zra, like most normal people, needed groceries. And unfortunately, with the pandemic, that was a bit of a chore unto itself lately. She'd learned to like the things she could find - foods she would normally never eat in the normal world were now her only choices in this new, violent world. By the time she'd made it half way through the store, she'd seen at least two wrestling matches - one over a particularly large squash and the other over a single roll of paper towels. It was pure insanity. It didn't help that Ezra preferred quiet to this chaos, though she was certain she wasn't the only one around who felt overwhelmed. Ever since the military had rolled into the city, things had certainly hit a crescendo - now it was just a waiting game to see what would implode. But for now, she was on the hunt for peanut butter - and it looked like she was going to be eating a different kind of butter, because the aisle was already nearly empty. She grabbed a jar of almond butter, sighing at it as if it were the cause of all of her problems.

If she'd looked at the jar for a moment longer, she wouldn't have spotted her. The detective she'd seen in a photo that had been passed around at the Daily. A missing woman - and she was right here? Ezra almost thought she was losing her mind and seeing things for a moment, and she gave the almond butter a dirty look, because it felt nice to blame inanimate objects for her lack of sanity.

And then, of course, Ezra dropped the jar in her basket and quickly took after the figure, following at a safe distance as the other woman moved through the store. She almost lost her target in the checkout craze, which had Ezra jogging out of the store trying to catch another glimpse of her. Her gaze roamed the parking lot for a moment before she caught sight of the woman heading towards a vehicle. Jogging past some bystanders, Ezra approached the woman - what was her name? Ezra felt frustration build up as she tried to think, and then it hit her just as she came up behind her. "Miss Shaw? Lara Shaw?" Ezra said, not trying to startle the other woman. "My name is Ezra Littlejohn, with the Lethford Daily. I'm sorry to bother you, but I've been hearing all over about your disappearance and I just...when - when did you...come back?" Normally, Ezra didn't harass people in parking lots, but her curiosity was what drove her, and this was the strangest thing of all. She hadn't heard about anyone finding the missing detective, nor about her sudden reappearance. If it wasn't already out to the public yet, then it would be gold for the Daily to print about. "If you have the time, I'd love to ask you some questions."

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zra was happy to hear that she was open to questions, because Ezra really hated to bother people - but this was definitely something she was just going to let go. Thankfully now, she didn't have to be a pest. "Thank you for your time. I just have a few, so I'll make it fast." She replied, flashing the other woman a polite smile. Ezra wanted to know why she wasn't all over the news yet if she'd been back for a few days. She was acting like it was a regular day, not like she'd just gone missing for around three months. It was all strange, and it had Ezra hooked.

"A few days, right? I'm sure everyone's happy to have you back." She asked, pulling out her recorder and pressing the button. No way she could pass this opportunity up. "If I remember correctly, I first heard about your disappearance around three months ago. Can you tell me anything about where you were? I haven't heard anything new since the initial reports." Ezra asked, her tone gentle. She wasn't trying to get every nitty gritty detail, she wasn't the kind to lay all the information out on sensitive stories such as this. But she found herself personally curious - why was this woman shopping for groceries, days after going missing for so long? Didn't she have loved ones who would be watching her like a hawk?

Ezra could remember when she first heard about the detective who disappeared without a trace. She'd tried to dig around - asking anyone she thought might have information, and a few that were blind shots in the dark. But there hadn't been an ounce of information out there, and no other news outlet released any other information. So she'd scrapped the story and moved on - and yet, now, her that same detective was. It made Ezra feel guilty, in part because of the fact that she had dismissed a missing person as a 'no-lead investigation' and marked her off. Being face to face with the actual person made it all the more real. And it was simply surreal that she didn't seem affected.

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hree months? No...I've been missing three days..."

Ezra felt her brain stutter for a moment as the woman countered her information. For a moment, Ezra considered if she was remembering someone else, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Even though her time with the story had been brief, it had only been three months ago. Ezra couldn't forget names, and so she was certain this was the correct person. How could it be that Lara didn't remember how long she'd been gone? Perhaps the trauma had caused her to repress the memories? Or she could have been heavily drugged. She didn't appear to be physically harmed, at least, since Ezra figured if she'd only been back a few days, she'd still have bruises or other visible injuries. So it couldn't be physical trauma. Frowning, Ezra considered cutting off her recorder - but decided against it. Whatever information she was about to get, it was important.

"I'm sorry, Detective Shaw. It's been three months. I have documentation that shows I was informed of your case, however minute the details were, three months ago." Ezra told her, her tone strong and confident. She didn't have a doubt that she was correct, so who had told her she'd only been gone three days? Why would someone lie? "Did someone tell you that you'd only been gone three days?" Ezra asked, trying to soften her tone. Ezra hadn't expected the woman to not know how long she'd been gone - but maybe Ezra should have been suspicious of the fact that someone who disappeared for three months was casually shopping for groceries days after returning to normal life.

If Ezra had been prepared, she would have had more than just her recorder. Reaching into the shopping bag - which only had the almond butter, as she'd stopped shopping the minute she'd spotted Lara - Ezra pulled out her short receipt. She kept a pen tucked into her back pocket, which she was thankful for. Scribbling her name and phone number on the receipt, she held it out for Lara to take. "This is my name and phone number. I'm an investigative journalist for the Daily, so I can help you figure out what happened in those three months." Ezra said, her expression sincere, which happened rarely. "Once we part ways, I won't bug you again. If you want my help, reach out to me anytime - day or night. But I can't promise to keep anything off the record." She had a duty, after all, to write about the truth. Of course, Ezra would never include detailed traumatic experiences. But this felt like something bigger, and she wanted to get her claws into it. But she also didn't want to upset the woman in front of her any further.

"We aren't far from my apartment. I have all of those documents I was telling you about in my file cabinet. Would you...want to come see them for yourself? It's not much - your case was very hush hush. But it's proof. You know, for whoever told you it was just a few days." Ezra hesitated, unsure how to continue. "And for yourself, too."

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zra certainly hadn’t wanted to be the one to break the news, but she couldn’t just leave the woman in the dark. If it had been Ezra, she would have wanted to know that she’d actually been missing for much longer. She couldn’t even imagine what the detective might be thinking. Wondering where those memories had gone, probably. Ezra didn’t press her as she absorbed the information, waiting quietly as she watched Lara process.

"It doesn't matter.”

She didn’t comment on those words, though Ezra couldn’t decide what she meant didn’t matter - the truth of how long she’d been gone, or whatever thoughts had crowded her mind once the truth had been revealed. Ezra focused on giving Lara her number, knowing that her offer to come over might very well be shot down even as the words escaped past her lips.

"I would love to. If it won't mean that I'm intruding...and I'll answer your questions as best I can there..."

Fighting back the urge to smile in satisfaction, Ezra nodded her head, trying her best to arrange her face into a solemn expression. She wasn’t the best at being sympathetic, already too interested in finding out more about whatever was going on. She was very pleased that Lara seemed just as interested in finding everything out, and spreading it to the civilians. It would make Ezra’s job easier if Lara wasn’t opposing her. ”Definitely not intruding.” Ezra replied, shaking her head. ”Follow me?” She said, gesturing at Lara’s car. ”I’ll be the one on the bike.”

With that, Ezra took her leave and went back to her bike. Arranging herself, she got on and started the beauty up, waiting to make sure Lara had eyes on her before she took off. Her apartment complex wasn’t far from where they were, and it took only about ten minutes to get there. Ezra pulled into the building’s parking area and killed the engine, waiting for Lara before nodding her head towards the building. ”I’ve got a dog, I hope that’s alright.” She said, knowing she was terrible at small talk.

Ezra led the way to the apartment, a short walk and only a few floors up. Upon opening the door, Stitch - her australian shepherd - greeted them at the door, wiggling furiously with delight. Ezra gave him a quick ruffle before leading Lara deeper into her small, one bedroom apartment. It was decorated sparingly, definitely more masculine than it was feminine. The couch against the far wall of the living room was from the side of the street, after all. Still in great condition.

Turning to Lara, Ezra gestured towards the couch. It was accompanied by a recliner, sitting opposite a small flat screen TV that was sitting on a bookshelf from the very same grocery store they’d just left. There were no family pictures on the walls, instead random art pieces sparingly dotted throughout the living room. No plants, Ezra was never around enough to keep those alive. ”Make yourself comfortable. I’ll go get the files.” Ezra said, turning to head down the short hall that had her bathroom and bedroom doors on either side. Disappearing into her bedroom, Ezra moved over to her desk, rifling through a file cabinet beside it.

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