The Missing Person

Two Years Ago...........

Marty peered through the curtain of his bedroom window to make sure he's not being watched. They have moved him to this safe house for his own protection. He was part of the program now. He has been for two weeks.

He had been cooped up inside this house for nearly a week. He felt as if he was under house arrest. The Feds had advised him to stay put as stepping out of the house could mean certain death. He has had a restless night. In fact he has been having quite a few restless nights lately. He was getting edgy and paranoid as the “Day of Reckoning” as he called it drew near.

He is the key witness for the prosecution in a trial involving a notorious mafia boss along with his gang on various charges. The Trial is set for Monday. He knew that his life was over the moment he agreed to testify. 

The authorities advised him that he would have to go into Witness Protection. The realisation hit him like a bolt of lightning.The wheels were set in motion two months ago when the Feds involved in the investigation approached him seeking his assistance in building a case against the Mobster. 

Marty was a member, he had been ever since he was a teenager, but now he wanted out. He was sick and tired of everything. The drug smuggling, the extortion, but mostly the endless killings. He wanted to start over with a clean slate, so he made a deal with them.

Present Day ...........

Sally stared out the window standing in front of the kitchen sink. Lost in her thoughts. 

Her husband George has been missing for two weeks. He had left home for work one morning and never came back. "Was he really missing, or has he left her? Is he having an affair with another woman?" She said to herself.

Whatever the reason was, it was unlike him, not to call her and tell her he's alright. They were not the ideal married couple. There were disagreements, misunderstandings just like in any other marriage. Whatever happened between them he cared for her, she knew that, he always called to check up on her, to make sure she was alright.

Maybe she should stop assuming the worst. The police were looking for him they have already questioned his colleagues at work, and his buddies at the bar he hung out with after work sometimes, along with a few neighbours. 

They are not suspecting foul play as her husband was well liked by everyone in the community, who stayed out of trouble. So far there are no leads and no suspects. He was last seen leaving the bar alone after a few drinks with his friends. That was two weeks ago. 

“Where are you? What’s going on?” She yelled out in frustration and broke down in tears.

Two Weeks Ago.........

It's been two years since the trial. The mobster was behind bars, but that didn't mean he was safe, far from it. Once the trial was over he continued on with the assumed identity.

He was at the bar having a few drinks with his buddies one evening, after work. One guy was talking about having issues at work while another was telling about his domestic problems, all in all it was just another night out with the gang. 

But something was different. He couldn't tell what it was. All of a sudden he felt uneasy, like as if someone was watching him. He dismissed the idea at once. How could anyone possibly know where he is, no one knew, the Feds made sure of it, or did they? Was there a snitch among them? He pondered, as the uneasiness came back again. He did a quick scan, nothing or no one seemed out of place, no one was looking at him suspiciously. 

Then why the heck was he feeling like this? He had to talk to someone, he had to make sure. He excused himself and made his way over to the men's room, making sure no one followed him. Once inside, he checked the stalls to make sure they were empty, and took out his cell phone and dialled a number. 

A few rings later, a voice answered. It was the Marshal who had been protecting him. He was the only man he trusted. He told the Marshal about his suspicions. The uneasy feeling that somehow he felt like he is still in danger. The Marshal assured him that he has nothing to worry about. No one knew of his whereabouts except him and to relax and not to let his nerves get the better of him. 

Maybe he was right. Maybe all this was just in his head. He thanked the Marshal and hung up. And yet the feeling of uneasiness, of danger hung over him like a dark cloud. He needed to get home as soon as possible. He needed to tell her everything. She deserved to know the truth about him. He was putting her life in danger by not telling her. 

He left the men's room and made his way over to where his friends were, still drinking and told them he was calling it a night. He finally was able to make his way out the door amidst loud protests. 

Once outside he scanned the area to make sure he’s not being watched. The coast is clear. He started to walk slowly toward the parking lot carefully looking around him, making sure that no one was about or behind him. It was deserted.  

He reached the spot where his truck was parked and took the keys out of his pocket. He was just about to open the door when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck as if his head is being split open.

The assailant then grabbed his victim who now lay unconscious on the ground, opened the door and practically threw him onto the backseat of the truck and shut it. He then picked up the keys which was on the ground, opened the door from the drivers side hopped in, started the truck and drove off. 

One Week Later.........

She was in the kitchen preparing lunch, listening to the local country music station. 

The music was interrupted for a breaking news update. They were reporting that the local police in the neighbouring county had fished out a truck from the river early that morning and inside was a partially decomposed body of an adult Male. The authorities were working on making a positive Identification of the remains. The description of the truck and the license plate matched that of her husband's. 

“No, no, it can't be him, oh! Please God don't let it be him!” she muttered to herself through tears. She let out a scream and dropped the knife, collapsing to the ground.

The next morning her worst fears were confirmed by the local sheriff who called on her to give the bad news. 

THE END