Andrew Grey

Episode I

As the rain made its descent to the earth, sounds of collisions echoed against every fragment of my dingy, 1983 -  fluorescent - green, New Yorker. A soft, almost muted noise resonates from an older model stereo system whose life narrows as the seconds pass. A dim light that used to glow so vibrantly, has now began its promising journey to the heavens. The person who has accompanied me for countless nights will soon pass over into an uncertain parallel of consciousness - a journey that some may resent as our lives become restricted.

As darkness sets in, the night slowly creeps along - loneliness, along with the ability to stay awake - infiltrates the minds of those who dare to challenge their effects. Scholars, who are well versed in the science of sleep deprivation; have only managed to conceptually theorize a survival method; known as - drinking coffee. This cerebral strategy of attack, is useless without a plea to those drowsy sensory abilities used to minimize any sudden movements, as dripping any portion onto a slightly protruding stomach could be detrimental.

The night grew slowly into an angry sadist, as Mr. Hyde would soon give way to Jekyll's soft grip. As I briefly nodded off - I was suddenly startled by two beams of light that began closing in on my location as my target finally made his way home. Raising up to my surprise - I clumsily spilled a portion of hot steamy coffee onto my slightly disproportionate stomach. Shit! I lightly scream under my breath. Fortunately, my hidden presence didn't appear to be discovered. As I cautiously glanced over my dashboard - I noticed the car appeared to be a newer, faintly light colored sedan; resembling - a Honda accord. As the door quickly opened, and closed just as fast - I couldn't help but observe only one shadow walking at a staggered pace. The terms of my employment expressly narrated a tale of infidelity on the part of one Mr. Scott Jones. I fully expected to observe the presence of another, more specifically a female to emerge from the vehicle giving me the information needed to close the case - as it was, no such luck.

As I continued to secretly observe the actions of Mr. Jones - nothing out of the ordinary jumped out that would place me in a state of "Eureka". However, taking a closer peak is always an investigators intuition while trying to obtain slimy evidence.

Mr. Jones had obviously been out drinking for a considerable amount of time. I could almost smell the evaporated fumes of cheap scotch and cigarettes. These types of cases never seem to end the same. However; my assignment for tonight appears to be uncomplicated - ascertain as many details as possible surrounding Mr. Jones, have a couple drinks, and crawl into bed.

As Mr. Jones walked into the house, I waited for the lights to turn off before making my way to the car to have a look around. I was certain as to his inebriation that he would pass out as soon as his head hit the pillow - being none the wiser to my snooping efforts.

As I began perusing the surrounding area of the vehicle, I noticed the car was indeed white, laced in brown trim and had no blemishes to speak of. Surprisingly, everything seemed to be in order, or should say - nothing to arouse my suspicion. As it was, only scattered debris, consisting of small rocks and pieces of irrelevant trash littered the ground.

Peering through the window, at first glance - nothing seemed to indicate foul play, nor were there any garments relating to the female gender. I tried the door, hoping Mr. Jones was sloppy as intoxication can hinder the most basic security intuition. As I pulled on the door handle, suddenly two loud chirps rang out, scaring the shit out of me! I ducked lower than the car window as to conceal my presents. I was sure Mr. Jones was passed out - just my damn luck, I thought.

In the direction of the house, I heard the sound of a door opening, as a light from the front porch promptly decorated the entire area with purpose. A soft voice cried out "Mr. Gray", in a whisper. Thankfully, I recognized the voice from several days prior as being my employer, Mrs. Jones. She cried out again, never raising her voice above a certain decibel - "are you able to get inside the car, she asked"? I replied to her in a sarcastic manner - "that's what I'm trying to do"! She seemed to be embarrassed of her intrusion as she quietly closed the door, turned off the porch light, and unlocked the car door with the key fob as she turned to go back inside. I wasn't sure as to why Mrs. Jones was at home. Days prior, she enlightened me as to a trip she and two other co-workers would be taking - returning in two days time. As such, her being home was certainly a surprise.

I waited for several minutes before trying the handle again. I worried Mr. Jones would awaken due to the clamor originating from the lapse of judgement of Mrs. Jones. When I felt enough time had elapsed, I opened the driver's side front door, and immediately covered the overhead light. This was my time to shine, I thought.

As I entered the vehicle - I immediately began searching the inside, using extreme caution as I didn't want to disturb any items that didn't require disturbing. If I was going to find any evidence as to the marital indiscretions of Mr. Jones - I knew I would have to be quick about it.

After a thorough once over, I became increasingly frustrated as the search amounted to practically nothing. I was positive something would turn up; however - as an investigator, solving a mystery in a couple of hours is a rare occurrence.

I turned to leave the car as frustration consumed my thoughts - never realizing that I forgot to search the overhead visor. When I flipped down visor - several pieces of folded paper fell out, scattering throughout the vehicle. A sigh of frustration gasped from my lungs, as the entire night was filled with hopeless anticipation and surprise. As I became increasingly angry - I grabbed as many of the pieces of paper that I could feel, shut the car door and went home.