By Detective Henry Schmitt
It was a dark day, maybe normal for this time of year, but today the library felt even darker and even more sinister.
The rainy weather on the afternoon of the 22nd of February set the tone of the whole fiasco of the disappearance of Lulu – the library’s famed snuggle-buddy manatee. Ms. Miller, the school librarian, had been in shambles over Lulu. What is this library coming to? In addition to problems like damaged and misplaced books, the whole damned school now has a missing manatee case to worry about.
Miller was making announcements to each and every passerby about what had happened to Lulu. Seemed exactly like my kind of case to solve. Long hours working the couch at the library – had this manatee had enough of her life? Or was there something else more eerie at play? Nobody knew for sure yet, but I wanted to get to the bottom of it.
The air of the library was cold, but not as cold as the heart of my ex-wife. I offered my services as a hard-boiled detective to Miller. She was mostly cooperative. Miller was still pretty shaken-up about wherever this missing manatee had vanished off to. I needed her to spill the deets, and she happily obliged.
“So, Ms. Miller, when did the Manatee disappear?”
“The Manatee… must have disappeared on Friday afternoon, because I left school early on Friday at lunch time. When I came back early at 7 o’clock on Monday morning, it was gone. Nobody, including Ms. Devi, had a clue where she’d gone.”
“Do you know where Ms. Devi was at the time of Lulu’s disappearance?”
“She says she was at her desk the entire time.”
“Likely story.” I was trying to call Miller’s bluff. No reaction so it was probably nothing. This checks out the past few times I’ve seen Ms. Devi… She’s got no reason or motive to take Lulu at all.
“I can neither confirm nor deny… Sadly.” Miller added.
“What about Cece? Where was she at the time of the disappearance?”
“Again I can neither confirm or deny! I left them both together and their relationship is usually quite calm… They usually get along. I don’t know if there was a boy manatee involved… I have no idea… When I left them Friday at noon, Cece and Lulu were together on the couch!”
“Very interesting.” I said under my breath.
“So, would you describe that their relationship was described as tight-knit?”
“As sisters they were very close… But also as sisters… there was tension every once in a while…”
“Maybe over… attention… from the students?” Only a rookie would think out loud like that but… I think we may have found our answer.
“Maybe.. I hadn’t even thought of that… Lulu was more needy than Cece, but Cece was the one that, you know, the students gravitated towards…” Could she have faked her own disappearance for attention from the students? Certainly a possibility since she did end up getting that publicity.
“I see… Well this has been very helpful.” I began to get ready to leave.
“I really hope you guys can crack the case…” said Miller.
“I think I’ve got an idea.”
The investigation will continue in Missing Manatee – Part 2!