The Deep Freeze

Part 4

The detectives continued by asking more questions. What happened in the store that evening and why had Michael been in there all night? It seemed that nobody knew he had been locked in the freezer all night. Michael thought Bob would have told them everything. This was not the case. He couldn't believe what was happening. Michael explained the whole story from start to finish. How he stayed and helped up front with carts, and how he stayed late to cover himself for inventory the next day. He explained that he had no idea Bob did not tell anyone else or wouldn't have gone into the freezer. Michael told them about the freezer having problems and how the door shut while he was in there. He told them the horrible night he had and how he managed to sabotage the freezer to get it to shut down.

The detectives couldn't believe what they were hearing. They hadn't been able to do a thorough investigation of the place just yet so decided to wait until Michael woke. They were much more sympathetic upon hearing the whole story. Detective Schmitt apologized for their abruptness with Michael and ensured him they wouldn't take up too much more of him time. They wanted to get over to the grocery store to see what happened. Michael thought long and hard about mentioning Xanthan, since the detectives didn't seem to want to believe him about Bob. He decided to tell them it was some kind of animal. He told them it looked strange and wasn't sure if it had rabies or something. He told them how he was afraid of it and when he heard the door, the animal heard it too and went towards it. Michael explained how he threw something to distract it so he could run for the door and when he opened it, Bob was standing there, trying to unlock the door.

The detectives asked Michael what the object was that he threw. He told them it was a football. He said sometimes on break a few of them would go out back and throw it around a bit. It was something the store manager, Al, encouraged. He said it helped morale. The ball actually belonged to the store for that reason. It was the first thing he saw so he grabbed it and threw it as hard as he could in the opposite direction of the door. Michael told them he was tired and had to get a hold of his parents. Detective Schmitt said they were leaving but would like to see him after they inspected the store if he didn't mind. Michael reassured them that it was no problem. He just knew he had to figure this whole thing out.

The nurse came in as the detectives were leaving. She had some pain meds for Michael and said a meal tray was coming soon. Michael told her he needed to contact his parents and she immediately let him know they were already notified after he was admitted. They were on their way as fast as they could possibly travel in this weather. Michael felt comfort in those words. He missed his parents but now even more. This was all so much to take in and having family nearby helped quite a bit. He wanted answers but didn't know how to get them. He wanted to know where Xanthan was. It couldn't have been in the store since the fire department was already inside. It could have left out the back door when Michael and Bob ran out. Maybe it didn't get too far because of the weather.

Bob got home after running to the store. The garage door opener wasn't working. It probably froze over the sensor. He parked in the driveway and got out of the truck. He stood there for a moment, staring into space, as if he didn't know what he was doing at the moment. We've all had them. Usually thinking in our heads...Now what was I doing again? He finally snapped to and went into the door on the side of the garage. It was much warmer in there. He entered the house where it was even warmer. Bob was cold, tired and hungry. He didn't grab anything on his way out because he was in such a panic. Emily quickly made him some hot cocoa and started fixing eggs, bacon, toast and grits. She asked him what happened and he replied with "Nothing to worry about." She didn't question him further since she knew he was tired and hungry.

Michael was asleep when his parents arrived. He took the pain meds and that put him to sleep. They were talking to the Dr. when Michael woke up. He heard the Dr. saying how he had hit his head and suffered a slight concussion. He also told them he was okay to go home if they were planning on staying with him for a few days to make sure he recovers fully. Michael was happy to hear this. His parents looked relieved. They had a long, stressful drive to get to him and now that they were all together, they were content.