Apex Predator by J. A. Faura

for some days now and was prepared for them.
    Now, sitting at his desk and filing his work away, Nancy walked up to his cubicle, “Hmm, Donald, you know my niece Mia is missing.”
    Donald looked up with as sympathetic a look as he could put on, “Yes, I heard, Nance. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
    Nancy half-smiled, “Thank you, no, but I did want to tell you that the police are talking to anyone that saw or was with the girls at all before they were taken, and since you took care of them that Friday…”
    Donald stood up and held her hands, “Of course, Nancy, I understand. They’re just doing their job. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
    Nancy began crying again, “I’m so sorry, Donald. You were just trying to help and look at what you’re having to put up with.”
    Donald put his arms around her and she allowed herself to be hugged, “Thank you, thank you for being so understanding. I’m sure it’s just going to be real quick, you know, just so they can scratch you off their list.”
    Riche patted her back consoling her. He was smiling and was also sure it would be nothing more than a standard interview asked of dozens of other people just like him.
    Donald Riche had been meticulous about almost everything he had done and was sure he was beyond the reach of those looking for him. In this he was about to find out just how wrong he could be.
     
    He walked into his apartment later that evening and set a few bags of groceries down on the counter. He looked around. The décor was minimalist and tasteful. Not a single ornament or lamp or rug was out of place and none was superfluous. To anyone walking in, it would look like a staged apartment used to show prospective tenants.
    He walked into his bedroom where more of the same awaited. His closet was organized by garment, color and size. Even the colors were organized by shades going from dark to light. His shoes were all meticulously polished and organized in a shoe rack.
    He hung his coat on the coat rack and smoothed out the wrinkles and removed the two remnants of lint that were visible on it.
    As he walked into the kitchen he corrected a spatula that was leaning a bit too far over out of its container. The kitchen, like everything else, was immaculate. It had a small pantry in the corner and every one of the handles and pieces of hardware were as shiny as when he’d bought them.
    Just as he was leaving the kitchen, he heard the doorbell ring. He was startled but didn’t panic. He walked over to the door and looked out of the peephole. Just outside the door were two men who were clearly policemen.
    Donald waited by the door for a few seconds and opened it, although to keep up appearances he kept the chain to the door engaged.
    He cracked the door open, “Yes, can I help you?”
    Grady responded, “Mr. Riche, it’s Detective Grady and Detective Mullins from the NYPD. We called you earlier and asked if we could come by to chat.”
    Donald did remember them and had in fact been expecting them. Actually he had been expecting just one officer, so seeing the second officer was in fact a bit of a surprise. Still, he was not worried in the least.
    As he disengaged the chain to the door, “Of course, of course. Just let me take the chain off the door.” He then opened the door and waved the officers in, “Please come in. Excuse the mess, I wasn’t sure when you would be coming by.”
    Grady and Mullins came into the flat and looked around. If there was a mess to be excused, neither officer could spot it. Like all police officers coming into an unfamiliar situation, their training took over and they instantly began to make mental notes about the guy’s place.
    The first thing that struck both policemen was that there wasn’t a stitch out of place. Grady and Mullins had at one point or another each had their own place and knew although they tried to keep things presentable there would always be a pot or a plate or a glass or something out of