Rogue – Chapter Two: Bowling for Answers
I sit with the cold metallic table under my cold elbows. A towel draped over my shoulders as my mother tries her best to warm me. I squeeze my face and run my hands through my hair as all I can see is Ally’s body, her corpse, lying there as if sucked dry by something – SMACK – a folder hits the table’s surface and slides under me. I’m now looking at the coroner’s report and pictures of her body. I glance up to the large robust man whose police uniform is a few sizes too small as I feel the button are about to lung at me before he does.
“Alright Michael, walk me through it again.” Deputy Puwet demands. “You got your girl, Allison Weathers, pretty as can be. Tight body, who could ask for more. Except, something drives you to lead her away from all your friends so you can…do this to her body.”
I groan. “That’s not what happened at all!”
“Right, something sucked all the fluids out of her like some kind of vampire. That’s what you’re telling me?” He laughs. “Just tell the truth kid. You got a twisted murder boner and decided to pull it out on your girlfriend.”
“Oh my god!” I yell as I go to stand, but the cuffs fastened to the table hold me in place.
“That’s disgusting!” My mother gasps.
“Deputy that’s enough!” Sheriff Davidson steps from the corner and the deputy holds up his hands out of defense.
“I’m just trying to get some answers here.”
“Jumping to conclusion is not how we do it.” The sheriff grabs the folder and spins it to the deputy. “How the hell would he have done this in a matter of seconds. His friends said they were gone for a couple of minutes at best.”
“They were drunk – ”
“You can’t drain someone’s fluids, in water no less…” Sheriff Davidson sucks in his lip. “There’s no humanly way the captain of the football team could have done this. And unless you find a murder weapon of sort, or a reasonable explanation, then we’re going to file this as a swimming accident.”
“Sheriff…!”
“Until we get a logical explanation that’s all we got to go by right now.”
“Have you thought of labelling it as a shark attack?”
A voice asks and we all turn. My eyes squint at the short man, dark chocolate skin, in the bowler hat looking like he just stepped out of the eighteen hundreds. Then my eyes widen as I remember seeing a similar man on the pier. He meets my eyes and holds up a finger to his lips and then gestures it in the direction of the sheriff.
“I do like the vampire idea, but that’s just a theory at best.” He walks in and stands beside me.
“And who are you?”
“Wentworth, Harold Wentworth the Fourth.” He practically hops from the cane he holds before himself. “I’ll be acting as the child’s lawyer. Young, Michael, is it?”
“Lawyer?” Deputy Puwet asks.
“Michael and his mother haven’t requested a lawyer, nor do they need one. The charges are being dropped as they don’t hold…water.”
We all frown at that and the sheriff regrets having said it.
“Well, there’s punctual and then there’s just me.” He lifts his cane to the brim of his hat. “Just give me a few seconds with the boy to get his…story straight?”
“What?”
Both the sheriff and deputy ask as the man in the bowler hat rounds the table to usher them out the door.
“Don’t worry, it will only be a minute.” He says as he practically pushes them out. “Go get some, what do you call it here…Coffee and donuts?”
He shuts the door, locks it, and turns to my mother and I with a hop and a smile. He rounds the table while we remain baffled. I can see the sheriff gesturing for someone to open the door. Don’t they have keys?
“It will take them a minute to realize that their keys won’t work.”
“Why?” I ask.
“I changed the locks.” He says examining the documents.
“What?” I’m further beside myself with that explanation.
“You said you found her like this? Completely drained of all fluids?” He reads the files.
“Uh…yeah?”
“Elaborate. What all do you remember after you dove in?”
I try to think. “I don’t know, were you there? I thought I saw a similar man with a bowler hat…”
“Ah, so you do remember…” He glances up, steps back, and stands patiently with his hands on his cane. “Proceed. We’re listening.”
“Uh…” We’re listening? “Just…it was dark, and there was something…there. In the water. It grabbed me…my leg, and pulled me under. It felt sharp, like a shark maybe but I’m not sure. Never really been bitten before aside from the neighborhood dog…Even I’m starting to sound crazy.”
I say as I shake my head. The man in the bowler hat doesn’t seem too disturbed by what I’ve said.
“Is that all?”
“Yeah…” I say trying to think. “Wait, I got away after it pulled me under. Something or someone ripped me away…I don’t remember much else after that.”
He smiles and nods. “Good then you should be able to sleep better knowing nothing.”
“What?”
“You too should go home. Leave it to us professionals. We’ll have this sorted by the end of the week.”
He assures as he heads for the door. Both my mother and I are even more confused. He hasn’t told us anything and I haven’t said anything that wasn’t in the reports so what exactly did he come here to search for? Was there something I missed? Something I didn’t see? It was so dark.
“Rest assure that everything is under control, just…stay out of the waters.”
He smiles, turns the handle and officers spill on to the floor as they’ve been trying to open the door by force.
“Sheriff Davidson, you’re right. My services here are no longer required but I will be in touch.”
He tips his hat with another smile and a hop, and leaves us all in bewilderment. Who was that guy? Between the gaggle of officers on the floor and Sheriff Davidson stepping over them, I thought I heard other footsteps leaving the room, but there was no one else there. I think I am going crazy.
“Who was that guy?” The Sherrif asks and neither one of us can answer. He gives a sigh. “Alright, go home. No more partying and if anything new comes up I’ll be the first to let you know.”
“Thank you, Roy.” My mother says as he uncuffs me.
“The name’s Sheriff.” He says and gives her a gentle sigh. “Go home Heather. Michael, sobber up and keep your head out of more trouble until this blows over.”
“What, so no fishing?”
I ask as I rub my wrist. He doesn’t approve of my humor. The officers clear the doorway and allows for my mother and I to leave.
It’s a long car ride home as I stare out into the darkness of the night. Who was that man in the bowler hat, and what actually happened out there in the water? So many questions, and not a single answer tonight. All I know, is something killed my girlfriend, and I want to know what.
When i tell you Just chapTer one and two of this book haD me on my toeS! EXCELLENT story so far, will have to buy!