Oh boy, it sure is nice to be back. I won't even lie, I missed this place something awful. Things are still crazy busy at the farm, but we're making headway. The weather has been wonderful and our customers have been swarming the grounds to get compost for their gardens. So, it's a good kind of busy.

Now to this piece. This is an older story of mine, and a bit of a dark one. it has quite a few angles to it. All I can say is, nothing seems quite like it is. I hope you'll enjoy it.

As always, English is not my mother tongue, so to speak, German is. So is something sounds strange, consider it my German grammar taking over.

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"I tried to get a hold of you as soon as possible…"

There was a distinctive tension in Steve's voice on that chilly evening turned somber by their latest call to arms.

The storm moving in off the Bay made the waves along Ocean Beach crash forcefully onto the shore, the sand mixed in turning the whitecaps gray as they reached the surf.

A heavy mist was beginning to accompany the strong winds that cut right through them. Paired with degrees in the mid-forties for the night, the increasing humidity made for miserable working conditions.

As if he was guarding a treasure, Steve remained in his spot a few feet away from the parking lot along Great Highway, intently staring into a small-size drainage pipe ahead, weaving back and forth in unmasked nervousness while he awaited the arrival of his superior and best friend.

On the parking platform up above, Mike exited the mint green LTD with a dreadful sigh, a foreboding sense of impending tragedy spreading in his system as he closed the driver's side door, before walking across the deep sand towards his partner, cringing when the cold began to seep through his dress shoes.

Words like small body and pipe never made for a good mental image.

The sun had gone down an hour ago, leaving it to the street lamps and a handful of parked cars to cast enough light into their general direction until forensics arrived.

There was only one uniformed brave soul standing next to Steve on that frigid evening, both men keeping their flashlights pointed at the metal pipe ahead.

"What have we got here?", the Lieutenant asked without missing a beat, only stopping briefly to cock his head at Scott Sorrensen, one of the most experienced officers on the force, having kept the streets on the west side of town safe for over two decades now.

"Dispatch got a call from a jogger, saying there was a body in this pipe. Apparently, her dog caught the scent.", the heavy-set police officer with the warm smile answered and stretched out a hand to shake Mike's.

"Bernie is a couple hours out yet unfortunately.", Steve added, using one hand to keep the beige overcoat tightly wrapped around his chest, and the other one to point his flashlight back at the nearby drain pipe, "You can see a silhouette of a body a couple dozen feet in."

Swallowing his unease, Mike shared a worried glance with both Sorrensen and his partner, then stepped closer.

"What are we dealing with here on the victim? Has anybody gone in there yet?"

With a headshake, Steve tried to stifle a shiver running through the length of his body, before clearing his throat again.

"Well…as far as disturbing a murder scene goes, I wasn't sure if you wanted anybody but Bernie to get in there the first time around. It's very…enclosed. The chance of us possibly compromising evidence might be quite high."

Mildly annoyed by his overcoat growing heavy and damp from the mist turning into torrential rain by now, Mike threw his partner a knowing glance.

"You said Bernie is two hours out yet. Might as well figure out what we're dealing with. If the runoff from the storm drains hasn't compromised any evidence yet, neither will we.", the Lieutenant suggested matter-of-factly and pointed at the pipe, as drops of water started to trickle off the edge of his fedora, "Besides, it's not getting any lighter out here…or dryer."

Soaked to the bone by now, Steve nodded, as he shined his flashlight down the pipe, trying to get a better angle at their victim but failing to do so amongst the mess of seaweed and rubble that had gotten washed in over time.

Scott followed the beam into the foreboding darkness, as the group of police officers fell silent for many long moments, each one of the evaluating on the best way to proceed.

"Seems like we need somebody really skinny to do the job. That's a small pipe.", the Sergeant suggested with a wily smile, before poking Steve's side with his elbow.

"You know, I think you are right.", Mike chimed in, as he grinned at his less than happy partner, "Scott and I are both getting older and those cold and rainy days wreak havoc on our arthritic bones. How about you check it out for us, Buddy Boy?"

Rolling his eyes at the facetious comment, Steve glared at his partner in feigned annoyance.

"Arthritic bones, he says. Is the department going to cover the dry-cleaning cost for my suit?"

Ushered by the increasingly volatile weather pattern, Mike pointed at the pipe, before reaching for his partner's arm to drag him towards it.

"Probably not. Come on, let's go, Buddy Boy, we have a body to look at. I hope you're not claustrophobic."

Sharing an encouraging and apologetic smile, Mike squeezed his partner's arm one last time, before watching the young Inspector go down on his hands and knees.

Even with his lean frame, Steve's shoulders almost touched the top of the pipe, as he crawled ahead, the beam of the flashlight disappearing between the mess of limbs, putrid sludge and seaweed.

"Mike, the smell is unbearable.", the young Inspector complained, his voice echoing through the metal walls.

"It's best if you stay quiet then. Makes you breathe it in less. Just take a quick look so we know what we're up against and back right out again."

Next to the Lieutenant, Sorrensen watched the exchange in shameless amusement, before slowly approaching and shining his own flashlight down the dark pipe in hopes of helping Steve out.

"You know, I'll never get tired of saying that, Lieutenant, but we sure miss you out on the streets."

Smiling at the Sergeant in appreciation, Mike nodded, his eyes never leaving the dark tunnel his partner had ventured into.

"Not too much has changed, my friend. I still work the streets. Now, I just look for bigger game."