The Marradith Ryder Series Part 14
Shannon Vega stood outside her office building, in a corner between the parking lot and the back door where smokers usually went for their nicotine fix. She whispered into the cell phone, hoping not to catch the attention of any passerby. “Can we meet tonight? I need to know what’s going on with that case.”
“The Marradith kid?” Ryan asked. His voice was low, and she imagined that he was at his desk, looking around the squad room. “I can tell you some things, but you won’t like it.”
They agreed to meet at a bar two blocks away from Shannon’s apartment. She walked over.
It had begun to drizzle by the time she reached the bar, just enough to get her coat and her hair damp. As she slid onto the stool next to Ryan, he looked up and smiled. Sitting arm to arm, he studied her. He could smell her perfume, and the scent of her hair. She started to fumble in her purse for a twenty, but he pulled one from his pocket. He motioned for the Bartender, and gave him Shannon’s order.
“How’d you know what I like to drink?”
“It took a minute, but I noticed. I was going to ask you, actually, if you’re a vegetarian. Last time we were out you looked at my cheeseburger like it was a shrunken head.”
She laughed. “No. I have been trying to avoid meat of late. I was actually craving it.”
“Figures. I was wondering what was wrong.”
She moved on her seat, but leaned toward him. “Tell me what’s going on with your case.”
He paused a moment, liking her closeness. What he was about to tell her was almost certain to piss her off. “I’ll begin by telling you how disappointed I was. We ran DNA on the blood we found in the Ryder house. They tell me that the blood wasn’t even human. The closest match they came up with was canine.”
“Really?” she took a sip. “What’s the theory behind that finding? Someone tied up the family dog and beat him?”
He shrugged. “Problem is, without human blood our case falls apart. We have nothing that points to foul play, other than the note on the girl’s bathroom mirror. No bodies were found in the river, so the assumption is that the family is alive, and somewhere together.”
“We’re supposed to think that they just decided to disappear?”
“That’s the line the captain is trying to sell to the higher ups.”
“What about the cell phone they found at the LessCost?” Shannon persisted. “That belonged to the girl.”
“Something is odd about this case. It’s certainly not an easy one, but every time I turn around, someone is asking me to drop it.”
“The same way the station wanted to bury the story when that car went off the road.”
Shannon replied thoughtfully.
“Exactly,” he paused then, and put down his glass. “Wait a minute… Shannon, I have to leave. You’ve given me an idea. I can’t believe I didn’t see this before…”
“What?”
“I’m going back to the station, but I’ll call you as soon as I get this done. You’re going to get the exclusive, so answer your cell when I call you. There may be a way we can find this kid after all.”
***
The following morning, Bruce stood alone in a hotel room. The telescopic lens he used was trained at a spot nearly a mile away, a motel balcony. He spoke into his headset. “Do you see them, Will?”
Bruce had his eyes trained on the door. It opened, and the man came out, looking around briefly. The girl emerged behind him, walking with her chin up.
“See them now?” Bruce repeated.
“Yes,” Will said. He paused. “They’re moving. Do you want me to follow?”
“Not yet. Syd said we have to stay close behind. But like we talked about it, you’re the one that will do it,” Bruce said, grinning. “She can sense Wolves. But you’re human.”
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© 2009 Lori Titus
Lori Titus’s The Marradith Ryder Series appears each Wednesday on Flashes in the Dark. Many of her short stories have appeared on MicroHorror and Shadeworks, and she is currently writing an anthology of short stories with a tentative release date in 2010.
For more information see her at http://www.myspace.com/talesforthedark.
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May 6th, 2009 at 12:35 am
Next week’s episode has Marradith and Justin in peril….. make sure you come back to read it.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Nice update! I fear for Ryan’s safety, though. We’ll see…
May 7th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Can’t wait
another great episode - things are starting to heat up nicely
June 16th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Well now that can’t be good, they are close enough to see them. And Shannon might be getting close to finding out something that will get the whole paper in trouble.