Author's note: I've written quite a bit lately, though I haven't shared any of it publicly. This story was written based on a single word prompt ("Solve") and it's quite different than most of the other stories I've written. I hope you enjoy it!
I wandered around the neighborhood for a few more hours, my mood as sullen as the overcast sky above me. Fresh out of ideas, I made my way back to the apartment, still scanning the streets for Sherri’s car.
I climbed the stairs to my landing and saw a man pacing in front of our apartment door, stopping once to try to see through the peephole, the resuming his march down the hallway. No doubt this was Sam, but I wasn’t convinced I was ready for the encounter and for a moment I debated going the other way.
“Are you Jack?” I heard him call out to me. Damn my indecision!
“Yeah,” I said, striding down the hall to my apartment, keys in hand. “Do I even bother asking the obvious at this point?”
He looked confused for a second, then stood straighter, almost defiant, and looked me right in the eye. “I’m Sam.”
“Sure you are,” I said, amused. I opened the door and looked behind me. “Come on in.”
He followed me and stood in the foyer, waiting for further instructions. Good, an obedient one. No wonder Sherri was attracted to him.
“I’ve been waiting for a couple hours for you to get back,” he finally said, fidgeting in place.
“Come in and sit down,” I told him, pointing to the sofa. “Want a beer? I’m getting one for myself.”
“Sure,” he said, planting himself as I suggested. Good boy.
I brought out the two open bottles from the kitchen and handed one to him. Raising it in salute, I tipped it back and took two huge gulps. He only sipped his, an obvious neophyte to imbibing. Another plus in his column, I guessed.
“You’re Sam, right?” I finally asked, sitting opposite him in my easy chair.
“Yeah. I haven’t hear from Sherri since last night.”
“Same here. She left with her bags to go to your place and I passed out in front of the TV.”
Sam considered what I told him and didn’t respond right away, instead seemed intent in trying to peel off the label from the green bottle.
“Don’t worry, I heard her whole conversation with you last night. Anyway, I just got back from looking for her. No one has seen her recently.”
“Where did you go?”
“All around the immediate neighborhood here. I stopped at her usual haunts, but most of them are closed today.”
Sam got up, walked over to the other side of the room and stood in front of me.
“I don’t believe you,” he said, looking down at me. If he was trying to appear threatening, he wasn’t doing the best job. I had to stop myself from laughing, though I couldn’t suppress the smirk on my face.
“I said I don’t believe you!” he shouted this time, a glimmer of emotion finally flashing in his eyes.
“What part don’t you believe, Sam, that I spent the morning trying to find her, because I did.”
He shook his head, his unkempt long hair flopping in his face, sticking to his unshaven chin. “No, asshole, I don’t believe that at all. I don’t believe you don’t know where she is, either. What I do believe is you hurt her or worse.”
I stood up and brought my face close to his. “Prove it, asshole,” I said, walking away from him. “Look around, see if you see any evidence of foul play. Have at it, I won’t stop you.”
For a moment, I thought he was going to comply, as compliance seemed to be something he was good at. Then he tilted his head and looked at me, again defiant and proud.
“Sure, so I can spoil a possible crime scene?” he intoned, standing even straighter than before. Intimidating, he was not. More like comical.
“So you’re calling the cops then?”
He handed me his barely touched beer. “I already have.”
I shrugged and watched him head to the front door.
“Hey, Sam?”
He stopped and looked at me, his hand on the doorknob.
“Look, I didn’t hurt her, okay? I would never lay a hand on Sherri.”
“That’s not what she told me,” he said.
I shrugged again. “Then she lied to you, man. I’ve never hurt another human being in my life, especially a woman, at least physically. And most especially Sherri. Despite everything she told you, I really do love her. I just could never be who she wanted me to be, but she apparently found that in you. And now she’s gone.”
He seemed as surprised to see tears rolling down my cheeks as I was feeling them. I really did love her, but not enough to want to change for her.
“I hope you find her,” I said to him and turned back to the living room. I heard the front door close behind me.
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