Stevan Mena - Transience

Jack sat across a table from Rebecca in his office. She stared intensely at a book of photographs — mug shots of known criminals and suspects. Laura stood over Rebecca, holding their coats under her arm. She kept looking at Jack, he could tell the fuse of her patience was burning short.

When Jack had suggested they go to his office to review some photographs, Laura immediately resisted, but Jack assured her they were nothing like the graphic ones that slipped from his briefcase, so she reluctantly agreed.

Jack turned the page to the next black and white picture, an older man with a bald head and a scar on his chin.

“Take your time, Rebecca,” Jack said. Rebecca inspected the picture intently. She shook her head. “Okay.” Jack turned to another mugshot.

Jennifer walked by Jack’s open office door, peeking in curiously at Rebecca and Laura. Jack spotted her and got up, heading her off at his doorway.

“What’s going on?” Jennifer asked.

“Something you need from me?” Jack’s body language like a door closing in her face.

Jennifer paused at his curtness. “Another relative you’ve never mentioned? Ex-girlfriend and your illegitimate offspring?”

Jack moved forward, backing her out of the door.

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“I just came to tell you Harrington was looking for you.” Jennifer looked around Jack at Rebecca. “Kid’s too cute to be yours anyway. Is she the one?”

“Is she the one what?”

Jennifer realized she had opened her mouth too wide. “Oh, nothing.”

Jennifer hastily retreated back into the hallway. Jack watched her suspiciously, then returned to his seat across from Rebecca, who was looking at the next picture with one eye closed; concentrating, feeling important. She seemed to enjoy helping out. The photo was of a man named Espinosa, a leathery face with a tattoo below his eye and one on his neck.

“He’s ugly,” Rebecca said.

“Rebecca.” Laura poked her in the ribs.

“Yes, he sure is.” Jack grinned. “Anything?”

“Mm-mm, no,” Rebecca said assuredly. Jack turned a few more. “No… No.”

He turned to a white male with a long nose and one eye larger than the other. His name was Bishop. Rebecca stared longer than the others. Jack’s eyes locked.

“Something?”

Rebecca took her time, studying. But then shook her head “No”. Jack emptied his lungs in frustration. Rebecca turned the page to the next mugshot herself. Then another, and another, occasionally stopping for second glances, but not much interest or familiarity with any of them.

Jack waited, hopeful. He realized this was probably going nowhere. Needle in a haystack, if that. He was expecting Laura to begin tapping her foot any minute, surprised by her patience. Instead, she turned and began snooping aimlessly around Jack’s office.

“I’m going to go outside for a sec,” Laura said. She fished around in her bag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

“We’ll be here,” Jack said. Rebecca turned some more. Jack sat and watched. His thoughts drifted, Jennifer’s ribbing lingered in his head. He imagined what his life might have been like had things been different. Coming home after work, unconditional love bursting from the front door, lollipop in mouth, hair in pigtails, hugs and kisses. Someone to miss him when he was gone, smile at him when he was feeling low. Helping with math homework. Laughter.

Jack got up and took two pills from his shirt pocket and poured himself a cup of water.

“Thirsty?” Jack asked.

“Nah,” she said, not looking up from her work.

He opened his desktop drawer and fished around, finding a half eaten pack of lifesavers. “How about some candy?”

“It’ll give me cavities.”

He looked up at his map, focusing on the red thumbtack where Carmen’s body was found.

“Rebecca?”

“Yeah?”

“You like hiking?”

“What’s that?”

Laura came back in the room, smelling of smoke. Jack held on to his answer. “So?” Laura asked, meaning, are we finished?

“We’re ready,” Jack said.

Laura held open Rebecca’s coat so she could slide her arms in. Just then, Harrington entered the room, bursting at the seams when he spotted Rebecca.

Laura took note. “We’ll be in the car,” Laura said suspiciously, pulling Rebecca along with her out of the room.

“Was that the arteest?” Harrington said with a grin. Jack wanted to knock it right off his face.

“That’s right…” Jack replied curiously.

“Jack, I know you’re pressing because you feel you have some kind of moral obligation or something. But… we all know how this is going to end.”

“It’s not over till we find a body.”

“What are you gonna use next, a divining rod?”

A sudden realization hit Jack. He turned and spotted the cassette player, left out in the open. The asshole had listened to the tape! Now Jennifer’s slip of the tongue made sense.

“I’ll tell you what that is, Jack. Dumb luck. Like that prick who had us running in circles in the Mitchell case; all he needed was to touch her undergarments, remember?”

“Didn’t have me running in circles.”

“Whatever, even more to my point. Hard work, facts, intelligence solves cases, isn’t that what you said? Solid detective work, not superstition? Remember? Imagine what the press would say to this.”

“I don’t care what anyone thinks. All I care about is finding Angelina. Stopping him before he can kill again.”

“And you think this little girl’s story is gonna lead you to his front door? She has a bad dream, describes some very common landmarks, the dogs get lucky and voila, it’s supernatural! Come on, man. You’re a glass is half empty kind of guy. Lately you’ve been a glass is empty, broken on the floor kind of guy.”

“You don’t know the whole picture.”

“I think Hellerman has spent a little too much time with psychotic patients. You better be careful, it might be catching.”

“At this point, I’d rub two sticks together if I thought it would make fire.”

“You’re wasting your time — this nut’s had his way with Angelina, chopped her into little bits. All we can do is wait for him to do it again, pick up a fresh scent.”

In his gut, Jack knew Harrington was right. But the idea of doing nothing, just waiting around, had a reek of failure that was suffocating to him. Jack was a man of action. He needed to keep moving. He waved at Harrington’s words like he could no longer stand the sight or smell of him.

“I think it’s also time you sat Mr. Rosa down and fed him a truth sandwich, too. He needs to start accepting reality. Calls here 10 times a day. Got the press hounding the Captain, tossing around accusations of racism. They know which buttons to push.”

“If it was my daughter missing, I’d be doing everything in my power too. Whatever it took.” Jack went to step past Harrington, but Harrington simply broadened his muscular shoulders and took up the whole door. He wasn’t letting Jack leave until his point was made.

“We all want to see this case solved. But this is no time to fall down the rabbit hole. Her father needs to prepare for the worst; you’re just making it harder, sending the wrong message.” Jack’s mouth tightened, his clenched teeth bared like a snarling dog.

“What message? Hope? That’s his flesh and blood. He’s not gonna give up just because you quote him a God damn statistic. Giving people bad news doesn’t seem to affect you, does it? That’s because you’ve never been on the receiving end. Never experienced true loss. Personal loss.” Jack pushed his way into the hallway. Harrington called after him.