Chapter 3

There was a knock at the door, Daphne went to open it and Fred was standing on the other side with a bottle of whisky. Daphne smiled and let him into her apartment, closing the door behind him.

'I ordered a pizza.' Daphne said taking two glasses out of the cupboard. Fred unscrewed the cap off the bottle and poured a small amount into each glass.

They both went over to the couch and Daphne, hesitantly, reached for the TV remote.

'Wanna watch the Sound of Music?' Fred asked, 'It's on Netflix.'

'Ok.' Daphne replied.

Daphne loved the Sound of Music. She felt like it was so much more different to the other musicals.

She opens Netflix and selects the Sound of Music.

She laid her head on Fred's shoulder and she took a sip of her drink.

The pizza had arrived just as the movie started.

They ate at watched the movie.

Daphne was halfway through a slice of pizza when her phone vibrated loudly on the coffee table and the ringtone played over the movie.

Daphne ignored it and it stopped ringing.

But then a few seconds later, Fred's phone was heard ringing in his coat pocket. His coat was on the dining table.

Fred had thought about ignoring it, but it might be work if they had already tried to get in contact with Daphne.

Fred put his the glass on the coffee table and got up to get his phone. Daphne paused the movie, and she listened to Fred's conversation.

'Hello.' He answered, 'Yes she's here.' He looked at Daphne as he spoke. She knew it had to be work.

Fred came back to the couch, phone in hand and he pressed the loudspeaker butt, 'Ok, go ahead.' Fred spoke.

'Blake, Jones,' Daphne recognised the voice of Captain Williams, 'I know this might be a bad time, but it cannot wait. I have been contacted by the police commissioner in Sandpoint, Idaho.'

Fred and Daphne looked at each other, they both guessed where this was going.

'They have asked for your help investigating a string of murders in the town.' The captain spoke.

'Why us?' Daphne asked.

'People know you who are, and the commissioner has been struggling with this case for a few months and it's gotten nowhere. You guys are like modern-day Hercule Poirot.'

Fred tried to smile, but neither he nor Daphne liked the publicity, they just wanted to do their jobs.

'Alright.' They both said.

'Ok, I'll call the commissioner. He wants you both there as soon as possible.' Captain Williams said.

'We'll take a flight out tomorrow.' Daphne replied.

'Thank you. Have a good evening.' The captain hung up.

Daphne sighed, she took a big sip of her drink. She reached for her phone and booked the flights to Idaho.

Then she put her phone back on the coffee table and laid her head on Fred's shoulder again.

'What time is the flight?' He asked.

'1 p.m. tomorrow.' She replied.

'Couldn't you get an earlier flight?' Fred asked.

'The earliest was 8 in the morning. You'd have to go now to get packed before the flight.' As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around his one muscular one.'

'And you don't want me to go?' He asked with a small chuckle.

'No, I don't.' Daphne said giving a small laugh.

Fred and Daphne watched the rest of the Sound of Music and when it was over, Fred left to go home and pack for tomorrow.

Daphne went to her bedroom and pull the suitcase out from under the bed.

She packed enough clothes to last a few days, but they can be washed. She threw her a couple of pairs of shoes and threw in a bag with her toiletries inside it.

Then she pulled her bag out of the wardrobe and packed her pencil case – which contained pens, pencils, erasers and a sharpener – along with a couple of notepads, the book she had been reading, and her glasses.

She sighed as she packed the last item into the bag. She hated wearing her glasses. Her optician told her a couple of years ago that she had to start wearing them, mainly for reading, writing and driving if she needed too. But she hardly wore them.

She thought it was best to pack them though because she would most likely need them.

She went back into the kitchen, the empty whisky bottle sat on the kitchen counter and two empty glasses sat on the coffee table.

She picked up the empty pizza box and put it on the counter next to the whisky bottle.

She quickly washed the two glasses, dried them and put them away.

She hated trips like this, last-minute ones with no knowledge of the time she would be away from home. She could always ask Thalia to pop in now and again.

She grabbed her phone off the coffee table and quickly texted Thalia and explained what was going on.

Thalia agreed to look after Daphne's apartment for her, and she offered to take her and Fred to the airport tomorrow.

Daphne sent a text to Fred saying that she and Thalia would take them to the airport in the morning.

Thalia asked how long she would be gone and Dahne said she had no idea.

She looked at the clock and decided to go to bed. She locked her apartment door before she went into the bathroom to wash and brush her teeth.

When she went into her bedroom, she pulled open the top draw of her bedside cabinet and pulled out a metal black case. She unlocked it and looked at the gun inside it.

She had almost forgotten to pack it. She closed the case again, locking it, then packed it into her bag. She then opened the wardrobe and pulled out a similar box with the ammunition inside it and packed that too. She also packed her badge so she knew it was safe.

Then she set her alarm clock turned the light off and climbed into bed.

Daphne stood at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. Her phone was on the loudspeaker as she spoke with her sister.

'I'm taking Emily to mom's then I'll be coming to pick you up.'

'Really? You'll have to go past my apartment to get to mom's.' Daphe replied.

'Yeah but Emily hasn't stopped whining all morning.' Thalia said with a small laugh, though Daphne picked up the note of annoyance in her tone. Daphne could hear the child crying in the background.

So she gave a small laugh, 'Ok, well I'll see you soon.'

'Bye.' Thalia said, and she ended the call.

Emily was Daphne's niece. She was 14-months-old and quite a handful. She knew that Thalia sometimes spoilt her, she was her only child after all. But Daphne thought Thalia was overdoing it sometimes.

Daphne babysat Emily a couple of times, and she was good for her. But she could sometimes be a handful. Daphne pictured Emily screaming in the back of Thalia's car, and as she picked her out of the seat and carried her up to their mother's apartment only to calm down when Elizabeth had her.

She finished her cereal and washed the bowl and spoon in the sink. She had some orange juice quickly before washing the glass and putting it in the cupboard.

Then she sent a text to Fred explaining that Thalia was on her way to take Emily to her mother's house then they would be at his apartment building soon.

Daphne got her bags ready by the door and double-checked everything inside. Satisfied, she sat on the couch and waited for Thalia.