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with a face.
    “He works with your wife.”
    “Oh yah , okay. Sorry I never knew his last name. What about him?”
    “Well he called yesterday reporting her missing. Why do you think he would do that?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe he thought she should have been home Sunday as well. The difference is he doesn’t have kids that were upset because she wasn’t. I didn’t want to overreact. I thought I would give her an extra day.”
    “Well he seemed to think you had something to do with her disappearance. Why would he think that?”
    “You can’t be serious! I came in to report my wife missing and already I’m a suspect.” He worked hard to conta in his anger , his hands clenching into a fist.
    “Should you be a suspect?”
    “No! My wife went away on a weekend trip and never came back and I’ve been here with the kids the whole weekend. So I ask you, how I could have done anything to her?”
    “I’m not saying you did. I’m just trying to get answers to questions that were implied.”
    “Please!” He pulled out his wallet . “ Help me find their mother.” He handed him a picture of the boys with Louise.
    “We will do everything we can.” Detective Sheldon said. He got up from behind the desk and led Arlin out of his office. He shut the door behind him, walked back to his desk, and picked up the phone.
    “Good morning Margret, can you run a local check on Arlin and Louise Gilab? I’ll send you their information.” He spoke into the receiver. “And I’ll need a rush on it.” He hung up the phone and leaned back into his chair. Of his twenty years, he had seen many cases like this one come and go. The majority of them resulted in the husband being accused and subsequently convicted of murdering the mother of their children that they had begged him to find. This one he was sure would be no different.
     
     
    Arlin left the police department feeling outraged that someone had already suspected him of hurting Louise. He only hoped that they would find her and put any doubt that Mitch had planted to rest. He headed back to work but his mind was distracted and he ended up home instead. He pulled into the garage and looked at the empty spot where Louise’s car should have been parked . It being the middle of the day he could easily explain it away that she was at work. This thought settled his nerves and he decided not to go back to work but to get the house straightened up instead. He got out of his truck and headed to the door. They had left the house a mess from the weekend in anticipation of Louise coming home and cleaning it all up. He used to try to help with the housework but it was never good enough for her; or at least that was his excuse. Maybe he just stop ped caring to try to help her . Now with her gone , a messing house would just show how distraught he was about her missing . He stopped as his hand reached the doorknob and turned back around, got in his truck, and drove away.
    He arrived at work and went straight to his office. The mahogany desk was a welcome site. He sat down and dove right in working on the papers Shelley left for him. As he finished the first batch , she poked her head in the room.
    “So how did it go this morning?”
    Arlin shook his head and suddenly it just became too much, he lowered his head into his hands and sobbed. Shelley went to him and pulled him into her arms.
    “ Hey now , it will be okay. They will find her.” She rubbed his back as he rested his head on her shoulder.
    “They think I had something to do with it.”
    “What?” Shelley pulled back. “What do you mean? How…why…I…she just went missing. What did they say?”
    “Well it wasn’t so much the police but this Mitch guy that worked with Louise .” He pulled his head up from her shoulder and looked down at her. His eyes were red more from lack of restful sleep than from crying.
    “Do you know who this guy is? Why would he suspect you of something like that?  You are a good man and have