Chapter 3

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Matt McGovern sat in the passenger seat, quietly staring out the window. He hoped he would be able to shake it off and focus. He still had seven more hours until his shift ended. They were the first to respond to the scene of the accident, not twenty minutes after leaving the station to start their rounds. He might be new to the force, but he wasn't new to violence and despair.

His parents were killed in a quick-e-mart during a burglary. Some idiot hopped up on speed was all jumpy when he was demanding money from the clerk, and saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and started shooting, everything, everyone in the store. It was hard, but he had to stay level-headed, because he had become the sole caretaker of his younger brother, Mikey, who was fourteen at the time, Matt had just turned twenty one.

He did his best with all sorts of terrible part time jobs, just trying to keep them from getting evicted from their apartment, and keeping food on their plates. Their "apartment" wasn't much more than a shack in a bad neighborhood, but he still managed to push Mikey in a positive way, making sure he had plenty of activities to be involved in, like football, and baseball, to keep him out of trouble.

Then, just as Mikey was getting ready for graduation, he got caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. He didn't die instantly, but his heart failed on the way to the hospital.

Matt was devastated, just wanted to crawl inside himself. He was alone, no one to check in on, and no one to check in on him either. It took about a year before he decided he had to help stop the violence, be a more moving force and advocate for victims, he knew he had to be a police officer.

Lindon pulled the squad car into the police station, turned the car off, and turned to face Matt.

"Hey, McGovern! I let you zone long enough, that was a tough one for your first time, but you gotta get your feet wet at some point." Lindon was bringing him back with her soothing talking-to-the-victims voice.

"Yeah, sorry, is it always going to be this hard?"

"Well, yes and no. You get the scum that had it coming, then you don't feel quite so bad. But then, you get the ones that seemed to be doing great, and...no it never gets easier. When it stops getting to you, it's time to quit. But, we do our job, and we go home and be thankful for what we have."

"Yeah, okay. So what do we do now?" Matt was beginning to thank the Lord for teaming him up with Brenda Lindon, she showed a side of herself to him, that it seemed no one else had seen, she was mostly known for being a tough, "take-no-crap from nobody" kind of cop.

"Well, we are going to file our reports, kick it over to Missing Persons, and we go back out and continue on our rounds. The job doesn't stop, just because it gets hard." Okay, the tough cop face came back on, as they walked up the steps of Central.

Later that night, Lindon and McGovern were answering a call on a D & D-drunk and disorderly, and their quickest route to the location, took them down Nuthatcher Road, they drove right past June Greene's house, which now had a white Mercedes convertible in the driveway. Matt saw the house and everything flashed back to earlier when they were there talking with June.

Ugh! He thought, he felt so badly for her. He lost his brother, whom he helped raise, but to lose your child, and so young too. Of course, she might not be dead, just terrified and hiding somewhere, he hoped for June's sake.

8:30 AM

It was his day off, and normally he would be sleeping in late and relaxing at home, but Matt felt himself drawn to drive, and he wasn't sure where he was going yet. Well, he had an idea, and he got there on auto, not really paying attention.

He pulled up to the curb at 2526 Nuthatcher Rd. The Convertible was still in the driveway. Jeez, what was he doing here? He should just turn around and go back home. Even if he did go in, what would he possibly say? Oh well, his feet were moving before his mind caught up, and before he knew it, he was ringing the doorbell.

After a few minutes, he was getting ready to walk away, when he heard the locks, and the door handle turning. It opened to a very fit, small woman with nearly white blonde hair that contrasted with her dark tanned skin, and big brown eyes, He had to look down at her 5'1" frame.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Connie asked, looking very tired and ready to strike at the same time.

"Yes, hi, I'm sorry, my name is Matt, Matt McGovern...uh..." He felt so stupid, he should just leave right now.

"Okay, Matt, Matt McGovern, we got the who part, what about the why?" She was being very protective, which Matt supposed was a good thing for June.

Then she appeared just behind the small, formidable presence at the door, looking somehow angelic in her white night shirt that went down to her knees. Her dusty blonde hair was all mussed up, like she just got out of bed, and there were circles as big as baseballs around her blue eyes. Swollen, from all the crying.

"Oh, Connie! Let him in!" She said as soon as she realized who it was. "Did you find her?! Any news?"

Matt suddenly felt horrible for coming over, seeing that hope rise up in her. He didn't think about her thinking he had something for her, just by being there.

"Oh, no, ma'am, I'm sorry. I don't have any more information for you."

"Then, why are you here? June already talked to the detective from the missing persons, and we are still waiting to hear the results of the investigation on the accident." Connie was nearly yelling at him with a stern, low voice now, infuriated by the intrusion of this man while everything was so wrong for her friend.

"Yes, I am sorry again, I didn't think about that. I...it's my day off, and I just wanted to see how she...how Mrs. Greene was doing. I should go." He turned and started walking down the path to the driveway.

"No, wait! Matt, you don't have to go, really. Why don't you come in, we have some coffee going, and Connie can whip up some of her famous wheat grass shakes."

Yuck! But, at least she wasn't furious with him, so he obliged, following them inside.

After Connie headed to the kitchen, June whispered to Matt, "You really don't have to have a wheat grass shake, I drink it to humor her, and then chug chocolate milk afterwards to wash away the taste. It's like that bad freshly mowed grass smell, only you can taste it all the way down." And she pulled a face, any kid would have understood.

He smiled inside, thinking, okay, good, she seems to be doing a little better today. He had to admire the fact that she was able to joke around at a time like this.

"Again, Mrs. Greene, I am sorry for dropping by like this, I...I couldn't stop thinking about you, I mean about all that's happened." Jeez, what an idiot! "Okay, maybe I should just stop talking, or I might have to insert my foot." Oops, did he just say that out loud?

"Please call me June, and this is Connie. She is my best friend, and she is Aunt Connie to Trina." She waited while they shook hands and nodded at each other.

"So, no news then, you haven't heard anything?" Again, that hopeful, sorrowful look.

"No, it's my day off, and really, it's out of my hands, I am just a patrol officer. It would be the detectives handling the case that would have the information if there was any."

"They don't seem to know anything either. They keep saying that Trina must have run away after the crash because she was scared. But she just wouldn't, it just doesn't make sense. You know, and something else, you and your partner said they traced the license plate here, but, wouldn't it have been easier just to look in Garrett's wallet?" While the tears welled in her eyes, she did her best to keep her voice steady, trying to sound a lot more calm than she actually was.

"Oh, um...we didn't find one, the CSU's on scene searched him, and all they found was a twist off cap in his pocket. No wallet, no I.D. Did he have a habit of leaving home without it?"

"No, he was a real stickler about that. Even if I was going out for a run, he always insisted I take my I.D. with me. 'You never know' That's what he always said to me. So there is no way he would leave home without it. Besides, he wasn't coming from home. He was coming from work, and he has to have his employee I.D. card to get in and out of the building."

"Okay, is there anything else that he always has, or uh, had with him?" Matt was thinking back, remembering the scene. The only property left in the car was that little princess backpack. Mr. Greene's pockets were empty, front seat empty, as well.

"Yes, he always had his briefcase with him, it was a brown leather briefcase, it was a little worn, but he loved it. I bought it for him when he first started with Bollock's Inc. almost ten years ago. I kept wanting to get him a new one, but he said it was like when you finally get a baseball glove good and worn in, that's when it fits just right."

She was suddenly back in their old apartment close to the college. It was a tiny one-bedroom, that really wasn't more than a studio. Only a month into their marriage, and still trying not to feel awkward changing in front of each other, or going to the bathroom, when there was no door. They were so excited packing up everything. Garrett was offered a great position with Bollock's, well, okay, it was a starting position, but had a lot of potential for upward movement. His new job and their new, much larger apartment was waiting for them in Colemar. She was sad about leaving her friends, and leaving college, but she was married!! She had a husband, a wonderful, sweet man at that. She would give up being a teacher any day of her life to have what she had now. Besides, she could always start up school again. June was in the closet packing clothes into vacuum-sealed bags, and she came out of the closet with a bright blue package, and a big blue bow on it, and took it to Garrett.

"I was going to wait until after we moved, but I just couldn't." She was grinning widely, anticipating his joy when he saw it.

"What is this?" He smiled and looked at her, and then like a kid on Christmas, he tore it open and pulled out the new expensive brown leather briefcase. "What, how did you do this? I mean wow, thanks, I love it, but how did you manage, that had to cost a lot."

"Well, yeah it did, but I saved up for it, been saving up for a few months, I knew with your attitude and qualifications, you were bound to be offered a job at any time." She smiled as his eyes were beaming, filled with pride and love. And they celebrated together in the middle of all the packing boxes.

"Okay, so maybe someone got to the scene of the accident before we got there, and helped themselves to any valuables they found." Matt, just realized he had said that aloud, and as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew what she must be thinking, because he was now thinking it too.

"Oh, no! What if they saw Trina in there and...oh, Lord, please no! Don't tell me, they took her!" That grief and worry clouded her face again, she looked as if she might faint again.

Matt got her a glass of water and made her drink a little. He put his hands on her shoulders, and turned her to face him, looked into her eyes. She was tall, almost matched his 5'10" frame.

"I know this is hard, the hardest! But stay with me, okay?" His heart was tugging, watching the hurt, scared eyes, and knowing what her thoughts must be.

A couple of tears fell silently down her cheek, she shook her head and looked back at him. He had such a concerned look on his face, it almost made her smile. Almost.

"I...what do I do? What do we do about this?" She barely managed to choke the words out.

Connie, who had been sitting quietly, a rare thing for her, watching the two of them, and consumed with thoughts in her own mind, spoke so suddenly they both jumped, as if they had forgotten she were there.

"Call that Detective Alvarez, right away!" She said it more to Matt than to June. "We need to tell him about this, maybe that will up their search, maybe they can put something on the news to help find her!"

Matt looked at Connie again, she was so small, but he could feel her power, her strength, and knew she was strength for June, also.

"Yeah, okay, let me go call him, Mrs. Greene. I will be right back." He wanted to get out of earshot, knowing there were going to be a lot of questions about why he was there at the house, and how he was connected to all this. He walked down the hall and walked into what had been Mr. Greene's office.

"Yes, hi, this is Officer McGovern, can you connect me to Detective Alvarez in MP please?" He waited a few minutes, listening to muzak, then was transferred to Alvarez' voice mail.

"Hi Detective Alvarez, my name is Officer Matt McGovern, I am at the Greene residence, with Mrs. June Greene, mother of missing Trina Greene-6 year old female. We have come up with some more information that may be vital to finding the girl, please contact the Greene residence ASAP, thank you." He hung up, and was slightly relieved that he didn't have to explain his presence just yet, but also felt bad, that there wasn't any other immediate action he could take. He walked back out to the kitchen, where Connie was holding June tightly and rocking with her- a funny sight considering their size difference. He was standing at the doorway, not wanting to interrupt, as he had already done earlier. Connie looked at him and nodded to the front door, telling him silently to go.

He nodded, took out his card and put it on the counter, then turned and left. He got in his car and headed home. It was only about 10:00 when he got home, but it seemed as though years had passed.

He thought he should try to get some sleep, tomorrow was his long day, with his luck, he would probably end up pulling a double shift. He laid down in bed, and read a book, a thriller, which wasn't helping at the moment. Then as he focused his mind more, he got out His Bible and began to read in Lamentations.

"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'" (Lamentations 3:21-24)

He put his Bible away and prayed for June and her daughter.

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