Promises Promises

Chapter 3

As someone deeply concerned with the bad things going on in Fairhaven, the records division at the local police department was probably the last place I should have been employed. But unfortunately, there was nowhere else in town I felt comfortable working at that paid as much.

With almost every other business bearing the name of Mayor Sullivan in ownership, or being otherwise associated with The Amato Group, the only place left was the coffee shop in the middle of town.

Sure, I could have mixed espresso drinks with the best of them, but I loved Blissful Brews too much. If I worked there, I was sure I'd grow to hate it, and I never wanted to hate it.

So, instead, I found myself filing neverending piles of paperwork in the annex of the police department, and I liked it just fine.

There was something to be said about sorting through the delicate business of Fairhaven's residents, handling the documentation of their troubles with care, and making sure everything was stored properly online. The work was mundane but important.

Though, I suppose not everyone saw it that way, as displayed by the chatter of my fellow coworkers one gloomy morning at the office.

It had been a month since Dalton died, and I was still about as dismal as the gray and cloudy sky that followed me into work that day. Even if things were slowly getting back to normal, it was still hard most of the time, and their conversation wasn't helping my mood.

"Carl says he answered another call at Rob and Ginny's two nights ago," Debbie said to Marceline. Her voice held the secretive hush of someone who had no desire to actually keep a secret. Whispery but not really, dripping in intrigue as she tacked on a quick, "Domestic."

Marceline's eyes lit up. "What happened?"

"Same old," Debbie answered with a shrug. "Rob talked Carl down with the whole misunderstanding line while Ginny stayed quiet and let him get away with it. You know how it is with those two. But that's not even the most interesting part..."

All at once, the air in the room shifted. The smell of coffee and the buzz of the giant printer in the corner seemed too casual for the suspense Debbie had brought in with only a few words.

"Do tell." Marceline dipped closer, all ears as our coworker shared more tidbits of information she received from her officer husband.

"Carl went to check on them yesterday afternoon and they were gone."

I shifted in my seat, letting out a disgruntled sigh as I set my eyes on the computer screen in front of me, my stomach uneasy.

Having loose lips was one thing, but hearing Debbie turn Rob and Ginny's actual police business into gossip was another level of inappropriate.

"What do you mean gone?" Marceline asked.

"As in, they left without a trace."

"Both of them?"

"Mmhmm," Debbie shared with a twinkle, using the same tone she employed last week when announcing there was cake in the breakroom. "Rob's truck was gone and Ginny's Volvo was still in the carport, but there was no sign of either in the house. Carl looked through the side window, said the bedroom was trashed like they'd packed in a hurry."

"Weird," Marceline mused softly. "I wonder if they're just getting away for a few days."

"Right after a domestic call?" Debbie barked an exasperated laugh. "It's all in here," she said. I looked over just as she started waving the report around like it was a prized teddy bear at the town's annual fall carnival. "Read what he wrote about Ginny's mannerisms. She didn't have to say anything for Carl to know that she was in distress. And then they both just...vanish the next day?"