Darkness Falls

Chapter 3

Chewing on a piece of spearmint gum, Terry Summers read the gun enthusiasts magazine that he had brought with him on his shift and silently drooled over the newest line of Remington rifles that were up for sale at $169 a pop.

He imagined himself with one of these beauties at home; fingering the fine walnut stock and the black finish barrel which gleamed with its own inner light.

Perfect for hunting. He thought–before reaching across his cluttered desk and grabbing a black pen from the holder.

Marking his place and circling the gun in question, Terry prepared to turn the page when the phone in front of him rang for his attention.

Picking up the receiver, he said politely, "Captain Barstow's office. How may I direct your call?"

"I'd like to talk with Jerry, if you don't mind." The woman on the other end ventured sweetly. "Is he available?"

Terry's eyebrows went up slightly in surprise.

"Aleia? Is that you?"

"Yes. It's me, Terry."

"It's been awhile." Terry reminisced pleasantly, while digging out his day planner from one of the drawers and flipping through it as fast as he could.

"It's been...three months since the last time you called." He confirmed professionally. "Is there a reason why you want to bug the captain now? Or is this a social call? He's quite busy you know."

"I realize that, Terry. And I promise that I won't take up anymore of his precious nap time."

The man crushed back a grin. "How do you know he's napping?"

"Call it a hunch–seeing how his job is very demanding of him."

Terry looked up for a moment to take in the clean office, with the five or six desk cubicles, and the quiet solace that pervaded the whole scene: At this time, there would be few people on actual duty–seeing how it was the night shift.

So this was the perfect time for the captain to catch up on some much needed sleep.

"Well, he's out cold right now. Can I leave him a message–saying that you called?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

"I don't think this can wait, Terry. It's a matter of personal importance that I get a hold of him."

The man sighed. "You know how much of a grouchy mood he's going to be in, right?"

"Can't be helped. I have quite the mystery on my hands and I'm trying to generate some leads. I thought your department might be of some help in that regard."

Terry sunk back in his seat, not liking that idea one bit.

"You know how much the captain hates it when you come online and ask for our help in certain matters, right?"

"I wouldn't be much of a county medical examiner if I didn't, Terry. You know that. It's part of my job description."

"Still..." he tried to evade unsuccessfully, but deep down, he knew that he couldn't. It would be a dereliction of duty and he could get in serious trouble if he didn't go through with this.

"I promise nothing bad will happen that will cost you guys precious rep points. But this is something that must be done. I can't do it alone." Aleia sought to assure.

Terry seized upon that last part for a moment. "What about Jack? Is he–?"

"He's going to do his own bit of detective work in the morning. Don't worry: I have that part covered."