Lost and Found: Sara Martin Series

by Danelle Helget

  I put the kitty down and turned on the TV. Nothing was on, so I put in Steel Magnolias. I loved my new place. I could cook and watch TV at the same time. I got started on chocolate chip cookies. By the end of the night I had enough cookies to eat for the next six months. I put some in the freezer and some in the cookie jar. After about two glasses of wine, five cookies, and a movie, I was ready for bed.

  It was foggy again, still dark, darker then before. The cave entrance was cool, and there was a horrible smell. I couldn't take it. I pulled back and coughed. “Hello?” No one answered, I pulled myself up a few inches. My belly hurt from the rocks beneath. I tried to look way down into the cave. I knew I could fit in there, but I didn't want to go in. I just wanted to look. Then I wanted to leave, fast. I didn't like this. I was scared. Why was I here?

  “Sara, help us,” I heard again, still far away, but it was a whisper. It wasn’t coming from the cave though. It was coming from the direction of the lake. I pulled my head back and looked in that direction, but I couldn't see anything but fog. I peeked back into the cave and stretched as far as I could to look. I saw Lily! She was laying there on the floor of the cave. “Lily! I don't know what to do! How do I help you?” I yelled. No answer. She didn't move. “Lily!”

  I woke up sweating, out of breath, and pissed off! What was with this reoccurring dream? Was Lily really dead? Was I being haunted? I didn't think I even believed in ghosts. I guessed I’d never really had a reason to believe, or not to, for that matter. Maybe I needed a therapist. Geez.

  I heard a scratching noise, and up my brand new comforter climbed a kitty. I reached for her and cuddled with her under the blanket for a few wonderful moments. She laid her head down against my chest and purred. I loved her and needed her so much. I lay there thinking that she was a glimpse of hope for my future. I had faith we would have a great life together. That's it! “Faith.” It was a perfect name for her. Faith. I liked it! I told her, and she agreed, so it was official. I looked at the clock and it was only four-thirty in the morning, and it was Saturday, dang it. I was getting really tired of the dream, and the story seemed to be stuck now. I didn't even get anywhere this time, it was almost the same as last time. I couldn't help but think that Lily was hurt somewhere. Was she dead or alive? Maybe it was just a dumb dream that my mind made up, stemmed from my hidden feelings. She’d hurt me and I wanted her to hurt, too. And she was dead to me now. The mind is a crazy thing. But I had to admit it was spooking me. I wondered how much a therapist would have charged for that?

  13

  At seven-thirty, I decided that, since I couldn't sleep anyway, I might as well get up. I hadn't been able to shake the creepy feeling. I had never lived alone, so I had to admit I was a little scared because I'd always had Mom and Dad there, or my husband. But these dreams were very real. And the fact that the first two times I saw that girl I was awake made them even more eerie. My mom once said that when I was little, she thought I could see ghosts. Maybe she was right.

  I showered, got dressed and texted Mark that I was on my way over to talk to him. I wanted to talk to him about Lily, her mom, and maybe my dreams. I couldn't decide if sharing the dreams was a good idea. It could make me look crazy or look like I wanted Lily dead.

  I got to Mark's about nine, and he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. “Did you get my text?” I asked, pushing past him with a bag of donuts and two coffees.

  “Ah, noooo,” he answered. “I was asleep. I'm pretty sure it's Saturday.”

  “Yeah, Mark, it is, but that doesn't mean that you can sleep all day. Have you even been back to work yet?” I asked, realizing that I sounded like his mother.

  “Work's slow,” he said as he took a coffee and donut. “Are you going to keep stopping by and chewing me out?”

  “Yes, you’re my friend. It's my job. This place is a mess again and you look like shit. You have to move on with life. Where are you going to be if you have no job?”

  “Okay, Sara, I got it,” he said. “After this weekend, I’ll go back to work.”

  “Thank you. There’s something else I need to talk to you about, too. It's Lily.”

  “I don't want to talk about her, Sara,” he said, like he was suddenly pissed at me.

  “Mark, her mom called me. She hasn't seen or heard from her. Her work said she hasn't called or shown up, and none of her friends have seen her or heard from her either,” I said.

  “Yeah, well maybe she just needs time alone. Just let it go. Maybe she up and moved out of state,” he said, acting like I was annoying him.

  “Mark, I know you hate her right now, but don't you at least want to know she's safe?”

  “Sara, leave it alone! She obviously doesn't want anything to do with us. She knows where we are. She'll contact us if she wants to.”

  “I get that, but she hasn't called her mom or boss,” I said getting annoyed with his lack of concern. “She still needs to work. Why wouldn't she call her mom back? Where is she staying?”

  “I DON'T KNOW!” he yelled at me, “and I don't care, and you shouldn't either, Sara. She totally betrayed both of us!”

  “Fine, you don't care, I get it! I'm leaving, but, Mark, I really want you to clean this place up and shower daily.” I half smiled and give him a hug.

  I marched down the hall to the parking lot, not happy. I couldn't stand all the confusion in my head. I really shouldn't give a crap about her either, but the truth was I did. She had caused a ton of pain and hurt in my life, but at the same time she had been like a sister to me growing up. I knew her better than I knew myself. I just couldn't think of where she would be. It was haunting me, literally.

  I called her mom and asked if she wanted to talk more and she did. We agreed to meet at her house for lunch. That left me two hours, so I decided to go get my oil changed. I pulled up to the shop and handed Tim, my favorite mechanic, my keys. While that was getting done, I walked across the street to the mall. I went into my usual salon and talked to Stephon, my hair designer, and asked if he had an opening anytime this weekend. Stephon was the best. He was gay, and that made him better than any woman who had ever cut my hair. I loved him like a brother, and he loved me, too. He had an opening at two in the afternoon tomorrow. I put my name in the book.

  “What are we doing, love?” he asked.

  “I need a major change,” I told him and gave him the quick life update. “I want to go really short, like a tapered bob, maybe.” He stood up, and started screaming. He was clapping his hands really fast as he ran over to a shelf and grabbed a book of pictures. He excitedly flipped ahead and pointed to a picture.

  “This is it, darling. This one here!” he said in a voice higher than mine. I looked over and I loved the picture. It was exactly what I was thinking.

  “Yup, that will work.”

  “Oh, love, you’re going to be fab-u-lous!” he screeched. I laughed, this was why I loved him. He made me laugh, and he was just fun to be around. I had gone shopping a few times with him, and he could dress me better than I could dress myself. I gave him a kiss on each cheek and told him I’d see him tomorrow.

  “Have a wonderful day, love. I’ll see you tomorrow for your new life transformation!” he said as I was walking out the door.

  I picked up my Jeep, which they had given a complimentary car wash, and drove over to Lily's mom’s. I rolled into the driveway and took a deep breath. I didn't really want to discuss Lily, but I did care about her safety. I think if we put our heads together, maybe we could track her down. While walking up to the house, I saw that Gerald and Debbie were on the porch in the swing.

  “Hi, guys,” I said, kind of sad. They both looked like they'd had a long night or two.

  “Thanks for coming,” Gerald said, “We know how hard this must be for you.”

  “Actually, we can't imagine how hard this must be for you,” added Debbie. They were both misty eyed, and so I joined them. We exchanged hugs, and they reminded me that I was like a daughter to them. I thanked them and hugge
d tighter.

  We decided to go in the house and sit at the table. The table was set for a light lunch buffet. We all took a plate and started in. No one ate much, and and no one said a word while we ate. We put the dishes and food away and returned to the table. Gerald started with, “We need to call the cops.” My eyebrows immediately shot to the top of my forehead. I hadn't thought it was that concerning. I guess maybe it entered my mind, but I really kinda thought that we would go through a list of phone numbers and recheck with all her friends and co-workers. “We have to. It's been too long,” he continued, “She has no reason not to contact us. And no reason not to go to work. The first couple days, I may have understood but not this long. It's too long. She would have called us by now, maybe not you, maybe not Mark, maybe not Jake, but she would've called us,” he said very concerned. “She hasn't answered her phone at all or replied to texts.”

  “I know, I tried too, from my new number, which she wouldn't have recognized. I spoke to Jake and he said he hadn't heard from her. I don't know that I believe him, but he really has no reason to lie at this point.” I responded. “Have you rechecked with all her friends?” I asked.

  “We’ve exhausted all the people she knows,” Debbie said, “I’ve been on the phone non-stop. We’re really concerned. She’s always called me when she's had a problem. I know she probably feels awful about her behavior and even embarrassed but she’d talk to me about it.”

  I thought for a moment. “I think you're right. It’s been too long. I could understand taking a few days away, but this isn’t like her.” We all were looking down and shaking our heads. I asked if she had any money stashed in an account, enough to take her anywhere. They said no, and that they’d asked Mark to check phone records and credit card transactions, but he said he wasn’t a part of her life anymore and seemed unwilling to help. Mark and Lily had separate checking, savings, credit cards, and phone services. Lily loved her independence, and kept it that way. She had a tough time giving up her apartment and moving in with Mark. I knew she wouldn't have combined any accounts.

  “To get that information though we need police help. We’ve already tried on our own, and they won't give us any information,” Gerald said. “I think that something’s happened.”

  He asked me again to go over what happened at the cabin, and I told them what I knew in grave detail. They asked me if I thought that Jake or Mark would have had any reason to hurt her. I told them no, I didn't. And I didn't. I thought Mark was very upset about what happened and would be for a long time. But I didn't think he would ever, ever hurt Lily. He truly loved her. I knew Jake too, and he would never hurt her. I had never for a second thought that. Gerald and Debbie had known us all since middle school. I knew that it hurt them to even ask. I could see this was killing them. Had the situation been a little different, it’d be destroying me, too. I was so very concerned, but at the same time, I still hated her for what she'd done. I just wished this was all over and done. I needed time to get past my broken marriage and start my new life. This was putting a damper on my moving on. I told them I was willing to help, but I didn't want a relationship with Lily when we found her. There were not enough “I'm sorry's” in the world to fix this.

  “Okay, let's do it,” I said hesitantly.

  Debbie started crying quietly, and Gerald slid his chair closer to her and held her. I picked up the phone on the table and dialed the non-emergency number for the city police.

  “Hello,” I said. “I would like to report a missing person.”

  I was put on hold while the call was transferred. “Doesn't Lily have a college friend who works for the St. Paul Police Department?” I asked remembering meeting him at a college party years ago. Lily introduced us, and we spoke for a while at the party. He was really nice. “What's his name?” I asked holding my hand over the phone.

  “Um, yes. He's a detective . . . Derek . . . Derek . . . Richards! Derek Richards,” Debbie said. “I don't think they've kept in touch lately, but it couldn't hurt to ask for him.”

  “Can I speak with Detective Richards?” I asked, when someone came back on the line, then waited while I was transferred again.

  After a conversation with Richards, I hung up the phone, fighting back tears. It seemed real now. Lily was officially missing. I told Gerald and Debbie that the officer would like all of us to come down to the station immediately to get statements and more information.

  “He’ll need us to bring at least two pictures that show her face, and pictures of any markings, scars or tattoos.” They nodded, and both were crying. “I’ll drive separate and meet you there.”

  On the way to the station, I called Mark and got his voice mail, big surprise there. I bet he was drunk, sleeping or watching TV. I left a message to call me back, that it was important. I was sure the detective would want to talk to him and Jake, too. I wasn't calling Jake.

  I arrived at the station just as the Kowalskis were arriving. We met up in the entry. The secretary told us to have a seat and that a detective would assist us shortly. I sat next to Debbie. She was really upset. Gerald had a couple pictures and another sheet of paper with him. We waited about five minutes, and then a familiar man walked up to us.

  “Hello, I'm Detective Richards. I'll be taking your case,” he said. He was around my age, give or take a couple years. He had thick, lush, dark hair, dark-brown eyes, and a great smile. His body was well taken care of, and he looked great in his black suit. Derek was taller than I was by about five inches and appeared to be hard, solid muscle. Very easy on the eyes. He was as handsome as I remembered. I didn't mention on the phone that I'd knew him or Lily's name.

  He extended his hand, “Thank you for coming in so quickly. It's important to get started as soon as we can. Please come back to my office.” He spoke as he shook all of our hands, and then turned to lead us down the hall. He took the picture from Gerald and looked at it, stopped at a desk and handed it to the man sitting there. Then he took a double take at the photo and the look on his face told me that he recognized her. He turned back to me and tilted his head ever so slightly.

  “It's Lily Kowalski. Do you remember her?” I asked.

  “Yes I do. We met years ago. We shared the same circle of friends at college,” he said.

  “She actually introduced us at a party once, too,” I said, pointing back and forth between his chest and mine. “Sara Martin. Do you remember me?”

  “Yes, now I do. It was at Bill's apartment. That's right! No wonder you looked familiar. It's nice to see you again, not under these circumstances though,” he said with a frown. “We had a nice conversation at that party. That was a fun group of people. So, Lily’s missing?” he asked, looking concerned. “Come back to my office. Let’s get the ball rolling.” He handed the paper to the secretary, “Process this right away. Thanks.” We followed him down the hall.

  We stepped into the office and spent the next forty-five minutes giving him all the information we had. He audio recorded it, with our permission, and he took notes on his computer while we spoke. He asked a lot of questions. Then he collected the full names, and general information on Mark and Jake, and Lily's place of employment. Derek even asked who we thought would want to hurt her. He asked me a lot about my marriage, how long I'd thought the affair had been going on and how I'd found out. He asked so many questions that, by the time I left, I felt like a suspect. He was nice and professional, but I could tell he was serious about doing his job. I felt he trusted me, and I was glad we had someone who cared about Lily working on the case. But he left no stone unturned. It was humiliating to sit there and tell him I’d had no idea my husband and best friend were having an affair.

  “Okay, I have what I need to get started. I want all three of you to stay close to to your phones. Call me if you think of anything, big or small that you think I should know. I’ll be in touch as much as possible but feel free to call if you want to,” Derek said gently. “I’ll be bringing Jake and Mark in for questioning immediately. If you no
tice anything strange amongst them or anyone Lily knows, please let me know right away. Here's my card,” he said as he handed them out. Then he shook our hands while he said, “It's very important to continue your day-to-day schedules and take care of yourselves and let us take care of this.”

  I thought that was very personable of him. He was very kind. We thanked him for his time. He smiled softly. Held eye contact with me just a second longer then Debbie and Gerald. “It's nice to see you again, Sara,” he said.

  “Thanks for your help. It's nice to see you again too,” I gave him a closed lip smile and turned to leave.

  When we walked out to the parking lot, the sun was very low in the sky, and I was exhausted. I gave Gerald and Debbie a hug. I loved them dearly, they’d been like my second parents growing up. I hopped up in the Jeep and took a left out of the lot. I drove home slowly. I needed another kitty encounter.

  I grabbed my ringing phone out of my purse and checked the caller ID. It was Mark. “Hey,” I said, “a detective will be calling you soon. We went to the police station and reported Lily missing.”

  “What? What the hell did you do dat for?”

  “Excuse me? I went with Gerald and Debbie. They’re really worried, and so am I.”

  “Waay can't you just leave it alome. She doesn't want to be with us, so let her be. She's probaby just on a bacation to get away or somfing. She wanted a new life. Lem her have it.” he slurred.

  “Mark, are you drunk?” I asked. “You better make yourself a pot of coffee. The police are going to call you and have you go in. If you don't go, they’ll bring you in for questioning. Sober up, and do it fast. And maybe, for your own sake, you should start acting like you care just a little!” I disconnected and slammed my phone back in my purse. Ugh, what a jerk!

  14