her room?” He indicated the clothing neatly
folded in the drawers and the laundry hamper that was still half
full of clothing.
Mrs. Johnson nodded. “Donna… well, she
was always a unique child. Very orderly and neat. I.. I don’t know
where she gets it from, honestly!” She plucked at her tank top
under the robe. “I haven’t washed her clothes, because I thought…
they might need them.” She gave a self-deprecating smile. “Truth
is, I don’t want her to be mad at me when she comes home. She was…
so particular.” Mrs. Johnson became silent, staring at the laundry
basket, and tears began to leak from her eyes.
Clear was running her fingers across
the books on the shelves and Grant couldn’t help noticing how she
slowed down and rubbed one particular notebook. He made a mental
note to ask her about that. Grant turned to the woman and patted
her arm. “I understand how difficult this must be for you,” he
murmured. “Why don’t we step out in the hall and talk for a few
minutes.” He took her arm gently and led her out to the
hall.
Clear could sense the organization to
this room and thought how incongruous it was to the seemingly
distant and rebellious young woman in Kat’s memories. The room was
in light pastel colors and there was warmth and happiness in this
room. Happiness with order. As she ran her fingers across the book,
she realized that every one of these books had been carefully read
away from anything that might stain the pages. Not one page had
been bent or marred. The books were in careful order by author and
even Donna’s journal was placed on the shelf in order under
Johnson. As Mrs. Johnson and Grant walked out into the hall, Clear
pulled the journal out and flipped through it, grabbing images off
the pages and reading sections as she went. The thing she noticed
was that each entry was exactly one page long and the date and time
were written at the heading each time. Donna wrote in this journal
every single day! It was completely full. She must have had more.
This journal was for one year. She would ask Mrs. Johnson about
that.
The journal for the past year was once
again full of typical teenage experiences. Some were good, some
were bad, some were really good. Her first kiss happened in October
last year. Some were not as bad as they seemed to her. Her first
kiss dumped her two days later. She thought it was the end of the
world.
What she was getting of Donna was a
very organized, methodical planner. That didn’t match a runaway. It
didn’t make sense. Clear carefully put the journal back and scanned
the rest of the books. They were all cheerful books. Nicholas
Sparks, Seven habits of Highly Effective People, Shoeless Joe,
Mother of Pearl and several books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Pretty
heavy reading for a teenager.
Detective Bryce cleared his throat.
“Any enlightenment, oh wise one?” he smirked. She glowered at him,
wanting to respond in as snotty a fashion, but was aware that Grant
and Mrs. Johnson were in the hall and would hear any further
interaction.
She chose to reply, “You would be
amazed!” Smiling sweetly, she walked out of the room and rejoined
Grant and Mrs. Johnson in the hall. Mrs. Johnson looked at her
expectantly. She waited while Mrs. Johnson finished answering
Grant’s question.
“ Would you say that your
daughter was an over-achiever, Mrs. Johnson?” she asked.
Mrs. Johnson looked from her to Grant.
“Well… uh.. she was very…driven.” She looked a little flustered.
“Why? Is that relevant?”
Clear smiled, feeling very distracted
by Detective Bryce’s renewed presence. “It simply helps me.. to…
understand your daughter better.” She put her hand on Grant’s arm.
“If you’ll please excuse me… I need to step outside for a
moment.”
Mrs. Johnson’s eyes took on a worried
look. “Are you alright?”
“ I’m fine. Just still
adjusting to the area.”
“ You.. you aren’t from
Chicago?” Mrs. Johnson looked even more
folded in the drawers and the laundry hamper that was still half
full of clothing.
Mrs. Johnson nodded. “Donna… well, she
was always a unique child. Very orderly and neat. I.. I don’t know
where she gets it from, honestly!” She plucked at her tank top
under the robe. “I haven’t washed her clothes, because I thought…
they might need them.” She gave a self-deprecating smile. “Truth
is, I don’t want her to be mad at me when she comes home. She was…
so particular.” Mrs. Johnson became silent, staring at the laundry
basket, and tears began to leak from her eyes.
Clear was running her fingers across
the books on the shelves and Grant couldn’t help noticing how she
slowed down and rubbed one particular notebook. He made a mental
note to ask her about that. Grant turned to the woman and patted
her arm. “I understand how difficult this must be for you,” he
murmured. “Why don’t we step out in the hall and talk for a few
minutes.” He took her arm gently and led her out to the
hall.
Clear could sense the organization to
this room and thought how incongruous it was to the seemingly
distant and rebellious young woman in Kat’s memories. The room was
in light pastel colors and there was warmth and happiness in this
room. Happiness with order. As she ran her fingers across the book,
she realized that every one of these books had been carefully read
away from anything that might stain the pages. Not one page had
been bent or marred. The books were in careful order by author and
even Donna’s journal was placed on the shelf in order under
Johnson. As Mrs. Johnson and Grant walked out into the hall, Clear
pulled the journal out and flipped through it, grabbing images off
the pages and reading sections as she went. The thing she noticed
was that each entry was exactly one page long and the date and time
were written at the heading each time. Donna wrote in this journal
every single day! It was completely full. She must have had more.
This journal was for one year. She would ask Mrs. Johnson about
that.
The journal for the past year was once
again full of typical teenage experiences. Some were good, some
were bad, some were really good. Her first kiss happened in October
last year. Some were not as bad as they seemed to her. Her first
kiss dumped her two days later. She thought it was the end of the
world.
What she was getting of Donna was a
very organized, methodical planner. That didn’t match a runaway. It
didn’t make sense. Clear carefully put the journal back and scanned
the rest of the books. They were all cheerful books. Nicholas
Sparks, Seven habits of Highly Effective People, Shoeless Joe,
Mother of Pearl and several books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Pretty
heavy reading for a teenager.
Detective Bryce cleared his throat.
“Any enlightenment, oh wise one?” he smirked. She glowered at him,
wanting to respond in as snotty a fashion, but was aware that Grant
and Mrs. Johnson were in the hall and would hear any further
interaction.
She chose to reply, “You would be
amazed!” Smiling sweetly, she walked out of the room and rejoined
Grant and Mrs. Johnson in the hall. Mrs. Johnson looked at her
expectantly. She waited while Mrs. Johnson finished answering
Grant’s question.
“ Would you say that your
daughter was an over-achiever, Mrs. Johnson?” she asked.
Mrs. Johnson looked from her to Grant.
“Well… uh.. she was very…driven.” She looked a little flustered.
“Why? Is that relevant?”
Clear smiled, feeling very distracted
by Detective Bryce’s renewed presence. “It simply helps me.. to…
understand your daughter better.” She put her hand on Grant’s arm.
“If you’ll please excuse me… I need to step outside for a
moment.”
Mrs. Johnson’s eyes took on a worried
look. “Are you alright?”
“ I’m fine. Just still
adjusting to the area.”
“ You.. you aren’t from
Chicago?” Mrs. Johnson looked even more
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