129 (17)

Eli Elson kept writing.

He had been in the police station since this morning.  He’d gone from interrogation room to interrogation room, with a few stops at various desks to tell officers the same information over and over again.  He was without a computer, but he had managed to get his hands on a lot of paper, and a decent pen.  He was scrawling everything that was happening, everything he was feeling, and how the Sioux Falls Police Department was going to be a frequent target of his news blog.  He glanced up at a clock, realizing his Twitter account hadn’t been updated in almost ten hours.  He heard a door open, and he quickly started massing his many sheets of paper together.  He looked up again and saw Captain Hale walking over.  He dropped a Z’kota bag in front of Eli as Eli kept gathering his papers.  “Relax…I’m not taking your notes” Hale said as he sat down.  Eli looked up and at the Z’kota bag.

“What is this, good cop, bad cop?”

“That depends on if you’re hungry or watching your figure.”

Eli chuckled.  “What’s in the bag?”

“Bacon double cheeseburger, with waffle fries and a few packets of ketchup and mayo.”

Eli sat his pen and papers down, and cautiously opened the bag.  “I’ll be damned.  It’s like you read my mind.”

“More like your blog.  At least three different entries talk about this being your guilty pleasure, and how Z’kota is your favorite burger joint.  I’d have to agree to an extent.”

“You…you read my blog?”

“Well, just today, but my daughter filled me in on where to find it.  Now, why don’t you finally eat something and then we can talk about who brought you here, and how we can maybe fill in some blank spots on our end about Phil and Bob.”

***

Phil’s life was flashing before his eyes.  At least, his life with Michelle.

He remembered going out to meet up with an old girlfriend who never made it, and somehow winding up sitting at a table with another old college friend.  Michelle was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, but they wound up sitting by each other.  Phil could still remember the way Michelle offered up some of her fries that night.  He thought about their first “date” which consisted of ordering pizza and watching a marathon of “Family Guy” on Cartoon Network.  Their first kiss was that night, and Phil could almost feel her lips and taste her strawberry lip gloss for a flickering moment.  They were inseparable for those early days, and soon moved in together.  He thought back to the three hours he spent at Riddles looking for the perfect ring, and the look on her face that told him it was three hours well spent.  Happiness was finally with him…

…then it left.  He now saw signs that there was trouble, or maybe he was rationalizing that night he came home to a half empty apartment.  He read the note she had left, and he cried all night long.  The pain was so unbareable to him then, and now he was starting to feel it over again as she started to stand up.

“Michelle, just hang on” Bob said, snapping Phil all the way back to the here and now.

78 (22)

Officer Travis Bucholz took a deep breath, and reached for his radio. Julio Perez was looking him over as he turned around. Travis pulled his radio out halfway, then slid it back into place. He dug in his pocket for a cell phone. He found Detective Hetfield’s number on a scrap of paper and punched in the numbers. Travis thought about using the radio after the first three rings.

“Hetfield. Who is this?” Travis hesitated for a moment, as he was already reaching for his radio with his free hand.

“Detective, this is officer Travis Bucholz. I’m here at the rail yard with Julio Perez.”

“Who?”

“Julio Perez.”

“I heard the name Bucholz, who the hell is he?”

“He’s…he’s from railroad security. The captain wanted you to interview him about a lead.”

“What? When?”

“Officer Black told me to call. She said the Captain called you.”

“Black? Robby Black? I thought he transferred out.”

“Is Robby a girl?”

“What?”

“I mean, the officer Black I talked to was female.”

“Look, I have a lead here at the airport. Tell the railroad rent a cop I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

Travis opened his mouth to protest, but Hetfield had hung up. He turned to Julio, who was staring at him with his arms folded, and an angry posture. “Detective Hetfield has a new lead, so he’s a bit hung up, but he’ll be here as soon as he can.”

Julio nodded and walked towards the wall. He pulled out a cell phone of his own as Travis paced nervously.

***

“Do you really think I’d pull Michelle into this?” Phil was angry now, and Bob was back on his heels.

“Whoa, wait. I was just making sure.” Bob was using hand gestures, and that told Phil that Bob was lying.

“Just making sure of what? That I wasn’t going to go scouring a town of 30,000 while the police and some nutball assassin are looking for us? Then what?” Phil was yelling louder with each passing word as Bob backed away. “YOU HONESTLY THINK I WOULD DRAG HER INTO THIS MESS YOU’VE GOTTEN US INTO?” Bob raised his hands up, almost as if to stop Phil from getting to close. Phil spun around and slapped his hands on the side of his head. He walked towards the door and looked out at the farms, fields and cars flying by. The houses and cars seemed to be appearing with greater frequency now. Phil briefly thought about jumping out. He could still remember the day he came home. He could see the empty drawers. The words on the note she left behind jumped out in his mind. Phil wanted to scream, cry, and punch Bob all at the same time. He heard Bob pacing behind him, and he rocked his body forward slightly. He thought he could survive jumping out of the train, but he just couldn’t do it. Maybe Bob was right about Phil’s motivation to jump out in Aberdeen. Phil had done his best to bury his feelings for Michelle, but he could feel them clawing out of his stomach the closer the train rolled to Aberdeen. He lowered his hands as Bob crouched beside him.

“I’m sorry” Bob said.

77 (21)

Marie crumpled up the paper she was writing on.  She turned to another blank page in the notebook she’d bought when she came in to work.  She had a wastebasket filled with half written notes to her ex boyfriend.  Half of the notes were about getting back together, while the other half were final goodbyes after a few months with their relationship in a gray area.  She wasn’t sure how this one should go.  She wouldn’t be deciding yet, as the door of the E-Z Stop swung open.  A woman with short blond hair walked in.  Her glasses shifted from dark to clear as she walked to the beverage case.  She was wearing tight black dress pants and a colorful shirt that didn’t reveal much skin, but it was hugging her body almost as tightly as her pants.  Marie started thinking not about her last boyfriend, but her last girlfriend.  This woman reminded her of a cross between her ex girlfriend and the woman who she caught cheating with one of her old boyfriends.  She had seen her here before, usually getting gas.  She walked up to the counter with a pack of Orbit and a Diet Sunkist.  Marie picked up the gum to scan it in.  “Howdy.  Did you have gas?”

“Nope, just the gum and soda.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“I’ve seen you come in a lot, but I never caught your name.”

The girl smiled a bit.  “Are you trying to build a better rapport with your customers?”

“It never hurts.”

The woman smiled.  “Michelle.  I’m taking some classes at the college and working as an assistant manager at Herberger’s.  Would you like my hobbies and interests?”

Maire started laughing.  “Sure, why not?  I just…you look like someone I used to know.”

“Good way or bad way?”

“Actually, two people I used to know, one of each.”

“Well, I’ll try to strive to be the good one.”

Marie laughed some more.  “Good call.  Three-oh-three is your total.”  Michelle took out three dollars and then took three pennies from the give a penny dish. 

“If I need to re-gum, I’ll come back later.  Right now I’m off to pull a quick fill in shift.  See ya later.”  Michelle smiled as she walked out the door and to her car.  Marie took her pen in hand and started thinking again about what to write.  She heard Michelle’s Toyota leave the lot, and for a moment she was lost in thoughts about her.  Her thoughts were broken up by the sound of a bottle landing on her counter.  She turned and saw a woman with black hair and dark glasses who Marie didn’t remember coming into the store.  Her leather jacket looked very new, and she seemed almost annoyed with the fact she hadn’t been rung up yet. 

“Sorry…j-”

“Just the Dew and the V8.”

Marie scanned the bottles while the impatient woman started putting on a pair of biker gloves.  “Three tw-”

“Keep the change” the woman said, as she walked out the door.  She had left a five on the counter.  Marie just watched her down the Mountain Dew as she revved up her motorcycle.  Soon, the woman was gone, and Marie was wondering what to do with the change.  As she was counting it out, a man emerged from the video lottery casino.

“Hey, I think I have a winner.”

Marie looked at the print out.  Sure enough, the man had won well over fifty dollars.  “Good job.  I’ll need you to fill out the back and I’ll need some ID.”

Marie looked up and the man was already half out of the door.  “I forgot my ID, so call it a tip” he said as the door closed behind him.  Marie watched the man walk towards the Super 8.  She was up over fifty dollars on the last few minutes, but she still had no idea what to write her ex.

43 (15)

Clayton looked at Gene for a moment, then walked in a semicircle around him.  “So, his last name isn’t Dinkley, and even if it was, could he sign out a body to himself?”

“Well, it’s rare, and we’re not supposed to, but it isn’t technically out of the realm of possibility.”

“But would Mr. Richmond do it?”

Gene looked down.  “No, there’s no way.  He would have called me in or had someone else at least authorize it.  He’s in charge down here.”

“Maybe not anymore.”  Clayton reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded note.  “Before I came down I went to talk to the administrator of your hospital.  He was gone, but I found this half shoved under his door.”  Clayton handed it to Gene, who unfolded it. 

“Hey, can you do that?” Darlene piped in, somewhat angered by the notion Clayton was snooping around.

“Sorry if I’m trying to solve a case that might involve a police officer on his way down here shortly.  One of your town’s police died at this Gerrard person’s apartment, and we haven’ t ruled Mr. Dinkley out.”

Gene lowered the piece of paper, then sat on the edge of the desk.  “It’s all right Darlene.  It’s Frank’s resignation.”

Clayton walked over to Gene and stood slightly behind him and over his shoulder.  “Now, why would he suddenly resign?  Does he have a lot of money saved up for retirement?”

“Not at all.  He lost his life savings in a bad stock trade a month or so ago.  We had to cancel his sixtieth birthday party, because he wouldn’t show up.” Darlene chirped, as she leaned on the other desk.

“Frank just told me Monday that he’d be working here until I processed him.”  Gene said, as he removed his glasses and started rubbing his eyes.

“Gene, I need to know where that body was sent.  We’ll worry about Frank in a bit.”

“Sure sure.  Uh…well, the documentation here shows that it was sent to Chapel Hill.”

“Do you think you could call and confirm for me?”

***

“Over here Mike.” 

Officer Mike Hanson walked from the bedroom into the living room of Bob and Phil’s apartment.  Mabel Gravley waited in the doorway, visibly shaking and frequently looking over her shoulder.  Mike looked down as Officer Justin Nelson flashed his light at the floor. 

“What is it?”

“It looks like they made off with all the Xbox games.”

Mabel’s voice fought her throat to escape.  She hadn’t told the officers about Jeremiah and Jebediah.  She wanted to more than anything, but she could still feel where her keys had impacted her chest, and the thought of it being a bullet the next time kept her voice restrained. 

“They must have known something was up.  The place is a mess.”

“Heh, it’s a bachelor pad.  It might just always be that way.”

Mike walked over to the doorway.  “It’s a good thing you called ma’am.  A lot of apartment managers would have just let it go, especially lately.”  Mabel looked at the young officer, her brain swept up in guilt and fear.  She feel forward, just in reach of the young officer.  Mike held Mabel as she began crying uncontrollably. 

“Hey Mike!”

“Not now Justin!”

“Well, when you get a second.”  Justin was shining his light at a nearby tree, where what looked like a large chunk of a leather jacket was blowing in the breeze. 

Just a quick note

The summary for part one has been completed. It’s an overview for new people finding their way here, or if anyone wants to recap major events so far. I’ll be adding them every twenty eight posts or so, along with a new “Cliff(hanger) Notes” bio.

Thanks for clicking by.