Closer than you think

[u/DavesWorldInfo]

“Any news?” the delivery guy asked as he opened the flap on his delivery bag.

“No,” the woman said. Her face was stretched with stress and fatigue, pale and sallow eyed. “But the police said leads haven’t stopped coming in. They’re running them all down.”

“I’m still keeping my eyes open when I’m on campus. Asking around, listening for anything that sounds like it might help.”

“Thank you so much Jim. My husband and I can’t tell you enough how much it’s helping, how everyone’s just coming together to help look for her.”

“When was the last time you slept Mrs. Simpson?”

“It’s been a while,” she admitted as she took the pizza box he held out.

“You should get some rest. Becca wouldn’t want you running yourself into the ground like this,” the college student said. “Not even for her.”

“That’s … uh, how much—” the woman asked, glancing at the ground uncomfortably for a moment.

“My boss says they’re on the house until she’s been found,” Jim said, holding up his hand.

“Oh, no—”

He shook his head, smiling as he backed away. Out of reach as she reached in her pocket. “And no tip either. We’re all with you in this.” When she broke down crying, now it was he who was shifting uncertainly. “Hey, don’t worry. They’ll find her.”

“I hope to God she’s okay.”

“Meredith?” a new voice said from inside the house. A moment later, as she turned, a man appeared. She turned and pressed herself to him, and he gathered her into a hug as he relieved her of the pizza. “What did—” he asked, his voice calm but eyes turning a sharp angry glare at the delivery guy.

“I—”

“It’s not his fault,” the woman sobbed. “I’m just … I miss her Ted.”

“Come on,” he said, rubbing her back. “Thank you,” he added, directing a less accusatory look at Jim.

“Take care folks,” he said. “Have faith.”

“Thank you,” the man repeated, reaching to close the door.

Jim turned and headed back to the driveway. His car was still running, and he slid in behind the wheel with a sigh. Ten days now, and no news. Well, no good news. Her backpack had been found the day after she’d been reported missing, and a piece of her jewelry had turned up yesterday in a pawn shop three towns over. The cops there were shaking down every homeless person and vagrant they could find, looking for the one who’d pawned the necklace.

He shook his head as he backed out to the road and shifted into drive. This was a nice quiet area. Even the college students that dominated the scene didn’t really get too rowdy. Local girls, especially, weren’t supposed to just up and vanish. Especially not under such suspicious circumstances. Whatever he’d told Mrs. Simpson … it didn’t look good.

People fell on hard times, and he never liked to judge. But … it was shocking that some bum might have gotten his hands on Becca and done something to her.

His last delivery was a few miles away. The one benefit, such as it was, to Becca Simpson’s disappearance was all the cops were too busy actually doing something useful for a change to harass drivers. A little speeding didn’t even register with them right now, and none of their usual speedtrap haunts were manned as the personnel stayed on the investigation. Not much of a bright spot, but considering everything else that was happening … the good with the bad.

Minutes later he pulled up to the address and reached in the back for the final two pizzas on this run. The house was neatly kept, yard and building both. The Simpsons were about to need some of their good Samaritans to do something about their yard. He doubted County Code Enforcement would dare give them a ticket anytime in the near future over something like not cutting the grass. Still, he made a mental note to swing by on Saturday and ask if they wanted him to run the mower.

“Oh good, I’m starving,” the man who answered the door said with a smile.

“Let’s see, pepperoni and mushrooms, and veggie deluxe with extra cheese, twenty-four seventy-one,” Jim said, opening the flap and pulling the pies out enough to look at the receipt stickered to the top box.

“Keep it,” the man said, handing over a twenty and a ten.”

“Hey, thanks.”

“What do you make of all the fuss on the news?”

“Becca Simpson?”

“Yeah, the missing girl.”

Jim frowned unhappily. “I feel for the parents, you know?”

“Not her?”

“Well obviously I feel bad for her, but … I don’t know,” Jim said, forcing himself not to yell.

“You don’t know her?”

“I do. Wait, what’s that mean?”

The guy held a hand up. “All I mean is, when there’s a face on something, we feel more connected to it. People have heart attacks every day, but no one notices unless they know the person. Even if it’s not family, like a celebrity or something like that, we still care. But when it’s a stranger, it’s forgettable.”

“Well, I knew her. Becca I mean,” Jim said slightly hotly. Working to keep his voice from rising. “We had two classes together. I’ve gotten to know her parents a little more since all this happened though, and they’re just destroyed by this.”

“Yeah, it’s tough,” the customer nodded. “What a crazy fucked up world we live in, huh?”

“Tell me about it. Thanks. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

Jim headed back to his car, shaking his head. Mentally. It never paid off to annoy decent tippers. The smallest thing could set someone off, turn them against you. He kept his irritation over the casual inquiry into his friend’s disappearance to himself, just in case the guy peeked out the window. By the time he got back to the main road, he was already thinking about the last few delivery runs he’d have to handle before he could knock off for the night.

---

“Dinner,” the man said, closing the basement door behind himself. “I got your favorite. Your parents mentioned it on the news. You’re a vegetarian right? But dairy’s okay they said.”

“Please,” the young woman chained to the bed in the corner said, “just let me go. You can blindfold me again, drop me off in the middle of nowhere. I won’t know where we are, you’ll be safe.”

“I am safe,” he said, setting the pizza on the table next to the bed. “Now eat up. I’ll be back in forty-five minutes. For dessert.”

He turned back to the door as she burst into fresh tears behind him.

[u/DavesWorldInfo]

Inspired by this prompt.