I had never seen anything like it. It was just flat, it looked like the shoulder ball wasn’t even in there. Actually I’m not sure if that’s part of the arm or the main body… area? Torso. Anatomy was not something I was forced to study and I wasn’t about to start feeling my own shoulder in front of a guy who just had his arm disappear.

“You don’t remember anything happening the night before, Scott?”

“No, I had a pretty normal day,” he said, pulling his shirt back over his head. “Went out for groceries, a few appointments after. Had some corndogs while I watched the game and a few beers, you know, not enough to make me black out, barely had a buzz by bedtime.”

“Did you see anyone following you or felt something strange?”

“Nope.”

I sighed. How does an arm just disappear? My only theory so far was aliens but I bet it could be narrowed down to a limb trafficking ring. I got the list of places he’d been and some other info then scurried to my car, eager to get away from his neighbour’s great dane whose bark almost felt strong enough to knock me over.

I wheeled around to the grocery store first. A guy was outside panhandling, so I gave him a toonie.

“Were you around yesterday?”

“I sure was.”

“Did you see this man?” I showed a picture I took of Scott before he put his shirt back on.

“Sure did, he gave me all the change he had and an apple.”

“That’s kind.”

“He was.”

“Did you happen to notice anyone else who may have arrived and left at the same time or anyone suspicious?”

He shrugged. “Can’t say I did.”

I shrugged back. I threw whatever change I had left in my pocket also.

“God bless.”

I nodded and headed inside. None of the clerks had been working the day before.

–

Back at the office I cursed giving out my change, I had to break a bill to get my coffee. I was tempted to get a sandwich, the shaggy haired kid was in and I’m pretty sure he lost them money cause his sandwiches were ridiculous.

I was too lazy to unlock my office door so I sat in the lobby and drank my coffee. Besides aliens, how else does one just lose an arm? And perfectly clean, surgically healed at that? Lest I speculate into the supernatural, I hadn’t any other idea. I finished my coffee and set out for the next location.

I pulled up to a strip mall of offices, a blue van with some green decal pulled out and I took the spot. It was a therapist’s office, so I doubted I could actually get any information. The sign was peeling and almost illegible, Dr. Price, CBT therapy, hypnotherapy, MBC therapy. When was there more than one kind of therapy? Besides like physio and what have you. The door rattled in place. A faded sign indicated lunch between 11 to 1. Two hours? Who eats that slow.

I kicked the door and cursed his signage, even mine were better off. If he filled one more appointment and had a shorter lunch he could buy some new ones. I was about to leave when a door opened from another unit and someone popped out with a, “hey, did you have an appointment with Vincent? He just left.”

“Who?”

“You must be new, Dr. Price. He goes to serve lunch at the church down the street.” Of course he does. “That was his van leaving.”

I questioned Vincent Price’s tastes. I pulled out the picture. “Well thank you, I’m actually helping out one of his clients, Scott. He was around yesterday, did you happen to notice anything weird?”

“Can’t say I did, though I try not to watch. You know, for privacy.”

“I suppose. Maybe any unrecognized vehicles that were lingering about?”

“Nothing stood out.”

“Well thanks, which way was the church?”

–

I got the directions and soon enough I was greeted by the sight of his blue and green machine. I parked awkwardly close to the driver’s side. A peak in the van didn’t reveal anything out of the normal, just a standard three-row, no secret mobile limb harvesting lab. Never could be sure. I’d have to check his office to be certain.

The line into the church was pretty long, and the assortment of clothing made me wonder if they all really needed a free lunch, but the sign said, ‘all welcome’ so it now included me. The line moved pretty quick, everyone serving food didn’t seem like a Vincent, so I waited until I got my bun at the end to ask.

“Is Vincent here today?”

“He’s helping in the kitchen today, hun, do you need him?”

“Can I go back to speak with him?”

“Best if you wait, the kitchen’s tight enough as is.”

“Thanks.”

I sat down with some guys who didn’t seem too far into their meal. I broke the ice with my bathroom story and got a few good chuckles before I devoured the plate. Vincent apparently was a nice man, sometimes when an argument was breaking out, he’d help cool all heads involved. Guess being a dr. of-something was useful, except if involved deciding on appropriate signage.

Trying to meander my way into the kitchen got me shoo’d away, but I did catch a glimpse of a tall, lanky old man with combed back grey hair. Talking would have been better but this glimpse divined that he didn’t seem like the limb snatching type. Off to the next place then.

A little strip mall almost annoyingly out of town but not quiet bore a medical office in the two story part, a convenience store, a jewelry store and a milliner. Odd assortment, although I suppose my office was the one that stood out in my building.

I went to the medical lobby and the directory stared back at me. A proctologist, a prosthetist, a podiatrist, and a pulmonologist. What do some of those even mean? Not that it mattered, they closed at noon today. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, should have come here first then the therapist’s. I’ll lament that I could’ve looked it up ahead of time later. I got a cheap coffee and another “can’t say I did” then finished it as I window shopped some hats before I took off.

–

Back at my office I sipped on cold coffee from two days ago while sorting the files on my desk. It had actually been busy lately, which was great for my account but not great for my desk. Barb was on vacation visiting her mom in Mexico, so I tried not letting it fall into too much disarray. General theme was it’s the meddling children. Stolen cat? Kid slipped it to his cousin’s bag before they left on a car ride back to Manitoba (it was fine in the end). Suspicious woman sneaking around an old lady’s house? Daughter got her hair cut and was measuring for a ramp; they had talked about it earlier in the day and she forgot. Missing money? Son needed more donations for the charity run at school.

Who was the bag stuffing kid for Scott? What was his forgotten conversation? What was the charity in need of his limb? Wait, did he have children? I should have probably asked, I was too caught up in his missing arm I didn’t look around much at his place.

Aliens. I scoffed and finished the old coffee. The interwebs didn’t have anything negative to say about any of the doctors at the office, all positive reviews and that. Guess I could rule them out. Maybe whoever it was would come back again, like an evil sadist who’d enjoy watching him struggle with one arm or something.

I checked my phone, no messages from any of my on-and-off again few night stands people. Guess I didn’t have anything else to do. Off I went to grab some drive-thru and scope out Scott’s place.

–

I had just settled into a parking spot and took a bite of my value snack when I saw a familiar sight. I thought this was going to take longer. After a hot second I started up the car. A successful u-turn and I was a few cars behind the blue green machine. Dr. Price back into suspicion.

He sauntered through the city until eventually we came to an old community of small houses and narrow driveways. I was pretty annoyed at this point from his slow driving I decided to just get to it. I parked on the street and got out of the car before he even got to his door.

“Could I help you young man?” He said, seeing me approach, his voice was very soothing actually.

“Yes, sorry to follow like that, I tried stopping by your office but you were out. I’m Ty Harrison, private investigator. I work for your client Scott.”

“Oh, Scott. He didn’t mention he was hiring a sleuth, what does he have you looking into?”

No one has ever called me a sleuth, I felt it as a compliment and was a little fluttered. I mean, he was a little old for me but also had some handsome features – I’m digressing.

“Well something strange occurred to him last night that I’m not sure how to explain. But I have a photo.”

I held out my phone for him to take a look. He took it upon himself to zoom in.

“I’m not certain to what you are referring, is this the correct photo?”

“Yes, his arm is missing.” Did the dr. need reading glasses?

“Well of course,” he looked at me as I looked him, and then he laughed, “is this some prank Scott is trying to pull? He did say he was going to try to be more spontaneous.”

“What? No, he called me genuinely concerned he went to bed with an arm and woke up without one.”

“He lost his arm years ago when he was deployed.”

I didn’t know what to say. He seemed to sense I needed a moment as he also remained silent. No one else today actually drew attention to his missing arm. Shit. Was I being pranked?

“He lost it years ago?”

“Yes, indeed fact, that’s why he had been coming to see me, about a year ago, his daughter convinced him to see me as he had an outburst around his grandchildren. We’ve been making great strides lately actually.”

“He forgot that he lost his arm!”

“Yes, that does seem odd, yesterday actually… hmm.”

“HMM?”

“Oh, we were trying something new, hypnotherapy. Help him forget the trauma for now and the emotions around it.”

“I thought therapists made you confront things.”

“When the time is right, I wanted him to be able to spend time with his grandchildren. So we decided it would be best to convince his subconscious that he had a smooth deployment over seas.”

“So what about his arm?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you give his subconscious mind a new reason for his missing arm?”

He paused for a while. I sensed he needed a moment but I wanted to smack him. Maybe serving food was his actual calling he should stick to instead.

“Yes, it would appear I didn’t. That must have been a shock, to wake up and have your arm missing.”

I shook my head. At least it wasn’t aliens, I wasn’t actually ready for that to be real.

“I’ll have to have him come first thing tomorrow then.”

“You better!”

I stormed off. Incompetent, meddling with people’s minds. This is why I never saw a shrink, in spite of the number of exes who said I should.

Driving off, I thought about earlier; the doctor’s office had a prosthetist. I really needed to think out my plan of action before just jumping into it. What should I do? Tell him? Wait until tomorrow after he’s had his session with Dr. Price? Oh my god, for once I wish I could call Barb and hear her advice.

It was late. I was tired, and the case had been solved. No missing arm, just a forgotten trauma. I drove home and went to bed.