“Come on!” muttered George, more to himself than Paul. “Isn’t anyone going to help us?”

Finally an officer came out, called out their names, and led them to a desk, still in the public area of the facility.

“Aren’t we going inside the station?” asked George. He’d seen enough police procedurals to expect such treatment.

The young uniformed officer, whose badge read Gomez, looked at George. “This is where we conduct first interviews, sir.”

“Of course, thank you,” said Paul, glaring at George. Paul found himself remembering a saying that you know you’re getting old when the police officers start looking young, but Paul felt he was too young himself for such a sentiment. But still, Officer Gomez looked to be about sixteen. They all sat down. Paul then outlined the story to her including what he and George had done but leaving out the parts in which Pia had drugged her boss and that she had essentially broken into her former place of work. He could feel George shifting in his seat as he talked. After a while, Gomez put down her pen and pad and faced the two men.

“Sir, you understand it’s not against the law for someone over the age of eighteen to leave their home without warning. And they are entitled to their privacy. Even if she showed up in Denver, and we found her, if she said she didn’t want to be contacted by certain individuals, we couldn’t tell them we knew where she was.”

“Listen, I understand. I’m an ER doctor. We see domestic violence cases all the time. For all you know I could be an abusive partner looking for my girlfriend to beat up.”

“Paul, that’s ridiculous,” said George. “Officer Gomez, Pia Grazdani has been kidnapped. I’m sure of it. Not in the usual ransom sense, but more to get rid of her and shut her up. My friend isn’t saying all this because he’s afraid we won’t be taken seriously, but I’m convinced that’s the case.”

Paul sighed and looked at George with a combination of irritation and frustration. Officer Gomez stiffened in her seat. As Paul feared, she was now looking at George, unshaven and shabby, in a different light.

“Officer Gomez,” said Paul, using his calming, official doctor voice. “My friend is agitated. Before Pia disappeared, we know she had entered her place of work using a borrowed ID.” Paul didn’t elaborate on his euphemistic description of Pia’s elaborate foiling of Nano’s iris security system and flouting a specific order to stay away from her lab.