ethan was missing and she most likely just alienated the only people she knew who could help her find him; the very people she was attempting to sue the ass off. Life was indeed full of irony.

         Stepping out into the September sunset, the Columbia Tower piercing the blue sky fading to gold, she wondered what sky, if any, her husband was looking at now. All the angry words and dark silences, accusations and indifference, faded as the day relinquished its hold and the colors of the setting sun cast the world in a softer light. And now, with a gentler light in her heart, she thought of Ethan. The man she vowed to love forever twelve years prior. She remembered his smile, his laughter, his tenderness with Ryan at his birth. She considered all the wrongs that could not be set right because of uncertainty. Something deep within in her was sure Ethan would never be back. The door was closed.

         A lone tear traveled the curve of her cheek as the sun kissed the horizon of the Puget Sound.