Loves Me Not

FIVE

AFTER
DETECTIVE BRETT PORTER

I go back to the house because it's the hot-spot of this investigation. Anything and everything that happened to Catalaina stems from there. So I pin the location in Maps on my phone and head back in that direction, knowing I'm going to be spending a good majority of my time here.

There are a few officers left clearing the scene. Ben is sitting on the bench on the front porch, a mug between his hands. He sees me approach and stands.

"Detective," he says anxiously. "Anything?"
"Nothing yet, I'm afraid."
He sits back down on the bench. I take a seat beside him.
"I want you to tell me about Catalaina," I say to him. "I know we spoke this morning when I took your initial statement, but I need you to get into details. You need to tell me everything."
"That's a task in itself. I told you, Catalaina is very complicated. To explain everything to you, I'd need to write a novel. There's just so much..."
"Let's start with the simple things then," I suggest. "How did the two of you meet?"
"We met at a coffee shop. Which is ironic because she doesn't even drink coffee. We sat there and talked for a long time. I asked if I could see her again. I think I knew after our second date that I wanted to marry her."
"What does she do in her spare time?"
"She writes a lot. Finds it very therapeutic."
"What does she write?"
"I wouldn't know – she doesn't tell me anything. Won't even let me read anything she writes."
"She's secretive about it?"
"Not secretive, just modest. And self-conscious. She's afraid of people's judgments. So she keeps it to herself. Because if no one else reads it, then no one else can judge it. But I know she keeps a journal. She tells me about that sometimes. Says she writes everything in there." Ben stops suddenly, as though a lightbulb has just went off in his brain. We both look at each other.
"Where does she keep this journal?"
"Probably in the spare bedroom. That's where she spends most of her free time. Her computer desk and books are in there. We made that little space for her so she can have time to herself."
"What other hobbies or passions does she have?"
He takes in a breath, then exhales. "She goes for jogs in the morning. She loves the outdoors. Going for walks, or simply being outside in general is what makes her happy. Oh, and she loves the water. It's her happy place. So she goes to the waterfront quite a bit. Sometimes to read, sometimes to jog, sometimes to write.
"She loves her job, she loves the students and meeting new people. She enjoys spending time with me. We'll settle down in the evenings, relax on the couch with a bottle of wine and a movie. She's my best friend. We do almost everything together."
"What about friends?" I ask. "I'm told she doesn't have many."
He thinks about this for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Don't tell me that thought hasn't ever crossed your mind."
"No, it has. I just don't really think about it often. Because it's her and I, you know? I don't really think about other people, who else she spends her time with. She has a few friends from work that she goes out with sometimes. And she has this one friend... Scarlett. She met her a few months ago. The two of them are quite close. Or they were. I'm not sure if they talk anymore."
"Don't you think that's something you should know?"
"Yeah, I should. But she doesn't tell me everything. I just hear snippets, here and there. Me and Scarlett did this, Scarlett told me that. One week they're inseparable, then the next, radio silence. No mention of Scarlett whatsoever. So who knows? They're females. Maybe they had a falling out."
"What is Scarlett's last name?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you," he says. "But she might have it written down somewhere. Like I said, she writes everything down. Everything."