hapter 3: Finally, a Case!
After nine months of therapy, I am finally (sort of) over Shawn's death. Chief Vick eventually gives me a case. I open the file to see a long list of missing persons, and another, slightly shorter list of where they were all last seen. The only form of 'lead' that was found so far, was that they were all connected; a white van with the last three digits on it's license plate being '904'.
I smile, and get straight to work on the case. I go to each crime scene, and analyze it top to bottom. It isn't until i get to the very last one that i find something: A business card with blood on it. I race around, and find two long thin sticks. Using the like chopsticks, i scoop the card up, and place it into an evidence bag. I hop into my car, and rush to the crime lab.
***Time skip because I am so freaking lazy***
Finally, the results get back, and I whip open the file. The blood belonged to a Marian Everfield. She was the last woman to go missing. The card was a business card for a donut shop just outside town. I call up Gus, knowing he is going to be mad at me if I don't bring him along for some donuts. "Gus! Hey, you at the psych office or your place? We're going for donuts!"
"Why do I have the feeling this is for an investigation?"
"Fine. Yes, We are health inspectors there for a surprise health inspection."
"What?"
"Gus, I will explain later. Where do I pick you up?"
"The Psych office."
I hang up the phone, and hop into my car. Finally, I pull into the parking lot of the psych office. Gus is standing at the curb, and gets into the passenger seat of my car.
We pull up to the donut shop after 45 minutes of driving. We walk into the shop and walk straight up to the counter, skipping the line.
"Back of the line!" yells the guy who is obviously the manager (He is wearing a pin that says "manager")
"We are from the health department, here for a surprise inspection." I confidently tell the manager.
The man looks overly surprised. "Did you get a complaint or something, because we had a surprise inspection three weeks ago."
"No, the health department just wants to be very thorough."
"All right then, right this way." He leads us back to the kitchen.
He gives us a quick tour of the kitchen.
"All right, it's looking really good. do you mind if if we poke around a bit, make sure everything is in top condition?"
"No not at all. Feel free to look wherever you want." He walks out of the kitchen and we begin wandering around. I trip on a loose floorboard. Landing on my hands and knees, I see a little handle on the floor.
"Gus! look at this!"
"Juliet, your acting weird."
I grab is sleeve, and pull him the the ground. I point at the little handle. "Gus, why would there be a handle on the floor?"
"I don't know, decoration?"
"Really? A decoration you can't see unless you are looking for it? It's probably leading to a basement or something."
"So?"
"So, you'd think he would have mentioned it when he gave us a tour of the kitchen."
"Maybe he just forgot."
"Or, he's hiding something down there."
It is after dark, I am skimming over the warrant I just got to search the donut shop. Gus is behind the wheel of the blueberry, driving in the dark toward the donut shop. We pull around to the back of the shop. I race up the steps to the rear door. I try the doorknob. Locked. i kick open the door. I'm already inside, with flashlight on, and gun loaded, and ready to shoot anyone who tries to hurt us, when Gus comes panting into the kitchen. I feel around on the floor until I find the handle. I yank it up, and a small door swings up with it. I shine my flashlight down it, and see a ladder leading down. Not knowing how deep it goes, I slowly climb down, Gus closely following.
After seemingly hours of climbing, my feet hit a stone floor, sending an echo across a large room. I shine my flashlight around the room. The beam of light shines over a light switch right as Gus hits the ground. He sees it, and turns the light on, illuminating an empty stone room. The only thing occupying the room is a small family of mice, pressing themselves as far into the corner as they can, and a large door on the far wall. it is a sturdy door. It is made of a sturdy looking dark wood, and there is no crack on the bottom. A golden doorknob is in the exact center of the wooden door.
I begin turning the doorknob, when I feel Gus's hand on my shoulder. "Juliet." His voice in a panicked whisper. I slowly turn around to see a figure standing stiffly in the middle of the room. I Recognize the figure, but it has to be just a trick. He can't really be here. Not now, not ever. Shawn couldn't be here, because he's dead.
"How are you here? You're dead. I watched you die. I watched the light leave your eyes. I felt your heart stop beating."
"Obviously, you didn't, because I'm standing right here, preparing to kill you. I might let you live a little longer, if you drop the gun and the flashlight, and back away from the door." I drop the gun, and let the flashlight fall to the ground. Tears fall down my face. It isn't out of the joy that he is alive. It is because it hurts to see he didn't die. His voice sounds bored, monotonous, even. It isn't him. 'Shawn' leans down and picks up my gun. he checks to see that it's loaded, then he points it at my face. I drop to my knees.
"This isn't you, Shawn."
"Oh, but it is, Juliet."
"The Shawn I knew wouldn't do this."
"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not the Shawn you knew."
I close my eyes, and prepare for the worst.
"You're right. You're not the Shawn I knew. You're not the Shawn I loved with all my heart. That Shawn really did die. And he was better."
"No. I'm better than I was. I'm much better. I have all the things that Shawn didn't have, and none of the weaknesses he did have."
"Your right. You have Hate. Hate my Shawn would never have. You have anger. Anger so strong, it would make my Shawn nauseous. You don't have his humor, or his kindness. Most of all, you don't have the most important thing about him. You don't have the biggest reason I loved him. You don't have his big heart. He would have sacrificed himself for me. And he did. And it's my fault he's dead."