Title: April's Reign
Author: Candace Waters
Disclaimer: Early Edition is
owned by Tristar Pictures
First posted: January 2001
Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Showers on and off today, with lows in the
mid-twenties and highs in the upper forties! We'll
have more news weather for you on the hour,
but first, we want to take you back down to
our newsroom with an update on that special
news bulletin....Matt?!"
"Thank you Katie! Another bod... ! "
Click!
Fingers, dripping with shaving cream , appeared
suddenly, snapping off the clock radio.
Barefoot and shirtless, Gary Hobson stood
wiping his hands on the bath towel
he carried when he rushed out of his bathroom
that morning to quiet his clock radio. He had just
begun shaving when the radio went off resonating
loudly throughout his small apartment. His partially
shaven face was still slathered in shaving cream.
Cat, his feline friend and confidant for the past
four years was curled up comfortably at the
foot of his bed. The Suntimes, which had been
retrieved earlier that morning, was laying beside
him and folded neatly to the Metro section.
Nothing of importance seemed to be going on with
the paper when Gary checked it earily that morning.
He had even contemplated taking in a movie.
Whistling happily, Gary hurried around the
foot of his bed back to the seclusion of
his bathroom to finish shaving.
"How ya doin boy?" he greeted Cat cheerfully for
the second time that morning.
"Meow!" Cat answered.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gary noticed that the
front page of the paper was different. An article
that wasn't there before had appeared and he
stopped dead in his tracks. He picked up the paper
to take a closer look.
"Man Found Shot," The headline blared silently.
"Whoa boy," he said, scratching his head, "where'd
this come from?" He plopped down on his bed,
and for an instant thought seriously about cancelling his
subscription and moving out of town.
Ever since he had been framed in the Scanlon case,
Gary felt uneasy dealing with murder situations.
They were always risky. Unfortunately, he had found that
out the hard way and now had a greater respect
for the words 'be careful', something Marisa would sometimes
call out to him as he hurried out the door on a
save. He didn't like dealing with murder cases at all!
A knock at the door broke through his thoughts,
and he looked up from the paper. Marisa, he thought,
wiping the shaving cream from his face with the towel. Grabbing
a shirt from the laundry basket near his closet, he pulled
it over his head as he made his way over to the door.
He knew that Marisa sometimes stopped by the loft
early to chat or catch up on current events, knowing
that he
would probably be gone for most of the day.
"Just a minute," he said, opening the door.
"Morning Gary," Marisa greeted, tapping her way
in with her cane. In her hand she carried a coffee pot.
"Morning," Gary sputtered, and quickly stepped
aside, allowing her room to pass.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the pot.
"Java," Marisa answered, "or as my uncle Lenzo
calls it, Chicago mud, and I brought you a cup."
Folding her cane and placing it carefully on the
counter, Marisa groped for the table, then felt her
way around it to set up the coffee pot. She knew
every inch of Gary's apartment. On occassion she had washed
dishes
and
cleaned the small kitchenette for him, so she was
familiar with where everything was.
"Chicago mud..a-and you call that a cup?"
"Family joke," Marisa smiled, moving about the
kitchen. "I just thought that before we both start
our day, we could maybe enjoy a cup of coffee
together...you know, like we used to."
"Well....th-thats nice Marisa.....thank you very
much," he said, watching in awe as she easily
retreived two cups from the cupboard and
placed them carefully on
the counter. The aroma of freshly brewd coffee
filled the tiny
kitchen and Gary suddenly felt like he
could use a cup.
It had been a while since the two had talked over
a cup of coffee. With Gary being busy with the paper
and Marisa, with the duties of bar manager, there was
just simply no time.
"Did you hear about the body that was found?" she
asked as she carefully filled two cups.
"Huh? Oh yeah...yeah, I was just reading about
it," Gary murmered, his attention drawn back to
the paper. Scratching his head, he plopped back
down on the bar stool focusing on the article again.
Body found?
"Wait a min...w-what body!?" his head shot up
quickly.
"It was on the news this morning, Gary."
Marisa informed him, taking a sip of coffee. "You
know...television,
radio? Anyway, a couple found the man last night."
Confused, Gary rubbed the back of his neck as he
stared at the article. How did he miss the murder in
yesterday's
paper? He hadn't read about any murder.
Marisa, sensing something wrong in Gary's silence,
lowered her cup to stare blankly across at him.
"What is it, Gary?"
"Marisa....a-a man is going to be killed tonight.
He's going to be murdered. H-How did I miss the one
yesterday?"
For a moment, there was silence, as both of them
pondered the meaning of why the deaths weren't
reported in Gary's paper. After much thought Marisa looked up
from her cup.
"Gary!" she whispered. "Oh my God, Gary! The
news
eport did say that the man had been dead for a few
days before his body was found. That might
explain why you didn't see it in yesterday's paper!"
Gary slid his fingers through his hair again, this
time grasping a handful between his fingers. He
sat, staring at
he article. "That would explain a lot, now
wouldn't it?" he murmered under his breath.
It was times like this when Marisa
wished for sight. She felt badly for Gary having to
deal with the emotional aspects and consequences
of the paper.
The responsibility of the paper was indeed a task
to be cursed with, and even though she personally
didn't have to
deal with the paper, she dealt with it in her heart,
There were nights that he would go out alone on a job,
and come back late, sometimes reeking with the stench of
sewer or whatever situation had been dealt with that night.
The only comforting thing was the fact that he was
here when she arrived in the mornings, and if the
rescue was
a success, then that was a plus. Sure, she offered
her advice, and on occasion helped him out with
whatever she could, but there was only so much she could
physically do. Right now, she felt helpless and wanted to ease
his conscience.
"You can't feel responsible for every crime that
goes on in this city, Gary....you're only one
person."
"Yeah, well, could you please tell that to the
paper, Marissa?" he groused sarcastically, and
rose, retreating to the bathroom to finish shaving.
"Gary." she sighed.
There was the sound of the toliet flushing, and
running water as Gary completed shaving the other
side of his face.
"Scratch the movie(!)" he called from the
bathroom.
"Excuse me?"
"I-I was just thinking about taking in a movie
today ... a-and now this," he complained, returning to the
kitchen freshly shaven and wiping his hands on a towel.
Sorry, Gary."
"Yeah." he sighed.
"Coffee."
"Huh?"
"Coffee's getting cold." Marisa reminded him.
"Oh yeah...coffee," Gary sighed, staring down
into the black pool in his cup. Somehow it reminded
him of night and he quickly dumped in a spoon full of
creamer causing a gray swirl of steam rise and tickle his
nose.
The article had spoiled his appetite for
coffee, but to avoid hurting Marisa's feelings, he
raised his cup anyway to take a sip. He stopped suddenly to
scan the article again.
Marisa knew the uneasiness Gary felt dealing with
saves like this, and she felt it was just as well if
he left it lone, but knowing Gary, he wouldn't.
"Read me the article," she offered. At least she
would be able to know what he was going to be
dealing with that night.
Gary glanced up from the paper to stare
across the table at the sightless eyes of his
friend. He always felt comforted knowing that
Marisa would be there to listen. Even though
she couldn't see, she had always said that
she had eyes of her own. He felt that she
could seewhat the ordinary person couldn't.
She had a special insight into
things, and Gary knew that he could always count on
her for anything.
Settling himself on a chair, he lowered his eyes,
his dark lashes fluttering as he began to read the
article.
" The body of a local man was found yesterday
evening in a park on Howe Rd. He had been
shot once in the back of the head. His frozen
body was found slumped over a park bench.
Robert Norris had been at work that day at
Golden Spoon Restaurant and was on his
way home, coworkers say. When he left the bar
that evening he was alone, saying he chose to walk
the two blocks home because it was so close. He
leaves behind a wife and a three year old daughter.
Police have no leads at this time, but are asking anyone
who may have seen anything to please come forward.
This is the second shooting death this month, and
police are not saying if the two killings are related. "
Gary lowered the paper. "Robert Norris..." he
sputtered and glanced over at the alarm clock.
"Seven forty-five. That gives me..."
"At least 11 hours Gary...." Marisa cut in. "Seems
kind of odd don't you think?"
"What?"
"The guy...choosing to walk in this kind of
weather."
Gary hadn't given it much thought but now that it
was mentioned, it did seem kind of odd. No one in
his right mind would have chosen to walk in this weather if
they could help it.
"Yeah...." he sighed looking over at her. "I'm
ahhh, gonna go shower," he said, motioning to
bathroom, then remembering his coffee, "Ah...thanks
for the coffee huh?"
Marisa smile, knowing that he hadn't touched a
single drop of it, and it was probably as cold as
the weather outside. A hot shower would do him good.
"Sure, I'll leave the pot here, just in case you
want a cup. It's still hot." she sighed, hopping
down from the barstool.
"Thanks," Gary said, feeling guilty about the
coffee.
He handed Marisa her cane and waited until she had
extended it open before walking her to her to
the door. She stopped suddenly and turned to face him.
"At least you have a name to go on, Gary,"
she said, trying to reassure him. "That's something."
"Yeah...and...maybe I can prevent this one."
"Be careful. Oh, and stop by me
before you leave, ok?!" Marisa called over her
shoulder as she made her way down the stairs.
"Yeah-yeah...I will." Gary promised.
* To be continued.....
Author: Candace Waters
Disclaimer: Early Edition is
owned by Tristar Pictures
First posted: January 2001
Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Showers on and off today, with lows in the
mid-twenties and highs in the upper forties! We'll
have more news weather for you on the hour,
but first, we want to take you back down to
our newsroom with an update on that special
news bulletin....Matt?!"
"Thank you Katie! Another bod... ! "
Click!
Fingers, dripping with shaving cream , appeared
suddenly, snapping off the clock radio.
Barefoot and shirtless, Gary Hobson stood
wiping his hands on the bath towel
he carried when he rushed out of his bathroom
that morning to quiet his clock radio. He had just
begun shaving when the radio went off resonating
loudly throughout his small apartment. His partially
shaven face was still slathered in shaving cream.
Cat, his feline friend and confidant for the past
four years was curled up comfortably at the
foot of his bed. The Suntimes, which had been
retrieved earlier that morning, was laying beside
him and folded neatly to the Metro section.
Nothing of importance seemed to be going on with
the paper when Gary checked it earily that morning.
He had even contemplated taking in a movie.
Whistling happily, Gary hurried around the
foot of his bed back to the seclusion of
his bathroom to finish shaving.
"How ya doin boy?" he greeted Cat cheerfully for
the second time that morning.
"Meow!" Cat answered.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gary noticed that the
front page of the paper was different. An article
that wasn't there before had appeared and he
stopped dead in his tracks. He picked up the paper
to take a closer look.
"Man Found Shot," The headline blared silently.
"Whoa boy," he said, scratching his head, "where'd
this come from?" He plopped down on his bed,
and for an instant thought seriously about cancelling his
subscription and moving out of town.
Ever since he had been framed in the Scanlon case,
Gary felt uneasy dealing with murder situations.
They were always risky. Unfortunately, he had found that
out the hard way and now had a greater respect
for the words 'be careful', something Marisa would sometimes
call out to him as he hurried out the door on a
save. He didn't like dealing with murder cases at all!
A knock at the door broke through his thoughts,
and he looked up from the paper. Marisa, he thought,
wiping the shaving cream from his face with the towel. Grabbing
a shirt from the laundry basket near his closet, he pulled
it over his head as he made his way over to the door.
He knew that Marisa sometimes stopped by the loft
early to chat or catch up on current events, knowing
that he
would probably be gone for most of the day.
"Just a minute," he said, opening the door.
"Morning Gary," Marisa greeted, tapping her way
in with her cane. In her hand she carried a coffee pot.
"Morning," Gary sputtered, and quickly stepped
aside, allowing her room to pass.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the pot.
"Java," Marisa answered, "or as my uncle Lenzo
calls it, Chicago mud, and I brought you a cup."
Folding her cane and placing it carefully on the
counter, Marisa groped for the table, then felt her
way around it to set up the coffee pot. She knew
every inch of Gary's apartment. On occassion she had washed
dishes
and
cleaned the small kitchenette for him, so she was
familiar with where everything was.
"Chicago mud..a-and you call that a cup?"
"Family joke," Marisa smiled, moving about the
kitchen. "I just thought that before we both start
our day, we could maybe enjoy a cup of coffee
together...you know, like we used to."
"Well....th-thats nice Marisa.....thank you very
much," he said, watching in awe as she easily
retreived two cups from the cupboard and
placed them carefully on
the counter. The aroma of freshly brewd coffee
filled the tiny
kitchen and Gary suddenly felt like he
could use a cup.
It had been a while since the two had talked over
a cup of coffee. With Gary being busy with the paper
and Marisa, with the duties of bar manager, there was
just simply no time.
"Did you hear about the body that was found?" she
asked as she carefully filled two cups.
"Huh? Oh yeah...yeah, I was just reading about
it," Gary murmered, his attention drawn back to
the paper. Scratching his head, he plopped back
down on the bar stool focusing on the article again.
Body found?
"Wait a min...w-what body!?" his head shot up
quickly.
"It was on the news this morning, Gary."
Marisa informed him, taking a sip of coffee. "You
know...television,
radio? Anyway, a couple found the man last night."
Confused, Gary rubbed the back of his neck as he
stared at the article. How did he miss the murder in
yesterday's
paper? He hadn't read about any murder.
Marisa, sensing something wrong in Gary's silence,
lowered her cup to stare blankly across at him.
"What is it, Gary?"
"Marisa....a-a man is going to be killed tonight.
He's going to be murdered. H-How did I miss the one
yesterday?"
For a moment, there was silence, as both of them
pondered the meaning of why the deaths weren't
reported in Gary's paper. After much thought Marisa looked up
from her cup.
"Gary!" she whispered. "Oh my God, Gary! The
news
eport did say that the man had been dead for a few
days before his body was found. That might
explain why you didn't see it in yesterday's paper!"
Gary slid his fingers through his hair again, this
time grasping a handful between his fingers. He
sat, staring at
he article. "That would explain a lot, now
wouldn't it?" he murmered under his breath.
It was times like this when Marisa
wished for sight. She felt badly for Gary having to
deal with the emotional aspects and consequences
of the paper.
The responsibility of the paper was indeed a task
to be cursed with, and even though she personally
didn't have to
deal with the paper, she dealt with it in her heart,
There were nights that he would go out alone on a job,
and come back late, sometimes reeking with the stench of
sewer or whatever situation had been dealt with that night.
The only comforting thing was the fact that he was
here when she arrived in the mornings, and if the
rescue was
a success, then that was a plus. Sure, she offered
her advice, and on occasion helped him out with
whatever she could, but there was only so much she could
physically do. Right now, she felt helpless and wanted to ease
his conscience.
"You can't feel responsible for every crime that
goes on in this city, Gary....you're only one
person."
"Yeah, well, could you please tell that to the
paper, Marissa?" he groused sarcastically, and
rose, retreating to the bathroom to finish shaving.
"Gary." she sighed.
There was the sound of the toliet flushing, and
running water as Gary completed shaving the other
side of his face.
"Scratch the movie(!)" he called from the
bathroom.
"Excuse me?"
"I-I was just thinking about taking in a movie
today ... a-and now this," he complained, returning to the
kitchen freshly shaven and wiping his hands on a towel.
Sorry, Gary."
"Yeah." he sighed.
"Coffee."
"Huh?"
"Coffee's getting cold." Marisa reminded him.
"Oh yeah...coffee," Gary sighed, staring down
into the black pool in his cup. Somehow it reminded
him of night and he quickly dumped in a spoon full of
creamer causing a gray swirl of steam rise and tickle his
nose.
The article had spoiled his appetite for
coffee, but to avoid hurting Marisa's feelings, he
raised his cup anyway to take a sip. He stopped suddenly to
scan the article again.
Marisa knew the uneasiness Gary felt dealing with
saves like this, and she felt it was just as well if
he left it lone, but knowing Gary, he wouldn't.
"Read me the article," she offered. At least she
would be able to know what he was going to be
dealing with that night.
Gary glanced up from the paper to stare
across the table at the sightless eyes of his
friend. He always felt comforted knowing that
Marisa would be there to listen. Even though
she couldn't see, she had always said that
she had eyes of her own. He felt that she
could seewhat the ordinary person couldn't.
She had a special insight into
things, and Gary knew that he could always count on
her for anything.
Settling himself on a chair, he lowered his eyes,
his dark lashes fluttering as he began to read the
article.
" The body of a local man was found yesterday
evening in a park on Howe Rd. He had been
shot once in the back of the head. His frozen
body was found slumped over a park bench.
Robert Norris had been at work that day at
Golden Spoon Restaurant and was on his
way home, coworkers say. When he left the bar
that evening he was alone, saying he chose to walk
the two blocks home because it was so close. He
leaves behind a wife and a three year old daughter.
Police have no leads at this time, but are asking anyone
who may have seen anything to please come forward.
This is the second shooting death this month, and
police are not saying if the two killings are related. "
Gary lowered the paper. "Robert Norris..." he
sputtered and glanced over at the alarm clock.
"Seven forty-five. That gives me..."
"At least 11 hours Gary...." Marisa cut in. "Seems
kind of odd don't you think?"
"What?"
"The guy...choosing to walk in this kind of
weather."
Gary hadn't given it much thought but now that it
was mentioned, it did seem kind of odd. No one in
his right mind would have chosen to walk in this weather if
they could help it.
"Yeah...." he sighed looking over at her. "I'm
ahhh, gonna go shower," he said, motioning to
bathroom, then remembering his coffee, "Ah...thanks
for the coffee huh?"
Marisa smile, knowing that he hadn't touched a
single drop of it, and it was probably as cold as
the weather outside. A hot shower would do him good.
"Sure, I'll leave the pot here, just in case you
want a cup. It's still hot." she sighed, hopping
down from the barstool.
"Thanks," Gary said, feeling guilty about the
coffee.
He handed Marisa her cane and waited until she had
extended it open before walking her to her to
the door. She stopped suddenly and turned to face him.
"At least you have a name to go on, Gary,"
she said, trying to reassure him. "That's something."
"Yeah...and...maybe I can prevent this one."
"Be careful. Oh, and stop by me
before you leave, ok?!" Marisa called over her
shoulder as she made her way down the stairs.
"Yeah-yeah...I will." Gary promised.
* To be continued.....