Calista

Chapter 2

It was a heck of a way to spend the day after Christmas. Officer Jones knew when a spouse was truly grieving and Adam Hargrove was clearly telling the truth. At least Officer Jones was eighty percent sure he was. The other twenty percent was made up of the red-haired woman sitting next to Mr. Hargrove.

"You said you two had a fight?" Officer Jones asked, a pen and small notepad in hand. He leaned back against the worn-out sofa in Hargrove's living room. It was a little on the shabby side but was clearly kept clean. Family photos in cheap frames hung in an uneven pattern against the wall. One of the photographs was now in his possession. He stared at Hargrove's wife who had a pair of the most striking blue eyes he had ever seen. Were they contacts?

Adam ran a hand over his unshaven face. "For the tenth time, yes...we argued but it wasn't about anything major. We always argued but she's never left. Never. Something's wrong."

"And her family hasn't heard from her either?"

"No," Adam growled. "She has no family. I've told you this. Why aren't you looking for her?"

"Adam, calm down." The redhead patted his knee. She was dressed in a black designer dress Officer Jones recognized since his own wife had shown it to him the night before in a magazine. It was too expensive for a cop's salary and he had to disappoint her and tell her she would never be able to buy it. He bet the dress wasn't even a dent in the redhead's bank account. 

"Yvonne," Adam whispered, frowning down at her. She rolled her eyes. 

Officer Jones felt the eighty percent of belief he had in Adam Hargrove lower down to seventy-five.

"I'm sure she'll turn up...eventually," Yvonne said. "You just need to stay calm, Adam. You already have a lot going on at work. You don't need the extra stress."

Adam sighed and covered his face with both hands. "It's been two days, Yvonne. How can I calm down? My wife is more important than work."

Officer Jones noticed Yvonne's green eyes flicker in anger she hid so quickly, he barely noticed it. He cleared his throat and glanced back at Hargrove. "And she doesn't have any brothers or sisters?" 

Adam shook his head. "No, I told you, she's an only child."

"There isn't anyone who would want to commit foul play against her?" It took a lot of effort from Officer Jones not to stare at Yvonne.  

Adam Hargrove shook his head. "No, she's a substitute teacher and her only close friends live in Florida where her parents used to live before they passed."

"She was an introvert," Yvonne added. "She didn't seem to really have friends here. I tried to befriend her but she mostly wanted to keep to herself."

"Don't you mean is? She is an introvert?" Officer Jones' eyes narrowed as he took in the pair, "What did you two say your relationship was again?"

"Co-workers," Adam answered, moving slightly away from Yvonne.

"And friends." Yvonne smiled, slinking closer to Adam. "Close friends."

Her hand was still on Adam's thigh and Officer Jones sighed. He hated cases like this. Seventy-five percent became fifty.

"Do you think you'll find her? Calista and I haven't missed a Christmas together in ten years. We were high school sweethearts."

Officer Jones noted Yvonne's frown and nodded. "I hope so but sometimes it's difficult when the other person doesn't want to be found."

"Doesn't want to be found? Are you saying my wife left me?" Adam stood, causing Yvonne's hand to fall from his thigh. 

"Isn't that what you think happened?" Officer Jones asked softly, staring at the woman named Yvonne.

The redhead frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that? How am I supposed to know what happened to her? It's not like she ever talked to me."

Adam ignored her. He was pacing in front of the sofa. "She's my wife. I'm telling you, she wouldn't have left me."

Officer Jones stood up. "Well, we'll try our best to find her. I'll try and track her cellphone. Hopefully, that'll give us a lead."

"That's it?" Adam asked. "There's nothing else I can do?"

Officer Jones looked back at him, thinking how his wife probably got tired of her cheating husband. The redhead had her hands wrapped around Adam Hargrove's left arm and he didn't seem too bothered by it. He was clearly familiar with the other woman's touch. No, his belief in Adam Hargrove was now at zero percent.

Officer Jones bit back his disdain. "Try to have a happy new year, Mr. Hargrove."

In a mansion outside of town, Roger Lambert was running across the marble floors that led to his employer's study.

"They found her! They found her!" He slid into the room, almost falling over himself. "Mr. Dover, they found her!"

Sebastian Dover looked up from the pile of paperwork on his desk.  "Calista?" 

"Yes! They found her." Roger was now panting. 

Sebastian swallowed hard before asking, "Where? Where did they find her?"

"At St. Anthony's Church."

Sebastian's eyes widened. "The church with the car explosion? How...why?"

"I don't know but we need to get to the hospital as quickly as we can."

"The hospital?"

Roger nodded. "I don't know what she was doing there but she was at the church when the car explosion happened."

"They think it's her?"

Again, Roger's head bobbed up and down. "I've had our people keeping a watch at all the local hospitals in case she turned up. They called me right away. An ambulance brought her in. She was wearing her necklace. The one you gave her with her name on it."

Sebastian took a deep breath before lowering his shaking head. "I-I can't do it. You go, Roger. You identify her."

"Identify her?"

Sebastian nodded. "I won't. I can't. I'm not stepping into the morgue."

"The morgue? Mr. Dover, Calista isn't in the morgue. She's in intensive care."

"Intensive care? Then Calista...she's--"

"Alive," Roger finished. "Your sister is alive!"