Missing Person
I'd received the phone call about half an hour ago. And sure enough, spot on time, she'd turned up. I sat in my patrol car parked opposite an expensive block of flats. The middle aged woman arrived with a much younger man. They stopped at the entrance. She gave him a long, passionate kiss before opening the door, then, hand on his bottom, she'd pushed him inside.
Brazen, wanton, she didn't give a fuck. I made some notes in my notebook. More evidence. She wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Second time this week. She'd pay dearly for this. I pulled away from the kerb and turned on the siren, briefly, just for a few seconds. I wanted her to know, to know I knew, to know I'd been there.... watching.
The whole situation had developed several months ago. I'm a twenty-seven year old police sergeant and I work in a busy London district. I'd been asked by the control room to allocate a call that had come in. A woman wanted to report her mother missing. All my officers were busy. It was a run of the mill job and so, rather than allocate it, I said I'd deal with it, it would get me out of the office.
'Thanks, sarge,' said the controller and left it with me.
I looked up the call on a computer:
Informant: Mrs Claire Carter, 25, Beauvoir Gardens NW1.
Text: Concerned for welfare and whereabouts of 48 year old mother, Simone Firle. Hasn't been seen for several weeks. Unusual not to let her daughter know of her whereabouts, no details of neighbours, has checked with friends...........
There were a few more insignificant details.
I sat listening to an attractive woman in her mid twenties telling me about her missing mother. The husband sat passively and nodded. She struck me as a little neurotic.
'... It's been going on for a while now officer, ever since my father died a couple of years ago, but it's been getting worse recently. We never seem to know where she is...She's been missing for two weeks now. I'm getting concerned.'
I asked what enquiries they'd made, whether they'd checked with friends and relatives. They had, although they had limited information about the mother's social life. I took a report and left the place promising to keep them updated. There was nothing to suggest that the mother had come to any harm, it seemed to be a case, oddly enough, of an overprotective daughter. Still, you never knew...
I decided to visit the mother's address, make a few local enquiries then pass the report on to one of my officers. I didn't mind helping out but I didn't want to get tied up with this sort of crap for longer than necessary.
The missing mother lived in a very smart block of flats, top floor, penthouse. She must have some cash. Not expecting a reply, I knocked on her door whilst deciding which of the neighbours to make enquiries with first. The door was pulled open, forcefully, and a woman's voice, sharp with rebuke, hissed:
'You're late!'
I was surprised. The woman looked shocked. I was obviously not who she'd expected. Instinctively, the lady put a hand up to cover her breasts. Her daughter had painted me an entirely different picture. She was not as I'd expected.
Before me stood a woman I knew must be in her late forties but could have passed for late thirties. And she was fit. Ash blonde, shoulder length hair, blue eyes. She wore a red, silk robe, but not much underneath. I dared not look too hard and tried to keep my eyes directed towards her face. I always try to be professional.
'Mrs Firle?'
'Yes?'
Her voice had softened.
'My name's Sergeant Franks, I'm sorry to trouble you, your daughter was concerned, she said she hasn't seen you for a couple of weeks. She was worried something might have happened to you.'
The lady broke into a smile.
'Oh do come in sergeant, I'm sorry if I startled you I was expecting someone else, should've turned up ages ago.'
She shut the door behind me then led me through to a lounge. I followed her, mesmerised. She was wearing spiked heeled, thigh length, black leather boots that came up almost to the cheeks of her bottom. The red, silk gown was tied loosely at the waist. She didn't appear to be wearing anything else; although I thought I could see the trace of a thong outlined by the thin silk. She showed me to a sofa, then sat opposite in an armchair, crossed her legs and sat back, relaxed and totally unconcerned. My eyes were drawn to an area of flesh between the top of her boot and her robe, exposed as she'd crossed her legs. I looked back up to her face. She was watching me, amused.
'Do you like my boots?'
'Yes, they're very... pretty,' I said.
'Pretty?' She laughed. 'I've not heard them described that way before.'
I felt a little sheepish.
'Mrs Firle, you're obviously fine, I'll let your daughter know... she gave me the impression that you were... ' I struggled to find the right word, the lady helped.
'Not coping? Confused? Helpless?' She laughed. 'Sergeant, my daughter may have told you that my husband died several years ago. I'm afraid she's expected me to play the part of the grieving widow ever since. I was very happily married and before he died my husband made me promise to carry on living life to the full, which we had always done and I've continued to do. I have a very full and busy life. I love my daughter to bits, but she's very prim and proper, always has been, don't know where she gets it from. Did you meet her husband? He doesn't help the situation. She would have been better off married to a wet dishcloth.'
I laughed.
She studied me.
'You're very handsome, sergeant.'
I was taken aback by her forthrightness, her confidence.
'Thank you', I said, again a little sheepishly. I wasn't used to a woman like this... My eyes had strayed back to her thighs.
'Well, I had been expecting someone else, but my evening appears to be ruined. Would you have a drink with me sergeant?'
'I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm on duty.'
'Oh, come on, just one? One won't hurt?'
Normally, I would refuse outright. It's not that I'm a complete stickler for regulations; I just like to have a clear head when I'm working.
'Okay then, just one.'
She smiled at me, got up and walked slowly out of sight into the kitchen. Sex on legs. I would have followed, to help, but I'm sure she would have spotted my erection. She returned carrying two glasses of wine. I swear she'd loosened her robe. She stood by me and extended an arm, to give me the glass, then changed her mind. She turned, and with her back to me, she bent over and put the two glasses on a coffee table. As she bent over, her robe rode up from the black leather boots revealing her bottom... inches from my face. Covering her plump pussy was a thin, black leather thong. I felt my mouth watering. She stayed there, provocatively, moving coasters under the wine glasses. Irresistible. I was about to grip her thighs and press my nose into her bottom when she stood up and turned around. What the hell was I thinking?
'There,' she said and was about to say something else when the doorbell rang. With a mock, horrified expression she put her forefinger to her mouth, then sat on my lap. She leaned toward my ear.
'It's my date,' she whispered. 'Keep quiet, I'm not interested in seeing him tonight.'