I had just gotten off of work, but the rush of another day completed didn't come like normal as instead a sickening nausea filled me.

I had just had to break the news to a mother that her ninteen year old daughter, Rebecca Colson, didn't have any leads and that we had to close the case for good.

I would always be haunted by the look of complete anguish on her face. I was in my car right now, looking over another missing situation that had become a cold case about a month ago. That was my current job after all, a position created due to how many cases were being left undiscovered with law suits being threatened as a result.
I was to look over them and see if there was absolutely anything left we could do as a last safety net in case someone looked over something. If not, I was to inform the emergency contact of the news.

This one's name was Emily Jones and she was twenty one at the time of the kidnapping.

Truly heartbreaking how young these women were..

I forced myself to stop thinking about it in favor of looking at her contacts. I was a veteran on the force after all, I couldn't allow myself to give in to those gloomy thoughts that would only weigh me down with the heaviness of them. Instead I would focus on doing everything I could to try to give this particular family involved some good news.

Well, what was left of it.

According to her previous file, she was orphaned at a very young age. Her father got drunk and hit her mom a little too hard, making the poor woman hit her head on the sharp edge of a table. It killed her nearly immediately, and after realizing this, the bastard killed himself from grief. All in front of the little five year old Emily.

Even with as many cases as I had seen in my years, ones like those still left a bad taste in my mouth to this day...

After the tragic events, legal documents showed she was adopted and raised by her aunt on the mother's side who died when Emily was seventeen. After, the girl ran a coffee shop called The Sunflower in her Aunt's place.

Normally, something like that would cause hope at a potential lead, but when paired with a red stamp saying DEAD END in bold letters, the feeling instead was nothing more than disappointment that grew and grew as every page had those marks covering it.

I sighed and ran my hand down my face riddled with unkept stubble. It looked like regardless of my previous optimism and prayers to the lord, another call would have to be made tomorrow. And it wasn't with good news to share like I had hoped might be possible..

No parents, siblings, or close family. Who is her emergency contact listed as?

My chocolate colored eyes landed on a neatly written words that spelt

Name: Aiden Wilson.

Age: 22

Relationship to missing person: boyfriend of six years.

My heart dropped at that. I already felt horrible about the dreaded news I'd have to share, but knowing it was to a young man who was obviously the high school sweetheart couple? Well that hurt on a whole new level.

I myself had a wife names Mary that I had been happily married to for thirty years now! I knew the connection one felt with their significant other, especially from a man's perspective. If this kid had been committed for six years of his life, at such a young age? He had to have loved her as much as an old man like me loved my wife. So losing her, at such a young age....

Ugh, I couldn't imagine, nor comprehend how I was supposed to break the news to the young boy. If it had been me... well, I didn't know what I would do. I had spent thirty years with my wife, and it still wasn't enough. To only get six?

Time was very cruel in its favorites sometimes.

Speaking of my wife, it was five twenty now, which meant I was late. She'd likely have her face scrunched up in a scowl as I walked through the door with her southern accent even heavier than normal due to her sass. She had quite the temper when I was late, and although that was one of the endearing things I loved about her, I wasn't exactly wanting to be shunned today of all days after the stress I had been contemplating over in my car.

My old bones groaning in protest as I exited my warm car in exchange for the cold, bitter, air that made every part of my body ache.

As I walked up the driveway carefully, I prepared for the rant ahead after opening the wooden, creaky, door to my small home.

"Martin Huxley! How dare you come home so late! You had me worried!"

I gave a small smile at the expected reaction.

"Sorry Mary, just had to work a bit later today."

She huffed, her brown curls bouncing out of her face as she did so.

"Uh huh? Work. Yeah I bet. I've seen your office temp Huxley! Bet you're off gallivanting with her while 'm cooking these chickens alone! "

I let out a hearty chuckle at her comment before walking over to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

"The only crazy lady I want in my life is you."

I wasn't the most affection man in the world, but hearing about that boy gave me a brief moment of sentimentality that didn't come over me very often.

I could tell the affect it had on her as well as her dark brown skin turned hot against my own.

"W-Well good. N-Now go get washed up while I finish dinner, yeah?"

She cleared her throat before holding her head high as she walked back into the kitchen. She wasn't usually very affectionate herself, so the change of pace in our little system clearly seemed to throw a wrench in her own.

I went to go take off my uniform and head to the shower as thoughts that caused my previous sentiment bounced around in my mind.

Any day I could die on the job, we both knew that, it was something we had accepted long ago with the dangers on the force. However, I never really thought about the fact that something could take Mary from me. We were getting up in age now. Both in our mid fifties with increased health issues and earlier bedtimes. If something happened to her, a health problem or a freak accident, I wouldn't be able to function without her. I'd be thinking of all the things I wanted to do with her that never happened.

Perhaps I should retire? We have enough set aside I believe, no kids or pets we've had to support over the years. I think I'll stay on until at least SOMETHING gets moving on these kidnappings, then I'll maybe take a trip with Mary or something. Just get away, the two of us.

"First I'll need to talk to that boy though. I'm not sure what, but something's being laid on my heart about his situation that makes me want to work harder on this. Maybe it's the connection of knowing how he feels as a married man or God trying to let me know something, but either way, any good or bad news, I'll let him know. "

As I muttered to myself- a trait that drove Mary insane- I heard my radio go off. Everything was muffled except for three words spoken at different times that had me rushing out of the shower and back into my uniform.

Missing, case, and girls.

I grabbed my radio as soon as I was dry and ready before responding to the caller.

"Officer Huxley, I'm on my way."

I ran down the stairs with energy I thought I lost in my twenties, before saying a quick goodbye to my puzzled wife as I left just as fast.

Hope you guys liked this chapter! Sorry it took awhile to rewrite. ^^"

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