General Fiction posted January 16, 2025 | Chapters: |
...60 61 -62- 63... ![]() |
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Some things arent always as they seem
A chapter in the book Sandra's Lover
Cindras surprise
by EILEEN LAW
Background Murder Mystery Missing persons....hmm. |
Mark couldn't sleep, could barely eat and had no patience with anyone. He was used to getting things done, done right and on time.
Mark was extremely frustrated with the lack of progress in finding his wife. He had been drilled and interviewed multiple times by the police, as well as his own detectives. He wondered, what were they doing aside from that? He eventually hired a lawyer to handle the police, as he had had enough.
Things out of his control always frustrated him. He found himself 'dealing with the devil' as he had to work with his parents on finding Aliss. In part, he didn't care. He just wanted his wife home in one piece.
Time ticked by like molasses in December, moving sludging, achingly, slowly by. He looked at clocks and watches more than ever before. He had taken time off of work at the hospital as well as the clinic, and Manuel had to temporarily take the lead on the clinic plans.
Manuel and Janice were doing all they could to help, but they couldn't do much. Mark met frequently with his private detectives, who didn't have much to go on. He tried to get the police to share their information but that wasn't happening.
Mark wanted to look through the records he had kept hidden in his locked office downstairs in his house, but for now the cops wouldn't let him inside his own home. They called it a 'crime scene' and until they were done with the case, it couldn't be disturbed.
Mark then decided to interview all of Aliss's friends, her old boss and even tried to reach her old school friends and professors. Maybe, just maybe if he shook the tree hard enough, something may fall off.
One afternoon he was visiting with Don, her old boss at the construction company. It was obvious to Mark that Don was also frustrated with the constant interviews and conversations about Aliss and her old job.
However, Mark did receive some surprising information from Don. It seemed that Aliss had been visiting the office a little more often than usual. She had been seen using the copy machine.
Mark also found out that the construction business had recently been procured. The purchase was handled by lawyers, so no one was introduced as of yet as the new owners.
Did this have anything to do with his wife's disappearance? Probably not but a lead is a lead.
He remembered his mothers' unwelcome habit of scooping up anything and everything that had to do with Mark and his family, so he wouldn't be surprised if this was part of her conglomeration. There was only one way to find out for sure. He had to go see his mother. He could only hope she would tell the truth. One quick call and he was on his way to her at her home office.
It didn't take long for Mark to get to her house and during the drive, he mentally prepared himself for war. She wouldn't give up any information easily. He walked directly in the front door, without knocking. He went down the hall and straight into her office knowing that that was where she would likely be.
What he saw surprised him. Cindra had a board set up in front of a row of bookshelves. On that board were photographs, slips of papers and post-it-notes scattered all over the board. There were large lettered words connecting them as well as arrows from one to another item. It seemed that Cindra was earnestly working on finding Aliss as well.
Cindra looked up when her son entered the room. For a moment she was struck at how commanding he was. If she didn't know him, she would have been intimidated. And secretly she was, at least a little bit. Since his emancipation he had proven himself strong, independent, resourceful and intelligent.
"Hello Mark. Son, I have spoken to Sargent Hayes. He won't tell me much except that they are working on it. I suspect his right hand, a detective Smythe may be a better person to talk to. She seems to be handling this more than Hayes."
Cindra had a look of concern on her face. In fact, her usual perfection had slipped a little, part of her hair had come out of its usually perfectly coiffed bun. Could it be? Does she actually care about someone other than herself? Other than her desire for complete fiscal domination over the city?
"Mother. I have just found out that you purchased Aliss's old construction company. Exactly why would you do that? She doesn't work for them anymore." Mark took a shot, maybe she would bite.
"Whatever do you mean, son? Where did you hear that from?" She wasn't going to budge.
"Let's not do this. We don't have time for games, mother. All I want to know is, does this have anything to do with Aliss's disappearance, in any possible way." Mark pushed one more time.
"No. It doesn't. It was just a business purchase." She lied a little, always wanting to keep at least one card up her sleeve at all times.
Mark knew she was hiding something, but didn't press as he just wanted to focus on Aliss and finding his wife.
"Did your IT expert find anything else on the one brief phone call I did receive from Aliss?" He asked somewhat desperately.
"Yes, I just got off the call from them. It was a burner phone, meaning a prepaid cell with no actual names or addresses associated with it. They checked as much as they could and they followed the cell tower ping. The whereabouts weren't very clear. The last known connection was at a place called, Big Sky Canyon. I sent Barry and the team up there to scout around."
She looked up at her son, and for the first time that Mark could remember, she had tears in her eyes. "Pray son, that we find her."
"I won't pray â" I'm out of here. I will look for myself." With that he turned around and headed out the door, dialing the PI team he had hired himself. If he had to cut the whole forest down, he wasn't stopping until Aliss was back in his arms.
Mark was extremely frustrated with the lack of progress in finding his wife. He had been drilled and interviewed multiple times by the police, as well as his own detectives. He wondered, what were they doing aside from that? He eventually hired a lawyer to handle the police, as he had had enough.
Things out of his control always frustrated him. He found himself 'dealing with the devil' as he had to work with his parents on finding Aliss. In part, he didn't care. He just wanted his wife home in one piece.
Time ticked by like molasses in December, moving sludging, achingly, slowly by. He looked at clocks and watches more than ever before. He had taken time off of work at the hospital as well as the clinic, and Manuel had to temporarily take the lead on the clinic plans.
Manuel and Janice were doing all they could to help, but they couldn't do much. Mark met frequently with his private detectives, who didn't have much to go on. He tried to get the police to share their information but that wasn't happening.
Mark wanted to look through the records he had kept hidden in his locked office downstairs in his house, but for now the cops wouldn't let him inside his own home. They called it a 'crime scene' and until they were done with the case, it couldn't be disturbed.
Mark then decided to interview all of Aliss's friends, her old boss and even tried to reach her old school friends and professors. Maybe, just maybe if he shook the tree hard enough, something may fall off.
One afternoon he was visiting with Don, her old boss at the construction company. It was obvious to Mark that Don was also frustrated with the constant interviews and conversations about Aliss and her old job.
However, Mark did receive some surprising information from Don. It seemed that Aliss had been visiting the office a little more often than usual. She had been seen using the copy machine.
Mark also found out that the construction business had recently been procured. The purchase was handled by lawyers, so no one was introduced as of yet as the new owners.
Did this have anything to do with his wife's disappearance? Probably not but a lead is a lead.
He remembered his mothers' unwelcome habit of scooping up anything and everything that had to do with Mark and his family, so he wouldn't be surprised if this was part of her conglomeration. There was only one way to find out for sure. He had to go see his mother. He could only hope she would tell the truth. One quick call and he was on his way to her at her home office.
It didn't take long for Mark to get to her house and during the drive, he mentally prepared himself for war. She wouldn't give up any information easily. He walked directly in the front door, without knocking. He went down the hall and straight into her office knowing that that was where she would likely be.
What he saw surprised him. Cindra had a board set up in front of a row of bookshelves. On that board were photographs, slips of papers and post-it-notes scattered all over the board. There were large lettered words connecting them as well as arrows from one to another item. It seemed that Cindra was earnestly working on finding Aliss as well.
Cindra looked up when her son entered the room. For a moment she was struck at how commanding he was. If she didn't know him, she would have been intimidated. And secretly she was, at least a little bit. Since his emancipation he had proven himself strong, independent, resourceful and intelligent.
"Hello Mark. Son, I have spoken to Sargent Hayes. He won't tell me much except that they are working on it. I suspect his right hand, a detective Smythe may be a better person to talk to. She seems to be handling this more than Hayes."
Cindra had a look of concern on her face. In fact, her usual perfection had slipped a little, part of her hair had come out of its usually perfectly coiffed bun. Could it be? Does she actually care about someone other than herself? Other than her desire for complete fiscal domination over the city?
"Mother. I have just found out that you purchased Aliss's old construction company. Exactly why would you do that? She doesn't work for them anymore." Mark took a shot, maybe she would bite.
"Whatever do you mean, son? Where did you hear that from?" She wasn't going to budge.
"Let's not do this. We don't have time for games, mother. All I want to know is, does this have anything to do with Aliss's disappearance, in any possible way." Mark pushed one more time.
"No. It doesn't. It was just a business purchase." She lied a little, always wanting to keep at least one card up her sleeve at all times.
Mark knew she was hiding something, but didn't press as he just wanted to focus on Aliss and finding his wife.
"Did your IT expert find anything else on the one brief phone call I did receive from Aliss?" He asked somewhat desperately.
"Yes, I just got off the call from them. It was a burner phone, meaning a prepaid cell with no actual names or addresses associated with it. They checked as much as they could and they followed the cell tower ping. The whereabouts weren't very clear. The last known connection was at a place called, Big Sky Canyon. I sent Barry and the team up there to scout around."
She looked up at her son, and for the first time that Mark could remember, she had tears in her eyes. "Pray son, that we find her."
"I won't pray â" I'm out of here. I will look for myself." With that he turned around and headed out the door, dialing the PI team he had hired himself. If he had to cut the whole forest down, he wasn't stopping until Aliss was back in his arms.
Creativity and imagination. I try to express the images in my mind and put them to paper.
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