Killer Bay

The Ties That Bind

"Adalet, I can't believe Spangler told us he helped an alien escape! As if we'd ever believe that crazy talk!" Frank grunts as they drive out to the festival site, "and now he wants to meet him in some sort of festival in the middle of the desert?"

"He never said what type of festival it was," Adalet recalled.

"I checked, it's a gathering of weirdos who get their kicks from drinking beer and then burning a big statue, I know, Adalet, it makes zero sense. But you know, kids these days..." he rolls his eyes, "makes you wonder, what is Spangler really up to? Why would he go to a place like that? And why does he need you? Something doesn't seem right."

"I might not follow theories about aliens, but we need to find out what Spangler is up to!" she responded.

"I don't believe in aliens either, but I love a good mystery. Let's go to that festival!" he grins, making a sharp turn to the right.

At the Festival...

"What the hell is up with this place, Adalet? Looks like those hippies just passed the ultimate acid test!" Frank exclaimed, looking around the deserted area, "and of course they didn't clean up after themselves when they left! The place is a mess!"

"I don't see Spangler though," Adalet frowned as they approached the festival grounds.

"I really don't get why Spangler wanted us to come here. Can you have a look around and see if you can find him?" he asked.

"Hunter! Bulmak!" she ordered and the dog ran off in search of Spangler.

While Hunter was searching for Colonel Spangler, Adalet and Frank split up and began looking around the area as well. Adalet found a faded flyer blowing around in the breeze and a video camera one of the festival attendants must have forgotten. As she picked up the items she heard Frank calling for her from near the main festival grounds.

"What is it, Frank?" Adalet asks as she stepped up on the raised platform.

"Can't we visit a place without tripping over a dead body?" Frank complained, gesturing to the corpse Hunter had found.

She gasped, "it's Colonel Spangler!"

"You think it's Colonel Spangler?" he frowns, looking closer, "those medals... that mustache! No, that's impossible! We've known Spangler for ages, he's always been around! And now you're telling me he's dead? I just can't believe it! Sure, I didn't like the guy, but he didn't deserve to end up burnt to a crisp like this, it's so undignified!"

"No one does," Adalet agrees, noticing a footprint near the body.

"Why did he want us to come here? Did he know he was in danger?" Frank wondered.

"It's possible," she replies, "but to know what we're up against, we need to solve his murder!"

"Hopefully this video camera you picked up will give us a visual on what happened here, You'll just have to unlock it first!" he added, seeing the lock icon on the screen.

"This footprint is fresh," she remarks, "it's not yours, is it?"

He shook his head, "nope! But you're right, and it's facing away from the murder as if our killer fled the crime scene! Can you run it through the database, Adalet?"

She pulls out her table, "I'll have the results in a minute! And check out this flyer, it's definitely missing something!"

"Don't expect me to work on that piece, you're the one with magic skills," he smirked.

"I would expect nothing less from you, Frank," she teased, "and check this out, the footprints the killer left at the crime scene are from military boots!"