Jundidn''tsleepthatnight.Instead,hespentthehourscombingthroughthefilesofthetwomissinggirls.
OneofthemhadworkedatRedLanternforhalfayearbeforeshevanished—simplyfailedtoshowuponemorning.Herroommate,alsoanundocumentedimmigrant,wastooscaredtoreportit.
Theonlyreasonthecaseevenmadeitintothesystemwasbecauseamansheowedmoneytogotnervousshe''dskippedtownandcalledthepolicehimself.
Whenthepolicequestionedtherestaurantowner—oldHessel—aboutwhyhehadn''treportedhisemployeemissing,he''dshruggeditoff.Saidtheplacewasbusy,hedidn''thavetimetochaseafterflakyworkers.Complainedthatcash-paidstaffswereunreliable—thisonehadevenstolenfromhisregisterandrunoff,orsoheclaimed.
Thenthecopsaskedwhyhehadn''treportedthetheft.
Hesseljustlaugheditoff."Notmuchmoney,"he''dsaid."Forgetit."
Junknewwhatthatmeant.Theoldmandidn''twantanyonelookingtoocloselyathisbooks.
ThefilealsocontainedstatementsfromHessel''swifeandtheirdeliveryboy.Theirstoriesmatchedalmostwordforword.ThatwaswhenJunfirstnoticedadetail—Hessel''swifehadgottenhercitizenshipthroughmarriage.Andthedeliveryboy,Kurt,wastheirson.
Thesecondmissinggirlhadlastedonlytwoweeks.Sheclockedoutasusualonenight,andbymorning,shewasgone.Thistime,Hesseldidn''tevenbothertosoundsurprised.Saidhewasusedtoit.Claimedhehadn''tlethernearthecashregister,soatleastnothingwentmissing.
Therestofthereportwasthesamepattern—interviewswithroommates,friends,boyfriends.Noneofthegirlshadstablehousing.Theydriftedfromonecheaprentaltothenext,carryinglittlemorethanabagofclothes.Nothingtheyleftbehindofferedanyclues.
Andlikethat,bothcasesfadedintothebackgroundnoiseofthecity—unsolved,unremembered.
Junwanderedintothekitchenandbrewedhimselfacupofcoffee.Thepalemorninglightspilledthroughthewindow,buttheuneaseinhischestwouldn''tsettle.
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