"So you've not seen John in three days," Officer Dillon said again, making sure he'd heard the answer exactly.
"No officer," said Uncle Matt, "both the Mrs. and I have not." He wrote that information down on his papers and looked toward Danielle, as he ran his fingers through his coal black hair.
"Now Danielle," he started, "when was the last time you saw him." She looked at his fingers holding the 'headache' giving pen. She'd had just about enough of him. If she didn't get too close to him, he had no effect on her. She was finding it difficult to keep her space as he questioned them and kept stepping closer to her so that she was forced to take steps backwards or in other directions just to keep away from him.
"I saw him out the window," she pointed toward the one which looked out front the street. It was the same time my Aunt and Uncle told you they saw him. "He kept walking up and down the sidewalk, pacing. It was strange."
He made a few more notes and then smiled. "Thank you," he replied and shook hands with Aunt Marie and Uncle Matt. Danielle avoided the contact by picking up a cup and cradling it in her hands when he tried to shake hers.
"Thank you officer," she said instead and moved toward the kitchen pretending that she needed to put her empty cup in the sink.
"Boy, things have gotten ugly in this town lately, don't you know," said Aunt Marie as she sat down in her favorite chair and picked up her sewing. "Maybe we should move,"
Uncle Matt just looked at her and smiled, then walked into the kitchen. He needed to get back to work on his old truck.
Danielle put her cup down and looked out the window. "What now?" she wondered. Two deaths and a missing person was it time to move on?
"What are you going to do today, Danielle, my dear?"
Danielle jumped; she'd forgotten Aunt Marie was in the room.
"I'm going to do some shopping and then go to work," she replied, "would you like to join me?"
"Me in all those young ladies shops?" She smiled warmly and declined the invitation.
"Darlin, I'm just too old to be seen in those. What would the ladies say the next time at our group meeting?"
"Well," answered Danielle, "They'd say you're a liberal thinker." She snickered, because they both knew that statement wasn't true.
"Enjoy your afternoon, Aunty," said Danielle as she bent down and kissed her aunt's cheek.
"You just be careful darling, with all this nasty going on around here I don't want to see you get hurt." After Danielle disappeared out the door she quietly added the word "again."
Danielle began to drive. Shortly she arrived at work, only to find Josie. She frowned.
"Hey! Look who showed up at work an hour early," teased Josie as she walked out of Bill's office carrying a big tray of sample drinks.
Her long legs were beautified in purple knee high boots, today, with a matching purple top, in-of-course, the latest design.
"What do you want?" she asked in her best syrupy voice, "Bill has some prospective clients in his office, and I don't think he wants to be disturbed just now."
"I don't want anything, answered Danielle, "I just need to get ready for work." She turned away and walked towards her locker. This was shit she just didn't need today.
"Hey, Danielle," Yelled Kathy from the main floor, "have you heard that they are investigating Josie as one of the murder suspects?"
