Long Story Short: A Short Story Collection

A Stranger Love

Prompt:

In the comments below write your best mystery story—just make sure the ending goes unsolved. Whether it's a strange disappearance, an untimely death, or something supernatural, share an original unsolved mystery in the comments below for the rest of the Wattpad community to come up with their theories on what really happened. Tag your comment with #NancyDrew for a chance to win.

October 3, 2019

A Stranger Love

     Ben was a methodical man. That's what made this whole thing strange. He never would have ditched his car. Not without telling me.

     "You were meeting him at that restaurant? " The detective asked.

     "Yes." My tongue stumbled over the lie. The truth was my boyfriend Ben and I were planning to rendezvous at the Motel Six on our lunch break. But when I arrived, the only thing left of Ben was his abandoned car.

     "Is there any reason he'd stop at the motel?"

     "Not that I know of." It had been unremarkable for him to call in the middle of a workday. That's the only time he called. That's when his wife is at work. That's when we can be together. What had been odd was his insistence that we meet at this third-rate motel. Generally, he had more expensive taste than that.

     "And your relation to Mr. Hardy?"

     "Friends. We were going to lunch." I tried to smile but my mouth felt tender. "He's married, you know."

     "Ma'am?"

     "You should probably call his wife." I said this like I knew her. Like, maybe we were friends.

     "Sure." He said no more than that. I waited as he went to make some calls.

     Where was Ben? Why would he abandon his car? Did someone hurt him? Who would want to? His wife? Did Ben tell her?

     The thought gave me pride. If he'd found the courage well then, we could finally be together. But...where was he?

     "The car isn't registered to a Ben Hardy." Detective Foley said when he came back.

     "What?"

     "It's owned by someone named Greg Mott. Do you know who that is? "

     "No." He showed me a plastic bag. Inside was a license. "Do you recognize this man?"

     "That's Ben."

     "His real name is Greg Mott."

     "...What?"

     "How long have you known him?"

     "Eight months."

     "He's not married either."

     I'm not sure what he said after that. All I knew was that the fragile thread that held my world together snapped...He wasn't married? Then why? Everything he'd ever said to me came back.

     "My wife is vindictive."

    "We're getting divorced."

     "She doesn't understand me."

     "I love you."

     Liar.