Chapter 3. The Phone Call.
It was a few minutes past midnight when the phone rang. With the unexpected shot of adrenaline rushing through him, Bill was jolted from his sleep and quickly sprang from his bed as he grabbed the phone. Although it was late for him to be getting calls at home, the agent usually slept lightly; he was always ready to field an important tip or new clue about his cases.
"Yeah," he answered. "Bill Maxwell."
"Bill. I'm sorry it's so late." Ralph's voice was obviously excited, but cautious.
"What is it, kid? Did you get a late night vibe?"
"Bill, this probably could have waited until the morning, but..." Hearing Maxwell's sigh on the other end of the phone, he knew he should have waited. His excitement about his latest discovery, however, overpowered him. He just had to share it with his partner.
"Bill. It's about this book. The one I was reading this afternoon."
"Geeze...you called me for that? Goodbye, Ralph! Call me sometime next year. In December!"
"Bill, you won't believe it. It's right here. Right here on page 204."
"What, kid," Maxwell groaned, exhausted, and tired of playing 20 questions. "What's on page 204..." Ralph could actually hear Bill's eyes rolling in their sockets, even over the telephone.
"Another sighting, Bill." Ralph said. "In a corn field in Missouri. Way back in 1968. And the way they describe it, Bill, it sounds just like them. Just like our little green guys."
– continued –