Swiped: A Romance Thriller

Chapter 5

The girls were loud as ever.

Kayla Johnson's outgoing calls were endless, all trying to reach Bank. None returned. He never does this. While scrolling her cell Kayla focused on her hand. The tattoo wing was colored a light purple with feathers running off the edge of her hand. It was painful, but it was pain shared with Bank Johnson. His wasn't purple though nor a butterfly wing; he chose a bat's wing. When they held hands his bat wing would reach over to complete the butterfly on her side. She wanted that bat wing again. She needed that wing back.

Where was he?

Kayla's background as an inquiry agent had her not calling the police... yet. Wait 24 hours. She'll make the call when that time elapsed. But that was still hours away. Maybe worrying wasn't the best example for her girls, but what else was she to do. Bank's never home late and when he's stopping for errands, like milk or a lottery ticket Bank always send out a text.

Nothing like this. This was 17 hours of no response to calls, texts, and even voice-mails.

Luckily, Kayla had the means to bypass the police jungle of paperwork and slow paced investigations. Her computer was cracked open, desk cluttered with papers and photos of current clients, begging her to return to her line of duty, documents scattered, and a police scanner chirping nonstop. The channel overheard police matters, but nothing came back detailing missing persons that covered her current selection of clients or anything describing Bank.

That's the thing about being an investigator Kayla could tighten long or short stings across the state of California or individual cities, but it's never went beyond that.

This is her husband that's gone missing. The father of all her little girls. The man with the bad wing that completed her hand.

Where was he?

Her investigator's software was robust, drop-down menus, tabs, and links with private profiles. The commoner would have a great deal of pain trying to organize everything within the strenuous system. But to her it was like using a calculator, just a few buttons leading to results with an output that benefited her.

So far, Bank could be in the back of a van, trapped and pleading for help. He could be injured somewhere from an accident. He could even be with a buddy just laughing it up over some drinks. She would be fine with that, but a little talk would come from it. And she would expect a nice candle-lit dinner, flowers, and some Sour Patch Kids. And no, his stupid joke about the girls being enough Sour Patch Kids was not going to do it this time. She took a pinch full and mixed and matched the different colors. That's the way to do it.

Damn him though. If he wasn't with a buddy and gone for this long, where could he be?

The investigator's software was an adulterated home version. In her main office, she would have in-depth equipment available to her. But that's miles away and the girls are home. She had to watch them, they really could be sour at times. Right now they played contentedly, laughing it up, but that would only last so long before the fights broke lose. The sounds were precious now. The giggles were heart warming and it brought attention to the home nature. She was supposed to be relaxing. Not investigating.

When should she tell them?

Tell them what exactly, anyway?

It can wait. It hasn't been 24-hours.

Twenty-four hours. That's when the truth needs to come out. But what will she find about Bank? Is he cheating? No.

He wouldn't be so stupid?

He wouldn't just up and leave and not come back.

Sadly, that was the number one reason most people left. They never went missing, people disappeared to start a new life with someone else. Hell no. That fucker would never. I'd kick his ass all the way to his mother's house and beat her ass too for raising a cheater. No. He wouldn't think to cross her.

She focused back on the screen, listening to the scanner. A chirp of crimes and people doing generally what humans do, stupid stuff, was never ending.

Bank hadn't been arrested. The data said that much. Kayla looked at it now, squeaky clean. So that's good. There weren't any reports under his name, except for one, but the age didn't match his. Some other Banky out there in Cali.