CREEP

3 ~ The Purse

Det. Cindy Paul loved it on the weekends.

Weekdays were hectic at work. Not because there was loads of work to do or multiple cases to work on but because she wanted more.

She wanted to be given a promotion and hopefully be one of the senior detectives like her friend and colleague, Det. Eve.

She felt like the department didn't take her seriously. They didn't believe in her enough to give her a serious case. It had been three long years of working and getting nothing but a poor salary and minor cases.

If it was not for Eve, she would have quit a long time ago and pursued something else... A decision her parents kept pushing her to take. But then, even if she quit, what else would she really do?

It's not like she had some hidden talents or some crazy rich parents, who would pay her bills. Plus, she was still very passionate about her job even if she was not getting enough. Even if she hadn't gotten that one big case that would be her breakthrough and change her entire life!

The three barren years had sapped so much hope. But not all of it.

She had a little bit of hope left… Hope that she could finally land on that one life-changing case.

She sipped her hot coffee, enjoying the warmth of her bed as she watched a crime documentary on her laptop. This was a habit she was addicted to. She hated getting out of bed on Saturdays.

Just as she was lying in bed, her eyes glued on the screen of her laptop, she stumbled upon a documentary that captured her attention.

The case of Vanessa West.

*******

"I lost my purse!"

Julia cried in total frustration that morning.

"With all that happened last night, you probably lost it on your way here…"

"No! I swear I had it!" she insisted. "That's where I keep my phone. And I used my phone last night to call you, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

"Ugh f**k! This can't be happening now!"

She really hated that she had to deal with this in the morning. And to make matters worse, she was f*****g late!

Then she recalled something that sent a chill down her spine.

"I told you someone was here last night!" she retorted.

But even the missing purse incident was not enough to make Leo believe that theory. There was no way someone had been in the house the previous night!

Despite the misfortune, she finished dressing up and requested,

"Can you please drive me to work?"

And Leo did.

Through the entire drive to work, she was strangely quiet and nervous. Obviously stressed up about her missing purse, most especially her phone.

When they finally got to her work place, she quickly got out of the car without saying a single word.

He quickly sneaked out of the car and ran after her. He took her hand and grinned broadly at her.

" What? " she retorted in exasperation.

" Are you forgetting something? "

Her face flushed in embarrassment, glancing sideways at the passers-by.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" she hissed. "I'm at work and you are kinda causing a scene!"

"A love scene, you mean…"

She rolled her eyes and pushed him away.

"I am already late for work. Can't you already see that!"

He watched as she walked away and decided to let her be. Seemed everything he tried to do to make her smile annoyed her even more. So he figured he could as well just leave her alone.

He muttered. " See you in the evening…"

She gave no response.

He shrugged and walked back to his car.

********

Det. Eve was feeding one of her three children that Saturday morning at the dinner table when she got a call from her colleague, Det. Cindy.

That was kind of odd.

Cindy had this rule where she NEVER got in contact with anyone over the weekend. She always said that weekends were for winding off and taking a break from the real world.

Well, that's something she could not do herself. With three kids and a husband, who would get the time to wind off. Not that she was not grateful for being a mother and wife to this beautiful family, but she sometimes felt a little envious of Cindy…

The only thing Cindy was ever worried about was her career and bills while she had three kids to put to school, a husband to entertain, a job to maintain and crazy bills to pay.

The moment she picked up the call, her last born daughter burst out a cry.

"I'll get back to you after I'm done feeding Ellie…"

And she hung up.

The good thing about Cindy was that she always understood her. Never complained when she went on a break and left the burden of work on her shoulders. Infact, she was always happy and more than willing to offer a hand when Eve had too much on her plate.

When she had fed the children and left them playing blissfully in the livingroom, she locked up herself in the bedroom and called Cindy.

"Since when do you use your phone on weekends?"

"Since I stumbled upon a case that might change my f*****g life!"

"You said we don't talk about work on weekends! So now you are breaking your own rules!"

"This case is worth breaking rules for! Trust me!"

"I'm listening…"

"It's the case of a married, young woman that has been missing for a year now," she paused. "Vanessa West."

That name rung a bell.

"I want to work my ass off on that case and find her. Dead or alive."

She shrugged. "You won't find nothin' on that one. Looks like a hot case but it's been cold for the longest time. Tried to get some answers but that got me nowhere…"

"You know I don't give up."

"Sometimes it's wise to. Saves you from wasting a lot of time and energy…"

"Well, I want to waste my time and energy on this one. I know it will be worth it, Eve…"

Although Cindy was a go-getter, sometimes she tended to be annoying in the way she went after things. So impulsively and recklessly. She had a habit of not calculating the consequences of her rush actions.

" I wish I could say good luck but that case is pure bad luck!"

"Life is all about how you see things. Isn't that what you always say? So I choose to see this case as pure good luck…"

She paused.

"And I am going ahead with it. With or without your support, my friend."

This was trouble…

Det. Cindy did not know what she was getting herself into…

But Eve could not stop her.

No one could stop her.

*******

"Sorry I was mean to you in the morning…"

Julia apologized to Leo when he picked her up at work that evening.

"I was just stressed up about my purse going missing… That's where I keep all my cards and even my phone, you know..."

" I understand… I would be more than stressed up too…"

He opened the door of the car for her.

She sat at the front seat next to him.

" I have a surprise for you… "

He kissed her lightly on the lips and handed her a gift box. When she opened it, her jaw dropped.

A brand new iPhone.

She cupped her mouth with the palm of her hand to keep the tears at bay.

"How should I even say thankyou? I feel like that's not enough!"

"Then bless my lips with a kiss…"

He pouted his lips for her to kiss him and she slapped his cheek lightly and laughed it off. She then grabbed the back of his neck and blessed him with a deep, passionate kiss.

"What a great way to say thankyou!" he chuckled after she pulled away. "But that's not enough…"

She groaned. "You want more, you pervert!"

"Yes!"

"What do you want?"

He paused and grinned at her,

"I want you to be my date."

********

A lavish restaurant.

A scrumptious meal.

Fine wine.

What a perfect date!

This was their third date. And Leo was more than sure that he wanted to sink into a serious relationship with Julia.

Every conversation and laugh with her made him drawn to her even more.

"Do you feel like we are rushing things?" Julia asked abruptly.

"What!"

"This thing we have… Do you feel like we are rushing it-"

"I heard you the first time. I'm just wondering why you would think we are rushing things…"

She huffed. "Because we had s*x on our second date."

"I know people who have had s*x on their first date…"

"Well, I'm happy for them if they had an orgasm but that's not the kind of person I am, Leo. I hate speed. I feel like speed tends to ruin a lot of things that are beautiful…"

"Funny because I feel like we are slowing things. We are still in the dating phase after almost two months of knowing each other…"

"Don't you like the pace?"

"I do but I don't want to be stuck in this phase forever. I want to be in a serious relationship with you, Julia…"

That caught her off guard.

She felt like he was rushing things and it kind of scared her.

"I don't think I am ready for that yet…" she tensed.

"No it's totally fine! I'm willing to wait till you are ready…"

What if she would never be ready?, she asked herself.

She had just gotten out of a toxic and very abusive relationship, both physically and emotionally. She had not opened up to Leo about that horrific experience yet. She wished she could explain everything to him but she didn't feel like she was ready to take that step yet. And because of her past, she didn't feel like she was fully ready to commit and lock herself up in a relationship again.

History had a habit of repeating itself using a different face…

"Have you ever been in a serious, long-term relationship?" she asked him.

He suddenly got tense and frowned.

"Yes."

"How long?"

" Ten years."

She gasped. "Ten years?"

"Yes."

"That's a long time!"

"Yes."

"So you guys were together for ten long years, broke up and moved on like it was nothing?"

He let out a sigh and stretched his hand across the table to hers and squeezed it.

"Julia, there is something I've been meaning to tell you…"

"Yes?"

"I am married…"

Her jaw dropped and she blurted out,

"What!"

"Well, I have been married to my high school sweetheart for three years. Started dating back in high school and we were together for ten years… Until she went missing…"

"For how long has she been missing?"

"One year now…"

"Have you tried looking for her?"

He was suddenly uneasy, his breathing quickening. He took a gulp of the red wine and put the glass down with a bang.

He forced a smile. "I hate talking about my past... Vanessa is my past."

Why was he acting so odd and cold suddenly?

"And you?" he changed the subject. "Any long-term relationships?"

For a moment, she hesitated to respond.

"Let's just say I have a thing for frogs and devils. And trust me, they are not worth talking about…"

Neither of them was willing to open up to the other about any of their past relationships.

It made Julia wonder if their relationship was doomed. If the relationship was even worth it if they just couldn't open up to each other...

They brushed away the serious topics and switched back to laughing and talking about meaningless things. It was less heavier that way and the mood was light and easy...

After the date that night, Leo offered to drive her home but she insisted on requesting for a cab.

She didn't want him knowing her home address. Unlike him, she was very rational and slow on things. She had had s*x with him the previous night under the influence. Not that she regretted parting her legs for him, but if she was in the right state of mind, she wouldn't have.

When the cab had come to pick her, Leo offered her his coat to keep her warm. He then pecked her on the forehead.

"Goodnight, baby…"

"Goodnight, Leo…"

She climbed in the backseat and blew him kisses as the cab drove away.

As she sat on the backseat, she felt something in the inner pocket of his coat. She dug her hand inside and felt something hard.

She took it out.

A black purse.

Her missing black purse.

Lost and found.

********