Find Me

Find Me

1

         “JAKE! Jake, Jakes here! Momma Momma Jakes here!” Said Anna a bright young 7 year old girl with flowing blonde hair and soft blue eyes, just like her mothers. I knelt down in front of her and gave her my best smile.

“Hey there angel, where’s your mom at?”

“She’s in the shower, she said if you wanted you could watch TV. Butttttt… do you wanna play mystery with me?” I laughed and of course agreed. At twenty six I had been a detective on the force for five years, hired right out of the academy. Ever since I was little I had always wanted to be a boxer, but I wasn’t p to snuff. I followed in my uncles footsteps and joined the force, just like he would have wanted. I met Brittany three years ago at a PD fundraiser, her father a retired shield. I had asked her out right then and there, so completely infatuated with her and completely sold by her forgiving blue eyes. We have been together ever since, and I love and treasure ever second I have with Britt and her daughter Anna. I walked into Britts quaint little apartment and followed Anna into her playroom. She tried to make her voice deep and mysterious, but still sounded like the little girl I knew so well. “Detective I have a job for you,” She said in her mock imposing voice “I have lost my favorite doll and I want you to find him.” I scanned the room quickly.

“Anna case closed. Look over there.” I said pointing my index finger to the far corner of the room. Their Jack Russell, Roofus, was chomping away on the remnants of doll stuffing. Anna giggled and began to chase Roofus around the room, and I knew it was going to be a good Saturday.

2

         I played hide and seek with Anna while the sound of Britt blow-drying her hair droned on like a swarm in the background. I lost myself in the lull of the sound for a moment until Anna’s sweet voice drifted across the apartment “Come on, find me, I dare you” I searched the small living room first, exaggerating my search for Anna’s entertainment. I cleared the room after checking under tables, couch cushions, in the hall closet, and behind the TV stand. No Anna. So off I went into her playroom. As my size thirteen shoe entered the door frame I heard Annas trademark giggle. She was in here. I searched low and high but she was nowhere to be found. “Oh man… where could Anna be?” I said aloud slowly inching towards her toy box. “maybe she’s in… HERE” I said ripping open the lid of the red and yellow box to reveal a giggling Anna who tackled me to the floor.

“You found me!” She squealed with delight as I tickled her skinny sides.

“Sorry to interrupt, are you two children ready?’ said a voice from behind us. I turned sheepishly to face my girlfriend of three years. Every time I saw her my breath stopped, and that hadn’t changed this time either. That flowing reddish brown hair and that smooth tan skin, all topped off with blue eyes so soft and inviting any man would melt. I slowly got to my feet and picked Anna up with me, she still squealing the whole while as I approached Britt and planted a kiss on her soft, still damp cheek.

“Were ready” I said, Smiling and placing the squirming Anna on her own two feet.

“Go put your gear and your shoes on Ann we’ll be waiting at the front door for you.” Said Britt as an excited Anna rushed out of the room to find her shoes. Alone, I looked at Britt.

“You look beautiful” I said shooting her a wink

“Oh be quiet, its still eleven in the morning” she said playfully as we crossed the polished wooden floors to the front door.

Anna raced back in to meet us in full soccer uniform, shoes on and tied successfully.

“OK off we go” I said even excited a little myself. We rode the elevator down from the fifth floor to the parking garage and hopped into my dark blue Dodge Durango.

“Dangooo!!!” screamed Anna, always happy to get a ride in my car. We took the short five minute drive to Central Park. It was Anna’s first game of the season and she was clearly ecstatic. The second I parked the car she was out the door running to her teammates.

“Good luck sweetheart!” Britt screamed after her.

“Yeah kick some as- Tail! Kick some tail Kiddo!” I said as I took the two chairs out of the trunk and walked to the field with Britt at my side.  I sat the chairs down and plopped into one grabbing a root beer from the cooler. Britt sat down next to me and took my hand. She looked at me “You excited?” she asked

“Oh of course, getting to see the little star in action.”

Anna dominated the game, her playfulness and carefree attitude were wiped away and replaced with a look of grave determination. Anna scored twice and had five shots on goal. By the half Anna was drenched but very satisfied with herself. As team moms passed out oranges Anna’s eyes met mine and I gave her a quick wink and thumbs up. She was too cute in her attempt to wink back that Britt and I couldn’t help but laugh. Just then my phone buzzed at my hip. My stomach dropped. I looked at the screen and told Britt id be right back. I stood up removed my Motorola from its holder and opened the small phone.

“Detective Hunter, what’s up?”

“Jake its Roy, im really sorry but we need you to come in for a few hours” Roy my partner for two years, and best friend for longer, was laying the worst news possible on me.

“Are you kidding me? What’s the big deal? I have Saturdays off!”

“I know, I know, but there’s a big error in the new kid’s paperwork from the incident last week and we really need your help on it.”

“Can’t you get someone else? What’s Jennings up to, picking his nose?”

“Naw sorry Jake but chief says we need you. It’ll only be a few. Promise.”

“Fine” I barked into the phone. “Be there in ten. You’d better be right.”

I walked back to Britt and explained my situation. “Sweetheart I’m sorry but I need to hop into work for a bit. They messed up some paperwork and apparently its on me to fix it. Can you two angels get a ride home?”

She sighed “Yeah its fine I’m sure we can get one with Toni Ann’s parents.”

“I’m sorry love, ill call you when I’m coming back” I said planting a kiss on her soft pink lips.

“You’d better bring us some victory dinner though” She said smiling, and kissed me right back.

3

I got in my car and sped to the station, hoping to get it all sorted out before the game ended. Some little error it was, it took five hours to fix. I left the station too pissed for my own good, so I went to the gym to calm down. Roy came with me, and I asked him the usual questions. How’re the kids, how’s the wife, still loving our job? Roy had been my neighbor growing up, and had graduated three years ahead of me, and then gone straight to the academy, and was hired right out of the academy, just like me. It was just pure luck that we ended up being partners, let alone in the same precinct. We did our usual workout, and I took a solid five mile run. About ready to go Roy asked me a question I just couldn’t turn down.

“Hey man wanna step into the ring for a little?” Ever since we were kids Roy and I loved boxing. We always stayed up late to watch fights, and would act out fights in our backyard. When we grew up we took boxing classes together, and I jumped at any chance to take on my best friend, and my rival. We threw punches, blocked and dodge almost equally. Almost, that was until Roy sent me sprawling to the mat mouthpiece flying off like a convict escaping its cell. I lay on the cold rubber of the mat and breathed hard. Roy’s face appeared above mine and he offered me his hand. I took it, and go to my feet brushing myself off.

“What’s the deal Jakey boy? You usually dodge that left hook easy.” He knew I hated when he called me Jakey boy, so I gave him a hard shove.

“Don’t know man, saw it coming, but couldn’t react. I’m nervous, just got a really bad vibe, something doesn’t feel right.”

“Ah I got you. I’m sure your girl will love it, she’s got a catch like you” He said elbowing me “Well if you need anything let me know. Talk to Britt tonight too, I’m sure she has some input for you.” He shot me a wink. He was the only one I had told what I was planning.

“I appreciate it man. Speaking of that I gotta bring them a victory dinner, I heard Anna won. She got five goals… FIVE. Child prodigy in the making.” I gave Roy a handshake and headed out back to the car. I stopped at Shoun Tokyo, and picked up some Chinese for everyone. I took out my phone and dialed Britts apartment. No answer. Weird but not a big deal, so I left a message.

“Hey baby its Jake, I’m on my way back over, and I picked up some Chinese so no need to cook anything.” I turned the radio up and put the smile back on my face. I was going back to the two girls that made me very happy, how could I not smile. As I rode the elevator up to their floor the smell of the general’s chicken assaulted my nose and I realized I hadn’t eaten since before I came over this morning. I knocked on her door, room number 844, the brass numbers tarnished and faded, but a door I knew so well. I knocked again, but still no answer. Odd.

4

I nudged the door with my right toe and it opened easily. The apartment door opened to a scene of chaos. The once tidy little apartment was destroyed, tables overturned, couch cushions ripped apart, light bulbs shattered, books strewn everywhere. This was not a good scene. I dropped the bag off food, completely gone from my mind, and entered the threshold. All my police training was gone from my mind, I just needed to know my girls were safe. “Girls! Britt! ANNA! Are you in here?” I ran through the entire flat looking everywhere. “Anna this isn’t funny I don’t want to play hide and seek right now, where are you!” I rushed out of Anna’s playroom, finding nothing but another destroyed area, and ran into Britts bedroom. I opened her door and fell to my knees. I had found Britt. She was lying in her bed, a bullet wound to her face and chest. The woman I had loved for three wonderful years was gone. I took the ring I had in my back pocket and stared at it, silent tears rolling down my face. Roy had told me not to worry, she would say yes my bad vibe was for nothing. I didn’t realize until now that those weren’t worry for this woman to marry me, it was a worry that something was happening. Now she was gone, and I would never have a chance to ask her that question. I did have another very important question though, where was Anna?

5

         I searched the apartment once over again, and found nothing. I sat down in a heap in the kitchen and called the PD, reporting a murder and missing child’s case. I knew I would be the prime suspect, but only for a little, I had a solid alibi and Roy would back me up. I had planning on asking her to marry me, there was no reason for me to kill her. I sat in the corner until my boys arrived, and cried my first tears in nine years. Roofus came waddling into the kitchen and walked up to me, and licking my tear strewn face. I rubbed away my tears and petted Roofus on his little brown head. He was unscathed, but whimpering. “Hey bud, where were you?” I pulled him in close and continued petting his soft fur crooning to him “It’s going to be ok, it’ll be ok” This was more for me than the dog.  I sat there like that for five minutes until I heard the wail of sirens approaching. As the boys in blue entered the ruined apartment got to my feet and showed them my credentials.  Roy came in last after them all and walked up to me his eyes glistening. “I’m sorry man. I really am. I told them to hold off any questioning they had for later, if they had to ask any at all. Let’s go man, ill follow you home.” We both walked our way to the elevator, and the Jack Russell followed me, still whimpering. I kneeled down to him at the door to the elevator.

“Hey where are you going? Go back ho-…” I realized the dog was following me for a reason. He knew just as well as I did, that the two people that cared for him most were gone. So he had followed me, a familiar face. I picked him up and stepped onto the elevator. “Alright Roofus guess your coming home with me.” As the elevator slowly made its decent to the parking garage I got myself together, at least until I was home. As I pulled into the drive of my small one story ranch home I realized quietly that the house I had inherited from my parents would never be a home Britt and Anna would live in, and felt tears come again. Roy knocked on my window and scared me out of my trance. The window slowly rolled down to reveal a still bleary eyed Roy.

“Hey man… you need me to come in with you? We could knock back a few talk about old times.”

“Thanks Roy but id rather be alone right now, some stuff I need to handle.”

He gave me a quick nod. “Ok… just give me a call if you need anything ill be around. She… She was a great girl Jake. She really was.”

“I know Roy, I know.” Ill see you. I Stepped out of my car, and he unexpectedly hugged me. Unexpected, but not appreciated. He patted me on the back and walked back to his car. He gave me a wave and drove off into the night. I was alone again, just me and the dog. My dog now. I walked to my door, inserted the key into the lock. I walked into my own entryway, yet it seemed foreign to me. I walked down the hall past my sparsely furnished living room and into my pale green bedroom. I shed off my clothes, unhooked the phone, and laid down immediately on the queen sized mattress. A mattress that would never hold Britt’s body again. Roofus jumped up on the bed next to me and curled into a small ball, still whimpering his silent tears. I quickly drifted off to sleep, but not before remembering the most important thing I had somehow over looked. Where was Anna? And why was no one looking for her?