Blue Water

Chapter Two

A body, a mystery and donuts

Saturday 02:30 A.M.

Deputies Allenby and Rogers had finished their second tour of the residential part of town, and now they had to check that all was quiet in the business district. This was the rather over-inflated name that the town's mayor had applied to Main Street. Deputy Allenby smiled as he thought of the tubby little man who was trying so hard to make their tiny town into something. Into what? It was already a great little place to live, to raise kids. What else did Mayor Johnson need?

Allenby checked his watch; almost two thirty. He hated the night shift, but someone had to do it. This time it was his and Rogers' turn. It was the darkest time of the night and he was due a coffee infusion. He yawned, turning the police cruiser into Main Street, driving slowly. He and Rogers glanced at the shop fronts, checking that the businesses were secure. There wasn't much crime here, but that did not mean the sheriff's department could get complacent. After all, there had been that recent bout of vandalism. Tagging, they called it. Turned out to be a couple of kids from the next town, coming to Andersenville for their high jinks. Allenby was pleased it wasn't anyone local.

"Swing around. Let's take a look in the back alley," Rogers suggested.

"Sure thing."

Allenby turned the car easily in the wide road, then guided it into the narrow access lane that lead to the alley running behind the stores. It was much darker in the alley. They could not see much in the gloom. Rogers fired up the door-mounted searchlight, probing the darkness with its bright beam. A movement caught both deputies' attention. Rogers swung the light, illuminating more of the cramped alley. Something flashed across the beam of light, too quick to make out.

"Was that a cat?" Allenby asked, puzzled.

"No, too big for a cat," Rogers replied. "Dog maybe." Whatever it was, it had moved fast. The searchlight could not turn quick enough to keep up. But as the light swung, Rogers saw something else.

"What is it?" said Allenby, as he applied the brakes.

"Not sure." Rogers swung the light, scanning back and forth, then down. There. Something on the ground.

"Looks like a body," he said, turning to look at his partner, eyes wide.

Allenby flipped a switch on the dashboard and the blue and red lights on the vehicle's roof began their erratic flashing. He put the car into park, turning to stare past Roger's shoulder at the unmistakable sight of a pair of legs protruding from behind a trashcan.

"Oh hell. Let's go take a look then."

*

On the outside of town, in a dark street, a black SUV was parked with the lights off, but the engine still running. Inside sat two grim faced men, listening to a tinny voice coming over the speaker phone. It was audible, but only just; static and random squawks punctuating ever other word.

"You got there, I see. The GPS has you located just outside Andersenville."

The smaller of the two men, Agent Webb, replied, speaking louder than necessary, as if that would make up for the bad connection.

"Yeah, we made good time. Arrived late in the afternoon. We've already started our recconaisance."

More static. "Have you made any progress with locating the hacker?" It was the voice of the white shirted analyst who had despatched the two agents earlier that day. Webb spoke again, this time almost shouting into the tiny microphone located in the rear view mirror.