Unexpectedly Undead

Unexpectedly Undead Chapter 7

-Dire Straits-

The man sleepily reached for his cell phone which was violently vibrating  upon his nightstand. A glance at the screen revealed the caller, Joplin Police Department.

"Hello." He whispered in a rasp through a dry and scratchy throat. Almost instantly his hand reached for the bottle of aspirin and glass of water he always kept at the ready. The previous night's consumption of cheap scotch and cigarettes was ill forgiving, as they were every single morning.

"David?" The caller asked.

"Yeah, it's me." David answered. The confusion brought on by his rude awakening began to subside, as he realised who was on the other line. "Sheriff Taylor?" He questioned, half setting up in bed.

"Yes David. I need you to..." The sheriff began, before he was interrupted by a chuckle.

"Look Sheriff, I'm a P.I. and don't work for free, you know that. If this is about some case you're working I promise you I will charge the department this time." David joked while he read the time on his digital alarm clock. "And could this wait until later in the morning? It's 4:15."

"David, this can't wait." Sheriff Taylor said. David only then noticed how rattled and shaken the officer's voice sounded. "It's your daughter,Olivia. There's been an accident."

*****

Less than an hour later, David was meet by Sheriff Taylor at the muddy gravel entrance of an abandoned warehouse just south of Joplin, along the city's outskirts.

"What happened?" David asked as he quickly threw his car in to park and exited the vehicle. Dawn was close in its approach and the skies -now clear of rain clouds- began to glow a faint orange. Sheriff Taylor raised his hands in a calming manner trying to slow David's pace before he entered the grounds.

"David, just hold on a minute. We need to talk before you go up there. And the only reason I'm letting you go in is because you worked in law enforcement about as long as I have, before this whole P.I. business. Anyone else and I'd have asked them to come to the station, not down here." The sheriff explained.

"What happened?" David asked again, fear beginning to build in his thoughts. The sheriff scratched at the stubble about his cheek, and David's query was met with another.

"Was Olivia out with a few friends late last night, a Ramona Talbert and Matthew Harper?"

"She spent the night with Ramona, yes. I had a lot of work to do on a case, so she offered to stay there to give me a bit of peace. I tried telling her to just stay home, and that she wasn't bothering me, but you know how teenagers are." He answered, periodically glancing over Sheriff Taylor's shoulder trying to catch a glimpse of the scene.

There were no flames, but a faint stream of smoke rose slowly in to the sky. He noticed a fire truck and ambulance up ahead, but only recognized them by their lights. It was still too dark to see much else.

"That's what I assumed." Sheriff Taylor whispered, all the while slowly shaking his head. "We got a call from a passerby saying he believed part of the factory was on fire. Said he could see the flames from the road. Fire & Rescue was dispatched at..."

"Could we please skip to the part that pertains to my daughter?" David asked, with more parental worry now joining his fear.

"When they got here they found a car on fire, not the old warehouse. The 86' Prelude was registered to Matt. After talking to Matt's parents we found out that Matt and Ramona were dating. You can see where I'm going with this?" The sheriff shared.

David did know where the officer was headed, but dreaded hearing the answer to his next question. He knew tragedy and loss all too well.

He witnessed it -more often than not- on the faces of those who hired him when he revealed to them his findings as an investigator. Harsh and devastating news that rattled the very souls of his clients. Tears welled in David's eyes as he mustered the courage to ask.

"They were in the car when it was on fire, weren't they?" He queried, taking in a deep breath and holding it in. The sheriff bowed his head low and whispered.

"Yes David, they were." The words felt as if they were a knife materialized,  cutting him deep within his chest. Pain and tension radiated throughout his torso, and with a faint powerless stumble David fell to his knees to weep.

"Oh, God!" David cried out, his hands cupping his face. Thousands of memories filled his mind at once, retracing the life of his 'little girl'.

Her first words, her first steps, the way it made him feel when he'd tuck her in to bed at night and she'd wrap her little arms around his neck and say 'I love you, Daddy!'.

Her first day of school and seeing her climb the steps on to the bus, she paused at the top of those steps and turned and waved to him with such a gorgeous smile upon her face. He worried about her the whole day and even came home early from work to greet her when she got off that bus.

"David?" Sheriff Taylor asked, placing his hand upon his shoulder and ripping him from the memories he so desperately needed to reminisce about in that moment. The sheriff handed him a handkerchief to dry the tears from his bloodshot eyes. "I'm truly sorry for your loss."

"Thank you Sheriff." David said, returning to a reality he wished with all his heart was just a dream. He dabbes his eyes with the cloth and cleared his throat. "I really don't know what to say."

"There is another matter I'd like to discuss with you David before we head up the drive here to the scene, that is if you're up to it?" The sheriff asked.

"What matter is that?"

"Well I'd like your assistance in investigating this accident, again only if you're up to the task. Could be nothing more than a few inconsistencies, but I'm not entirely convinced that what happened here was an accident."

"Sheriff Taylor?" David asked, baffled by the sheriff's accusation that foul play was suspected.

"Just come with me and I'll explain." The sheriff finished, looking back toward the warehouse. David told him to go on ahead, for he needed to make a phone call.

"Jesus Christ, David! I told you last night not to call me anymore, at least not for a while..." His wife began yelling the moment he placed his phone's reciever to his ear. However, the moment he called her by her name - her full first name- she knew something was wrong. For in their twenty years of marriage the last time he had called her by that name was on their wedding day when they were exchanging vows.

"Katherine." He whispered, holding back the resurfacing tears to the best of his ability.

"David, what's wrong?" She asked.

"It's Olivia. She's been involved in an accident. Sheriff Taylor called me early this morning, had me meet him down here."

"An accident? What happened?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but the sheriff is convinced that it may be something more than just an accident." David offered. Although he wasn't able to see her face, he knew she was straining to hold back the tears.

"Is she?" Katherine asked in a high pitched tone. David knew what she was thinking, the same thoughts that had only recently passed through his mind as well. He also knew that she had to hear the words from his mouth to truly believe it.

"Yes Kat. She's dead."