Katherina

Where is Katherina Weston? That's what Private Detective Sharoni Bennett wants to know.

Katherina

A Short Story

Written By

SpaceFaction

     A female about Katherina’s age is screaming while she runs through this forest. She keeps screaming every time she looks behind her, and that is quite often. At the same time she is running, she trips over a fallen tree branch. This female looks up and can see a man around forty running toward her. She also sees another female near her trying to use her cell phone.

     Katherina looks at her cell phone and the ‘No Signal’ on it. She starts climbing the large tree she’s partially hiding behind. When she gets toward the top of this tree, she tries her phone again. This time, she can call ‘911.’

      “911, what’s your emergency?” asks a 911 Operator. Katherina lowers the volume on her cell phone so that only she can barely hear this 911 Operator.

      “There’s a girl about twelve being chased through the Thomasville forest by a man. You had better hurry. This man is about to catch up to her.”

##

     Jasper Weston escorts Private Detective Sharoni Bennett into the living room of his house after he answers his front door. His wife, Lydia Weston, stops pacing around their living room when she gets to Jasper and Sharoni. “So happy you are here. We need your help in finding Katherina.”

      “That’s why I came over as quickly as I could,” says Sharoni. “Tell me what happened to Katherina. All you have said over the phone is that Katherina is twelve, and she is missing. Do you think she’s a victim of our Predator?”

      “She is missing, but she isn’t a runaway,” says Jasper. “The Police think she is, but we don’t think she is. We also don’t think she is a victim of our Predator.”

     Sharoni continues writing everything down in a notebook in her hands. “From what you have told me so far, I don’t think she’s a runaway, but I’m not so sure if she isn’t also a victim.”

##

     “What happened to you?” Sharoni asks the female that Katherina saved in the Thomasville forest.

      “I don’t know her name, but she saved my life. If not for her, I would have become a victim of our Predator.”

     Sharoni looks at the numerous cuts and bruises on this female. “How did that happen? Was it our Predator?”

     “It wasn’t our Predator. He didn’t get that close to me, thanks to my Savior. I got these cuts and bruises after I fell. About ten minutes later, the cops showed up. Before then, my Savior started throwing pinecones at him. He took off just before the cops got there.”

     “What happened to Katherina Weston?” Sharoni asks.

     This female looks up at Sharoni. “Is Katherina Weston her name?”

     “Is Katherina Weston the one who saved me? Do you know where she is? I wanted to thank her for saving me, but she was gone before I could do that.”

##

     Sharoni enters the Thomasville Police Station. She goes to the Front Desk Sergeant. “I want to talk to whoever is in charge of our Predator investigation.”

      “Why do you want to talk to Detective Patrick Harris?” Asks the Front Desk Sargeant.

     Just then, Detective Patrick Harris enters the front lobby. “Did I hear my name mentioned?”

      “Are you the one in charge of our Thomasville Predator investigation?” Sharoni asks.

     “I am. Who are you, and what do you have to do with this investigation?” Patrick asks.

     Sharoni walks over to Patrick. “I want to know what is happening with the investigation.”

      “What does my investigation have to do with you? Why do you want to know this?” Patrick asks.

      “Because you aren’t the only one who is investigating our Predator problem. I’m also investigating him.”

     Patrick gets closer to Sharoni. “I know who you are, but I didn’t know you were also involved in our Predator Problem. How are you involved in this?”

##

     Katherina is following another female a little younger than her, but she’s staying far enough away for her not to be seen by this female. She doesn’t want to spook her. She’s also staying away to see if any Predators are following her. Katherina hasn’t seen any Predators so far.

     What are you doing here, especially alone, thinks Katherina. Doesn’t she know how dangerous it is to be in the Thomasville forest at this time of night? Why are you here? Have you run away from home?

     Just then, a man starts following this female. So far, it doesn’t look like this female knows he is following her. When she looked behind her, she saw him. She starts running. The man also starts running. This man is getting closer to her very quickly.

     That isn’t the same Predator I saw a couple of weeks ago, thinks Katherina. What is going on here? I know we have a lot of Predators here in Thomasville, but I didn’t know they worked in pairs.

##

     After helping the female a little younger than her get away from the Predator following her, Katherina takes her home. Talking to her about what she is doing there alone while she is taking her home. “Is there a reason why you don’t want to go home?”

     “No, it’s nothing like that. I was at a friend’s house, and I didn’t know how late it was. The Thomasville forest is a shortcut back home.”

      “Do you know how dangerous that is, especially so late at night? It would have been better if you had gone the long way around.”

     This female stops walking. “I can’t be late getting home again. If I am, I will be in big trouble.”

      “How serious of trouble will you be in?” Katherina asks. “It’s not as bad as I’m thinking it is.”

     “It’s not that bad. I just don’t want to get into trouble again.” After Katherina drops this female off at her house, she heads back to where she has been living lately. She doesn’t know that Sharoni is following her.

####

     After going to the Police Station, Katherina starts looking at the Predator’s book. “Is this the only Predator book you have?” Katherina asks. “I thought we had more Predators than this.”

      “That’s the only one we have,” says Patrick. “Did you see the Predator in that book?”

     “You mean Predators,” answers Katherina. “There are at least two Predators. That’s how many Predators I have seen, and neither are in this Predator book. That is why I was hoping there was another Predator book.”

     Patrick leaves the Interview Room. He comes back a few minutes later with about twenty other books. These aren’t Predator books. They are Criminal books. If your Predators aren’t Predators, they may be Criminals.”

     Katherina starts looking through these books. It doesn’t take her too long before she finds her Predators, but she doesn’t let Patrick know what she has found. He looks through the other books instead. When she is done looking through them, she tells him she hasn’t seen them.

##

      “I don’t think this is a Predator we are looking for,” says Katherina. “After all, I have two different Predators going after two different females.”

      “If they aren’t Predators, then who are they? You know who they are, don’t you?” Sharoni asks.

     Katherina stops walking around the office of Sharoni. “I found them, but it wasn’t in the Predators book. It was in the Criminals book.”

     “Who are these criminals?” Sharoni asks. “Is there a connection between them and our Predator problem?”

      “I didn’t have a connection between them and any of our Predators,” says Katherina. “However, I did find one with them and Detective Patrick Harris.”

     Sharoni looks up from her computer on her desk at Katherina. “Is that why you didn’t tell him you had found them in the Criminals book when you did?”

      “It sure does look like Detective Patrick Harris is involved with these criminals,” says Katherina. “I just don’t know how involved he is yet.”

##

      “I can think of only one way to find out what has been happening in Thomasville,” says Katherina as she slowly walks through the Thomasville forest at about ten PM that night. “All I need to do is let these Predators or whoever they are take me to where the others are.”

     Sharoni is also walking in this Thomasville forest. She is following Katherina. She’s close enough to keep her eyes on Katherina, but not too close. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

      “Can you think of a better idea to stop these Predators or whoever they are?” Katherina asks.

     Just then, a man starts following Katherina. “You have someone following you now,” says Sharoni.

     Katherina looks behind and sees who is following her. She starts to run. Every so often, she looks behind her. This man isn’t getting close to her. Katherina slows down so he can catch up to her. She also pretends to fall. This man is about to catch up to her.

##

     Katherina falls to her knees after two men push her into a large barracks-like room with about forty other females about her age. As she gets up, her jaw drops at the other females there. “I didn’t think we had this many missing in Thomasville.”

      “We aren’t all from Thomasville,” says a female about eleven. “There are only about five of us from Thomasville. The rest are from the other ten towns around here.”

      “They are just using this town to keep us here,” says another female around twelve. “We all know why we are here and what will happen to us sooner or later.”

     Katherina slowly looks at the other females in this room. Nodding her head sharply once when she sees one from Thomasville. “It makes it harder for me to get us out of here with so many of you, but it can be done.”

      “I’m not here alone,” continues Katherina. “The FBI should be here at any time.”

##

     Jasper and Lydia run over to where Katherina is and pick her up for a three-person hug. This hug last forever. “Are you okay?” asks Jasper.

      “We are all okay because of her,” says a nearby female about ten. “If not for her, none of us would be here now.”

     “What does that mean?” Lydia asks.

     Just then, Sharoni walks up to them. “It means that Katherina risked her life to find and save the missing females from Thomasville. Only it turns out they weren’t only missing from Thomasville.”

     “I knew it,” says Jasper. “Katherina went missing to find the Predator taking girls about her age. he thinks she’s some kind of an Amateur Detective.”

      “Katherina doesn’t just think she is an Amateur Detective,” says Sharoni. “She is an Amateur Detective.”

     Jasper reaches into his inside jacket pocket and gives Sharoni an envelope. Sharoni looks at it and puts it in her pocket. “Katherina isn’t an Amateur anything.

     Jasper reaches into his inside jacket pocket and gives Sharoni an envelope. Sharoni looks at it and puts it in her pocket. “Katherina isn’t an Amateur anything,” says Jasper. “She will be something important.”

##

      “Is it okay if I give you a hug?” Sharoni asks.

      “It’s okay with me,” says Katherina. Katherina and Sharoni hug somewhat tightly.

     While they are hugging, Sharoni whispers into Katherina’s ear. “You do whatever you want to do with your life. If that’s being a detective, then you do it.”

      “You’re a very good Amateur Detective,” continues Sharoni. “You will make a great Police Detective or a Private Detective. I would be honored if you started working for me in six years.”

     Katherina whispers into Sharoni’s ears. “I can work for you before then. If you ever need me, you know where you can find me.”

      “If you’re not too busy to help me,” whispers Sharoni. “I’m sure this isn’t your first problem, and it won’t be your last.”

      “Who says that this is my first problem,” whispers Katherina. “This isn’t my first problem, and you’re right; this won’t be my last one.”

Word Count = 1,966