David sat in the outer office of the private detective he planned on hiring. He glanced through the magazines on the table in front of him until the secretary called his name.
"Mr. Wilson?"
"Yes." David stood up.
"Mr. Peterson will see you now."
She led him into the inner office where a man stood up from behind his desk, and came around to greet him.
"Ah, Mr. Wilson." He said as they shook hands.
Ben Peterson did not look like the typical Private eye of TV and movie fame. He was a short, balding man with a slight paunch. What little hair he had left was gray, and he appeared older then his fifty one years.
"Please, sit down." He gestured to the soft leather chair in front of the desk. "Ted Baker gave me a brief run down of your case, but I'm going to need some more information to determine whether or not I think I can be any help to you."
David sat in the chair indicated, while Ben returned to his desk and pulled out a yellow legal pad.
"Now the missing person is your girlfriend, is that right?"
"Yes, ... we were living together."
Ben set the pen down, and peered at David with eyes that were suddenly serious and alert.
"Mr. Wilson,... if I take this case, I'm apt to ask some very personal questions, and I want you to understand right now that I can only help you if you're completely honest with me."
David nodded. "I understand, Mr. Peterson, and I will tell you anything you need to know if it will help to find Sara."
"Good." He picked up the pen. "Did you and Sara have a fight, or argument before her disappearance?"
"No, we didn't. We were very happy together."
"And how long were you together?"
"Well, let's see, we started seeing each other in June, so about four months."
"Did her behavior, ... or mood change before she disappeared?"
"No, I can't say that I noticed any change. We had just taken a little trip to Atlantic City the week before, and everything was great. We weren't having any problems with our relationship, if that's what you're getting at. As I said before, we were very happy."
"I'm sure you were, it's just that I have to cover all bases. Now, why don't you tell me everything that happened that day..."
When David was finished, the detective had hardly filed one page of notes. He put the pen down and sat back in his chair.