Holly Buckman looked out across the flat landscape. There were no buildings seen for miles. The blue sky seemed to touch the horizon of the endless farmland. As she sat in her car she could hear it almost give out with bursts of sputters and metal clashing underneath the hood. She slammed her hands against the steering wheel then opened her wallet. She had $300 and hoped she could make it to her sister’s. Maybe she could get her head on straight.
She called a junkyard who gave her $50 for her car and kindly dropped her off at the local airport. As she walked to the check-in counter she remembered she only had so little with her. All her belongings were in her backpack, a laptop, a few sets of clothes and toiletries. How long had it been since she had a shower?
Finally checking in and breezing through security she headed into a bathroom. Holly stared at herself in the mirror and attempted to untangle the matted ends of her hair. Her once bright green eyes seemed to be duller these days. She washed her face in the sink as she thought back to all of her recent travels.
She’d seen so many beautiful places and talked to some amazing people. But she still didn’t have a place to call home. She missed the man who made her feel like she was home, at least sometimes.
Lately, when she tried to contact him his voicemail was full and her text messages were read but he never replied. Drying her face she stopped at one of the airport cafes to grab a bite to eat and something to drink. Holly still reminisced about the man she loved. Their dates and travels. She truly hoped he was okay. The last time they spoke he told her that he had to meet one of his colleagues on the east coast. Well, that was a little over a month ago.
Holly was lost in her thoughts as she heard her voice over the intercom, “can Holly Buckman please come to gate 15 to board.” She rushed up from her seat at the cafe, leaving the empty cup and used napkin on the table. “Sorry,” Holly said as she glanced at the barista cleaning up after her. She was then able to breeze past the gate and was able to find her seat while apologizing to several flight attendants on the way.
After about 15 minutes later the flight took off. Holly tossed a piece of gum in her mouth not only to prevent her ears popping but also to keep her racing thoughts from consuming her. She felt a tap on her shoulder as she turned to face a man who was sitting in the middle seat beside her.
“Yes?” Holly said in a slightly aggravated voice. She wasn’t angry but she wanted some peace and time to think.
“Sorry to bother you, ma’am. Do you happen to have an extra piece of gum? I forgot to grab some at one of the stores at the airport?”
“Sure.” Holly rummaged through her backpack and finally found the pack among the various knick-knacks which found its way to the bottom of the bag. “Here you go,” Holly said as she handed the man a piece. She then frowned as the man began smacking the gum loudly.
“So...what made you decide to fly to Philly?”
“Family.”
“Cool. I’m going because I run a retail company and I have a meeting with some investors.”
“Nice.” Holly didn’t look his way as she glanced out the window.
“Is your husband traveling with you?”
“My husband?” Holly looked puzzled.
“Yeah.” I’m not married. What made you think I was?”
“The rings.”
“I’m not married I’m-” She was unsure of how to finish her sentence. She glanced down at her fingers which were covered in silver jewelry. “It’s just a style preference.”
Holly remembered when her boyfriend said he would marry her, but it couldn’t be at that time. He told her that when he returned from the east coast he would propose. She loved surprises but having that sentence of security was comforting to her.
The man in the middle seat glanced at her once more before putting on a pair of headphones and closing his eyes. Holly wondered about the man. Who was he and why was he on the plane? She didn’t bother to ask him as she then closed her eyes and took a nap.
“Welcome to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current time is 12:27 pm Eastern Standard time and the temperature is 37 degrees Fahrenheit.” one of the pilots said over the plane’s intercom.
Holly opened her eyes slowly as she noticed the passengers on the plane were leaving. She stood up in the small space between her seat and the seat in front of her and stretched. Her back ached and her legs felt cramped as she swung her backpack across her shoulders.
Leaving the gate and going through the terminal she stopped by another cafe for a small coffee and a cup of fruit. She scoffed at the price of seven dollars for everything but decided to pay anyway. A few taxis lined near the sidewalk as she walked toward the train station a few minutes away.
The air was bitterly cold as she walked to the train station. She would have taken a taxi as well as the train, but she wanted to stretch her money as far as she could. Holly couldn’t wait to surprise her sister Sarah. Even though they were different in many ways they still spent as much time as they could together.
Finally arriving at the station her phone began to ring, “Hello?”
“Hi, this is Detective Jake Milling from the Family Violence Sexual Assault Unit. Am I speaking to Holly Buckman?”
“Yes, you are?” Holly drummed her fingers across her knee.
“We found you were calling a man named Victor Waterstein.”
“You’ve spoken to him?”
“Yes, ma’am we’ve-”
“Is alright? I haven’t spoken to him in so long. Can I talk to him?”
“Not at the moment. I do have a few questions for you. Are you in the Philadelphia area?”
“I actually just arrived. I can come by?”
“How’s 1:30 pm today?”
“Sure. What floor are you on?”
“The third.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
“Goodbye.”
Holly placed her phone back into her pocket just as her train arrived. She just wanted to rest, but her life kept being thrown into chaos.
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