Chapter 2

August 21, 1983

Brahms, Idaho

Brahms Police Department

10:32 AM

The man's bullet wound had been cleaned when O'Grady, Pollack, and Brusceme trudged back into the station. He had also calmed down considerably. He sat on the cell's cot, his eyes blank and unseeing, staring at the wall.

O'Grady dismissed Pollack and Brusceme, and went and sat in his office, trying to clear his mind before interviewing the man. He waited two hours, catching up on paperwork. Let the guy sit and stew in his own guilt for a bit. That would make it easier to get a confession. At ten thirty he stood up and walked to the holding cells, unlocked the cell and entered it. He sat down on the toilet seat in front of the wall the man was staring at. They sat that way for about five minutes. Finally, the man blinked and looked into O'Grady's eyes.

"You ready to talk about what the hell happened back on the highway?"

"W-Where am I?" The man's voice was weak and unsteady.

"You're in a jail cell. In Brahms. I'm George O'Grady."

"Brahms? Then, is she here?"

"She? Who's she?" O'Grady's heart fluttered. Maybe he did know who the woman was after all.

"Cybil. I lost her in the fog. Is she here?"

"Cybil?" O'Grady's hair stood on end. He couldn't possibly be talking about the Cybil he was thinking about.

"Yeah," the man sat up, "she's a cop from here, right?"

Oh, my God, O'Grady thought, he is talking about Cybil. But how could he know.....?

"Yeah. Yeah, she is." O'Grady gave his head a shake, "What's your name?"

".......Harry. Harry Mason."

"Harry, what did you do to that baby?"

Harry screwed up his face in a look of pain. "I didn't do anything to it!"

"Harry, if you didn't do anything to it, why were you walking around with a skinless baby?"

"I.....she wasn't like that when I got her. Oh, God, I thought everything was going to be okay, I thought I could start over. I thought the nightmare was over."

"Harry, calm down. Tell me what happened."

Harry looked at O'Grady with pleading eyes. "No. Don't make me relive it. You can't make me relive it! You can't!"

O'Grady knew it was time to go. He would interview Harry further later when he had a chance to clear his head. Too much had happened in too small a time for him to handle.

He needed a donut.

August 21, 1983

Brahms, Idaho

Dunkin Donuts

12:04 AM

Cybil.

It had been so long since O'Grady had heard her name spoken aloud. He often thought about her, but he never really acknowledged just how much. After the investigation into her disappearance had turned up nothing conclusive, he had just kind of tucked her away in the back of his mind.

In 1975, the Silent Hill Police Department had requested the assistance of the B.P.D in a case they were pursuing. It seemed that a new kind of narcotic was being distributed around the small town, one that had extreme hallucinogenic properties. It was being sold to the tourists, who, in turn, went completely nuts as a result of the drug.

Cybil Bennett had been Highway Patrol before Pollack and Brusceme had come along. She was smart, fearless, and had a perfect track record. Since she usually patrolled the highway between the two towns, O'Grady had assigned her to help the S.H.P.D in their case.

Working alongside the S.H.P.D, she had managed to turn up many suspicious figures. The most promising were two individuals in particular.

She had radioed him and told him that much before saying she would be heading back to Brahms immediately. She didn't say the names of the two suspects, only that there was much more going on there than a simple drug ring, and he was never able to find out their names, either.

Cybil was never seen again.

After the entire night had passed, O'Grady, concerned that she hadn't yet returned, headed out in the direction of Silent Hill. On the way there, he had spotted a crashed motorcycle on the side of the highway. He had stopped that car and, upon closer examination, had discovered that this, indeed, was Cybil's patrol bike.

He stood up and scanned the area, searching for her. He could see no sign of her. He looked back down at the bike again. The front wheel was badly bent, indicating that she must have hit something solid. But what? If she had hit the cliffside, she'd be all over the place. And considering the position of the bike, it was unlikely that she had been thrown over the side of the cliff.

Nonetheless, it might have happened. He walked over to the other side of the road and peered out over the edge. He hadn't known just how close to Silent Hill he was. The town was right there.

He'd then driven further down the road to the exit leading into town. He went right to the station. According to the chief of police there, William Nevlin, Cybil had last been seen heading to the church. Cybil always had said she did her best thinking in the presence of God. After a short time (just after O'Grady had gotten Cybil's final message, if Nevlin's timing was correct) Cybil had been seen leaving the church.

Other than that, he could find nothing. Other than her bike, there was no trace of Cybil anywhere. The investigation into what had happened to Cybil ground to a halt a year after her disappearance when a fire broke out in Central Silent Hill that burnt down six houses. The S.H.P.D stopped cooperating with O'Grady; they were too busy investigating the fire, which had begun under mysterious circumstances. O'Grady had finally given up.

And now, seven years later, O'Grady had a man in his jail who claimed to have seen Cybil recently.

O'Grady stood up. Forget donuts. What he really needed now was half a Valium.

August 21, 1983

Brahms, Idaho

Brahms Police Department

1:00 PM

O'Grady had gone home and taken a small nap to calm his nerves, and then returned to the station. He decided to try calling the S.H.P.D, see if they knew anything about this Mason guy.

The phone rang once before it was picked up. "Hello?"

O'Grady recognized the voice of Sergeant Douglas. "Douglas, it's O'Grady from Brahms, I need to ask you...."

"O'Grady, thank God! I was just about to call you! It's insane down here!"

O'Grady felt his blood run cold. "What do you mean?"

"We have a murder here. And a brutal one at that. Look, you've got to see this for yourself. Get down here now. Come to the hospital."

Seconds later O'Grady was rushing out the door towards his car. He stole a quick glance at Harry, who just sat staring at him, and O'Grady swore he saw a knowing smile on his face.