I didn’t believe that would be the last time we saw something like that in our weather. It could be an effect of the pods or something else like climate change. Maybe the two things working together. Scary stuff, whatever the answer.
My mother had refused to move out here. She liked her home, her way of life. I was selfish in that respect when I asked her to come over to live. I wouldn’t give up my home, so why should she?
At least she was in my life, unlike my dad. He was fae, she was human, and he lived over in Faerie living his vapid life. That was up to him, but he’d not made one effort to come and see his granddaughter. To be honest, I didn’t know why I’d reached out to him, why I even cared. Just because he was my dad, it didn’t mean I had to like him or give him anything. Blood was not thicker than water. Family wasn’t about blood, but about who you created it with.
Fuck him, even if he had hurt my feelings. His loss.
The phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Jake and Dean Investigations.”
“Hallo?”
It was a man’s voice.
“Hallo? How can I help you?” I asked in Dutch.
“I’m, erm, sorry. I wish to speak to someone … My … This is hard.”
“It’s fine. Take your time.”
“There’s a problem with my wife.”
I readied my pen. “What seems to be the problem, Mr. …?”
“She’s missing.”
“Sir? Please, tell me your name.”
Silence.
“Hallo?” I asked.
The line was quiet, no background noise.
“Sir?”
“I’m Ruben Visser. My wife is Eva.”
“Mr. Visser, I’m Dean Tseng.”
More silence.
“Would you like to tell me what happened, Mr. Visser?”
After about ten seconds, he said, “She’s missing.”
“Is there any other information you can provide?”
“Seven days ago, I woke up to find her gone. She should have been in our bed, but I woke up that morning to find she wasn’t there. Her leg was…is broken. We live in an apartment on the top floor of a three-story building. How is it possible for her to leave without me knowing?”
I noted this all down. “That does sound strange, but then we don’t always notice things when we’re deep in sleep.”
I contacted the police. They have put her on a missing person’s list. But I was the only one there, so they have questioned me. They treat me as a suspect as if I would hurt my wife.” He sniffed. “I would never hurt her. Never. You must understand that.”
“I do understand.” The best way to deal with clients was to be an ear for them to vent to.
“The door was unlocked.”
“The front door?”
“Yes. And we never leave the door unlocked.”
“What about the police investigation so far? Did they find any traces of blood, any sign of foul play?”
“No.” He sniffed again.
Kidnap? This was a human case, but I kept listening.
“The police will not help,” Mr. Visser added. “They interviewed me and then that was it. Every time I call, they tell me they are doing all they can. But they’re not. They’re not.”
“Do you have any idea where she could have gone, if it turns out she left?”
He snorted. “Left? Why would she have left me? She would never leave me! How dare you! You’re just as bad as them!” He slammed the phone down.
I’d touched a nerve. The couple could have marriage problems, and it was a possibility that she’d left him. After all, the door was unlocked. With a busted leg, she may have forgotten to lock the door behind her. Maybe he was a husband who was cruel, her being incapacitated an excuse for him to up his cruelty, play the role of prison guard rather than carer.
Maybe she was taken.
The phone rang again.
“Jake and Dean In—”
“I am sorry to have hung up,” Mr. Visser’s voice said on the other end.
Interesting. “That’s fine. I understand you’re upset.”
“May I make an appointment to see you?”
It was a slow morning on the books so far. “Certainly. Come by the offices any time this morning, and we can talk face to face.”
“Dank u.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I will be over within an hour.”
“I’ll be here.”
Five
Jake
“Shall we go to the shops, Daddy?”
Lou was done playing with her toys, now climbing onto my lap as I sat on the sofa, checking over my gift list. I’d bought almost everything on it. Score for me.
I whipped the notepad—featuring a googly-eyed snowman design—behind me.
I lifted Lou up, holding her above me. “What’cha say?”
She giggled. Her curly hair particularly wild this morning. I plopped her back down on my lap, her dark eyes looking up at me inquisitively.
I kissed her nose.
She wiped my kiss away.
“Shops, Daddy.”
I was Daddy, Dean was Papa.
“What for? It’s sooooo cold out there. Don’t you wanna be all cozy and warm with a movie?” I pulled her into a squishy hug. “I’ll make cocoa.”
“It’s a nice day,” she countered.
“Don’t be tricked by the sunshine, sweetie. It’s lies, all lies, I tell you.”
She wiggled out of my hug. “The sun gives us life,” she responded all haughtily. “You should ‘spect it.”
Man, you couldn’t say anything that even remotely resembled a cuss toward the realms in the sky. She really took offense.
“I’m sorry. I love the sun.”
“Good, Daddy.”
“Still doesn’t stop it being fu--, I mean, very cold, darling.”
“You nearly said a bad word.” She flicked my lips with her finger. “A euro for the swear box.”
“Ah, I didn’t say the whole thing.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I heard a bit of it.”
“Don’t be such a tyrant.”
“What’s that?”
“You.” I tickled her tummy, getting a giggle. Her pajamas had that alien dinosaur from her favorite picture books on them. For a moment, I wondered if there actually
