Over the Darkened Landscape - By Derryl Murphy Page 0,37
partner was lighting up yet another cigarette. A sure sign just how nervous he was feeling.
“Up the stairs, but I haven’t had much of a chance to look yet.” He turned and headed through the back door and on up, Mike following close behind.
It wasn’t too tight a fit, but it was small and mildly claustrophobic, and when they came to the top of the stairs he saw that this room must have been where Sandy combined her office and living quarters, small even by Templeton standards. He quickly walked over to the half-open window and knelt down on the floor, eyes closed and breathing in fresh air until he felt his shoulders lift a bit.
“The bed,” said Danny.
Mike looked and grimaced. He couldn’t help himself then, and all his years in Templeton came bubbling up to the top. “Oh, yuck!”
Danny smiled. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what we all were thinking.” He pointed his smoke at the fresh stains on the sheets. “Doc had a quick look up skirts and in pants, and what you’re thinking is right. Sandy Hancock and Derek Hayes were bumping uglies, man and child, right here in Templeton.”
“Son of a bitch,” whispered Mike. “You hear stories on the other side of the Line, and I know sometimes they’ve caught some pathetic fucker thinking about crossing over, but I never heard about both sides being in on it. That’s sick!”
“Besides being illegal. Most of us think the same, Mike. There’s still some people who don’t think it’s sick, though.”
Mike shrugged. “I think you can safely rule out everyone who’s under, say, ten or twelve. This beating seems a little much to have been done by a little kid. Plus, Derek was not only an adult, he looked to me to be a pretty big guy. That would be a tough fight for anyone, most of all a kid.”
“Unless he was caught by surprise.”
“The only thing that makes that guess difficult, Danny, is that he was on top of Sandy. We’ll go back down and ask Jim if he thinks he was moved, but I doubt it. So that means that he got it after Sandy, which makes the element of surprise that much less likely.”
“Oh.” Danny took another drag, then stubbed out the cigarette in an empty ashtray. “Sounds like you’re learning lots as a grownup.”
Mike smiled. “I have to. It’s a big and ugly and exciting and dangerous place. Not that I’ve really had a chance to use any of that training yet.”
“Good a time as any, hey?”
“Guess so.” Mike leaned down to push up off the floor, caught a glimpse of something and stopped, stumbling back to his knees. “What the hell is that?” he asked, now lying down on the floor and reaching under the bed.
Danny was down on his knees beside him, leaning over and looking. “What? What do you see?”
The bed was big compared to others he knew of in Templeton -- no question why, now—and so Mike even had to get his head partly under the frame before he could reach it. He could have just picked up the bed and moved it out of the way, but he reasoned to himself that the work involved would have been greater, this room being so crowded they would be moving furniture every which way to make space.
He rolled onto his back and then sat up facing Danny. In his hands was a small ornate yellow and orange box, a thick blue rubber band wrapped around it to hold the lid in place. Written on the side in black felt pen were the letters “SH.”
“Sandy Hancock,” said Danny.
“You still have a keen grasp at the obvious, my friend,” responded Mike, grinning. He frowned then, set the box down on the floor, realizing he wasn’t completely prepared for handling the crime scene. “Got any gloves?”
Danny jumped up, looking eager to help. “Downstairs,” he said, running out to pilfer some from someone on the forensics crew.
He returned and handed a pair of latex gloves to Mike, but they were made for extra-small hands, and kept pulling at the hairs on the back of his hand. Finally, Mike snapped the glove off and handed both over to Danny. “Easier if you do the honours.”
Gloves on, Danny peeled back the rubber band and lifted the lid, leaning over so he could see inside. “Me too,” said Mike, pushing his shoulder. Danny grinned and tilted the box so they could both see.