thinking of the
sociopolitical consequences.
She turned to
Rick and John. “I need you guys to go the Brickton Estate and help Jake and the
others.”
“Sure, boss,”
Rick said after a brief pause, the color draining from his face.
“If we’re going
to get through this, and catch whoever this bastard is, we need to work
together,” Anna reminded them. She looked closely at the picture covering a
third of the wall. She knew it couldn’t be Mr. McMillan. She had seen him in
the coffin. She even touched his hand with Matthew, hoping it would make him
feel better. Didn’t work well for me , she thought to herself.
“Sheriff,”
Geraldine said, touching her shoulder gently. “Where’s Michael?”
“Oh, shit,” Anna
mumbled. “I sent him to the payphone at the Laundromat to lift prints.”
“Has he reported
back?” Damien asked.
“Janet!” Anna
called, making everyone in the room raise their shoulders toward their ears
from the volume. Janet nearly sprinted into the office with Trisha hot on her
heels. They stopped beside the table where Trevor and Tommy had returned to
their seats.
“Yes, Sheriff?”
she shouted.
“Have you heard
from Deputy Mullins yet?”
“Michael?” Janet
asked.
“Yes, Michael
Mullins, Janet. Have you heard from him?” Anna was trying to maintain her
temper.
“No, Sheriff, I
haven’t heard from him.”
“When was the
last time he checked in?” Damien asked quickly.
“When he got to
the Laundromat,” she answered.
“When was this?”
Anna asked.
“And what did he
say?” Damien chimed in. Anna gave him a stern look. He nodded apologetically.
“It was about a
half hour, maybe forty minutes ago,” Janet said uneasily.
“Are you sure?”
Anna asked.
“Yes, at least
thirty,” Janet said more confidently.
They all stood
and stared at each other. Anna raised her arms, as if to say, And what else,
Janet? Jesus Christ!
“Right. He said
there were two cars in the parking lot and he would call in when he was done.”
Janet looked at her shoes, suspecting she had done something wrong.
Anna was pissed
at herself for not having sent someone with Michael. How could she have been so
careless? There was a murderer running around in the woods, a murderer who
almost killed Sam and Trevor. Why would she have sent him out alone? Guilt
began crawling up her spine. She tried to shrug it off, keep her cool and
maintain her authority.
“Janet, try to
get in touch with Michael. Geraldine, Aaron, I need you to go to the Laundromat
as fast as you can.”
“I have a bad
feeling about this,” Geraldine said softly.
“We can’t get
bogged down in feelings that will get us killed.” Anna said briskly. “Keep your
wits about you and let’s get this done.”
Everyone stood
and stared at her.
“Now!” Anna
shouted. “God be with you,” she added. She hoped it would offset her yelling at
them, but she felt like an idiot.
Anna looked
toward the table where her sons were sitting. Trevor gave her the thumbs up,
but in a somewhat embarrassed fashion. Her direct line began ringing at her
desk, startling most people in the room. It was just what they needed to start
following Anna’s orders.
“Sheriff
Blackwood,” she said gruffly.
“Anna, hello.
David here,” Dr. David Styles said.
“Dr. Styles!”
she said a little too excitedly. She waved everyone out of the room. She put
her hand over the bottom part of the phone to speak to Damien. “Stay on the
cameras, Damien.”
“I have some
information for you,” David said in a monotone voice.
“I’m listening,”
Anna assured him.
“The yellowish
foreign object that was in the back of the neck of our victim is a weapon made
from animal bone, maybe even a claw or talon.”
Anna was quiet
for a moment, allowing what David had said to sink in. Although Aaron had
already relayed that information, it seemed real coming from David. It was
certainly a strange weapon to use, but then again the night was
sociopolitical consequences.
She turned to
Rick and John. “I need you guys to go the Brickton Estate and help Jake and the
others.”
“Sure, boss,”
Rick said after a brief pause, the color draining from his face.
“If we’re going
to get through this, and catch whoever this bastard is, we need to work
together,” Anna reminded them. She looked closely at the picture covering a
third of the wall. She knew it couldn’t be Mr. McMillan. She had seen him in
the coffin. She even touched his hand with Matthew, hoping it would make him
feel better. Didn’t work well for me , she thought to herself.
“Sheriff,”
Geraldine said, touching her shoulder gently. “Where’s Michael?”
“Oh, shit,” Anna
mumbled. “I sent him to the payphone at the Laundromat to lift prints.”
“Has he reported
back?” Damien asked.
“Janet!” Anna
called, making everyone in the room raise their shoulders toward their ears
from the volume. Janet nearly sprinted into the office with Trisha hot on her
heels. They stopped beside the table where Trevor and Tommy had returned to
their seats.
“Yes, Sheriff?”
she shouted.
“Have you heard
from Deputy Mullins yet?”
“Michael?” Janet
asked.
“Yes, Michael
Mullins, Janet. Have you heard from him?” Anna was trying to maintain her
temper.
“No, Sheriff, I
haven’t heard from him.”
“When was the
last time he checked in?” Damien asked quickly.
“When he got to
the Laundromat,” she answered.
“When was this?”
Anna asked.
“And what did he
say?” Damien chimed in. Anna gave him a stern look. He nodded apologetically.
“It was about a
half hour, maybe forty minutes ago,” Janet said uneasily.
“Are you sure?”
Anna asked.
“Yes, at least
thirty,” Janet said more confidently.
They all stood
and stared at each other. Anna raised her arms, as if to say, And what else,
Janet? Jesus Christ!
“Right. He said
there were two cars in the parking lot and he would call in when he was done.”
Janet looked at her shoes, suspecting she had done something wrong.
Anna was pissed
at herself for not having sent someone with Michael. How could she have been so
careless? There was a murderer running around in the woods, a murderer who
almost killed Sam and Trevor. Why would she have sent him out alone? Guilt
began crawling up her spine. She tried to shrug it off, keep her cool and
maintain her authority.
“Janet, try to
get in touch with Michael. Geraldine, Aaron, I need you to go to the Laundromat
as fast as you can.”
“I have a bad
feeling about this,” Geraldine said softly.
“We can’t get
bogged down in feelings that will get us killed.” Anna said briskly. “Keep your
wits about you and let’s get this done.”
Everyone stood
and stared at her.
“Now!” Anna
shouted. “God be with you,” she added. She hoped it would offset her yelling at
them, but she felt like an idiot.
Anna looked
toward the table where her sons were sitting. Trevor gave her the thumbs up,
but in a somewhat embarrassed fashion. Her direct line began ringing at her
desk, startling most people in the room. It was just what they needed to start
following Anna’s orders.
“Sheriff
Blackwood,” she said gruffly.
“Anna, hello.
David here,” Dr. David Styles said.
“Dr. Styles!”
she said a little too excitedly. She waved everyone out of the room. She put
her hand over the bottom part of the phone to speak to Damien. “Stay on the
cameras, Damien.”
“I have some
information for you,” David said in a monotone voice.
“I’m listening,”
Anna assured him.
“The yellowish
foreign object that was in the back of the neck of our victim is a weapon made
from animal bone, maybe even a claw or talon.”
Anna was quiet
for a moment, allowing what David had said to sink in. Although Aaron had
already relayed that information, it seemed real coming from David. It was
certainly a strange weapon to use, but then again the night was
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