Fred rubbed his face and sighed as he hung up the phone.  He got up and poured a cup of coffee, and reviewed his notes again.  This was going nowhere. Harvey Blackwell hailed from a small town in New York, but nobody had seen him or his wife in more than two years.  They had taken a trip and never returned.  Foul play was suspected but there were no leads.  Taxes hadn’t been paid, vehicle tags hadn’t been renewed, and a cat had been abandoned in their brownstone condominium.  They had simply, and completely, vanished.

The door chime sang out, and Fred looked up to see a pretty, middle-aged woman standing hesitantly.  “Can I help you?” he asked.

“Are you the constable?” she asked.  He nodded and pulled out a chair for her, studying her carefully.  He knew he had never seen her before, but somehow she looked familiar to him.  He hated that feeling, as if there was something right in front of him that he was not putting together.   It made his manner brisk.

“My name is Katherine Benz.  My brother Moisey is being detained here,” she said, and looked around as if expecting to see him. 

“Oh!  Glad to meet you, Ma’am,” responded Fred.  “I apologize; I was in the middle of something and completely forgot you were coming.  Yes, Moisey’s detained, but he’s not here right this moment.  He’s at the county attorney’s office, giving his statement.  They should be back shortly, I imagine.”

Katy frowned.  “Is that standard procedure?  I never heard of such a thing.”

Fred smiled a little.  “It is here, unless I feel they are dangerous.  This is a small town, Mrs. Benz.  The lawyer I called on Moisey’s behalf works out of the same office as the prosecutor.  They have a quiet room to work in.  I don’t, as you can see.  So a deputy escorts the prisoner there, and they can get all the paperwork done they want.  My records are here, and you’re welcome to look at them.  I don’t have a statement from Moisey, though;  I couldn’t communicate with him well enough to get that done.  I’m hoping you can help me with that.”

“Call me Katy.  Yes, of course I’ll be glad to.  But how is he giving his statement there?”