The Herd(28)
“Of course she’s at risk,” Daniel blurted out. “She vanished into thin air. She had an event tonight. Something must have happened.”
“We’re considering all possibilities,” she replied mechanically, handing the folded yellow sheet to her partner. The polyamory contract. She thinks Eleanor just bolted.
“Officer, we know her extremely well,” Hana said. “This is completely out of character.”
“Is she on medication?” Ratliff replied. She was flipping through a small notebook to find a clean page.
“What?” Daniel asked.
“If she requires medication or treatment, that’s an important factor in assessing the level of risk.” She looked at Daniel expectantly, as if the rest of us weren’t there.
“Um…I don’t know, birth control, antidepressants, she takes something for her allergies but that might just be in the fall and spring. Her medication’s in a drawer on the nightstand—I can go get it.” He started to rise, but the cop shook her head. Herrera shifted his feet, impatiently, like a horse kicking at the dirt.
“Has she ever been involved in a missing-persons case before?” she continued.
Daniel swung his head wildly. “Never.”
I glanced over at Hana—had she and Mikki exchanged a look, or were my eyes playing tricks on me?
“Okay.” Ratliff made a note. “Let’s keep thinking. You mentioned this business announcement tonight. Is there anyone who’d benefit from it not going through? Or who’d want her out of the way?”
We all frowned. “We only just learned about it,” Hana finally said. “So I don’t know who, on our end, would have an opinion either way. I guess you should check with Titan.”
Ratliff nodded. “Is there anyone else we should keep in mind? Ex-boyfriends?”
“Eleanor didn’t really date anyone seriously between her high school boyfriend—she dated him the last year of college too—and Daniel.” Hana nodded toward him and he jumped. The high school boyfriend she’d briefly gotten back together with—I hadn’t met him, but I vaguely remembered him from photos. Blond and handsome, floating somewhere in that surfer/stoner/ski-bum continuum.
“And the high school sweetheart, they’re not in touch?”
“I guess a little. He doesn’t live here.” Hana kept tilting her head as her thoughts tumbled out. “Actually, we talked to his brother tonight. He was at the event.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Ratliff shook her head. “The brother of her ex was at the event this evening?”
“What are you talking about?” I prompted.
“He was there,” Mikki replied, frowning like it was obvious. “His brother is Ted.”
* * *
—
Ratliff copied down our contact information and handed us her business cards. She had a few more things to discuss with Daniel, she said, looking at us pointedly until we rose and headed for the front door. Hana was slowest to leave, handing Ratliff her own card as Mikki and I suited up for the cold. Outside, I opened my mouth to rehash everything that had transpired—the open relationship, what we thought those two cops were thinking—but then Mikki burst into tears, and when Hana hugged her she began to cry, too, and I almost wanted to join them, but the pressure behind my eyeballs was panic, not tears. Then Hana’s car was there, Mikki’s right behind it, and I was alone on the cold front stoop, the strangeness of the night spilling down the steps in front of me. I watched it, seeping into the street like billows from a fog machine, and suddenly knew what to do.
On the car ride home, I scrolled through my contacts, praying I still had the number. With a spritz of relief, I saw it was there, and I sent an encrypted message before I could think too hard about it: “I’m back in town and need you. Call me ASAP.”
As the car rolled along Delancey Street, I felt the old familiar pull, like a scratch, like a black hole centered somewhere in my lower torso: Figure it out. It was the feeling I got whenever an editor sicced me on something, had me sniff at the confusing pieces so I could pick up the scent and take off running.
My phone buzzed in my palm and I read a text from Erin: “Just saw announcement abt titan acquiring the herd. CRAZY!! Idk if you racked up serious karma or sold your soul to the devil or what but as your agent I am HERE FOR IT. I’m sure you’re celebrating/reporting like crazy rn but call me when you can to discuss.”
Of course Erin, too, had seen the headlines. Poor Hana—my sister never messes up, and now someone else had screwed her over. She gets so worked up, a balloon on the verge of bursting, when things don’t go according to plan. And then she acts irritated that she has to deal with it, but also doesn’t trust anyone else to help.
At least news of Eleanor’s disappearance hadn’t broken yet. I pulled up my photos, swiping through and confirming my surreptitious photocopies from Eleanor’s desk were indeed readable. I ran my fingers over the sticky notes in my bag. Somewhere in my chest, my resolve took shape and hardened, like clay in a kiln.
“Erin, you have no idea. I’ll call you in 30,” I texted back, then rested my head against the backseat and gazed out the window. Manhattan’s barbed outline flickered in the dark as the car thundered over the bridge and into Brooklyn.