Missing Like You

TEN

DETECTIVE GABE GIBBONS
SATURDAY JUNE 18, 2022

Saturday. Day Two. I wish I could say that I got a good night's sleep where I felt fully rested and rejuvenated, but I'm afraid that hasn't happened in at least ten years. I go to sleep late and wake up early. And seven times out of ten, my sleep is interrupted by someone needing to reach me in the middle of the night.

After speaking with Donovan, Rylie and I leave the condo. The lieutenant has organized a press conference to be held later this afternoon. He wants the parents and the husband to go on TV and plead for Isabelle to come home. As if that will work. We've done this countless times. The only thing a press conference is good for is spreading the word and getting the city on board with finding this woman.

I spend the majority of the afternoon making individual house visits to each of Isabelle's closest friends. Aside from Kate, there's Maya, Julia, Heidi, and Rachel.

"How would you describe Isabelle?" I ask Maya, who sits across from me in her living room. According to Kate, today is her birthday.
"Isabelle is... awesome," she says as though she can't come up with a better word. "She's kind and fun and an overall great person. She's that friend who will bail you out of a bad situation. She comes off as really shy and standoffish, but once you get to know her, she's a social butterfly, always wanting to go out and be around people."
"Isabelle's never done anything like this before?" I ask. "Run off or disappear?"
"No, never."
"Does Isabelle have any enemies? Anyone who might want to hurt her?"
"I don't believe so. She's a good person. I don't know why anyone would want to do something to her."
"How was her marriage?"
Maya makes a face. "You mean before it ended?"
"Yes."
"It was good. Her and Scott were like, the perfect couple. I always envied her for having someone as great as him. But well, now... not so much."
"Because of the cheating."
"Yes."
"How did Isabelle find out?"
"She went through his phone. Said she just had a gut-feeling that something was wrong. And sure enough, she was right. I guess when you're with someone for as long as she was, you just know these things."
"Is Scott the jealous type?" I ask. "Would he get angry if she moved on and found someone else?"
"Well I imagine so. He still loves her. He still wants to be with her. And they still see each other, you know. You didn't hear that from me."
"See each other?"
"Yeah, like, sleep together sometimes. I know that's bad, post-split, but Isabelle can't get over him either. As much as she hates him and wants to move on with her life, she will always be in love with Scott. They're soulmates. She's spent most of her life with him. Since she was sixteen she's been with this one person and hasn't been with anyone else. She thought they'd be together forever. So when he cheated on her, it really fucked her up. It took her a while to be okay after that. She didn't even come out or see us for a long time. I thought she was finally doing better and moving on with her life. But then I found out the reason she's been doing okay is because she's still been seeing him."
"When was the last time they 'saw' one another?"
She thinks about this. "Probably a few weeks ago."
"And she hasn't mentioned seeing him since?"
"No."
"Did Isabelle ever bring up the prospect of dating again?"
"Not really. I mean, we talked about it. I told her to try these online dating apps, like Tinder or Hinge. But she said she wasn't ready."
"It's been revealed to me that on Thursday evening, Isabelle was supposedly going on a date. Do you think this information is correct?"
"Isabelle... going on a date? With who!?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out."
Maya looks perplexed. "She made it abundantly clear that she didn't want to start dating again. At least not for a while. So if that's true, then it's really bizarre."
"If she did indeed go on a date Thursday evening," I say. "Then it is imperative that we find out with who. Because he may be the only person who knows where she went after that. Will you keep me updated if you remember something or learn new information?"
"Of course. Anything I can do to help."
I hand her my card and stand to leave.

_____

We hold the press conference at three o'clock. The lieutenant stands in front of the cameras and makes a general introduction. Then the parents are ushered out to speak.

"My name is Jeanine Healey, and I'm the mother of Isabelle Donovan." She takes a moment as she stares into the camera. "My daughter went missing on the evening of Thursday June sixteenth and hasn't been heard from since. Isabelle is a wonderful woman. She's smart and kind and is always helping others. If you could all assist us in finding my daughter, I would be forever grateful. And to Isabelle, wherever you are sweetheart, just know that we are coming for you. We will not rest until you are back home, safe and sound."
"We love you Isabelle," the father says. "Please come home."

The parents are led away and in their replacement stands Scott. I'm not sure why he's even being brought out to speak. For all we know, he's the one who did something to her. But according to the PR team, this will be good for the investigation if he speaks. It shows that she has a family and husband who care for her. If only these people watching knew the truth about him, what he did that ended their marriage.

I tilt my head in observation as he saunters forward and clears his throat, ready to prepare his perfectly recited speech.

"As you've just heard from my mother-in-law, Isabelle is a wonderful person. We need to do everything we can to find her. So please, as a community, let's try to work together and do everything we can. You can join the search parties that go on every day. You can also help spread the word about her disappearance. The more people who know, the better chances we have of finding her. If you have any tips or information regarding the whereabouts of Isabelle, please call our hotline. The number is on the bottom of the screen."

Well done, Scott.

Finally, the lieutenant steps forward once again to conclude. "We are taking all of the necessary steps to track down Mrs. Donovan and we are relying heavily on the public to assist us. So please, if you have any information whatsoever, do not hesitate to call.
"Mrs. Donovan was supposed to be meeting with someone on the evening that she disappeared. That individual's identity is unknown at the moment. If you are the person that she was supposed to be meeting with, we urge you to come forward to provide us with more information that could prove useful in locating her. Thank you."