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With Wesley and Kim on my tail, I approach a tall woman in a long skirt. She’s waiting in line at a bagel stand. She turns her gentle smile onto me.
“Good morning! Here for a bagel? I’m hoping I didn’t miss the asiago bagels yet.”
Her friendliness is refreshing.
“I’m actually not here for bagels, ma’am. I’m here to ask questions. I need to know if anyone knows anything about the missing women.”
She raises a thin eyebrow and says, “Missing women?”
The gears in her mind turn for a second before she blurts, “Oh! You mean those werewolf girls that are going missing? God, that’s sad. Can’t say I know anything, darling. Friends of yours?”
Kim, Wesley, and I exchange a glance. “No, but we’re very interested in finding them.”
“I wish I could help.” She gives us a polite nod as she steps forward to order her bagel.
Kim turns to us and says, “We could at least get a bagel while we’re here?”
Wesley laughs and I say, “Kim are you serious right now? There are lives on the line and you want a bagel?”
Kim holds up her hands in defense and says, “Look, we ran for miles. Can’t blame a girl for being a little hungry.”
Wesley chuckles and reaches into his back pocket for his wallet. “Three bagels, coming right up.”
Wesley buys us three bagels, three asiago ones at Kim’s insistence, and we find a bench to eat on.
I rip off a piece of my bagel and dip it into the plastic container of cream cheese. I chew furiously as my eyes dart around the shopping center.
“Someone here has to know about these girls…”
“Excuse me.”
I raise my head and a woman with a short black bob is walking towards us. She has crow’s feet in the corners of her eyes and the skin underneath her eyes is sunken in. I could believe that she hasn’t slept in days. I lower my bagel.
“Yes?”
She smiles earnestly and says, “I heard you asking about the missing girls.”
“Do you know anything?”
She sighs and says, “I don’t know if I know anything. I just know that my girl is missing. Her name is Sophia. She’s only nineteen. She went off to hunt one night, and just never came back.”
I stand up. Her eyes are sad, and while she’s being polite, I can see it in her eyes. Desperation. I’ve felt desperate my whole life so I would know.
“We’re looking for the missing girls. We found out what happened, and we can’t let it go. We’re going to find them.”
Wesley gives me an approving look, which helps me gather my courage. “Did your girl say that she was going anywhere? Anywhere special?”
She shakes her head. “No, she didn’t. She went into the woods and disappeared. I would give my whole heart to find out what happened to her.”
Kim’s low hum reminds me that she’s there. “I’m sure. We’re going to try our best to find them. We have to look out for our own.”
The woman nods at all of us and says, “I’m Annetta. I’m glad that someone is looking into this because the police aren’t trying as hard as they could be. They aren’t looking for my girl, or any of the other girls that have been disappearing from our town.”
Wesley sighs and says, “Damn it. If I find the son of a bitch that’s responsible for this, I will personally wring his neck.”
Annetta smiles. “I appreciate that. I guess I should get going. They’re going to run out of bagels soon. Bless you.”
“Goodbye.”
