Instant Freeze

Campbell Ward

Stepping out the back of one of the police cars was a man dressed in a way that no one ever would have expected. It resembled space suit or a diving suit, white in colour, and it even included a helmet. When the man looked back and forth, his wrinkled countenance identified him as the sixty-three-year-old Campbell Ward, but Henry never would have imagined his skin to have been blue or for him to resemble a frozen cadaver. In his fifteen years he had seen some green-skinned blackguards, but a blue-skinned one? That was completely unexpected.

Walking up the steps, Ward paused and, owl-like, he rotated his head to look over at Henry and Katharine. This act alone caused the crowd to gasp.

From right next to him, Henry heard Miao exclaim: "Wo de tian a!"

Henry then looked to Katharine. She was standing there, wide-eyed with a hand over her mouth. It was understandable, how often did one meet an individual that resembled a frozen corpse.

"Good lord!" exclaimed Ku. "Guy looks like Otzi!"

"Even Otzi doesn't look like that." Commented Henry. He had seen pictures of the Iceman and knew fully well what Otzi looked like. There was something unnatural about Ward.

Watching as the police took Ward into the Courthouse with people following, Henry noticed an ice cream truck parked on the other side of the street. Raising an eyebrow, Henry stood there while everyone else walked into the Courthouse, Katharine still holding onto his arm.

"Henry?"

Looking at Katharine, Henry asked: "Yes, Katharine?"

"Are we going to go in?"

"Yes, yes, of course."

Walking into the Courthouse, Henry and Katharine found the place to be packed. It was like all of Actaea was there in the Courthouse, impossible given the city's population of nearly four thousand, but still there were plenty of people present. Making their way to one of the balconies and joining Miao and Ku, the two redheads could see Henry's parents Alphonse and Caroline Branagh were there, his paternal grandmother Jane was present, his maternal grandfather and uncle Merlyn and Manuel McNeil had appeared, his entire family was there, and Katharine could see that her paterfamilias Charles Sharp and his girlfriend Myrna Moffett were there as well. The Sheung family they already knew to be present, but to Henry's surprise the entire Riel family had shown up as well. It was only natural that Chief Administrative Louis Riel be there, he was a member of Actaea's police after all, but Henry never would have expected to see his younger brother Donald, his wife Maria, and their son Zac, with whom Henry and Katharine were friends. Similarly, both members of the Malka family were present: Deputy Chief Ned Malka and his daughter Marion, another friend of Henry and Katharine. Henry could also see Dr. Jose Bing, his wife Bo-young and their sons Karl and Carl, he could see the Mrs. Genoveva Gomez and her children Fabrizio and Marta, he could see Drs Matan and Mia Maazel and their son Zachary, he could see the Guo sisters Krystal and Kristin, he could see Melanie Martin, he could see Julie Marshall, her paternal half-brother Margarito Morrison and her daughter Athena, he could see Nolan Abagnale, his wife Renee and their children Blake and Rebecca, he could see Magnus Magnuson, Evening Star editor and reporter Michael Marciano and Margarita Stewart, Detective Ming-Na Akhtar, Vincent Cortes and his daughter Catherine, Melvin Anderson, General Franklin Clift and his daughter Mari, Dr. Diana Baccarin, Marius McLoughlin, Tochi Abeno, Mahiro Mabuchi, Mi Machida, Mario Machado, Enrique Richardson, reporter Troy LaMarr and his son Philip, Basil Davis, Redbird McCartney, Detective Roberta Cummings, Yvonne Sayegh, Police Chief Mikel Mena, Wyatt Claflin, Officer Margarita Caskey, reporter Lauren Bailey, Principal Kenneth Sato, Mr. Martin Hordern, Coach Andre Buress, Brian Barua, his wife Irene, Matt George and more.