I walked into the police station, my sneakers scuffing the floor. The place felt heavy, like the air carried everyone's worries. I ignored the front-desk guy's bored glance and gave my name.
"Frederick Harper. I'm here about my mom, Clara Harper."
He pointed to a row of chairs. "Sit. Someone'll see you."
I sat, my hands fidgeting. Mom wasn't missing — she ran away, based on the letter — but I wasn't about to tell them that. I had to keep this under wraps until the private detectives found a clue. A missing middle-aged woman would just have to do.
But Warp, that cursed drug, kept coming up in my head. It wrecked Dad's mind before rehab, and now I couldn't shake the feeling it was why Mom was gone. Madame Natalia had told me to stop playing detective and come here. I didn't trust her sharp smile, but I had no better leads.
My phone buzzed. Maxwell's text: "hey Freddy just got back, we need to talk, Sammy said you are with the police, we will talk when you are done over there."
I replied: "sure, this shouldn't take long at all."
"Harper?" A woman's voice cut through my thoughts.
"That's me," I said, my hand raised up.
Detective Alvarez stood there — short hair, sharp eyes, badge gleaming. "Let's talk."
She led me to a small office, just a desk and two chairs. She sat, flipping open a thin folder.
"Let's hear it," she said, her fingers crossed on the desk.
"Ummm… My mom is—"
"Missing?" she finished for me.
"How did you know about that?" I asked, surprised she already had the detail.
She just stared at me a moment, then continued. "I don't believe I introduced myself. The name is Lucrecia… Lucrecia Alvarez."
"Alvarez?" I said, genuinely shocked.
"You are my mom's…?"
"Sister," she answered. "Yes."
My head felt light. "My mom said the only reason we were going to Sariel was because she had a sister there, and it's nice to have someone you know in a place you don't know."
"Your mom was always… sentimental," she said.
"Ok, let's go down to business. Why haven't you told me about your mom's disappearance?" she asked, folding her hands.
I explained what had happened — the note, the empty days, the way nobody seemed to see anything. Surprisingly, she didn't get mad, insult, or criticize me. She just said, "Don't joke with a human life. Things happen faster than you can imagine, and you are way too young to carry that burden alone."
She read from her screen. "Clara Harper, 42, sells women's accessories. Last seen two weeks ago. No phone or bank activity. You got anything new?"
I hesitated. After all, it was just a guess — we had no definite proof.
"Fred? If you know something, tell me… This is your mum we are talking about."
I sighed. "I think it has to do with the recent Warp reveal on the news… or rather, its return."
"Warp? Are you sure?" she said, looking into her laptop.
"I'm not sure. I just feel that way, after her reaction when she saw the news."
"What was her reaction?" she asked.
"One of shock and… I tried remembering her face that day. Fear. There was fear in her eyes."
"But Warp died down, so it was maybe just a bunch of fake news. It has been a year after all," she replied.
"Fred, did your mom act strange after the incident with the news?" she pressed.
"Let's see… umm… come to think of it, she barely went to work, and the days that she did she came back quite late. I had to make dinner myself most of the time, and most of the time I starved because I couldn't make dinner."
She tapped the end of a biro cover against the desk — a small clicking sound. "I should have known," she said quietly. "Let me tell you a bit about your mom."
"Young Lucrecia leaned forward, voice softer now. "Your mom was from a place called Levinsville. She was my big sister. I idolized her. She was smart, funny, and beautiful. She had so many admirers that your grandfather had to threaten them a few times to leave her alone."
I looked at her like she was telling me the secret to the universe. "Wow. Never knew my mom's life wasn't always boring."
"She wanted to be a lawyer," Lucrecia continued. "Your granddad wasn't well off and he could only afford to send one of us to college. It was meant to be your mom. She was the promising child. I was supposed to work on the farm and wait till she made it in the big city, then take me along. I was not happy with it, but what could I do?" She chuckled dryly.
"But then your mom met your dad, Jonathan Harper, and for the first time in her life she fell for someone. Jonathan loved her too. It was beautiful — until she got pregnant. At nineteen, your granddad was furious; he beat the crap out of your dad after he found out and refused to speak with your mom ever again. Eventually I was the one who got the tuition for college."
She paused, looking at me. "Your mom didn't stop studying. Even when your dad had some money saved, she still didn't go for the bar exams. Do you know something, Frederick? Your mom was never pregnant the first time she said she was. She lied about the pregnancy. She only actually got pregnant after they arrived. Even your dad never knew she was lying — he believed her. My point is… your mom did that for me because she loved me. I bet she would have still found a way to get me into college if she hadn't fallen in love with your dad. So, Frederick, you can't lose your mom. I won't forgive you, and most importantly, you won't forgive yourself. You need to know this isn't a joke. She may actually die — God forbid that happens."
Her words hit me hard. Hearing that made me realize what was at stake. I was glad I'd come in that day.
"You already know about your mom and her involvement with Warp before," Lucrecia said. "After what they did to your dad, she fought back. She hired people, but all those years of reading paid off — your mom absorbed information faster than anyone. She looked into Warp and figured out a link. She knew, herself, it could endanger her, so she told me to be careful. That was how we helped bring down Warp eight years ago."
"Tell me, Frederick, is there anything you're missing—anything you remember?" she asked.
"I don't remember much myself," I admitted, "but I will keep looking into it."
"Normally I'm meant to take in your statement, but that will be next time. Go home and get yourself something to eat, okay?" she said, standing. "I will come visit tomorrow."
"You can go now," she added.
I left the police station it was already late past 9 to be exact
Maxwell,sent a driver to come pick me up,I've been staying at his place for a while,
I gotta admit it feels good to be treated like a king,
I got to his house and opened the door,.
And there he was standing on the opposite side of it.
The only face ,that makes me think before I speak ,that scares me out of my wits.