It was Sarah’s second time running to Jeremy’s door that evening. She had stopped herself right before knocking the first time and decided that she needed to make copies of the sketchbook. The last half-hour, she had hovered between her laptop and scanner, nibbling the edge of a fingernail as she impatiently ensured each page scanned and copied onto her computer. Now, all of the strange sketches and notes were saved. Her bare feet slapped softly against the marble floor of the apartment hallway as she made her way to her neighbor’s door.
The rapping sound of the knuckles of her thin hand against the heavy door to Jeremy’s apartment carried a subdued echo through the hall. The knock continued, frantically, until the door finally opened. Met with little resistance as she began to push the door open, she stepped in from the hall and into Jeremy’s apartment. She brushed past him, clutching the newly found sketch pad in her hand as she began to speak before Jeremy could sufficiently react.
“I found something, and it’s crazy because Andrea was definitely acting weird before she disappeared. I just didn’t notice it all – there are all of these strange drawings.”
The door swung closed behind her, and she turned back to look at Jeremy. He did not respond and instead shuffled over to his coffee table and stopped to let out a long yawn. He stood with both hands on his hips, and in the bright yellow lights of the living room, Sarah could make out his unkempt hair and the dark bags under his eyes. Beyond his weary eyes, there was something about his posture and the way he looked down at the papers spread across the coffee table. He looked as if he hadn’t slept all day, but more than that – she could sense the frustration seething from him.
“Yeah,” Jeremy said flatly.
Sarah followed him over, and her eyes scanned the living room and kitchen. There were several more boxes opened up as well as pencils and a dozen pieces of paper that had been balled up and tossed around the living room. On top of the coffee table, Jeremy had taken drawings from Andrea’s other sketch pads, each image similar to those she had found in the newest book, and laid them out to approximate the layout of a face. Somehow, he had figured it out before she had, and as she looked at some of the other pieces of paper that hadn’t been wholly crumpled into balls – she saw he had also started sketches of his own.
“They’re all parts of the same face,” Jeremy began as he picked up a sheet of paper with a fresh drawing on it and crumpled it up. “I just can’t get the proportions right to make it all look like pieces that go together.”
“That’s what I found!” Sarah exclaimed.
Sarah settled down onto the couch and pulled her feet up beside her. Opening the book she had been clutching, she gestured for Jeremy to join her. Jeremy sat next to her, and for a brief moment – they both stared at the book. As Sarah began speaking, she tapped the book with the palm of her open hand and recounted how and where she had discovered it.
After she had told the story of how she found the book, she handed it to Jeremy and let him flip through the pages – supplementing information as they both studied the pages. Each page came with a short description, with Sarah adding brief comments until Jeremy arrived at the pages that seemed intensely out of character for Andrea.
Sarah explained it all, including the arrow signs that she and Andrea usually left on notes for each other. The content of the pages was dark, especially for Andrea. It was unlike anything Sarah had ever seen from her friend and roommate. Andrea, Sarah explained multiple times, was clearly not herself. Andrea doesn’t fixate on things like the notes in the book would suggest, and she rarely leaves a piece of art unfinished when she puts her mind to it.
Jeremy listened intently. Several times, his gaze locked on an image on one of the pages, and then he would glance to one of the pages on his coffee table. He compared the drawings and asked questions about the notes scrawled on the edges of the pages – to which Sarah seldom had a solid answer. After Jeremy arrived at the final pages and scribblings, it was evident that something was wrong with Andrea.
“Do you think she could have gotten involved with drugs?” Jeremy asked.
“She drank when she went out, sure, but I don’t think Andrea would ever get into drugs,” Sarah replied. “I just can’t imagine that’s what this is.”
Jeremy nodded and finally flipped to the final page – the note directly addressed to Sarah.
“I have to go see him. God, help me. I can’t stop myself.” Jeremy read the page aloud and looked up at Sarah with wide, questioning eyes.
“I don’t know, I just know I was meant to find this,” Sarah replied with a shrug. She had no answers for him beyond the book he held in his hands.
“This is a big break,” Jeremy said as he flipped through the last several pages once more. “Sarah, we need to get this to the police. This is very important, do you mind if I give it to my friend?”
“If it helps, they can have it,” Sarah replied. “I made copies of it all. Do you think that’s the guy?”
“I think it will make a difference,” Jeremy began. “I’m going to try to put all of these features on one page, so we can have an idea of what this guy looks like. He’s definitely important.”
“Well, maybe you guys can find him and find out where the hell she is,” Sarah said with a hint of hope in her voice.
“We’ll see. Even if this guy’s not responsible, all of this shows he’s at least connected to her. I can’t make a promise, but I’m going to try to have coffee with my friend tomorrow to help push the case.”
“You’re not making it, are you?” Sarah asked.
“The coffee? No, actually, I thought we could stop by your work and grab drinks. It’s the same guy you’ve talked to.”
“Oh. I’m off tomorrow and no offense, your friend … he’s always a dick when I call. Every time.”
“Yeah. Like I said, though, there’s a lot of strange shit going on around Andrea’s case.” Jeremy replied. “Hopefully, this can help us cut through that and help the police put more focus on her. He closed the sketchbook and began cleaning the books off of the coffee table.
“I won’t be there, but if you need anything – please get in touch,” Sarah said as she stood and straightened the bottom of her shirt. Jeremy was quiet most of the time, but he seemed a genuinely nice guy – especially after everything he had been through. She didn’t have much hope to hold onto, but talking to Jeremy usually gave her more than she started her day off with.
“I can’t thank you enough, Jeremy,” Sarah said as Jeremy stood up from the couch.
She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. She dipped her head against his chest and held him tight. A few seconds went by before she felt his arms finally return the hug. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax for a moment. In her time of need, he had been there and helped her weather so much. Now, she wished she had been there more for him when he had lost the woman he loved.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to reach out to help him, as well.
Photo by madeleine ragsdale on Unsplash
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