Not even an hour later, Johnny stood in front of Walt Bannerman's desk, the envelope and picture lying in front of the sheriff. Johnny sat in a chair facing Walt, while Bruce paced nervously in the background. Johnny studied the face of the sheriff, wondering what was going through his mind as he thought about what Johnny had just told him, but found his serious mask nearly impossible to read.
Walt had always been a serious guy, at least in the short time that Johnny had known him. His face always showed stress and anxiety of the job, but that just showed everyone how dedicated he was to keeping his county safe. While their county was considered small and sleepy by most standards, Walt never let his guard down or became slack in his job. He was always trying to keep his county as safe as possible, but it seemed to get harder and harder to do every day.
"So, you're telling me you don't know who this girl is," Walt finally said after processing the story.
"That's right," Johnny answered, scooting forward in his seat and resting his freshly bandaged hand gently on the top of his cane.
"And you don't know who sent it?"
"Right."
"So what do you want me to do?" Walt asked, shifting his gaze from Johnny to Bruce momentarily, then back to Johnny.
"I was wondering if you could help me figure out who she is," Johnny replied matter of factly.
"How am I supposed to do that?" the sheriff asked, rising from his chair. "We don't keep a database of every person that lives in the United States, you know."
"I know that," Johnny said, following Walt's movement with his eyes. "Can't you run her picture through missing children or something? Maybe we can give her a name, at least."
"I can try, but I can't guarantee anything," Walt told him, moving around in front of his desk, leaning back on it in front of Johnny. "So why this girl, Johnny? I thought you weren't taking mail calls anymore."
"I'm not," Johnny answered, sliding back into the chair again. He stretched his legs foward, hoping to alleviate the slight throbbing in his hip that was starting to send a dull ache down his leg, but it did nothing to help. "I opened that one thinking it was a letter or something. But the picture was the only thing in there. But when I touched it... It was unreal."
"And scary," Bruce added, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. "You think I'd be used to this type of stuff, but when you go crazy like that, it STILL freaks me out."
"So what'd you see?" Walt asked, his curiosity now piqued.
"Nothing," Johnny replied, but continued when he saw the confused look on Walt's face. "I couldn't see anything. It was like being blind... because everything else around me was so much more powerful. It was cold, like my fingertips were about to go numb, and I could hear voices."
"What were they saying?"
"I don't know, it didn't sound like anything intelligible, but it was overpowering. They were all over the place."
"He was yelling for them to shut up, and practically having a seizure," Bruce interrupted again.
"You sure he wasn't having a seizure?" Walt asked Bruce, looking up at him.
"No, because a certain stubborn person wouldn't go to the hospital when I told him he should," Bruce said, glaring daggers at the back of Johnny's head.
"I wasn't having a seizure," Johnny told them. "I'm fine."
"Johnny, maybe you should get checked out-" Walt began, but Johnny stopped him mid-sentence with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"I don't need more tests to be poked and prodded by doctors. I need to find out who that girl is," the blonde said.
"I'll run it through missing persons and see what I can come up with, but don't get your hopes up," Walt sighed, then left the room with the wrinkled picture in his hands.
Johnny turned around in the seat to look at Bruce, who still had a disapproving look in his eyes.
"Would you stop glaring at me like that? I'm fine," Johnny said.
"Uh-huh."
Johnny knew it was useless arguing with Bruce, so he rose from the chair, letting out a small grunt as he got to his feet. He reached over Walt's desk and grabbed the envelope. He walked past Bruce and headed for the door, so his friend tagged along behind him.
"Where are you going?" Bruce asked.
"I'm going to see if I can track down where this letter came from."
Walt had always been a serious guy, at least in the short time that Johnny had known him. His face always showed stress and anxiety of the job, but that just showed everyone how dedicated he was to keeping his county safe. While their county was considered small and sleepy by most standards, Walt never let his guard down or became slack in his job. He was always trying to keep his county as safe as possible, but it seemed to get harder and harder to do every day.
"So, you're telling me you don't know who this girl is," Walt finally said after processing the story.
"That's right," Johnny answered, scooting forward in his seat and resting his freshly bandaged hand gently on the top of his cane.
"And you don't know who sent it?"
"Right."
"So what do you want me to do?" Walt asked, shifting his gaze from Johnny to Bruce momentarily, then back to Johnny.
"I was wondering if you could help me figure out who she is," Johnny replied matter of factly.
"How am I supposed to do that?" the sheriff asked, rising from his chair. "We don't keep a database of every person that lives in the United States, you know."
"I know that," Johnny said, following Walt's movement with his eyes. "Can't you run her picture through missing children or something? Maybe we can give her a name, at least."
"I can try, but I can't guarantee anything," Walt told him, moving around in front of his desk, leaning back on it in front of Johnny. "So why this girl, Johnny? I thought you weren't taking mail calls anymore."
"I'm not," Johnny answered, sliding back into the chair again. He stretched his legs foward, hoping to alleviate the slight throbbing in his hip that was starting to send a dull ache down his leg, but it did nothing to help. "I opened that one thinking it was a letter or something. But the picture was the only thing in there. But when I touched it... It was unreal."
"And scary," Bruce added, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. "You think I'd be used to this type of stuff, but when you go crazy like that, it STILL freaks me out."
"So what'd you see?" Walt asked, his curiosity now piqued.
"Nothing," Johnny replied, but continued when he saw the confused look on Walt's face. "I couldn't see anything. It was like being blind... because everything else around me was so much more powerful. It was cold, like my fingertips were about to go numb, and I could hear voices."
"What were they saying?"
"I don't know, it didn't sound like anything intelligible, but it was overpowering. They were all over the place."
"He was yelling for them to shut up, and practically having a seizure," Bruce interrupted again.
"You sure he wasn't having a seizure?" Walt asked Bruce, looking up at him.
"No, because a certain stubborn person wouldn't go to the hospital when I told him he should," Bruce said, glaring daggers at the back of Johnny's head.
"I wasn't having a seizure," Johnny told them. "I'm fine."
"Johnny, maybe you should get checked out-" Walt began, but Johnny stopped him mid-sentence with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"I don't need more tests to be poked and prodded by doctors. I need to find out who that girl is," the blonde said.
"I'll run it through missing persons and see what I can come up with, but don't get your hopes up," Walt sighed, then left the room with the wrinkled picture in his hands.
Johnny turned around in the seat to look at Bruce, who still had a disapproving look in his eyes.
"Would you stop glaring at me like that? I'm fine," Johnny said.
"Uh-huh."
Johnny knew it was useless arguing with Bruce, so he rose from the chair, letting out a small grunt as he got to his feet. He reached over Walt's desk and grabbed the envelope. He walked past Bruce and headed for the door, so his friend tagged along behind him.
"Where are you going?" Bruce asked.
"I'm going to see if I can track down where this letter came from."