Free Forgetting Jane by C.J. Warrant

taste for nicotine and a beer formed on his tongue. He needed to redirect his energy toward something other than his current aggravated state and gnawing addiction. It didn’t help the office smelled of cherry wood smoke. And sweat.
    He picked up the pile of missing person reports Ryan had put on his desk. Elias noticed the DNA reports from Jane’s case. It was his fifth time looking through the report.
    Nothing had changed from the first time he studied the information. He took the fax, placed it in the Jane Doe folder. Elias’s stomach ached every time he saw the results. This case was nowhere near the end. He slipped the file in his side drawer and shoved it closed. Then the thought of the girl in the yellow dress had him considering driving around the neighboring farms and house around the lake and find that girl.
    Oh hell, ghosts . He couldn’t believe he actually regarded what Jane was saying. Talking with Jane was truly disappointing, since he got nowhere with her and the investigation.
    Elias tried concentrating on the mass of paperwork and items strewn in front of him but wasn’t in the mood. Instead, he scanned the small space. It’d been six months since he’d taken over and the place had turned into a bigger pigsty.
    When it had come down to this office, the old chief of police had everything where he wanted. No one touched any of Henley’s things. He’d know right away when something was out of place. Eli figured the old man had a compulsive disorder of some sort.
    He never cleared up after Henley’s death. His magazines were still piled up neatly on one of the filing cabinets—well, most of them were. Stacks of folders were heaped on top of the other. Small trophies adorned the few shelves and medals of different citations of valor were hung on the walls.
    Eli hadn’t had a chance to go through the old man’s things and weed out what he didn’t need. As he picked up the old chief’s nameplate on the edge of the desk, the same question arose. Why? After years of commendable service, why would he kill himself?
    In the two years Elias worked with Henley, the man had never missed a day of work. When he didn’t show up for duty and hadn’t called in, Tom had driven over to his house. After breaking in the front door, he’d found the old man dead on his recliner. He had shot himself in the mouth with a forty-four.              
    Even after all this time, Henley’s suicide still bothered Elias.                           
    A knock on the door disrupted Elias’s thoughts. “Come in.”
    Tom popped his head in. “Mayor Daniel’s here.”
    The mayor pushed past Tom, gave him a dirty look and walked in. “Chief McAvoy, I want a word with you.” He sat down and turned toward Tom. “Alone.”
    Tom closed the door but not before he gave the man a look that could melt the back of the mayor’s head.
    “What do you need, Mayor? I have tons of work to do.” Elias knew what the nosy bastard wanted.
    Daniels placed his cane on the edge of the desk and pointed a bony finger at Elias. “I want to know what you are doing about the Jane Doe case. It’s been weeks. What’s the progress?”
    “Well, nothing right now. Until we have further evidence, we have to wait.”
    “Wait? I put you in charge, McAvoy, to get things done efficiently. I thought you were capable of handling things in a quick manner. Our town isn’t used to terrible crimes. Maybe I should have had Tom take over.” Daniel’s shallow threat didn’t go far.
    He stood up and leaned forward toward the mayor. “What’s stopping you? I’ll step down right now.” Elias got the right reaction.
    The mayor tried getting up but he stumbled back in the seat. “Wait. Maybe I was hasty saying that. Chief, I am only looking out for this town.”
    “I know you want to get information this case as quickly as you can, but it doesn’t work that way. Please, let me do my job. The moment I know, you’ll know.