by J A Fielding
“I don’t know...just...I don’t know. I just need to go to the office,” she said. Mitchell smiled at her.
“Whatever you need to do, you can do it right here. And that’s why I came home. I knew you would need the help,” he said as he took his phone out of his pocket.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Checking in with Stacy,” he said.
“What for?” she asked.
“I left her in charge of damage control. She’s got everything covered,” he said as he typed away on his phone. “See?” he asked as he showed her a reply from Stacy assuring him that everything was fine. “You don’t need to go in. Plus you have two girls and a man who need you right here,” he said, looking at her. She smiled and leaned back on the couch.
“I really need to get back to work. I am beginning to feel like a sad housewife,” she said. Mitchell laughed.
“Well, most sad housewives don’t look this good,” he said as he moved closer to her.
“I said no sex. Seriously, what has gotten into you?” she asked as she pulled away from him.
“I don’t know. But it’s like Rita being here makes it exciting, like we’ll get busted or something...I don’t know why. But I just can’t seem to relax around you nowadays,” he said in a whisper. Natasha looked at him, surprised.
“I honestly hoped for a better explanation,” she said, looking at him. “Sometimes I don’t think you are the man I married,” she added as she leaned back on the couch again. Mitchell laughed.
“Forgive me for bringing the spontaneity back to our marriage,” he said. Natasha looked at him and smiled.
“Honey, save that for our fortieth anniversary,” she said. She then leaned forward and took her laptop.
“What were you working on?” he asked.
“Reports. Last fiscal year,” she said. Mitchell shook his head.
“Why are you doing reports?” he asked.
“I’m not doing them, just going over them. Just the reports from my department, though,” she said. Mitchell looked at her computer screen and frowned. “What?” she asked.
“Can it wait?” he asked.
“No....”
“It has nothing to do with sex. I promise,” Mitchell said, cutting her short.
“Okay. What do you have in mind?” she asked.
“Where’s Rita?” he asked.
“She went out to meet Dave. It was a while ago so I guess she should be back any time now,” she said.
“She has a spare key to this place, right?” he asked. Natasha nodded.
“Really, what do you have in mind?” she asked.
“Well, I was not entirely honest about why I was home,” Mitchell said. Natasha shook her head.
“Okay, so we didn’t lose the account?” Natasha asked.
“No, we lost the account, all right. But I got a call from Pete Faulkner,” Mitchell said.
“Okay, who is Pete Faulkner?” Natasha asked, looking confused.
“My friend from the Thirteenth Precinct. He said he has a lead on Rita’s mother,” he said. Natasha smiled.
“Awesome. So where is she?” Natasha asked excitedly.
“It’s a lead, sweetie. Not a location. We still don’t know where she is,” Mitchell said. Natasha frowned. “It’s better than nothing. So I was thinking we could go over to the station and meet up with him,” he said. Natasha smiled and nodded.
“I’ll be ready in ten minutes. You get Alexis’ bag,” she said as she rushed to the bedroom. She took off the oversized t-shirt and sweat pants she was wearing and changed into a dress. She put on some light makeup and then pinned back her curly hair. To complete her look, she put on a pair of high heeled sandals and then walked back to the living room.
“Wow,” Mitchell said as she walked towards him. “Talk about a transformation,” he said, looking at her. She smiled.
“Thank you. Thank you very much,” she said in a mock Elvis Presley voice.
“Do you have some guy down at the precinct that you are looking to reel in?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow.
“Why, Mitchell Schmidt. I never took you to be the jealous type,” she said as she picked up Alexis. “Hi there, beautiful. Mommy and Daddy are going to take you for a ride,” she said as she walked out of the living room. She strapped the baby in her car seat in the back and then took a seat next to her where she could keep an eye on her.
All the way as they rode to the station, Natasha felt herself getting tense. She was prepared for anything but she was not so sure that Rita was. Back when Rita’s mom was still using, every single day was a struggle for Rita. Natasha could count more days when Rita’s mother was found on the street somewhere than days she spent at home. For Rita, microwave dinners while watching her mother wasted on the couch was the life she knew and the life she had become accustomed to.
“What if she is...?” Natasha started to ask when they got to the station. Mitchell looked at her and smiled.
“Let’s just take it as it comes,” he said as he took her hand. She smiled, picked up the baby, put her in her stroller and followed him in.
“Hi, we are here to see Officer Cameron,” he said to the woman seated behind the desk. She pointed to a desk where a brown haired man was seated. Mitchell and Natasha walked up to the desk. “Does the state pay you enough to work this hard?” Mitchell asked. Officer Cameron smiled and stood up.
“It doesn’t but that I can live with. It’s the idiots who lounge at their desk all day without working that piss me off the most,” he said as he shook Mitchell’s hand. “Long time no see,” he said.
“Yeah, I know it’s been a few, but work and my family always come first,” Mitchell said. “Speaking of which, Officer Cameron, meet my wife Natasha and daughter, Alexis,” he said proudly.
“I have heard a lot about you both,” Cameron said as he shook Natasha’s hand and then picked the baby up.
“Good things I hope,” Natasha said smiling.
“Well, yes, but he did not do you justice,” the officer said, lifting the baby up. Alexis squealed excitedly. “Any of you,” he added as he looked at Natasha.
“Thanks,” she said blushing.
“So, my man, what do you have about my friend’s mother?” Mitchell asked. The officer put the baby back in the stroller and then walked back to his seat.
“Okay so, I put out a BOLO for your friend, Lydia Dennis. No one in the vicinity has seen or heard from her but we got a hit in Seattle. There was a charge to her credit card,” he began. Natasha frowned.
“Seattle?” she asked surprised.
“Yes. Does she know anyone there? Family maybe?” Cameron asked. Natasha shook her head.
“Rita’s family is estranged. They hardly communicate and I don’t think they have any family in Seattle,” she said.
“Well, the charge was to a motel. We had Seattle PD look in on it but by the time they got there, she was long gone,” he said. Natasha took a long deep breath.
“So this could be another dead end?” she asked.
“Yes and no. It could be if the credit card was stolen but it could also be a major lead,” the officer said. “I am liaising with the team down in Seattle and they reported something interesting. They put out posters and flyers with Lydia’s picture on them and a woman called this morning. She said she saw someone matching Lydia’s description at her place of work,” he added.
“Where is this exactly?” Mitchell asked.
“A supermarket, Pay Less,” the officer said.
“So, what does this mean?” Natasha asked.
“Right now, that’s all we know but I think we’ll have an update soon,” he said. Natasha took Mitchell’s hand.
“Thanks, Cam. We will be in touch,” he said. Natasha looked at him.
“That’s it?” she asked.
“Well, for the moment, that will have to be it. We have absolutely nothing else right now,” Cameron said sadly. Mitchell smiled at him.
“That’
s better than nothing, Cam. Thanks a bunch,” he said as he stood up. Natasha gave a smile to Cameron as she stood up.
“I’m sorry if I am not as excited as I should be. It’s just that I thought you’d tell us where she is,” she said. Cameron smiled at her.
“I understand. This is not the first missing persons case I am handling. But I can tell you from experience that this right here is better than most families hope for. Your friend will be very happy,” Cameron said to her.
“Actually, we haven’t told her that we contacted the police,” Mitchell said.
“May I ask why?” he asked.
“In the past, her mother would just come around eventually so I guess she was hoping that this would be one of those times,” Mitchell said.
“Yeah, she made so many reports back when she was in high school, the police didn’t want to hear anything about Lydia. To them, she was the girl who cried wolf one too many times,” Natasha said sadly.
“That explains a lot,” he said.
“What?” Mitchell asked. “What explains a lot?” he asked again. Cameron took a long deep breath and looked at the two of them.
“Sergeant Polson, one of the senior guys here, probably one of the oldest guys in this precinct, found me as I was sending the email to Seattle PD. He said that Lydia was probably lying in some strange man’s bed wasted. I didn’t know what he meant by it then. I just thought he was being the usual judgmental ass he always is,” he said.
“He must have known Rita and Lydia from way back then,” Natasha said.
“Yeah, probably,” Cameron said. “But don’t worry, I got this covered. I will give you a call if anything comes up,” he said. Natasha smiled and walked toward the door, pushing the stroller in front of her. Mitchell stayed behind and had a few words with Cameron before he finally followed her out.
“This is the worst thing that could ever happen. But at least she is alive, right? At least I think she is,” Natasha thought as she looked down at Alexis. “What happens if something happens? How will I tell Rita?” she wondered as Mitchell walked towards her.
“Hey,” he said softly as she strapped Alexis in the car seat once again.
“Hey,” she said standing up.
“You okay?” he asked. She nodded and looked into his eyes.
“You know I am lucky to have you, your family, and my family,” Nathasha told him. “And this beautiful baby here, but Rita, she has no one. As much as her mom messed up, she was Rita’s whole world. She’s always been her whole world and I don’t even know what...” Her words trailed off yet again. He held her face in her hands and smiled.
“This, right here, is one of the very many reasons I love you,” he said.
“Me freaking out?” she asked.
“No, you being caring and concerned. Just the wife and the mother for our baby that I need,” he said before giving her a long kiss. “Everything will be fine,” he said.
“I hope so,” she said.
“Don’t hope. It is going to be fine,” he said smiling at her. “What do you say I take my two favorite girls somewhere special?” he asked.
“Babe, I love you but any time you take me and the baby somewhere, it is usually a place where curly fries and high chairs are the special offers,” Natasha said smiling.
“Well, how about we do something else?” he asked.
“Like what?” Natasha asked.
“The last time we had a picnic was way back before we got married,” he said. She smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, it has been a while, hasn’t it?” she asked.
“So, what do you say we introduce the girl to our little tradition?” he asked. She smiled and nodded, then frowned. “What now?” he asked.
“Well, I know you mean well but we can’t have a picnic without the essentials. Blanket, picnic basket, you know, the usual,” she said.
“I’ll handle it. I just want to take your mind off things for a few hours,” he said. She smiled and got in the car. She could not wait to see what he had planned.
When Mitchell began driving to the unknown location, Natasha once again found herself thinking about Rita and her misfortunes. She could not help but wonder what her life would have been like if she was the one in Rita’s shoes. She remembered what her father and Nan had told her about her own mother. How she left Natasha because she didn’t think she could give her daughter the life she deserved. And maybe her mother was right to do so, because the life she knew as Natasha Black, that was the best life she had ever known.
“What if my own mother was actually like Lydia or worse?” she wondered. She would have never met Mitchell. She would have never known or even had Alexis because she would have probably turned out as terrible as her mother. She looked over at Alexis and brushed the curls off her face. She smiled when the baby took her index finger in her own little chubby hand.
“Are you okay back there?” Mitchell asked, looking at Natasha in the rear view mirror. She smiled and nodded.
“I’m fine. We both are” she said with a smile. “I love you, Mitchell,” she said, meeting his eyes in the mirror. He smiled as he held her gaze before returning his eyes to the road.
“I don’t know what it is about you that makes a shiver go down my spine every time you tell me that,” he said.
“I’m sure you say that to all your wives,” she said laughing.
“Ouch. That’s just cold,” Mitchell said. “And no, my ex-wife never had this hold you have on me,” he said.
“Normally flattery would get you nowhere but today, we’ll see how it goes. There might be a little something, something for you when we get back home,” she said with a smile.
“Mrs. Schmidt, you shouldn’t say that in front of the baby,” Mitchell said with a smile.
“We can say a lot in front of the baby. That is, until she begins to talk,” she said with a smile.
“And here I thought you were the world’s best mom not too long ago,” he said. She smiled.
“I still am,” she said. “Being a good mom simply depends on knowing the right timing,” she added.
“The right timing? What for?” he asked. She smiled as they pulled into the Pizza Hut.
“I can’t let you in on everything. Some mystery is vital in our relationship,” she said. “And the Pizza Hut? Really?” she asked.
“Just chill, woman,” he said as he got out. She smiled as she watched him disappear into the Pizza Hut. Moments later, he emerged with two pizza boxes and a picnic basket. She smiled. He must have planned this. There was no way he just left the house without having all this planned out. “Is your faith in me reaffirmed yet?” he asked as he climbed back into the driver’s seat.
“I always had faith in you. It’s believing that all this was spontaneous I’m having a problem with,” she said. He smiled and started the car again.
“Well, get ready, girls. I am about to rock your world,” he said as he drove away.
Chapter 4
Tension was high as Mitchell and Natasha rode to the precinct. It had been a long afternoon for everyone, especially Rita. While they were on their family picnic, Natasha and Mitchell made a decision to talk to Rita and let her know everything they had done to find her mother. For Natasha, that would be the hardest conversation she would ever have if Rita reacted the way she thought she would.
“So you all decided to keep this from me?” Rita had asked her, looking disappointed.
“Yes. We had to. You had a lot on your plate and we felt it was for the best,” Natasha said.
“Okay,” Rita had said, making Natasha surprised.
“Okay?” Natasha asked her, still shocked at her reaction. Needless to say, she had expected a lot of fireworks and profanity, which was not happening right now.
“Yeah okay. I can’t be mad at my best friend for trying to help me,” she said. “Right now, I just want to go and see what kind of mess she has got herself into this time,” she said. Natasha nodded and placed a reassuring arm around her shou
lders. “Seattle? What the hell was she doing all the way in Seattle?” she asked looking at Natasha.
“Beats me, Rita,” Natasha replied. She was dying to ask her what happened with Dave but she just didn’t have the heart to ask, at least not now.
When they got to the precinct, Rita was having a hard time getting herself to walk through the front door and Natasha understood. After all, no one could understand what she was going through.
“Hey Cameron. This is our friend Rita,” Mitchell said when they walked in. “Rita, this is my friend, Officer Cameron. He’s been looking into your mom’s case,” he said. Rita gave him a smile and then whispered, “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Okay, guys. A woman was brought in by a couple from Seattle. One of them is the woman who recognized Lydia from the photos in the posters,” Cameron said. Rita nodded.
“Where is she? Where is my mother?” Rita asked. Cameron looked at Mitchell and then at Rita. “What?” Rita asked when she noticed the look. Cameron was just about to answer when Dave came running in.
“I was hoping I would find you here,” he said, panting.
“Dave, hi!” Natasha said, surprised. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, making it almost too obvious that she was fishing for information.
“Yeah, I thought I had an emergency ACL but it turns out that the patient won’t be coming in until six in the evening,” he said. Natasha frowned. She had no idea what he was talking about and this was neither the place nor the time to get him talking. Dave looked at Rita and then slipped an arm around her waist. “You okay?” he asked, looking at her. Rita nodded. “Have you seen her?” he asked. Rita shook her head.
“Actually, Officer Cameron was just about to tell us about Lydia right about the time you walked in,” Natasha said as she gave Mitchell a nudge in the ribs. Mitchell gave her the “grow up” look before he turned his attention to Cameron.
“Yes, I was saying that the woman who was brought in is a bit off,” he said. Rita shook her head.
“What do you mean, ‘off?’” she asked.
“Well, she did not have any ID on her so we are guessing her wallet must have been stolen because we had tracked one of her credit cards to a motel but it was not Lydia. The woman who was brought in does not know her name or how she got to Seattle,” Cameron said.
