CHAPTER II: NOW WHAT INDEED...

As I slid into the drivers seat of my new Porsche convertible, I felt sad for my friend who I know, for the victim who I didn't know, and also just a bit of angst I suppose. If the truth be told, I have had no more experience with dead people than him. Pets yes, People no. Except for a Great-Aunt and a grandmother or two. or whatever but that is different and no I don't know why. Just is.

I sat for a minute as I saw him speed off and pondered my next move. Back to the police station to be sure, gathering facts for my report to my boss...and then?

I feared this was gonna be a long night and while I normally would have looked forward to having a major news story to cover, Honestly, in a town this size what can be considered news is hardly that but the trick is to make it all seem as if it is. Compared to the shenanigans in Washington D.C., hardly but I do try my best.

I suspect that my feelings about a long-time close friend and his reactions to the events of tonight at least so far were coloring my normal penchant for adventure (as long as it doesn't mess up my nails or my hair. LOL).

I sat. Just fucking sat, absent-mindedly fingering the fine leather of the seats and occasionally the gear shift lever...as if I was impatient to go which I wasn't and hoping I would find some magic thing that would prevent me from doing so..and feeling guilty for feeling that and NOT feeling guilty and...

Ok, not my finest hour to be sure.

I got the key into the ignition and with a turn the loud roar of the engine more or less drowned out my wandering thoughts. Almost, and slipping the shifter into drive, looked for vehicles...and not seeing one sped off, but to what?

I suddenly realized I wasn't quite ready for more fun at the precinct, and just as I thought that I saw those familiar golden arches, and thought. Ok.

I pulled up, turned off the engine, and...sat.
I started several times to reach for the door handle to go and get a burger or whatever...and then the image of the late and oh so not breathing Mr. Walters would flash across my mind and...

I sat for probably twenty minutes, and finally...
turned the key and proceeded on to my original destination. I guess you can see just how good I am with dead bodies...or perhaps GOOD is not quite the term I should use.

I kept wondering as I drove almost absently-mindedly what was next on the menu/agenda/playbill. What would I encounter back at the station except the love of my..., ummm...and where indeed were WE going, he and I.

To what/where I wondered. 
I had NO clue.

It was odd even to me at the time, but there was this sense of almost, I don't know...dread? Something. I couldn't put my finger on it but there it was. I felt uneasy, and had no idea why. That made me even more uneasy and no I didn't know why. 

Rob? Was something about to happen? 

I'm not particularly psychic but more than a bit instinctive I guess and that made me even more uneasy. I don't think I could stand it if something ever happened to the best friend I have ever had and one anyone could have. We were literally in the crib together as his mother was my mothers housekeeper and we were born a few days apart. My mother who is a Doctor insisted that Robbie's mother stay with us for awhile after giving birth so she and he were in our house 24/7 for about 4 months. Plenty of time to ruin Rob for life. LOL. (Yes I am that good at inserting mayhem into my mates).

But as to the dread or uneasy thing I didn't have a clue as usual. Big help I am. Geez. How good of an investigative reporter/journalist can I be if I can't even analyze my own thoughts. But...it's different and NO, I DO NOT know why...or much of anything else obviously.

I drove without even being aware of my surroundings which is HARDLY recommended ('Don't try this at home' came to mind). There I was, lost in thought or reverie or tapioca pudding...or whatever passes for thoughts these days.

I found myself driving in circles. Nice, but hardly appropriate if you are in a hurry to get somewhere specific, or if...

Ok, finally...not through any prowess on my part to be sure, but I did make it to the station (police) and after parking in the side lot strolled inside. Well, not strolled exactly. More like lurched and sputtered.

"Hey." This was mouthed since he was on the phone.
"Hey, Dyl," with his hand over the mouthpiece.
I prayed he wouldn't ask where I have been for the last 45 minutes, and thank God he didn't.

I sat where he motioned me to, in a very uncomfortable and hardly a designer-created chair (unless the designer was Hitler and he was convinced everyone who sat in it henceforth would be Jewish) and as soon as he hung up I intended to press him for any details on the recent murder of which we speak.

BUT, as soon as he finished he muttered that he had to go to see his superior and away he went which left me to sit, alone with my thoughts, and trust me that is never a good idea. I can get dangerous really quick when left unsupervised.

After about five minutes of contemplating both the resolution of the world's wars and what color to paint the kitchen or if I would even paint it at all or...he returned. Damn, I just about had the Middle East figured out.

"Dylan, I know you got a story to do so let me fill you in."
Good boy, good boy. LOL.
"Ok, here is what we know at this point and it isn't much to be sure but here goes.

At 8:47pm this evening, I got a call from a janitor at City Hall telling me he had come across a body lying in the main hallway outside the city council chambers. No he hadn't touched it or anything else in the area, and hadn't looked closely thus didn't know who it was. (He said after he did know that he hadn't seen the deceased alive or dead this evening before encountering the body, nor anyone else since he had started his shift at 7pm).

"I recognized the victim when we arrived and we arrived at 8:59.

"The victims name is Glenn Eugene Walters, of this city and he is a city councilman and has been for about two years. He and 'his friend,' a man by the name of Richard Case, own an antique store downtown and have for about ten years or so. Glenn is or rather was 44, his partner is 42, and they came here about 15 years ago from Chicago. Glenn's family was from here and he inherited the antique store."

He stopped as I guess my face expressed my absorbing all that.
"So you are saying he and his partner were business owners, upstanding members of the community and all that, and gay."
"Yes."
"Any known foes or enemies or such?"
"Not that we know of. It is very early yet in all this Dyl, but from those I have talked to so far, including a sister, they were accepted in town and well liked. Course Glenn had grown up here before moving to Chicago. I don't know where Rick is from as of now but trust me. I will."
I nodded.

"So, you haven't talked to his 'friend' yet?"
"No answer at the residence so far, Dyl. I'll keep trying."
I nodded.

"The coroner and the forensics team place the time of death at or about 8:05pm and the weapon we saw at the scene was obviously the murder weapon."
"Rob, does anyone know why he would have been at City Hall at that time on a Friday night? Was there anyone else from the council there?"

"No on both counts, as of now."
"Whew. Glad you are you and I ain't. LOL."
"Gee thanks Dyl. I really needed that."

I was trying to lighten the mood as if that were possible, and he knew it and I knew he knew it and I knew he...you know. He did smile a tad, but I knew it was a stretch. This was he admitted his FIRST, VERY VERY FIRST, dead thing he had ever seen up close, had not felt deprived a bit for missing that kind of fun, and he also admitted he wasn't handling it well or happy about that, and I of course told him he was doing just fine and it would get easier the more bodies he came across. For a minute I thought he was going to pass out at that tidbit...but hey. Might as well get right down to the reality of the situation. 

(Good thing he hadn't decided to pursue surgery as an avocation. Five minutes tops).

"Dyl, I gotta make some more calls. I haven't gotten ahold of all his next-of-kin yet so hold off on the ID for a bit ok?"
"Sure."

"I'll be around if you need me, ok?"
He nodded and got on the phone again, and I sauntered off to the men's room as much for something to do as anything else...and then to my laptop where I would begin typing in my first on the scene report. BIG STUFF. Hahahaha.

The night dragged on or so it seemed, with occasional conferences and updates with my officer pal. The Sgt from the crime scene came and departed for the night leaving us and the night duty officer to ourselves which is as I have noted never a good idea as we have a penchant for getting naughty when left unsupervised. Tonight however maybe not.

About 3am, I insisted that we grab a bite to eat and just as I did that the Forensics dudes showed up to let Rob know they were done at the crime scene and the body had been released to the Coroner. On THAT happy bit of news, we ordered Pizza and salads, and cokes, since the Captain frowns on beer at the station...which surprises people since he is known for his embibing from a stash in his desk. Rank hath its privileges I guess.

Rob was still trying to contact the next-of-kin some of whom were out-of-state, and of course Mr Walters partner, Richard Case.

By 6am, we had been at it since his shift started at 6pm, and his 2:30am shift end had long since come and gone. His relief officer had called in sick or perhaps uninterested working on a Friday Night, and so there we were...until 9am. At least. OH WHAT FUN IT IS!

The department had just about nailed down a couple of hires for the detective division and they would be working under Rob and Rob was anxiously awaiting  a start date. Between the three they would cover all three shifts, and another hire had finally been approved that would cover their days off and also work the duty desk.

"So what you think so far?"
"Think? Dyl, they don't pay me enough to think."
On that bit of levity we both laughed, finished our dinner/breakfast/midnight snack and after disposing of the remains settled in for a bit of drinking, dancing and...well, maybe not.

"He seems to have had no enemies that I can find out," I told him and he nodded. I had been calling around too, discreetly of course which is never easy in the middle of the night on a Friday Night especially since a lot of the callees are gay.

"He seems to have been well liked and respected and their business from what I can tell was very successful."

"Yup, that is what I have been hearing too."
"You know what? We make a good team. Maybe we should open a detective agency."

The look from him was WITHERING to say the least. Several plants around the office keeled over, and some paint cracked. LOL.

"Just a thought. Geez."
"Well, I have always prided myself on being able to get to the bottom of things and quickly."
"You have? You've never gotten to MY bottom of things."
"YET," he laughed and so did I.

"PROMISES PROMISES," I thought to myself and then dismissed the thought quickly. Not the right time for this kind of reflection.

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER III