Shocking Ted

Prologue

"I need...*KRRR*... Portman, I'm up at the Dowel's. There's been a death." Hawke said over the hand-held transceiver.

"A dead body? *KRRR* I'll be up with Commons shortly." Portman fastened the transceiver back on his pocket.

The coffee shop was a lazy pull in station this time of morning. Lucas Portman waited, watching the ladies move around busily, dropping spoons and holding their heads in the craze. Easily enough, he had managed to find a spot in third for the line-up and was happy enough to have his cappuccino's in a few minutes. The shop smelt rich with the scent of Arabica coffee beans, the crusty taste of pies and sausage rolls in the air, as well as the new sweet cookies being placed into their display.

Portman had already had his daily cereal of Weet-Bix; dry and unsavoury. He looked at the display with his square eyes, pushing his middle dint further in between his eyebrows. The sweets were too tempting to pass up, so he cut to the front of the line without a fuss from any and asked for "Two macadamia and white choc. Please."

Out the door before the others questioned his need to hurry, Portman had the two cappuccinos' in his hands with the cookies in a white paper bag hanging from his mouth. David Commons sat in the car waiting for him, extending his arm to open the door for his partner. It was past time they were off; a radio had called in a death just out of town and the two were made to go investigate. Commons was excited by the premise of seeing a dead body, although it wasn't obvious, Portman had to watch his face to find the evil jitter.

Portman placed his cup in the holder and began to eat the first cookie in the pack.

"Are you right?" asked Commons. No matter how much room you had in the car, Commons' legs would almost reach the console. "We need to get out to the Dowel residence."

"Right, but let me just eat a little. I haven't had breakfast." Portman lied.

Commons began to show he was annoyed, "Come on, give me one." Commons snatched the packet. "I don't want to waste any more time."

After consuming the cookie whole, Commons beckoned for Portman to start the car. He thought it was useless to rush, how far can a dead body go? Starting the engine, pulling off and moving to the outskirts, it became clear that the day would be troubling. The morning was breezy and cold, the frost was still melting from the freezing temperatures that were plaguing the nights. The rain had stopped late and left the ground sodden with water, creating an even harder frost.

Portman had rarely come this way before; the countryside was nice with clear fields flushed with green grass. It had never been a concern this part of Brooden as the traffic rarely had anyone drive fast, so no one thought to patrol. A quiet part of town, little to no theft, and now there was a death.

He had rarely seen a dead body in his twenty-odd years of work. He was used to catching robbers and drug addicts, not investigating bodies for want of murder or suicide. Commons seemed evermore nervous, clasping his warm cappuccino and waiting eagerly.

Commons was a rough man to be sure and a hot head when it came to catching the most meagre of thieves. His hard face was almost soft next to Portman's, they were both like travelling pebbles where Commons had a smooth, soft texture; Portman had a crude broken chip. They got along as best any partnership could, except Commons made to excuse courtesy with his japes at his face and presumed to nickname him "Cliff Face". A joke that had circulated to even his closest friends.

"It's in here Cliff." Commons pointed.

Portman ignored the nickname and pulled the vehicle into the driveway. What a nice lawn. He thought. The driveway was dissimilar to the house, smashed windows and things thrown from them. It was like a piece of heaven as it had brick laid out in mosaic fashion, some filled with glass and the others made dark. The car in front gave another indication that there was a sour taste in the air. The side window was snapped clean off, it laid to the left of the car, as if it had been intentionally broken.