Alice went to work groggy, with bags under her eyes. On the bright side, she’d been lucky enough to find an apartment within walking distance of the police station, making her commute simple. The walk helped wake her up, but that wouldn’t stop her from craving coffee once she got there. Flanked on either side by skyscrapers, Alice weaved around the hustle and bustle of others going to work as she walked on the sidewalk.

          Alice lived and worked in Saint Vivia, a bustling American city with a rich history. In addition to the more modern skyscrapers, one could find plenty of older stone buildings with classical, almost gothic designs. As Alice walked, she could see a couple of those older buildings with arched windows and decorative spires. A few even had stained glass windows. The closer she got to the police station, the more of these buildings appeared beside her. 

          Alice soon saw the Saint Vivia Police Department on her left. It was one of the older buildings in the city, almost resembling a smaller Notre Dame Cathedral, bearing huge arched windows, columns in front of the entrance, and stone gargoyles decorating the roof above. Whenever she looked up, Alice felt that the gargoyles seemed rather ominous for a place meant to project safety. Still, it had been built decades ago. Maybe monstrous forms seemed comforting back then.

          Inside the building, Alice found the lobby, with more columns holding up the roof and stone walls giving the place a medieval feeling, even as police officers went about their business. She said obligatory hellos to other officers she passed before finally reaching the common area with all the desks in it. Gary was at his computer already, which didn’t surprise Alice. He always got there early, and his presence always came with a familiar, comforting aroma.

          “Hey, Alice,” he said. “Coffee’s on your desk.”

          “Thanks,” she replied, breathing in that coffee smell.

          Alice sat down at a desk marked with her name and her title of ‘Missing Persons Detective.’ There she removed the thermal cover from her coffee mug, took a sip, and began her day. With their current case, they had already interviewed every person related over the past week, so Alice went over the witness testimonies while Gary reviewed footage from street cameras in the area. So far, they hadn’t turned anything up.

          They worked for a while, and a few hours passed. For a moment, Alice reflected on what she thought of this job as a child. She used to think the life of a police officer would be exciting and dangerous. It wasn’t until she became one that Alice learned just how mundane this work could be at times. The sheer amount of paperwork alone was staggering. Even the act of solving cases involved scanning documents, photos, and video footage for hours at a time. The job could be genuinely dangerous when they encountered a criminal who wouldn’t go quietly, but even so, a police detective’s job wasn’t without its share of monotony.

          “Hey,” said Gary. “I got something.”

          Alice stepped up from her desk to look over Gary’s shoulder.

          “Remember that car we saw?” Gary said, pointing at the screen.

          She did remember. Street cam footage showed a car going into a back alley at the time of Kenny Halsen’s disappearance. The car had tinted windows in the back, making it useful for kidnapping, but the pair had yet to find direct evidence that it was involved.

          “You found a shot of the driver?” asked Alice.

          “Oh yeah,” said Gary. “I found a shot, alright.”

          The camera angle Gary pulled up showed the driver, a man in a trench coat with a thick beard. They didn’t have a positive ID on him, nor did they have a clear view of the back seat. As the footage played, this man drove down the street for a moment, but then pulled back what proved to be a fake beard, scratching his chin aggressively. His real face was only visible for a moment, but Alice thought she recognized it.

          “Go back and freeze it.”

          Gary complied, and she took a good look at the man’s clean shaven face. Despite the small window of time in which he’d exposed himself, Alice recognized him.

          “Ron Halsen, the Uncle,” she said, an incredulous look on her face. “I can’t believe you caught that. He only took the fake beard off for a second.”

          “I almost missed it,” said Gary. “But it’s him. Clearly, he was lying about being on the other side of town, and he’s someone the boy might trust enough to get into a car with him.”

          “So,” said Alice. “That’s one count of lying to the police and probable cause to suspect him of kidnapping. I’ll call the judge’s office to see if we can get the necessary warrants.”