Free Not What She Seems by Victorine E. Lieske Page B

didn’t want to become a pest. He had finally decided against dropping by the café when his cell phone chimed from his pocket.
    “Hello?”
    Rose’s voice came through on the other end of the phone. “Ethan, do you know where Emily is?”
    “She’s not at work?” A sinking feeling started in the pit of his stomach.
    “No, she didn’t show up for her shift. It’s just not like her to be irresponsible. Since she doesn’t have a phone, I was wondering if you could run over to her apartment and make sure she’s all right.”
    “Sure, I’ll go right over there. Maybe she’s ill.”
    “Thank you.” The worry was obvious in her voice, and Steven wondered if she had the same sick feeling he had.
    “No problem.” He snapped his phone shut. With his heart in his throat, he sprinted to his truck. The engine turned over several times without starting. He pumped the gas and tried again. Reluctantly the vehicle sprang to life. It only took him five minutes to get to Pine Street , where he pulled into her parking lot. Her car was gone. He left the lights of his truck on, pointed right at her apartment window, as he ran down the stairs to the basement level.
    He knocked on her door, and rang the doorbell. “Emily?” When no one answered, he peered in the window to the living room. He realized he had never been inside her apartment. A few ragged pieces of furniture lay scattered about, but the walls were bare. He walked over to the bedroom window and looked in. The closet door stood open, revealing empty shelves. The bed was stripped down to the mattress. His throat tightened. She had packed up everything and left.
     
     
    ******
     
    Richard could tell something wasn’t right. Emily had been gone for almost six hours now, and her shift at the café started in less than ten minutes. He paced the floor and looked out of the window again. Swearing, he slammed his fist into the wall, punching a hole in the drywall. Sharp pain shot through his hand.
    She’d left him. He was sure of it. It was getting dark outside, but he didn’t turn on any lights. The darkness seemed somewhat comforting.
    He pulled a tattered suitcase from the closet and started throwing things into it. Remembering that he didn’t even have a vehicle to pack, he swore again. Tearing through the apartment, he soon had three large pieces of luggage stuffed full. He pushed them up against the wall below the window in the living room. The rest of their belongings were in boxes that hadn’t been unpacked for a long time. He piled those with the suitcases.
    A quick walk through of the place assured him he had left no trace of their ever having been there. Except for the hole in the wall, he thought frowning. He clenched and unclenched his right hand, letting the pain shoot up his arm. It almost made him feel better. Almost.
    A vehicle pulled into the parking lot, its lights making large white rectangles on the wall. For a split second Richard thought it might be Emily, but the engine was much too loud to be her car. When the lights did not go out right away, he backed up against the door and listened to the footsteps on the cement. A shadow passed by the window, and someone knocked on the door. The doorbell buzzed and Richard heard Steven call for Emily. He narrowed his eyes and didn’t move when he saw Steven’s shadow on the wall, with his arms forming triangles to the sides of his head as he peered in the window.
    Moments passed and he heard a car door slam and the truck pulled out of the parking lot leaving the apartment dark once more. So, she had left him too. A slow smile spread across his face. He knew how he would get her back.
     
     
    ******
       
    Pushing the speed limit a little, it only took him three minutes to get back to the Downtown Café. Steven ran inside as the feeling in his stomach worsened.
    Rose came up to him, her face white. “What happened?”
    “She’s gone,” he said, choking on the words. “Her car’s gone, and her