Free Omega Dog by Tim Stevens Page B

her statement. “Just a minute” turned out to be a half hour. The detectives, two tired-looking older guys who looked like they’d been assigned the night shift and weren’t too happy about it, took down her more or less coherent statement with barely a word.
    Then they left, and Beth sat with the uniformed female cop once more. The woman didn’t seem inclined to make small talk.
    Finally, after another forty-five minutes, two new plainclothes people came in. They nodded at the uniformed cop and signaled her to leave. She did so, giving Beth a reassuring smile on her way out.
    The new detectives were younger than the first two. One woman, one man. The woman introduced herself as Detective Anderson. She was small, petite, maybe a little over five feet one or -two. Short blonde hair in a pixie cut, the look enhanced by an enormous pair of green eyes.
    ‘Detective Gomez,’ said the man. He was maybe thirty-five. A craggy, pockmarked face that looked like a bomb had gone off in it. Grim mouth, hooded, hawklike eyes.
    That was when they asked her to recite her story again.
    ‘Where are the other two detectives?’ Beth asked. ‘The ones who I spoke to nearly an hour ago? I told them everything.’ She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. Delayed shock was setting in as the adrenalin ebbed from her system, leaving her feeling washed-out and fragile.
    ‘We know, miss,’ said Gomez, in a voice that sounded like a rake being dragged through a bed of gravel. ‘But we’re from across town. We’re investigating a Missing Person case and we think you might be able to shed some light on it.’
    Beth frowned from one to the other, confused. The woman detective, Anderson, was by far the more sympathetic of the two. She smiled warmly at Beth, nodding slightly as if to say she understood how scared and bewildered she must be feeling right now.
    ‘Ms... Colby , right? May I call you Elizabeth?’
    ‘Beth.’
    ‘Beth. Right.’ The woman smiled again. ‘I’m Shelly, by the way. As my partner says, we’re part of the Missing Persons unit over on the East Side. We’re investigating the disappearance three days ago of Professor Leonard Lomax.’
    ‘Prof Lomax? He’s disappeared?’ Though she’d already guessed something wasn’t right with the Prof, Beth still felt a stab of alarm to hear it said out loud.
    ‘Yeah,’ said Gomez. ‘When did you last see or speak to him?’
    Anderson shot him a look, as if to reproach him for being so blunt. To Beth she said, ‘You told the detectives earlier that you’d tried to phone Professor Lomax at his home, and a strange man answered. Right?’
    ‘Right.’
    ‘You’re quite positive it wasn’t the professor?’
    ‘Absolutely.’ Beth spoke with confidence. ‘I’ve known the Prof for over ten years. I’d recognize his voice anywhere. This was a younger man. Maybe in his thirties.’
    ‘And when did you see the professor last?’ asked Anderson.
    Beth thought about it. ‘I met him... maybe six weeks ago.’
    ‘As long as that?’
    ‘Yes. We’re collaborating together on a research project, but a lot of the time we talk on the phone, or communicate by email. He’s busy, I’m busy. We were scheduled to meet tomorrow, though, to go over some of our work together.’
    ‘When did you last speak to him, or exchange emails?’
    Again Beth considered. ‘That must have been two weeks ago. Yes, that’s right. I emailed him with a query about something, and he answered.’
    ‘Did he seem okay?’ asked Gomez. ‘Preoccupied in some way? Or scared?’
    ‘Not that I can recall,’ said Beth. ‘But it’s hard to tell from an email, you know? It was just about work-related matters, nothing more.’ She frowned, a thought occurring to her suddenly. ‘You said he disappeared three days ago?’
    ‘Yes,’ said Gomez. ‘Didn’t turn up for work. Colleagues tried to get hold of him but he wasn’t home, or answering his calls. We checked his house. No sign of him. Bu no