Like a Ghost into the Fog

The soup was cold.
Just another instance of crappy service. He knew that it was going to be this way. It was this way every time he came in this joint.But it was cheap, and cheap was all he could afford these days.
33 years on the force, and then he had to retire because of his bum hip. He couldn't keep up anymore. It was the only option available for him. But a cop's pension doesn't pay much, and he had to make the dollars stretch as far as he could.
Ernie never thought life would be like this. He didn't really know what he had expected out of life, but this wasn't it. Of that he was sure.
But Ernie did find work occasionally working as a private detective. It wasn't glamorous, but it paid the food bills. It let him eat at places like this. Ernie shook his head. "Oh what an existence." was his satirical thought.
His thoughts wandered through his memories, eventually winding back up staring at the cold soup. Ernie knew he could send it back. They might not screw with it, he was a regular. Even in this shit hole, Ernie thought there might be someone with dignity. But Ernie wasn't quite prepared to make that assumption.
Pulling a few dollars out of his pocket, Ernie tossed them on the table and got up. Staring at the soup wasn't going to make it taste better. It wasn't going to make him feel better and it certainly wasn't going to make him forget.
Looking around suspiciously, Ernie did his best not to remember any of it. It was hard not to, especially when it had haunted him for so long. People sometimes asked him what he remembered most about working as a Police Officer, what story stuck out the most? His reply used to be some terrible accident or a funny story depending upon his audience. That all stopped a few years ago. That was when he came across the only case he could never solve. Even now, years later, he would open up the file and go through it again to see if there was some piece of the puzzle he missed, some clue he overlooked.
Deep in thought, he left the diner and walked the few blocks back to his office/home. He had turned the downstairs into an office for his detective business and lived upstairs. It was a very suitable arrangement for him.
He couldn't get the case out of his mind now that it had come back up. It was such a strange case.
Ernie wasn't sure how he would classify it if he were to file it, missing persons, abduction, he really wasn't sure. It was so bizarre.
As he approached his office, he saw a newer model Mercedes-Benz sitting out front. Perhaps he had company, Ernie's clientele  was definitely upper-class. The poor had a hard time affording his services, he didn't come cheap. His knowledge hadn't either and this was Ernie's way of surviving.
Walking up to the door, a muscular fit man got out of the car, and approached.
"May I help you?" Ernie inquired.
"Yes," the stranger replied, "I was told that you would have any information regarding a person of interest to me. I was told that you were the person to speak to about this person."
Ernie's interest was piqued. "And who told you this?" was his next question.
"One Captain Maynard. Down at the precinct." was the quick response.
"The man had done some homework if he had spoken with the Captain." Ernie reasoned privately, "The Captain would have never sent him here if Capt didn't have good reason."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the summer was picking up hard and humid. Soon it wouldn't be fit to be outside at this time. Opening the door, Ernie invited the stranger into the cooler office, "Why don't we go inside and speak some more?" he said.
The stranger nodded and proceeded into the waiting room. Ernie went and turned on a few lights, and then indicated that the stranger should follow him into his office. Switching on lights, and getting himself comfortable, Ernie sat in his leather chair and gestured for the stranger to do the same.
As the stranger sat, Ernie took the opportunity to inquire further. Leaning forward, surreptitiously turning on his tape recorders, Ernie asked the stranger who he was looking for. Settling himself into his own chair, the stranger looked up and said the one name Ernie had hoped to never hear again. "Fred Franks". Ernie stared at the man, surely he had heard wrong. He knew that he had just been thinking about the very same name, it was just probably still in his head.
"I beg your pardon?" was his reply.
"Fred Franks. He disappear. The Captain said that after they could not make heads or tails of it, the family had contacted you in hopes you could find something. The Captain said you never did. But that you never gave up the case. I am here to find out what you learned." The stranger had lain a bomb in Ernie's lap. What was he to say? Who was this guy?
"And who are you to be inquiring of this matter, sir? I know all the family, quite well in some cases. I know you are not related. What is your interest in this matter?" Ernie wasn't sure if he wanted to divulge his information to this complete stranger.
"You are correct sir. I am not family. I represent another group that is interested in his whereabouts. Be it deceased or living, we would like to know what you know. I am aware that you probably don't want to divulge any information, and that is fine and well. I am entitled to compensate you handsomely for your time. All we want is a copy of your files, and to hear the story. That's all. Nothing more. After that, I will leave and you can about your way, a richer man.: The stranger had Ernie's attention. While he didn't like the idea of givng away information, Ernie did like making money. But it needed to be good money.
"How much compensation?" was his hesitant answer. The stranger pulled a check from his pocket, glanced at it, and slid it face down across the table. Ernie picked it up and almost dropped it again. He had never seen a check with that many zeroes. 10,000 dollars was a lot of money. Enough that Ernie could stop eating at that crap hole diner down the street. Nodding his acceptance, Ernie leaned back in his chair.
"It was the strangest case I have worked on in the 33 years on the police force and since as a private detective.....


 The only definite thing that I can tell you about the whole situation is that Fred Franks is gone. I don't necessarily mean dead, I just mean gone. I don't think he was abducted, there would have been some sort of ransom. I don't believe he committed suicide, at least he didn't there and there was never a body recovered. He just vanished.
The police got wind of it after he didn't show up for work. His manager called and called his phone, we found it in the apartment, showing the multitude of missed calls and texts, and when no one answered, she called his next of kin to check on him. His brother hadn't seen him since the day before, but agreed to check the apartment.
Fred's brother is the one who called the police. The police arrived to find the apartment in the same state that Fred's brother found it. Empty, but looking like Fred had just been there. No bags were missing, his cell phone was there, his car was there, the dog was in the kennel, but Fred was nowhere to be found. It was like he walked outside and vanished.
After the police exhausted every lead, and they had several, the family contacted me. I knew, taking the case that it was hard to track down someone on a case this cold, but I tried anyway. I kept running into dead ends. I would discover some facet of his life only to find that the people involved hadn't seen him in years. The man had become a ghost long before he disappeared with no close friends and only seeing his family once a week, or more.
I went through all the evidence, there was no foul play. I tracked down his drug dealer and the guy was just as surprised as anyone else. He didn't know where he had gone.
I must have spent weeks searching for some clue. I found nothing. The man simply vanished. It's all there in my files. You might find something I missed, or have information that I don't, but I couldn't figure it out."

The stranger was silent for a moment, and then asked, "So there were no clothes taken, no bags packed? Maybe he went camping with a friend or something?"
Ernie nodded, "I thought the same. But as far as I could tell, with the help of the brother, nothing was missing. No camping gear, no clothes. The man had locked his dog up in the kennel like he was leaving for work. But something happened between the front door and the car. I never could figure out what."
The stranger nodded, seemingly accepting Ernie's answer. "So what do you think happened?" he asked Ernie.
Ernie shrugged. "Now that is the 10,000 dollar question isn't it?" was his response. He chuckled and then continued, "I don't believe in aliens, and I don't think the government kidnapped him. In my honest opinion, he just left. For whatever reason, he reached his breaking point, and just walked away from it all. If he was determined enough, he could have slipped away without anyone knowing it. You reach another city, buy a ticket somewhere, say on a bus, and you could be gone forever. I didn't have the connections or money to create a nationwide man-hunt, so I wasn't able to check records nationwide. But my gut says this guy just up and walked away from his life. He disappeared. And in such a way as I have never seen. It was like he simply vanished."

The stranger nodded, thanked him for his time, took his copy of the files and left. Ernie watched him drive off. But he couldn't help the nagging feeling that he forgot something, something important. It was something about the check that kept bothering him. Turning it back over, he looked at the company's name that wrote the check. He had seen that name before. But where?
Ernie scratched his head for a long time. As he picked up the folder, his phone rang. Turning to answer it, he spilled some of the papers on the table. It was the Captain, inquiring about the stranger. Talking to the Captain, Ernie started putting the papers back in the folder. Just casually looking at one sheet, he froze. That was where he had seen the name! It was on the list of alias'. It was one of Fred's aliases!
Ernie couldn't believe it. He sat down heavily, forgetting the Captain on the phone. All he could think about was why? Why after all this time would he show up again, seeking information? Why?
The Captain, sensing Ernie's attention slipping, called out to him, "Ernie, Ernie! What's wrong?"
"I've got to go, Capt. That son of a bitch, Franks, was the stranger. He was just here. And he left."

Cries

The silence is what he searched for. It was all he sought. And something he could never achieve.
He stared at the eyes in front of him. He knew the secrets he sought were there, locked in the depth of the eyes.
Words lied, actions betrayed motives, but the eyes can't hide the truth..look long enough, you will always find the answers you seek.
The voices were silent. They were never silent, always arguing -bickering amongst themselves. The voices were his constant companions. He wished they would get outta his head. They just laughed at him. And he knew he needed them. It was the voices that can't the monster at bay. They kept it under control. If the monster were ever freed, the world would burn to the ground.
The eyes stared back, just as intense. There was no ground to be given, everything must be fought for, tooth and nail.
He focused deeper on the eye. They had changed colors since they appeared. The eyes had gone from a gorgeous blue to cold, hard steel -a grey that made you shiver with lack of emotion. The eyes were cold and unforgiving. He stared harder, the eyes never wavered, only staring harder themselves.
He searched the eyes for the humanity they had lost, for the soul abandoned. There was nothing but cold grey emptiness.
He blinked. It wasn't the answer he expected. He looked again, no he was correct, the humanity was gone.
He looked at his face in the mirror, his cold lifeless eyes staring back. He knew he was dead inside, but now the world would know it too.

Time

The seconds ticked by in long intervals. The space between the seconds seemed to last an eternity. Work was dragging by so long today. Fred looked at the clock again. Another second passed. It was a long time until closing. Some days Fred felt like he lived here at work. It had been so long since he took a day off. Seven days a week, non-stop. TICK.
Days and nights seem to have blurred together for Fred, he didn't even know what the date was. But this was the way he wanted it. Staying busy helped him forget. But it never really helped. He smoked pot regularly and in heavy quantities and he still couldn't forget. No matter hour hard he tried, Fred just couldn't forget.
TICK.
Another second passed. Every moment since she left had been like this, one eternity after another. Life had little meaning anymore.
They say that time heals all wounds. This was the wound time dugout. Fred could live forever and he would still be wounded. Love wasn't supposed to leave. Love wasn't supposed to fade.
TICK.
The hours at work were never enough, the hobbies at home even less so. He couldn't smoke enough, Fred was fairly sure there wasn't enough pot on the Earth to make him forget. And so he carried on, numbing himself, building his walls high, keeping everyone away. If no one came close, no one could ever hurt him again.
TICK.
Another second closer. At some point it would all end, of this Fred was sure. No one lived forever. Each passing second got him closer. Soon enough.
TICK.
Reality had warped for Fred. He daydreamed so much that telling reality from fantasy was no longer easy. Fred longed to get lost in a story, a connection with her. A way of being with her. Life wasn't real anymore, only the stories.
TICK.
another second closer.

Unexpected

The Grind seemed like it had been going on forever tonight. It was one of those nights where you were busy from the time you clocked in until the moment the store was closed. Fred was tired, he should have gone home an hour ago, but they were busy. "Just one more set of deliveries", his manager told him. That had been an hour and a half ago. Fred was still at it.
He read the address. Yep, he was in the right place. As tired as he was, Fred had to double and triple check to make sure. This late you just didn't want to knock on the wrong door.
Up the stairs, check the ticket, knock on the door, wait. It was a standard routine for Fred, one he did regularly. The door opened. A girl answered the door, "Oh, pizza. It must be for my roommate, hang on." The voice was hauntingly familiar. Fred knew that voice very well. He had heard it for a year or more at work, and many more times in his fantasies. It was Bailey. But he hadn't gotten a good look at her face, so he waited. Of course, he was going to have to wait anyway for the money.
Bailey. Fred hadn't seen her in two years. Not since he quit his last job. She had moved back west then. Bailey. Fred had a crush on her from the first day he met her. She was smart and witty and kind-hearted. But they had worked together and there was an age difference that Fred thought was insurmountable. That didn't lessen his fondness for her.
The woman  came to the door again, for Fred didn't feel right calling this attractive person of his past a girl anymore. She had grown into the woman that he first met, the one that attracted him in the first place. Bailey spoke, "That must be for downstairs, we didn't order pizza." Stepping out and closing the door, she continued, "Here, let me show you where it's going." Bailey didn't recognize Fred.
As Bailey led the way back down the steps, Fred spoke to her, "So, how have you been Bailey?" She froze and then spun back to look at the man standing above her. This time the light was right and she could make his features. "FRED!!!" she squealed and rushed to him, embracing him with a giant hug. "Oh my god, how have you been?"
As they continued down the stairs and to the correct door, the two chatted - catching up on how the other was doing. Soon enough, Fred had delivered the pizza and it was time to be on his way. "Goodbye," he told Bailey with regret in his voice. Bailey gave a little pouty face and then gave him a quick hug. "Do you still have my number?" Fred asked. Bailey nodded. "Give me a holler later."
And Fred went about his way. Back on the road, next delivery, and then another and another until it was time to close the doors and clean up and go home. As Fred was counting out his money, he got a text message. It was from Bailey.
"Sorry to text so late, but I was wondering if you were up" -B
"Of course, just finishing up work" -F
"Oh ok, good. I'm glad I got to see you tonight." -B
"Me, Too. I'm glad I knocked on the wrong door. It was great seeing you."  -F
"Yeah, I can't believe how random that was. But it got me to thinking about you....." -B
"Ohhhh?" -F
"Yeah, what are you doing after you leave work? Do you want to have a drink?" -B
Fred was sitting in his car, getting ready to head home and walk his dog and go to sleep. He had ten days of doubles coming up. But this was the girl from his fantasies asking him to go have a drink with her. How could he turn her down?
"Yes, that sounds great. Do you want to meet somewhere, have me pick you up???? I have to walk my dog first, but that won't take long." -F
"How about we meet at your place? Send me the address and I should be there after you finish your walk. I'll bike over." -B
This was not the reply he expected. This was not the girl he remembered.
With a few swypes of the finger, the rendezvous was set up. Fred hurried home so that he could get his dog walked before she showed up.

As Fred finished his walk, he saw someone sitting on his front porch. It was Bailey. She greeted his dog like everyone else, gushing over how cute he was. Small talk followed and everyone moved inside. Bailey had brought some Jameson over and soon a few shots had been taken and talk began flowing.
Having been a long night, Fred really needed to go to the bathroom. Excusing himself, he went to the bathroom. Feeling relieved, Fred soon was exiting the bathroom and heading back downstairs. But as he walked out of the bathroom, he heard someone whisper his name from his room. Turning around, he saw that a light was on in his room. Pushing aside the curtain, Fred found himself living a dream.
There on his bed, naked was Bailey. She lay there, legs slightly parted, perk breasts moving up and down slowly with her breathing, her hair spread out around her. Fred stood in the doorway, frozen. This couldn't be real, it had to be a dream.
Bailey lifted herself into a seated position and crooked her finger at him, beckoning him into the room. Fred felt his body move involuntary. He no longer had control over what was going on. As he started to get on the bed next to her, Bailey stopped him and slowly unzipped his pants. Fred's hard erection sprang free. A slight smile appeared on her face and without uttering a word, she slid his length into her eager waiting mouth. It felt so good, Fred felt his knees get a little weak. Slowly, she pulled it back out of her throat until just his head was in her mouth. Then sucking as hard as she could, she pulled his cock out of her mouth, it made a sucking sound once freed.
Bailey's voice came throaty and low, "Take off your clothes and lie down on the bed." Fred was quick to comply. Stripping his clothes off, Fred hastily laid down on the bed. Bailey leaned over and nuzzled his erect cock with her lips, nibbling at the head. Fred was in heaven. She took him back into her mouth sucking him and licking him until he could finally control it no more and came deep in her throat. Bailey sucked it all down until there was nothing left coming out.
Sitting up and facing Fred, Bailey positioned herself over his still erect penis.  Slowly, teasing him, she lowered herself onto his cock until he was pushing past her lips and into her. Down and down she went, centimeter after slow centimeter, until he was completely in her. The feeling was extraordinary. Fred was so glad that he had just came so that he could enjoy this as long as he could. He wasn't sure what he had done to make Karma reward him like this, but Fred was going to savor it.
Rocking back and forth, grinding her clit into his pelvis, Bailey started pulling her pussy further and further up Fred's cock until she was gliding the whole length. Fred instinctively slid his hands to her hips to help her with the strokes. Her breasts bobbed up and down, full and firm. The breasts of a 21 year old. Bailey couldn't take it for long, and soon was collapsing on Fred's chest, panting and sweating and shaking with her orgasm. Fred was far from through. He gently rolled her unto his side and then her back. Following her over with this rolling motion, Fred was quickly on top. Before Bailey knew what was going on, Fred had positioned himself before her pussy and was pushing in. With one deep swift stroke, Fred pushed himself all the way into her. Bailey's pussy tightened hard, pulling him in deeper and she came again. Satisfied she was in the euphoric state that he was seeking, Fred started pounding Bailey as hard as he could, sliding deeper and deeper into her soaked pussy. Bailey came over and over and over, moaning loudly, calling out his name in pleasure.
But Fred was no god, and in due time reached the end of his stamina and blew his load deep into Bailey. Spent, he pulled out and lay down beside her. Bailey rolled to her side to allow Fred to spoon with her. Fred's penis was still hard and erect, so Bailey lifted her leg slightly and pushed his cock back into her. Feeling full, she snuggled tight up against him and soon was drifting to sleep. Spent and satisfied, Fred soon did the same.

The blaring of the alarm woke Fred. It was time to get ready for a long day at work. Opening his eyes and remembering the night before, Fred looked around. Bailey was no where to be seen. He got up and got dressed and then went through the house, with no one there but his dog. Wondering if he had dreamed the whole thing, Fred got his dog ready for their morning walk. As he was leaving the house, his phone buzzed, he had a text message.
"You were so fantastic last night, I am so glad you knocked on the wrong door. I had class and had to run. Text me later."
It wasn't a dream.....