Free Mystery: Missing Rita: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Thriller Mystery) by James Kipling Page B

an opposite reaction from what Tracy had expected. Ryan sat up on his side of the sofa and all of a sudden looked withdrawn. He indulged in a calculated silence and threw a side glance at Tracy who was still looking at him expectantly.
    “Why the hell did you stop?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Tracy looked at the expression on his face and recognized it. She had seen it one too many times and had sometimes envied it.
    “I know why you did,” she said as she got to her feet. “You still love her. You always did.”
    “Tracy.”
    “Shut up,” Tracy barked. “And you know what? I wish you never find her body! That bitch deserves everything that is coming her way.”
    “Tracy.”
    Ryan tried to call after her but she was many steps ahead of him. Given that he had not eaten the night before and had woken up to a glass of scotch, he was slightly imbalanced and slow. He could not grab her by the arm and try to stop her from walking out the door as he wanted. The thundering slam of the door sobered him for a good two seconds and he let his weight drop to the cold floor. He did not know what was wrong with him this time, he could not really tell which emotion to give in to. He however could not doubt one thing: he loved the kiss he had shared with Tracy and hoped it was not the liquor thinking for him.
     
    ****
     
    Sam sat in his office with his partner and went over the files in front of him. Lohan was watching a funny clip of a cat playing the piano on his computer while gobbling down a sandwich. He let out a few chuckles as he replayed it a few more times before looking in Sam’s direction.
    “You seem to have a lot on your mind today,” he commented.
    “I do,” Sam said.
    “Care to share?”
    “I don’t know, you seem to be quite busy over there,” Sam answered teasingly.
    “I was,” he confirmed in an equally teasing tone. “But that does not mean I can’t squeeze in a few seconds for you.”
    “Okay, here goes. I am looking at Rita’s personal file and there is something here that doesn’t make any sense.”
    “What’s that?”
    “There is somewhere she was going every Wednesday at 2:00pm but I just can’t figure out where.”
    “Have you tried pulling her credit card records?”
    “Yes, I have but there is nothing here that says she paid for a service every Wednesday at the time in question.”
    “What do you think she was doing at that time?” Lohan asked curiously but he was not taking it as seriously as Sam was.
    “I have ruled out an affair because she was divorced and wouldn’t bother hiding the fact that she was seeing a man.”
    “Okay, what else have you thought of?”
    “I don’t know, maybe a spa, trying to get her own time and breathing space.”
    “That can’t be it, not for a mother of two in this harsh economic reality. Remember it has to be something she is ashamed of enough not to let it be on the books.”
    “Therapist,” Sam said excitedly.
    “That could be it, but why would you suspect that?”
    “After meeting her sister Tracy and hearing about Rita’s wicked witch testimonials, I think that might be it.”
    “Well done, Sam” Lohan answered. “Now you only have to look for the few places in the city that offer private therapy sessions.”
    “That should not be hard,” Sam answered with a wide smile spread on his face.
    “Technology has really made detective work easier on you guys these days. Back in the day we used to do the real detective work where we would go out in the field and had to be smart about getting information,” Lohan complained. “But now, information is simply a click away.”
    “What’s so wrong with that?”
    “It limits your creativity, my friend,” Lohan went on. “Did I tell you about the time we had to be regular clients in a brothel so that we could get to the bottom of a case?”
    “I think you may have mentioned it.”
    “See what I mean?Those were the days when people would get real work done,” Lohan went on to