Part 9

It took Risa a moment to catch her breath. She stood motionless at the base of the stairs. Had she heard her mother correctly? Was her mother losing hope? Her mother had been such a rock of certainty. There had never been a crack in her resolve to find Caleb, but to hear those words come directly from her mother's mouth deflated Risa like a balloon.

Risa gripped the railing to help keep her balance and shut her eyes tightly. She exhaled slowly to calm herself.

"I thought I heard you come in!" A shrill voice cracked through Risa's intense impromptu meditation like a whip. Risa looked up and saw Charlene standing at the top of the stairs.

Charlene stood with a hand on her hip and blew a small bubble with her gum. She was wearing tight black shorts over a light blue tank top. Charlene liked to wear clothes tighter than would usually be considered decent for a Sunday service. Charlene was a very pretty girl and much curvier than Risa. Charlene wanted to emulate the pin-up bombshells from the 1940's and 50's. She saw glamor in the old pictures of Bettie Paige, Dorothy Dandridge and Marylin Monroe. Charlene loathed the waifish looks that seemed to dominate all of the Women's magazines she would read.

"Why are you so late?" Charlene's voice was high pitched and was found a tad irritating by more than one person. Risa had come to tolerate Charlene's voice after many years of friendship. Charlene was a bit shallow and could be selfish or a little crass, but her loyalty to Risa had never wavered as these "best friendships" tend to do once adolescence was reached.

Though outwardly they did not share much in common - from their socioeconomic standing, Charlene's wealth to Risa's "just enough to get by", to their taste in food - they clung to each other and lent emotional support and strength.

Charlene didn't have any siblings and was doted on like a princesses. Many girls at school secretly hated and envied Charlene for all of her opportunities and the ample attention she received from the boys, so Charlene reacted with a callous and aloof attitude.

"I thought you said you'd be here 15 minutes ago. I've been waiting forever." Charlene emphasized the word "forever", drawing out the word and making sure to pronounce each syllable distinctly. Risa shook her head and climbed up the stairs towards her room. Charlene rolled her eyes as Risa walked passed her but still unconsciously served as a guardian for her friend.

Caleb's room was the first door on the left as you reached the top floor. Risa rarely entered the room before Caleb disappeared and did so even less now that he was gone. Charlene had taken a position directly in front of the door to Caleb's room as if to shield Risa from seeing it. Charlene did not realize that she always walked closest to that door whenever they both passed it together.

Further down the hall stood Risa's bedroom and the bathroom she had shared with Caleb. Risa's room door opened up on the left with the bathroom door directly across from it. When Caleb was still home their bathroom was always an untidy mess. No matter how much she fussed at him to pick up his things or how much he yelled at her to keep all of her hair products organized it was usually in a state of chaos. That was another thing that changed after Caleb was gone.

Risa's mother was notorious in her insistence on cleanliness. It was probably from her time spent in the Army. Caleb's disappearance only seemed to exacerbate her mother's need for organization and tidiness. This obsession seemed to rub off onto Risa. Risa could no longer stand having her things out of place or messy. Over a few weeks, Risa and her mother had painstakingly re-organized the entire house, cleaning every nook and cranny. They had completed these tasks in near silence. Risa figured they had done this to try and establish a sense of normalcy and order, but while keeping them busy, it did not do much to alleviate their sorrow.

Risa quietly filed into her room and plopped her bag onto the small writing desk below the far wall. Risa's room was stationed above their garage and a large window overlooked the driveway. After setting the bag down she stared outside at a green car driving past her house. The car was going way too fast in a residential area, she thought to herself.

Charlene had followed Risa into the room and went to lay down haphazardly onto Risa's bed. Charlene furrowed her brow then repeated.

"So why were you late?"

"I'm not late, I texted and told you that I was going to get here now", Risa said calmly. She never had to raise her voice at Charlene, though the thought sometimes appealed to her. Risa turned back from the window to look over at Charlene. Charlene had propped herself against some ruffled pillows adorning Risa's bed. She looked comfortable even though Risa's sheets could never match the thread count or quality.

"Whatever," Charlene finally relented, "so when I got here, that detective was already talking to your mom. I was surprised he was here again."

"He drops by every other week or so."

"Wait, I thought your mom decided she couldn't keep paying for him. Didn't she already use that money that was supposed to help towards a new car for you?"

"Yeah, he just said he'd keep working on the case for free."

"For free?" Charlene looked skeptical, "I bet he likes your mom. No one works for free."

"He doesn't like my mom," Risa shook her head, "besides, my mom wouldn't like him."

"Why wouldn't she like him? He's good looking for an old guy." Charlene shrugged. Risa took a moment to look at her best friend reclining on her bed. Charlene was a good judge of things when it came to physical beauty. Risa had never thought that Detective Wardell as an attractive entity. She supposed that she never had time to really think about. She examined Wardell in her mind.

Detective Wardell was a large man. Tall and solid. He had short, neat hair that was always parted to the side. His hair was a mix of light brown and gray. It was hard to tell his age but his face was lined with sharp creases and his eyes were bordered with crows-feet. He had a strong and straight jaw that framed the lower border of his face. Wardell had clear and bright blue eyes that always moved languidly from side to side when he looked around the room. Risa could not imagine him ever looking rushed nor panicked.

At that point Risa realized that Wardell was a good looking man. A man who may have designs on trying to woo her mother. Her mother that was racked with grief! What gall this man had to take advantage of her mother. The more she thought about this prospect the angrier Risa got.

Charlene must have noticed Risa's brow begin to furrow and said, "Well, maybe he's not a bad guy."

Risa heard the front door creak open then shut. Wardell was leaving. Risa spun around to look out of her window. She didn't see Wardell walking down the path towards his car so he must have stopped at the door to say a final goodbye to her mother. Maybe a goodbye kiss? This thought spurred her into action.

"Come on," she beckoned to Charlene, "I'm going to go have a talk with Wardell." Charlene's eyes widened in excitement, she loved drama and confrontations. Risa made her way out of her room and bounded down the stairs. Her mother was no longer in the entry foyer and Risa could hear her rummaging around the kitchen. Risa looked over to Charlene who gave her a reassuring nod.

Risa grabbed the knob, opened the door and stepped outside. She saw Wardell walking along the sidewalk towards his car and yelled out to him.

"Hey! I wanna talk to you!"