AFTER
DETECTIVE BRETT PORTER
The days go by slow and painful. Each minute that passes is a minute I still don't have answers. The person who did this to her is still out there, living life unobstructed. And I'm here, unable to rest until this case is solved.
The Saturday after her belongings were discovered and I sent the burner over to Jake, Ben pays me a visit at the station. Julie pages me down to the front and I see him standing there, hands in his pockets, staring at the Missing Person's wall. I can only imagine what's going through his mind.
"Mr. Summers," I say. He turns at the sound of my voice. "What brings you here today?"
He walks towards me with a cold look in his eyes. Once he's directly in front of me, he says, "Do you know what day it is today?"
I hesitate, trying to figure it out. Is it Saturday or Sunday? And then I realize.
"It's June fifteenth," he answers for me. "Exactly one month since she disappeared. And what exactly have you done in that time? Discovered her dead body, for one. And that seems to be about it."
"With all due respect, she was killed the night she went missing. There was nothing we could have done there."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Would you like to go to my office? We can talk there."
"No," he says quickly. "I want to know what you're doing in this investigation to find the person who murdered Catalaina. We need justice for her."
"I can assure you, I am doing everything I possibly can to find out who did this. You don't think it bothers me too? It keeps me up at night, knowing that the person responsible is out there somewhere. But there's only so much I can do. She didn't make this easy –" I stop before I say something I'll regret. "I'm trying my best, okay?"
He stares at me. "What do you mean, she didn't make this easy?"
I shake my head. "Nothing. I just meant... I don't know. Nothing in this investigation has been easy. But I'm not giving up. I will find out who did this, alright? We will find him."
Ben nods and gives me one last stare. Then he turns around and disappears back through the doors in which he came.