Gary woke at almost ten a.m. the next morning. He found the paper sitting on the table across the room. It was dated the next day. He picked it up and began to peruse it when there was a light knock on the door. He pulled open the door to find Brigatti standing there with a McDonald's sack.
"Breakfast?"
"Come on in," Gary said, waving the officer in. "Did you get my paper?"
"Yes," Brigatti said as Gary took the sack and a cup of coffee from her. "And, no I didn't read it. I know how obsessive you get about that thing."
Gary sat down at the table and pulled the food out of the sack. "How goes the search?"
"So far, so good," Brigatti replied. "A couple of more days and we'll be finding the body."
"My body," Gary said and took a bite of the breakfast sandwich.
"Yeah, well," Brigatti said. "If it helps any, They won't be mourning you for long."
"Not really," Gary replied. "But I guess it'll have to do."
"Here's how it'll go," Brigatti said as she sat down at the table across from him. "You'll be in the coffin, but it won't be closed at all. You'll have a bug somewhere on you in case he says something. If he doesn't, you'll have to ID him at the wake. In the meantime, we'll have officers and agents dressed as mourners. But I don't think he'll think they know what he looks like."
"Because he thinks I'm dead," Gary commented around a cup of coffee.
"He and everyone else," Brigatti said.
"You going to be there?"
"Who do you think is going to keep you from screwing up? That sexy little new partner of yours?"
Gary smiled slightly at that.
*****************************************
One week later
"I haven't seen him in a long time, Mrs. Hobson," Naomi said into the cordless phone as she served customers during the lunch rush. It was hump day and people wanted to use their one-hour break to their advantage. Naomi wanted to use it to hers as well. By finding the missing third partner. "He went out about a week ago to keep a murder from happening and never called or came back."
"Did you call the police?" Lois asked.
"Yes," Naomi said. "I talked to a Detective Brigatti and she said that they will do whatever the can to find him. From what I gather, she's had dealings with Gary before. I'm sure she'll find him. I've been calling around and nobody else has seen him either."
Lois made a worried sounding noise. "Bernie and I are coming up."
"I wouldn't have expected any less," Naomi replied.
**************************************
Gary stripped down to his jeans and let the police makeup artist make him look bloated and dead. "The chamber you'll be in has the refrigeration turned off," said Douglass Phelps, the county coroner. "It's been sitting open to get warmed up." He smiled slightly. "We wouldn't want you to freeze, now would we?"
"That telltale cloud of steam coming out of my mouth would be a bit of a nuisance too," Gary commented as the makeup artist finished up.
"Ready?" Phelps asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Gary said as a third officer came in.
"They're here," said the man.
"Then let's get this show on the road," Phelps said. "I promised Brigatti I'd have you back in an hour."
Once in the drawer, Gary closed his eyes and almost fell asleep when they pulled open the drawer. He winced under the sheet then took a deadpan pose with his face. He felt guilty at making his friends cry, but other like them might die if he didn't do this. A few minutes later, they pulled the drawer open once again and let him out.
"I'm sorry we had to put you through this," Phelps said. "But as long as they think you're dead, the killer will think you're dead."
"I didn't like doing this to them," Gary said as he pulled a shirt over his head.
"So am I," Phelps replied as Brigatti entered.
"You look like death warmed over, Hobson," Brigatti said.
"I thought that was the idea," Gary replied.
"It was," she replied. "Carrie did a good job. Let's go."
Gary pulled on a long coat and a dark hat and pulled the hat down low over his eyes. When they got to the car parked around back, he pulled the paper and began skimming through it. Nothing. Nothing for the last week. It seemed the police weren't the only ones who wanted him to catch this killer.
************************************
Marissa and Naomi sat at a table in the bar, waiting for Gary's parents to get there. When they did, Naomi told them to sit down. Lois instinctively knew what they were going to say.
"No," she said as she shook her head. "No, he can't be." She began crying hysterically as Bernie grabbed her and held her.
"I'm sorry," Naomi said with tears streaming down her face. She retreated to the office where she could be alone.
A few minutes later, Marissa joined her. "Did you get her calmed down?"
"Yes," Marissa answered. "How are you doing?"
"Not good," Naomi replied. "You?"
"I've been better," Marissa replied. "They've started making phone calls. Contacting friends."
"Do they need any help?"
Marissa smiled. "They might."
********************************************