Never Missing, Never Found by Amanda Panitch Read Free Book Online Page A

at the floor. Unfortunately, the answer is not written there. “I don’t know.”
    “See?” Katharina shoots Connor a triumphant look. “You leave her to me. I’ll take good care of her.”
    Connor’s mouth twists, but he punches Katharina’s information into the register. “Wish I could help, but Cynthia has me doing inventory for the next few hours. Give me a shout if you need anything,” he directs to me. I nod, and then he and Rob are gone.
    Whatever other impression I might have of her, I have to admit that Katharina is a good teacher. And I’m a quick learner, of course—you learn to listen carefully when doing the wrong thing will earn you a beating. By the time an hour or so has passed, I know how to check someone out, how to input discounts, how to process a return or an exchange, and what to do if I can’t find a price on something and it’s the last one in the store or I’m really busy (pick an item you think looks like it might be the same price and scan that instead; this rule is not in the Five Banners Merch handbook, for some reason). “I feel like a cash register god,” I say.
    “You’re welcome,” Katharina says. She leans up against the counter, breaking another rule in the Five Banners handbook. We are supposed to be flagpoles, stiff and upright at all times. “How’s your first day been so far?”
    “Slow,” I say. “I haven’t really done anything yet. I thought there would be more…people.”
    Katharina nods. “It’s still early in the season, even if it is a weekend,” she says. “Wait till all the schools let out. We’ll have all four registers at this station full and lines out the door.”
    “Can’t wait,” I say. I’m not sure if I’m lying. “How long have you worked here?”
    “I just started this year.” Katharina stretches, reaching her arms toward the ceiling. Her fingertips nearly brush one of the CHECK OUT HERE signs dangling above. “I moved here a few months ago.” She relaxes and clasps her hands before her, a surprisingly demure gesture. “Do you like it here so far?”
    “I like the people,” I say, and by “people” I mean “person,” and by “person” I mean Connor.
    “The people here are great,” Katharina says. “Of course, everyone’s been all mopey over Monica, so it’s hard to really get a handle on them, I bet.”
    I blink. “She’s missing,” I say. “I think it’s understandable people would feel a little ‘mopey.’ ”
    “She probably just ran away.” Katharina’s eyes gleam. “Don’t you think?”
    My stomach swims with uneasiness. “I don’t think anything,” I say. “I barely knew her.”
    “So you did know her,” Katharina says.
    “I interviewed with her,” I say. “Other than that, no.”
    “So you did know her,” Katharina says again. “What do you think happened? Do you think she ran away? Or do you think, maybe, she was kidnapped?”
    “I don’t think anything!” My voice comes out louder than I meant it to; a guest browsing the racks of key chains jumps and sends a bunch of them cascading to the floor. “I should go clean that up.”
    Katharina grabs me by the shoulder. I twist, but her fingers dig in, so I go limp. I’m used to being manhandled, tossed around like I’m inanimate. If you don’t struggle, it’s over faster. “I knew her,” she says. “I worked under her sometimes. She was lazy. She wasn’t a very good manager.”
    I try twisting again, but her fingers only dig in deeper. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go; she’s supposed to see that I’m no threat and release me. “Let me go,” I say. My heart is battering my ribs.
    “We just all have to stay positive.” I don’t know if she’s talking to me or to herself. She stares off into the distance, her eyes unfocused. “She’ll turn up. You know what they say: never missing, never found.”
    I turn to ice and slip from her fingers. The muscles of my shoulder throb. “Who says that?”
    “Everyone,”