"What do you mean she's 'disappeared'?" Chuck Morton bellowed at his sergeant, who stood clinging to the knob of his office door as if it were a life raft. It was Monday morning, and he had arrived at the station house to find Ruggles waiting for him, white-faced and terrified.
"I haven't been able to reach her, sir," Ruggles replied. "I've left messages on her cell phone and her landline, but there's no response. And that's just not like her, sir-she usually calls back within half an hour or so."
Morton reached out and wrapped his hand around the glass butterfly paperweight on his desk, squeezing it until his knuckles turned white.
"What are you suggesting, Sergeant? That she's gone AWOL? That she's fled the country?"
"No, sir. I-I'm terribly afraid something's happened to her." Ruggles's ruddy complexion deepened; he looked frightened. His pale blue eyes were wide, and beads of sweat prickled on his forehead.
"Huh!" Chuck snorted. "Things don't 'happen' to Elena Krieger-not from what I hear."
"I just can't think of any other explanation, sir. It's not like her to-"
"You already said that," Chuck snapped. He knew he was being harsh on his sergeant, but he found the man's devotion to Krieger irritating. The woman was trouble. He had known that when she was forced on him, and now she was proving it. "Look," he said, his voice softer. "Let's not panic until we know more, all right? Keep trying to reach her, and let me know when you-"
The phone on his desk bleated. He grabbed the receiver.
"Morton here."
As Ruggles watched, his captain's expression changed from irritated to concerned to grim. He didn't say much, but Ruggles knew from his face that it was bad news-very bad news.
"Thanks for letting me know," Morton said, replacing the receiver. He looked away, then back at his sergeant. When Ruggles saw his captain's expression, he felt his stomach slide down to his shoes.
When Morton spoke, the words hit Ruggles like a bullet to the heart.
"They found Krieger's purse."
There was no need to elaborate-the phrase had a shattering clarity. Ruggles felt his knees go weak.
"Where?"
Morton looked down at his shoes. "In the Village." "He got to her, didn't he?"
Again, there was no need to explain-they both knew who "he" was.
"I don't know, Sergeant." Morton sounded angry-weary but angry.
Suddenly Ruggles felt his vision narrowing, and the sight of his commander was replaced by a swiftly descending blackness.
"Excuse me, sir," Sergeant Ruggles said stiffly, and fled the room without looking back.