“No, this photograph was in my Bible.” Kate pointed to the photograph of her sitting on the couch.
“This photograph, it’s the first photograph, was in my Bible but someone put it in the top drawer of my dresser. It was him, he wanted me to find it! I found it in my dresser, then went to look in my Bible. There was this new photograph! I was wearing those clothes two days ago-someone was outside and took this picture.” Kate started to raise her voice, becoming hysterical as she laid out the pieces of the puzzle in front of Liz.
“Kate, Kate, calm down. Let’s go a little slower. So, you just found this new photograph tonight?” She asked her.
“Yeah, just before I called you. It’s why I called. He wants me to know he can still get to me. But you know who he is now right, so you can catch him? Did you talk to his brother today?” Kate leaned on the table, eagerly awaiting the good news she had been celebrating all day.
Detective Snow gulped and cleared her throat. She picked up both photographs and slid them into a plastic evidence bag. She always had one or two of those on her, her job overtook her whole life.
“Kate, we didn’t get to speak to Tracy Glen today and remember we still aren’t sure how they are related, it might not be a brother.” She said, simply putting her entire day into those few words.
“What do you mean? You couldn’t find him? I thought he was in jail, how could you not find him?” Kate started becoming hysterical again. Detective Snow stood up and walked around the table to Kate, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Kate, let’s stay calm. It happens in investigations sometimes, the lead was a dead end. How about I make you some tea? Where do you keep that?” She asked her, taking off her own jacket and placing it over the chair. The detective knew that she needed to take control of the situation in order to get more information. Kate pointed her to a cabinet where she kept several varieties of tea bags and Liz began to start a pot brewing.
“Listen, Kate, we are going to need to search the house again. If he was in here, maybe he left fingerprints this time. Something that could help us find him. I think now would be a good time to call Derrick, maybe he can come pick you up and take you to his apartment for the night. I’ll call my partner but we are going to need an entire forensics crew to come through here.” She finished putting the cups of tea together, just waiting for the water to boil now. She turned around to look at Kate who was still sitting at the kitchen table looking like she was in a daze.
Kate just nodded slowly and picked up her phone. She sent Derrick a text message, not saying anything specific except that she needed him there now. She just didn’t know what else to tell him over text message and she wasn’t sure she could put a string of words together to talk over the phone. The joy she had felt all day had come to a crashing halt and everything had taken two steps backwards.
Plus the truth was that she did need him. She needed him right this moment, his arms wrapped around her to hold her up, his breath against her neck reminding her that she was alive, his eyes piercing through her in a way that always made her brain completely shut down. She needed to shut down in that way that only he was capable of bringing out in her. She wanted him to be there right now and her anxiety began to raise as she realized how badly every second without him felt to her.
Detective Snow was on her phone calling her partner and forensic techs to come sweep the apartment. Kate went to her bedroom to put on a sweatshirt and some socks, since she was only wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms at that point. She then went back to the kitchen where Detective Snow was writing in a notepad. She sat down next to her and began sipping the tea that had been made for her, but she wasn’t even tasting it.
Finally there was a knock at the door and Kate jumped up out of her chair. She wasn’t sure how much time had gone by since she had sat down at the table, she felt quite out of it. All she knew is that Derrick was at the door and she couldn’t handle another moment not having his broad, thick arms clenched around her shoulders and pressing her tightly against his chest. She rushed to the door, flying right past Detective Snow, and swung open the front door.