Static Reflections: Book 1 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 54 - Nick and Richard: She Was . . .

Chapter 54 - Nick and Richard: "She Was . . ."

~The Call~

The moment between Nick and Richard passed comfortably. Happily, the universe was giving them the time they needed together and not trying to ruin it. Nick was pressed against Richard, and his partner kept his arm around him, breathing softly. Unfortunately, the two couldn't lay there forever, and the phone did eventually start buzzing in Richard's pocket. The raccoon got off the table and leaned against the edge while the hyena stayed sitting with his legs crossed on top.

"Hello?" Richard spoke into the device, pressing a button to put it on speaker.

"Hello, am I speaking to Richard Seife?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"This is him," Richard answered, looking at Nick, who just blinked in response.

"My name is Quin. I'm in a Sub-Sect in the Mortal Guard that relays info gathered from police to members. Are you on the case of Sandy Mitchell along with Nicholas Flynn?"

"I am."

"And is Nicholas Flynn currently in the room with you?"

"Yep," Nick responded, shifting on his behind, so his tail wasn't under him. The phone's on speaker."

"And you are in a secure place?" asked Quin, clearing his throat on the other line.

"We are, yes," responded Richard. "You can begin."

"Alright, here's how this works. I'll give you some info to start and then you can ask me the questions you want to know. I'll also update this in your Cases app accordingly."

"Sounds good," Richard nodded.

"Alright, well, needless to say, the family was devastated at the news. It was hard to calm the mother down enough for her to speak to the police, but the father and brother were too in shock to break down while they were there."

"You can skip this," Nick announced. "We don't need to hear how the family reacted to it. How was Sandy the last time they spoke?"

"They said the last time they spoke to Sandy was over the phone a few days ago, on Ocean Moon. Strangely, they reported that she, in fact, wasn't acting like herself."

"What is she usually like?" Nick queried.

"They said that she was a very dedicated girl, always on top of things like school and finances. She was staying in her dormitory that she rented for the summer, which is why she was still here."

"Oh, right. It's June. There's no school going on right now. That's why we didn't see anyone in the halls," Nick pointed out.

"Right," Richard answered. "Did she have a job?"

"Yeah, she worked at a movie theater on South. We spoke to them, too. Staying on the topic of her parents, we'll start with Mrs. Mitchell. She told the police that when she spoke with them on the phone, her daughter sounded different. Says she sounded despondent and not all there. When the mother asked what was wrong, Sandy told her that it was a movie she had seen recently. Mrs. Mitchell recalled that her daughter was never usually affected by movies that way, so she found it strange."

"Did she say anything about how Sandy acted before?" Nick asked. "Mood-wise?"

"Unfortunately, Mrs. Mitchell couldn't talk anymore after that," Quin reported.

"Doesn't sound like enough to commit suicide," Nick stated.

"Well, the supernatural aspect of this case is that it was thirty suicides at once. With all the questioning being done, there has to be a connection with all of them," Richard inserted. "Did Sandy leave a note?"