Free Panic by Nick Stephenson

know her pretty well.”
    The slim blonde raised her free hand up to the door frame and looked back at her roommate, who shrugged lazily.
    “What’s this about?” she asked, shifting her weight uncomfortably.
    Leopold glanced at Mary and flicked his eyes in the direction of the girl. Mary took the hint.
    “We’re friends of Christina’s dad,” Mary said softly. “There’s nothing to worry about. We just know that Christina hasn’t been around for a few days, and her dad’s really worried. Would it be okay if we came inside and asked you some questions?”
    The girl looked back at her roommate again. “Sure, I guess.”
    “Thank you. My name’s Mary,” she held out a hand.
    “Isabelle,” said the slim blonde, taking her outstretched palm, “and this is Beth.” Isabelle thumbed toward her roommate.
    “It’s nice to meet you,” said Mary, stepping through into the dorm room.
    Once the police sergeant had crossed over from the hallway, Jerome and Leopold followed, quietly closing the door behind them. The dorm room itself was of modest size, with two single beds separated by a nightstand. The room had two desks, upon which sat an array of jumbled textbooks, handwritten notes, and stuffed animals. Both girls had laptops flipped open on the beds; Isabelle’s was dimmed and Beth was using hers to check email. Jerome and Leopold stood near the door, not quite sure what to do with themselves, as Mary took a seat on the empty bed and motioned for Isabelle to sit down next to her.
    “When’s the last time you remember seeing Christina?” asked Mary.
    “Monday, I think,” said Isabelle.
    “Okay, think back. What were you girls doing last time you were together?”
    “We were at a coffee place around the corner, talking about this week’s study group session and what time we were gonna go over there.”
    “And you three were going over there together?” asked the sergeant.
    “Yeah. Christina said she’d meet us there around eight-thirty,” said Isabelle. “Then she left and we haven’t seen her since. She said she was going over to meet this guy she’s been seeing.”
    “Belle!” Beth slapped the lid of her laptop closed and glared at Isabelle.
    Isabelle looked nervously at Mary.
    “Fine, tell her,” Beth shrugged, turning back to her computer.
    “Don’t tell her dad,” said Isabelle. “He’d kill her. The guy she’s seeing isn’t exactly someone her dad would
approve of
. He’s not a nice guy.”
    “What do you mean?” pressed Mary.
    “Well, I never saw it happen, but I’d see Christina with bruises on her arms and legs. She’d say she fell, or that she’d been knocked over during hockey practice, but it never felt right. This guy’s a real piece of work. I’m pretty sure he’s got a record.”
    Mary nodded in support. “What’s this guy’s name?”
    “Hank. I don’t know his last name. Christina would just vanish for days and then say she was just staying with him at his place off campus. I’ll bet that’s where she is. Just don’t say anything to her dad, please,” said Isabelle.
    “Don’t worry,” said Mary, “we’re just trying to find out where she is. We don’t want to get her into any trouble.”
    “You’re probably too late for that,” said Beth, sitting up to face the police sergeant. “Christina’s blind to this guy. She’d do anything for him. She’s completely in love and there’s no talking to her. It doesn’t matter how much of a bastard he can be, or how he treats her. She always defends him and says it’s her fault. Makes me fucking sick. This is the guy.”
    Beth scribbled Hank’s address down on a piece of scrap paper and handed it to Mary. “Here’s a picture,” she said, holding up her phone. “Don’t tell him we sent you.”
    “Thanks for talking to me,” said Mary. “We’ll make sure Christina gets home safe.”
    She stood up and walked over to the door, nodding at the two girls reassuringly. Jerome and Leopold followed her