The Woman with a Locket.

The clock ticked and tocked into the skull of the chief of police's head. The man doubted that there was anybody who could not have a headache after listening to it for more than thirty seconds. Sometimes he could think of it as soothing (usually only on days when there was nothing that needed to be done). But that rarely was the case. There was always something or other going on at all times. All the man wanted was some peace and quiet.

"Mr. Chief Sir?!" a squeaky high pitched voice called over the loudspeaker on his desk. "Sir? Your presence is requested, sir!"

The voice of his secretary, Aron, was probably the most stress-inducing, earsplitting, horrible sound existing on earth for the poor Cheif of police. The voice meant that something was about to happen, and he was expected to take care of the whole situation.

"What is is Aron?" he mumbled back into the microphone.

"There's a lady here." Aron shrieked. "She says her husband is missing, and she is hoping you can do something to help her."

"Send her right in."

The woman was a very short, very straightforward person. Her skin was as pale as white chocolate and her hair was longer than she was tall. She was probably only about five feet tall and yet she looked intimidating to the chief. "Name?" he said.

The woman shook her head.

"My husband is missing! We don't have time for formalities! I need you to find him. NOW!"

"Wow there, calm down!" The chief exclaimed. "We just need a bit of background info so we can get started on finding him as soon as possible."

The woman quickly handed him an open locket. Inside was a picture of a tall man and this short woman standing side by side, next to an old tractor.

"Is this him?" the chief asked her.

She nodded once, sharp and precise.

Then she turned around to go.

"Wait, Mrs! What's his name? When and where did you see him last? Why-"

The chief tried to call her back,(He needed to ask more questions!) but she was already gone. There was no way he could find a missing person based on only a locket!

He turned his attention to the locket in his hands. The picture of the couple next to the tractor reminded him of something, something he’d seen before. Sadly, though, he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

Later as the chief was getting ready to leave the office for the night, he couldn't stop thinking about the woman and how strange she was. Who just waltzed into the office of the Cheif of police for a missing person case, and gave no information on how they could go about finding this person Because of this, the hief decided he would drop the case. There was no use even trying to find this man. He knew it would just end in defeat anyway. He didn't even know the guy's name! 

Just as he was leaving his office a ping sounded from the computer on his desk. He scurried over to check the message.

It was only a coupon from some farm, Whispering Pines Family Farm, and Pumpkin Patch, offering him fifty percent off any pumpkin with the purchase of anything over ten dollars.

He sighed and started to close off the tab, but then he noticed something strange about the photo of the farm.

There was a tractor in the picture that looked almost exactly like the one in the locket.

"'ello. And why might you be 'ere?"

"I'm investigating."

"On wha'"

Man, this farmer sure was nosy.

"A man has gone missing, and this farm is the only place that has had any trace of him." The chief barked.

The farmer's cheery expression fell.

"An' who might this person be?"

The chief held out the locket.

"We are looking for this man. His wife came in earlier asking for our help finding him."

The farmer just shook his head and ran into the barn to his left. Mumbling something about “crazy old man.”

Strange...

"I'm here to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of this man." the chief said, holding out the locket to the woman who'd answered the door.

"Uhhh... why?"

"Well... he's gone missing."

This made the woman laugh.

"Okay...?" she said. "I guess I can tell you about him. This is my father, Harold Harvest. he used to own this farm. Now it's mine. And this,” she pointed to the woman in the locket, the one that had come in to report her husband missing. “Is my mother, Jenna Harvest.”

"When did you last see your father?"

The woman frowned.

"Why are you here? Just to torment me? Please just leave."

The chief was taken aback at her remark, and when the door of the small house was slammed in his face, he began to think that this man, Harold, was not just any other missing person.



A quick search for the man online confirmed the Chief’s suspicions.

He definitely wasn't just a missing husband.

His records showed that he had been reported missing ten years earlier, and his death had been confirmed three months after that.

That weird woman was playing a prank on him! How could he have fallen for something so childish and silly!

I’ll call that woman in he decided. I’ll get after her for playing a prank like that.

The Chief dialed the number that the woman was required to give him, or she would not have been allowed inside his office. The phone rung once.

Twice. And then was answered

“Hello? Who is this?” 

“The chief of police.”

“Ugggh you again? Can you just give up? I don’t know what you’re doing, but I would like it if you would just leave me alone.”

He recognized the voice. It was the woman from the farm. The short lady’s daughter.

“Just let me talk to your mother, is she home?”

“My mother?!” she almost screamed. “DIED ten years ago along with my father. please stop bothering me.