Knock, knock, knock! Ben's midday nap was disturbed by the sound of banging on his front door, he was halfway through ignoring the knocking when the woman's voice cut through the door.
"Hello, Mr. Harris… please. Is anyone home?"
Ben got up from the couch and made his way to the door. Pulling the door open, his eyes met with a pale, distressed looking woman in a brown dress and a faded red coat. Her hands clutched together and eyes swollen from crying.
"Are you Mr. Ben Harris?" she asked, looking at the young man who was about six feet tall, not too tall but just right, with dark-brown hair that was short but not shaved. A small, clean beard traced his jaw, matching the slightly muscular build that made him look fit without trying too hard.
"Yes, How can I help you?"
"It's about my daughter, I haven't seen her in three days. She left to see a friend and I haven't heard from her since then. She's not answering her cell and I don't know who this friend is; I've looked everywhere Mr. Harris, please I need your help."
Ben shook his head and began to close the door.
"This is something the police should handle. I'm not—"
"Please," she reached for the door.
"Ma'am, call the authorities. I can't help you."
"I can't call them"
Ben paused. Something in her tone... it wasn't fear, it was dread. He opened the door a little wider.
"Why not?" he asked.
"It's… too dangerous." She wiped her face with her sleeve, voice trembling. " I understand that you are no longer working as a detective and what I'm about to tell you probably won't make any sense to you but you're the only one who can help me. So please… just hear me out.
He hesitates but lets her in eventually.
"have a seat" Ben said to the distressed looking woman who was tightly gripping her bag.
He waits patiently for the woman to begin. In her silence, he wondered. What would a well-mannered person do? Oh!
"tea?" He asks as he attempts to go to the kitchen.
"No, thank you"
"Alright then, go ahead. He says as he takes a seat across the woman.
"my name is Harriet Aniston and the girl I'm looking for is called Jane. Earlier I called her my daughter but that isn't entirely true"
"Okay, is she adopted?" Ben asked.
"Well sort of, her mother left her in my care when she was just a baby. Back when I used to be a nurse at a children's hospital."
"How do you know her mother, and where is she now?" Ben asked
"I don't, in fact the night she left Jane in my care was the first and last time I ever saw her. The night of July the fifteenth, 16 years ago, was the day we met. I was at work, at Brighton Pediacare hospital but it's closed now. It was a really stormy day, I was at the front desk right next to the hospital's entrance and noticed behind the glass doors a young woman with a child in her arms who was barely 3 years old loitering outside the hospital's entrance. She clung to the child in her arms, her eyes wandering about as though she was searching for something. Was she lost?
And then, she turned towards me; my eyes met her worried gaze as she approached. I beckoned to her as she nodded.
The door swung open, raindrops splattered from her dress, water droplets from her hair flowed to her face - she was pale; the shivering child in her arms was wrapped in a small coat that was now drenched from the rain. "Miss, are you alright? What happened? Please, have a seat"
"No madam, I can't. There isn't much time, I must leave now. Please take my child with you, I promise I'll come back for her"
"miss i can't …."
"Please, I beg you" She interrupted. "She would be in so much danger if she comes with me. But I promise, i'll be back for her" then she handed the baby to me.
I held on to the crying child as her mother waved her goodbye and walked out the door. 16 years later and here we are. All she left was a locket with two names on it; Jane and another that wasn't quite visible.
Jane has always known that I wasn't her biological mother and was never really curious about who her real mother was until a few months ago. She seemed to have discovered something. She would always lock herself in for days reading all kinds of newspapers and books and when I asked her about it, she would brush it off saying it was irrelevant. All this went on until a few days ago when she said she wanted to meet a friend and has been missing since then.
"Finding missing people is a job for the police and I'm no longer…"
"I know Mr. Harris; I completely understand why you wouldn't want to take this case or any other case at the moment but I beg you to reconsider"
"The rumors and the words on the papers don't matter to me because I know of all the good you've done and of the people you've helped. Take this case Mr. Harris and find her for me".
There is silence for a while.
The silence is interrupted by a loud sigh from Ben.
"I need to see the room and the things she was working on"
The woman stared at him, not sure if he had agreed or not.
"Now?" she asked.
"Yes, now!" Ben said as he hastily walked to the door. Harriet follows along like a confused duckling.
Then she pauses.
Ben, who is confused by her sudden pause asks "what's the matter?"
Harriet hesitates for a while then she speaks.
"It's nothing… it's just umm, are you coming dressed like that?" Harriet asked.
"Why, do you have a problem with what I'm wearing?" Ben replied, looking down at his clothes.
She stares quietly at him trying not to seem impolite.
"Umm..."
"Fine!" He says as he walks back to the table to pick up a piece of paper and pen.
"The address" Ben says as he proceeds to hand the items to her.
Harriet hastily writes down the address and hands it back to Ben.