Vanished in the Dunes by Allan Retzky

sixteen, I found out that she already had sex with a neighbor’s son. After I challenged her with this, she only laughed and said she planned to do it next with his father. I never confronted her again, but over the next few years, bits and pieces of what she did and what she thought came out. I learned that it was Jewish men she went after. She was determined to prove herself better,determined to show them she was in control. And she found she could use sex as a way to get the power.
    “I wasn’t sure why she felt this way unless she got it from our father who blamed the Jews for displacing us years ago. But then he also blamed the other Arab states, the Americans, and the Communists. Why she singled out the Jews I’ll never know.”
    The words hang in the air like wood smoke. Bennett clears his throat. Weis bends to the side and whispers to her as she reaches for another cigarette. She hands one to Weis and they both smoke. Wisdom thinks that Chief Ferris was very shortly going to be pissed big-time at the invasive tobacco smell in his office. This time, as if to reinforce his thoughts, she keeps the cigarette alive past a few drags, although Wisdom thinks she’d be better off with a glass of vodka. He certainly would.
    “When was the last time you heard from her?” asks Bennett. “Was it the night she left your parent’s home in Vienna?”
    “No. About two years ago I got a very short note from her. Said she had just come to the States for her residency. That’s all. No apologies. No suggestions we meet. No matter what happened or what my parents feel or I feel, she’s still my sister. I need to end this. I need closure. Please find out what happened to her.”
    No one speaks. The room is quiet except for the distant hum of an air conditioner.
    “Do you know if a man might be involved? Probably a Jewish man. It would make some sense if there was.”
    Wisdom catches Bennett’s eye without difficulty and tilts his head perceptibly.
    “The police are pursuing some possibilities,” Bennett says, “But there isn’t anything concrete at this time.”
    She stares ahead and jams the cigarette out. Then for a brief moment she looks like she was going to cry, but the moment passes and she’s back in control. She leans toward Weis and mumbles somethingin German. Wisdom looks at Bennett who shakes his head sideways. Weis asks if they’re done.
    “For now.” Wisdom and Bennett both answer. Weis rises and takes Brigid’s arm to help her stand, but she eases her arm free. This is one tough lady, Wisdom thinks.
    “Can we reach you if we need to speak again?” he asks.
    “That won’t be a problem,” she says. “I’ll be staying at the guesthouse of one of the Washington Embassy people for a few days. It’s actually very close to here. My luggage is in Herr Weis’s car. I also plan to take a leave of absence from work for as much as a few months and rent a place in the area. I understand it will be easy to do after your Labor Day weekend. The senior people in Geneva have already approved the idea. I need to find out what happened and I think the answer is out here somewhere. If you need me, Herr Weis will have my number and address.”
    Then she points to the photo of Heidi that rests atop the open file. “May I have a copy of that?”
    Wisdom is quick to answer. “Yes. We have copies,” and he hands her the picture.
    Weis produces a card that seems to appear from up his sleeve and passes it to Wisdom. They all shake hands. Wisdom is surprised that Brigid’s feels incredibly warm for someone with such a controlled exterior. The two Austrians walk a few steps toward the door that Bennett holds open. Weis waits for Brigid to pass ahead when she stops and faces Wisdom.
    “Do you think she’s still alive?” she asks. He feels her eyes bore right through him.
    Before he can answer, she turns and walks through the door with Weis in pursuit. Wisdom watches them disappear down the hall through the opaque glass