Just Another Missing Person

by Gillian McAllister

Gallows humor: necessary for survival in the job. When you’ve attended as many post-mortems as they have, you’ll say anything dark for a laugh.

Can we only be truly honest with ourselves when things are going well?

And now look at us: rescuing each other, in grief.

Nobody ever regrets knowing something, no matter how tough. The worst thing in life is to be bullshitted.

trying to learn to trust the good news when it comes her way, to treat it like a friend, to regard it without suspicion.

She feels a firework of happiness shoot up through her: evidence boxes and forensics reports and crime scene details. Illogical jigsaw pieces eventually fitting together into a thing of beauty. She’s home.