Katrina paced back and forth in front of the receptionist’s desk. Why were they making her wait this long? Didn’t they want to find Clint?

“Ma’am, step into this interview room for me,” a detective finally waved Katrina over.

“About time.”

They settled into the chairs across from each other. Katrina waited for the detective to pull out his notebook. He didn’t need to miss a word of this.

“Alright, so I’ve been told this is the second time you’ve been here to update us on a missing person.”

“Right. The first detective I spoke to told me it was important that you have all the facts.”

“Yes, but you seem to be missing some crucial information…”

Katrina put her head down. It was happening all over again. This guy wasn’t going to believe her, she could already hear it in his voice. Everyone thought she was crazy. That usually wouldn’t bother her, she was used to being called crazy, but now it was causing a serious problem. It was stopping them from even looking for Clint.

Poor Clint. God only knew where he was or what he had been through these past few weeks. The last time she saw him he was so frail, but they both had hope that things would get better. He was on the list for a heart transplant, and he just had to hold on a little while longer.

Katrina and Clint’s mother didn’t get along very well, so she had to plan her visits to the hospital around his mother. It made things a little inconvenient—made her feel like she was sneaking around, but it also made her and Clint cherish the moments they had together even more.

“Ma’am? Ma’am, please look up so we can finish this conversation. I need to be sure that you understand what’s going on here.”

“I know exactly what’s going on. You’re the one who—”

“Clint Wheeler is deceased! He passed away from congestive heart failure four weeks ago. The funeral was three weeks ago.” The detective’s voice softened as he continued, “I know this is hard for you to accept, but as we’ve told you before, he is not missing. We do not need any more information from you.”

“That’s not true,” Katrina said as her eyes filled with tears. “I’m his girlfriend. I would know if he was dead. He’s missing! His mom probably moved him. That’s what I’m trying to tell you guys. She tries to control everything and—”

“We’ve spoken with Mr. Wheeler’s family. I can assure you that he is deceased.”

“So why wouldn’t they tell me?”

“We’ve also been informed that you were not Mr. Wheeler’s girlfriend. As far as his mother and anyone else knows, he did not know you. They made complaints to the hospital about you sneaking into his room. They didn’t have the time or energy to file a restraining order against you, but I am letting you know right now that if you go anywhere near that family again you will be arrested.”

Katrina didn’t respond for several seconds.

“Do you understand me? Stay away from them. Stop filing missing person’s reports on him. Stop all of this.”

“He wouldn’t leave without telling me. Unless she made him. It’s his mother, she’s doing all of this!”

“Ok, you stay right here.”

Katrina cried silently as she sat in the interview room alone. It was cold and depressing, but it was nothing compared to what she imagined Clint was going through. He must be so afraid.

“Ma’am, I have someone here that wants to speak to you,” the detective said as he walked back into the room.

Katrina looked up expectantly. Was it Clint? Could they have found him?

“Hi, Katrina. I’m Dr. Lawson,” a woman said as she stepped into the room behind the detective.

“Oh, are you Clint’s doctor?” Katrina asked.

“No, I’m a doctor of psychology. We’re going to talk here for a minute, and then maybe again at the hospital down the street.”

“Oh, did they move Clint to that hospital? He used to be at the one on fourth street.”

Dr. Lawson and the detective looked at each other for a second before he said, “I’ll go ahead and let them know you’re going to need transport for her.”

“Excellent. Thank you.”

Katrina put her head down on the table and continued to cry for Clint.

The End.

Written By: S.M. Grady

© 2020 S.M. Grady

*Don’t forget to hit the LIKE button and leave a comment if you enjoyed it!