Her Eyes

Chapter 28: POWERLESS

It was early in the morning when Alex received a call about a blonde woman from floating in the tidal flats. He rolled his eyes hoping to God it wasn't Norma. He drove down to the bay and climbed under the caution tape. The sight of the body didn't faze him, though he pitied the poor girl. Water dripped down her hair as they lifted the body out of the water and placed her in a body bag, zipping her up. "Anybody have any idea who she is?" the sheriff asked, squinting from the light of the sunrise. The officer shook his head and followed the others back to the truck. Alex knew who he needed to call—the only person he could think to call was her. He climbed in his SUV and dialed the Bates' house, hoping Norman wouldn't answer.

            "Hello?" It was Norma.

            He paused for a moment unsure how to ask. "Hey, it's Alex. I hate to ask, but there's a dead girl...they're taking her down to the morgue right now. I was wondering if you could come and see if it's that Annika girl."

            He waited for her to respond. He could hear her unsteady breathing. "Uh, yeah...of course." There was worry in her voice. It plagued her.

            He was like an awkward teenager trying to speak to her on the phone. "The morgue is near the junkyard on Baxter Street. I'll meet you there."

            "Yeah, yeah." She paused. He could tell she was thinking about something. "How'd you have my number?" She laughed lightly.

            He hesitated. He couldn't tell her that he had her number memorized. "You call the station a lot," he laughed. It was the truth. He'd seen her number on multiple paperwork at the station...not to mention all the messages she'd left him in the past few years they'd known each other.

            She laughed along with him. "I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and headed over to the morgue, greeting the pathologist when he arrived.

            "I haven't had the chance to look at the body yet," the man said, putting on his gloves.

             "That's all right. We're just here to hopefully identify this woman." He glanced over at the table where the woman laid. They had already placed a blanket over top of her, concealing every bit of her except her feet. Alex turned at the sound of the door opening. It was Norma. "Thanks for getting down here so fast," he uttered, walking over to her.

            "Of course," she stated. She winced; the smell of the room had just hit her.

            He looked at her painfully. "I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this." She smiled politely. "They found her floating in the tidal flats." He felt the need to warn her before she got a look.

            "Okay." She placed a finger under her nose and approached the table with Alex beside her. "Oh I think it's her. I recognize the toenail polish." Alex glanced down at the girl's feet, taking a deep breath before uncovering the body. He watched as Norma moved passed him to get a better view. She leaned down over the face of the girl, nearly touching nose to nose. He stared at her in amusement. She was some woman all right. "It's not her," she muttered, keeping her gaze on the girl.

            "Are you sure?" he asked in disbelief...she had stared at the girl for a while.

            "I'm sure." She stood upright. "Yeah," she sighed a bit, glancing back down at the girl.

            "All right," he mumbled. He turned to the pathologist, who stood in the back of the room. "Thanks for everything." He turned and led Norma out of the room, stopping in the hall.