Cliffhanger Theater!

“This is Detective Hetfield.” Will said, as he leaned on the trunk of the Pontiac on what was becoming a very pleasant spring evening, at least it would be if not for the mysteries floating in the air.

“Will, have you got a second?”

“Sure Tina. Have you found anything?”

“Well, we haven’t found anything worth finding, but we did find more oddities.” Will looked down at the baggie in his hand. He held it up, and looked at the tiny butterfly inside.

“Oddities? I’m listening.”

“There isn’t a single CD, video game, or PC-CD in this entire apartment. The hard drive has been removed from the computer, and it looks like a rush job. We found money in a jar, and some left on the counter. Nothing else is missing as far as we can tell, besides the discs. Oh, and the captain has been trying to get ahold of you. Is your radio off?”

“No, I’ve been talking with Jonas at the Grand Prix. He thinks they’re after those other two for the accident. My gut tells me that there’s a lot more going on.”

“Ah, the infamous detective gut feeling.”

“Hopefully more famous than infamous when this is over. Is FBI around? Pass him the phone.” A few seconds later, another voice came on the line.

“Detective Hetfield?”

“So, what’s your take on the missing items?”

“Frankly, if Gerrard was going to bolt town, that’s what he would grab. The fact he was reported dead, combined with the missing landlord, tells me the landlord is in the morgue and Gerrard is long gone.”

“Why then, do Robert and Phillip have FBI files?”

“That’s a good question. I don’t have that answer yet.”

“Do you know anything about origami?”

“Excuse me?”

“The Pontiac. It had a small origami butterfly inside. It was folded out of a gum wrapper. It seemed very out of place.”

“I have no idea.”

“Well, you head to the morgue and flash your credentials. I’ll check with my captain, and then we’ll see if either of us can answer any of each others questions, unless you have another idea.”

“Detective, you strike me as an honest cop. We’ll try it your way, but if we don’t get any answers, we’ll try it my way.”

***

Old Man B wandered around another train. Where the hell was the fence again? The evening darkness was confusing him, and the glasses that were a few prescriptions out of date were doing him no favors. This is just great. Now I remember why I don’t help anybody anymore. A loud bang caused him to freeze in place. For a moment, he was back in Korea, behind enemy lines, holding his gun, and trying to go south again. He took a deep breath, and the Korean landscape melted away. He was back in Sioux Falls, and lost in a rail yard. He looked to the left, and saw the chain link fence. He walked with a rapid pace towards it, getting more excited with every step. As he lifted up the fence and bent down, he found himself rising back up. A strong hand was on his shoulder, clutching a generous portion of fabric.

“Going somewhere?”