Paul led Elijah to one of the interview rooms to close out the case. He wanted to keep everything formal and above board so that there could be no comeuppance on either himself or the station.
The two men sat opposite each other, silent as Paul filled out the necessary paperwork and handed it over to Elijah.
“I don’t think I need to explain any of this to you.” Paul raised an eyebrow at Elijah who nodded in agreement. “The case is closed for now, at least as far as Mr. Stanton’s concerned. And I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll be filing a formal complaint against you and probably the station. It won’t come to much, not really, it is what it is, ya’ know?”
Elijah smiled and signed all the documents. Paul handed over Elijah’s badge and gun, and Elijah clipped the badge back on and stood up.
“I’m really sorry about all of this, Elijah. And I’m sorry that I couldn’t find her and put your mind at rest.” Paul pursed his lips, his expression full of genuine apology.
Paul had seen a whole new side to Elijah these past few months, and when all was said and done, he liked knowing that Elijah had met someone, that he’d fallen in love and wanted something more from his life than work.
“I know, and I’m prepared for the backlash I’ll get. As for Delores, I still intend on finding her; her husband can’t stop that.” He went silent, his shoulders rounding as he looked around. “Can we go to my office now? I hate sitting in here.”
“I didn’t think you’d drop it,” Paul replied with a small smirk. “Come on.” He stood up and Elijah followed suit.
Both men left the room and made their way back down the hallway. Elijah opened the door to his own office and Paul trailed in after him. In his arms was all the evidence he had put together so far. He shuffled files and pads from his desk, and laid everything out for Paul to see. Paul, in turn, opened his own notepad, ready to relay his own findings to Elijah.
It wasn’t much. One more sighting. But it was more than Paul had expected to find given that where Delores had been spotted was a busy truck stop and motel. It was the sort of place people came and went, mostly paying cash if they could help it. Therefore, it was always going to be incredibly difficult to track witnesses.
“So I showed her picture around and one of the waitresses from the diner remembers her.” Paul flipped forwards in his pad a page. “Erm, says she puked in a bag, looked like she was having a panic attack.”
Worry balled itself in Elijah’s stomach. “I knew something wasn’t right.”
Paul nodded in agreement. “Doesn’t really say much, but it’s something, that’s for sure.”
“She say anything else?”
“Yeah, just that she seemed starved.”
“Starved?” Elijah frowned, remembering how much Delores enjoyed food. It was a passion that they both enjoyed. But whenever they cooked, Delores would always make extra food to be able to take home for her family to enjoy, otherwise her husband would have become suspicious. She’d always been a very conscientious wife, it was what her husband expected of her. Elijah had promised her that he would never treat her that way, that they would share the cooking and cleaning burden, that he would treat her right. Always. She merely smiled every time.
Paul flipped to the next page in his pad. “Yeah, but that she was reluctant to eat or drink anything. The waitress got her some soup and coffee, and a glass of water and once she started eating, she didn’t stop until she was done. Like she hadn’t eaten in days. That seem like her to you?”
Elijah shook his head. “No.” He paused and took a frustrated breath. “That sounds like someone who feels guilty enough to believe they should starve themselves.”
“That’s the conclusion I came to,” Paul agreed. “I was looking into her meds also, and everywhere it says it’s important you stay hydrated on these meds. That it’s common for people to dehydrate and overheat.”
Elijah scratched at his head, knowing that Paul was right. But also knowing that Delores had always been conscious of this very fact. As if mocking him, the air-conditioning clicked on and the cool air trailed over his back, making goosebumps prickle against his heated skin.
“Okay, so what I’m thinking is this: if she’s not taking care of herself, not eating and drinking, then that technically makes her unsafe. Which means you can keep the search going for her,” Elijah said, clinging on to the thought with both hands.
Paul nodded, though his expression remained doubtful. Before he could reply though, his cell phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket and answered it. He watched Elijah as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line, nodding every once in a while and muttering his thanks. He hung up and put his phone away, his gaze shifting to Elijah though he looked anything but happy.
“Another sighting?” Elijah asked expectantly.
“Yep, this time by a highway patrol officer down near Seligman Arizona. She was sleeping in her car just off the interstate 40 business loop.”
Both men looked down at the map on Elijah’s desk, finding the exact space and then Elijah marked it with a circle using a sharpie.
“What’s she doing all the way down there, Elijah?” Paul asked. “And why is she staying in her car and not getting a motel?”
“I have no idea,” Elijah stood up and grabbed his truck keys from the desk. He wanted to go to her, drive down there and find her.
He could look after her. They could sort this out, if she’d just let him in.
“Where the hell are you going?” Paul asked, his features hardening.
“I’m going to go down there; I’ll check in with the officer that found her. Put out a search for her car. We know whereabouts she is, now we just have to get to her.” Elijah looked up, his face still contorted in anxiousness.
