Winter's Shadow |Winter Series #1

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Dedicated totheStphnieCollection, for your lovely comments.
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Gage Beckett had seen and heard many things in his seven years of being a detective, he had solved many cases and won awards that made even his superiors green with envy. He was the man of the hour, every hour. So why did it prove hard to solve one case in a small town like Crymont?

He took a sip of his coffee, popped a candy in his mouth and then turned to look out the frosty window. The roads were lonely and cold, so unlike what he was used to.

Officer Beckett hated Crymont. The depressing aura, the mountains that towered up to the sky like a fortress, blocking the town from the outside and the hard and chilling locals all contributed to his urgent need to solve the case and put the town behind him.

He sighed as his eyes found the recording pen on his desk. Brynn Kane, her name resounded in his mind.

What happened during those months, Brynn? he whispered closing his eyes. He had only closed them for a short while when the door to his office burst open, "there's a door for a reason, James." he said with his eyes still closed.

James grinned sheepishly making a show of knocking the now closed door, and then he plopped on the chair resting his hands on the desk, "sorry sir, I'm just so excited. Finally we'll get to go home." he sneezed, "I'm so sick of Crymont and the dreary weather," another sneeze.

Gage opened his eyes then, looking James squarely in the eye, "who said we're going back home now?"

"Aren't we?" James was close to feeling horrified.

"No."

Silence descended on the small square shaped office with the two men staring at each other, the silence between them spoke volumes. For James, it was the possibility of not being able to return home for months to come, and for Gage...well, he wouldn't think of leaving Crymont with his work unfinished.

Finally, James broke the silence, "but Miss Kane has been found, we can catch the kidnapper now right?"

"We can't, at least not yet."

James's face took on a confused look which made Officer Beckett sigh in frustration, though not at James but he didn't need to know that.

"Brynn Kane doesn't remember the events of the kidnap," and he went ahead to recount the details of his interrogation.

"I can't remember." Brynn had said, her eyes held a deep confusion, as they glistened with unshed tears.

"I'm afraid I don't understand Miss Kane, what do you mean?" Officer Beckett asked walking closer to where the two Kane's sat.

Brynn visibly shuddered which didn't go unnoticed by Gage, she looked at Remi then back to Gage, "I really don't remember what transpired after that night."

Officer Beckett nodded his head as though he understood, but he didn't. Nothing about Brynn's kidnap was understandable, "okay, tell me what you do remember?" he resulted to asking.

Brynn sighed almost hopelessly, "I do remember the night at the club and the waiter who gave me a drink, though I don't remember his face." she paused expecting him to reply, when he didn't she continued. "Everything else after I blacked out is just...blank. I know some time have passed since after that night, but I have no memory whatsoever of what happened during that time, not even a glimpse. Nothing." she shut her eyes and whispered, "it's like my memory from that time has been erased."