by Cindy Bell
Samantha reached for it, but as she did the slick grass beside the water threatened to make her lose her footing. She frowned and glanced around. There was an abandoned fishing pole nearly hidden in the tall grass. She grabbed it and tried to pull the bag closer with it. The pole was too weak to force the bag closer. She pulled it back and wound it beneath one of the straps of the backpack. This was enough to steer it to the very edge of the water.
Samantha leaned forward again and this time was able to pluck the bag out of the water. Once it was on the grass she looked at it for a moment. It was just a plain, dark blue backpack. Although there was nothing unusual about it, her curiosity was piqued. Who would have a backpack like this and why would it have ended up in the water? It might have been her investigative nature, but she had a burning need to know.
She unzipped the backpack and peered inside at the contents. She hoped to find some ID in it so she could return it to its owner. On the very top there was a ratty baseball cap with the emblem of a local sports team on it. She moved it aside to see what was underneath. There was what looked like a granola bar, a pair of socks and a flashlight. All of it seemed pretty normal to pack if someone was taking a hiking trip, or even camping. But when she brushed aside the socks to see if there might be a wallet to identify the owner she was greeted by a brick of what she could only assume was cocaine. The sight of it made her eyes widen. Not since her days as a crime journalist had she seen anything like it. Yet, there it was right in front of her in the middle of Sage Gardens. She couldn't think of a more unlikely place to find drugs. Maybe a little pot here and there, some of it medicinal, but nothing stronger than that.
Samantha was very nervous as she eyed the bag. Her first instinct was to get as far away from the bag as possible. But what if someone else came across it? She would feel terrible if someone else got into trouble because she had left it by the side of the water. The only thing she could think to do was get the bag to Eddy. Eddy was a retired detective, and she was sure that he would know what to do. When she picked up the bag water streamed out of it. She cringed and held it away from her clothes. She hoisted it up the gently sloping hill to her porch. She thought about taking it inside, but she didn't want the water dripping all over her floor. She set it down near the side door behind some plants to hide it and stepped inside. If whoever had lost the backpack was out looking for it, she didn't want it to be spotted with her. As soon as she was inside her villa she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Eddy's number.
“Oh, please answer, please have your phone on!” Samantha muttered. Eddy was known for having a cell phone, but very rarely actually turning it on. Luckily, on the fourth ring he answered.
“Hello?” Eddy's brusque voice carried clearly through the phone.
“Eddy, it's me, Samantha.”
“I know that, I have caller ID,” Eddy reminded her with some impatience.
“Listen, I don't have time for your antics. I need your help.” Samantha felt the sense of urgency within her building with every moment that passed.
“What's wrong?” Eddy's concern was clear.
“I found something, and now I don't know what to do with it. Can you come over? Please?” Samantha clung to her phone tightly. It wasn't often that she asked for help, but in this case she felt she needed it. Being a retired detective she was sure Eddy would know what to do. Not only that, he was a take charge kind of guy who could handle a crisis well. She didn't want to mention anything over the phone as she had no idea who might overhear her.
“I'll be right there.” Eddy knew it was unusual for Samantha to be so demanding. She was normally polite with a sunny personality that verged on irritating. He placed his gray fedora on his head, grabbed his jacket and headed straight out the door.
Cars were an afterthought in Sage Gardens as just about everything that the residents needed was within walking distance. If they wanted to go to the mall or somewhere further a bus was usually available to take them. Eddy didn't have to walk far to get to Samantha's villa. When he knocked on the door she opened it immediately as if she had been waiting on the other side.
“Come in!” Samantha grabbed his hand and tugged him inside. Eddy was a little flustered. It wasn't often that she was so forceful.
“What's going on?” He frowned.
“I found something in the water.” Samantha wrung her hands together and tried to calm down.
“It's not another dead duck, is it Samantha? I told you Simon will take care of that.” He shook his head. “I'm not going near it.”
“No, it isn't a dead duck.” Samantha felt impatient as she glared at him. “It'll be easier if I just show you. Follow me.” She turned towards the side door. With every step towards it she felt her blood pressure rise. She had no idea what she was going to do about the situation that she had gotten herself into.
Eddy followed her to the side door of the villa. She opened it and pointed to the tiled floor behind some plants where she had left the backpack. “You will not believe what's inside.”
“Inside of what?” Eddy looked around with confusion. All he saw were some pot plants and dead leaves.
Samantha turned to look as well. “Oh no! It's gone!” For a split second she was relieved, then the fear kicked in.
“What's gone? The duck?” Eddy was confused.
“Stop it about the duck! It's not a duck!” Samantha had desperation in her voice. “Eddy, it was drugs, hard drugs,” her voice rose with her panic.
“Samantha!” Eddy grabbed her firmly by the elbow and steered her back inside the villa. “You can't be yelling about drugs out in the open like that. Do you want to get us both arrested?”
Samantha barely heard him. She felt dazed and a little numb. She wasn't sure if she had hallucinated the entire incident. If it were not for the small puddles on the tiled path where the bag had been she might have believed that none of it had happened.
“I was just sitting out by the water, when I saw this backpack floating. I pulled it out. I thought maybe someone had lost it. But when I looked inside there were just a few normal things and then a brick of, well, I think it was cocaine. I mean, I don't know for sure, but that's what it looked like.” She wiped sweat from her brow. She was so flustered that her heart was racing. “Now it's gone. But how is that possible? Where could it go?”
“That is a problem.” Eddy swept his gaze over the hill and water by Samantha's villa. “It certainly didn't just get up and walk off. Which means that someone took it. If that someone decides it’s lost and turns it into the police your fingerprints are going to be all over everything in it. Did you touch the drugs, Samantha?” He turned back to look at her. His expression was one she recognized. Eddy had a look that she called his 'cop look'. His jaw would tense, and his eyes would narrow just enough to get his point across.
“Of course not, I don't use drugs.” Samantha looked at him with disgust. Not even in her youth had she touched anything that might alter her mental state. She was always very cautious to remain as alert as possible.
“I meant, did you touch them with your hands. Did you leave your prints on them?” Eddy frowned. “I'm not accusing you of anything, I just need to know the whole story.”
“Oh well, I might have touched them, just to get a closer look.” She closed her eyes as she realized the mistake she had made. “It's not like I expected the bag to be stolen.”
“All right, then there is only one thing we can do.” He reached into his pocket for his cell phone.
“What are you doing?” Samantha asked. She looked at him anxiously.
“Samantha, we have to call the police.” Eddy frowned as he looked through the open side door at the puddle on the tiles. “The sooner we notify them, the better.”
“No! We can't! What are we going to tell them?” Samantha asked incredulously. “Hello officer, I found some drugs, but then I lost them?” She looked at Eddy with frustration. “I called you here to help me, not get me arrested.”
“It'
s better than that backpack turning up somewhere with your fingerprints all over it, Samantha,” Eddy snapped out his words. When he saw the flinch of fear on Samantha's face he sighed. “I'm sorry, I don't mean to be harsh. But it's very important that you report this. I have connections at the department. No one is going to think that they were your drugs if you tell the truth now. If you don't, and the police find the backpack with your fingerprints, it will be less likely that they will believe you.”
Samantha shook her head as a wave of panic washed over her. If only she had left that bag alone, maybe she wouldn't be in this situation. “If you really think it's the right thing to do, Eddy, I guess it's what we should do.”
“I'll make the call.” He dialed his phone and spoke quietly and quickly to the officer who picked up. He made sure that the responding officers would know that he was a retired detective. That still seemed to get him some leeway when it came to the police. Samantha felt her stomach churn. Her heart was pounding too loudly for her to be able to focus on what Eddy was saying. When he hung up the phone he looked over at her with sympathy. “You have to calm down, Samantha. If I were the detective looking into this I'd think you had bodies buried in the garden.”
“Eddy! How is that supposed to help me calm down?” Samantha growled. She closed her eyes for a moment. She tried to visualize a peaceful sight to calm her, but she kept seeing that backpack instead.
“I'll get you a cup of tea.” Eddy held open the side door for her. Samantha stepped inside and walked over to the couch. She sank down into it, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Eddy fumbled his way through her kitchen to make her some tea. When the kettle whistled Eddy grabbed it without thinking. “Ouch!” he cussed under his breath.
“Eddy, are you okay?” Samantha asked.
“I'm fine, I'm fine, just relax.” He poured her a cup of tea and carried it out to her. “Careful, it's hot.”
Samantha nodded and took the tea from him. She began to blow on the surface of the tea lightly. As the steam drifted with the force of her breath, there was a knock on the front door. Samantha gulped down a mouthful of burning hot tea. She felt it singe all the way down her throat.
“I'll let them in,” Eddy called out as he walked over to the door. Samantha thought about telling him to stop. But she knew it was too late. The police were already there. If they didn’t answer the door they weren't just going to shrug and drive away.
Eddy opened the door. “Come in, come in.” He stepped aside. Two officers made their way inside. Even though Samantha knew that Eddy was a retired detective, it was different having two active police officers in full uniform in her living room, especially since she had both found and lost quite a bit of drugs. The two officers looked almost identical with close-cropped, light brown hair and nearly matching brown eyes, but one of the officers was at least a foot taller than the other.
“You called in the report?” the taller officer asked Eddy.
“I did. But I'm not the one who found the backpack. She is.” Eddy looked over at Samantha. She shifted from one foot to the other as the two officers focused their attention on her.
“Ma'am, where is the backpack?” the shorter officer asked.
“It's gone.” Samantha frowned. She looked between the two officers anxiously.
“Gone?” the tall officer questioned. “What do you mean?”
Samantha took a deep breath. She knew that the best thing to do was tell the truth. “I pulled it out of the water, and took a look inside. When I saw the drugs I carried it up to my villa. I put it by the side door behind some plants, and when I went back to show Eddy it was gone.”
“You're saying you left a backpack full of illegal drugs out in the open?” the short officer asked.
“They weren't my illegal drugs.” Samantha felt her desperation rising. “The bag was in the water, it was all wet. I didn't want it dripping across my carpet.”
“Why didn't you make the report right away instead of calling a friend?” the officer asked with some irritation.
“Well I, I just didn't know,” Samantha stumbled over her words and then her voice trailed off. She looked at Eddy helplessly. Eddy offered her a sympathetic smile and turned towards the officers.
“She wanted to make sure that it was what she thought it was,” Eddy said. “She didn't want to waste your time, if she was mistaken about what she had found. That's why she called me.”
Samantha felt a sense of relief. She was very grateful that Eddy was there to help her deal with the situation. The shorter officer nodded and then looked over at Samantha again. “How long has the bag been missing?” he asked.
“About ten minutes,” Samantha replied quickly. “Eddy called as soon as he saw that it was missing.”
“So, you never actually saw the bag?” The taller officer made a note in his notebook and then looked up at Eddy.
“No, I didn't. But if Samantha said it was there, it was there.” He nodded with confidence. Samantha was a little warmed by the gesture of support. “You can see where there is some water on the tiles from the bag dripping.”
The officers exchanged a long look, then the taller of the two spoke again. “We'll take a look around. Without the backpack there's not much that we can do.” The officer nodded at Samantha and Eddy. As Samantha watched the two officers walk out through the side door, she felt foolish.
“What they must think of me,” she muttered. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.
“They don't think anything about you other than that you are a concerned citizen.” Eddy watched the officers as they walked down to the water where Samantha had found the backpack in the first place. “Let's see if they find anything.”
Eddy held the door for her and Samantha stepped out. They trailed after the police officers, leaving enough space that they wouldn't interfere with the investigation. From what Samantha could see it wasn't much of one. The officers stood at the water for a few minutes. They spoke casually to one another. The shorter officer peered over his shoulder back up at the side door of Samantha's villa. Then he looked back out over the water again.
“Do they think it's going to jump up out of the water like a fish?” Samantha asked.
“They're probably checking to see if someone tossed it back into the water,” Eddy suggested. He tucked his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. His lips set with displeasure as he watched the two officers turn around and walk back towards them. They hadn't even walked the entire lake.
“Nothing there.” The short officer pursed his lips. “So, I guess, if you find it again, hang onto it this time and give us a call.”
“That's it?” Samantha asked. She looked between the officers with surprise.
“Well, like I said, not much we can do with no evidence, no crime.” The taller officer shrugged. “We have your report, and if you notice anything out of the ordinary be sure to let us know. We'll take one more walk down by the water on our way out.”
“Thanks,” Samantha said feeling embarrassed. Not only had she found and lost a bag full of drugs, she had also wasted the officers’ time for absolutely nothing. It seemed to her that if she had just slept in, all of the drama could have been avoided.
“We'll be in touch.” Eddy nodded at the two officers. Inwardly, he was considering calling in a report on both of them. They had barely evaluated the situation and didn't have a very helpful demeanor. They hadn't even bothered to identify themselves. But he recalled that when he was a young officer he had a bit of an attitude as well. Something about the badge and the gun could make a young man arrogant.
“I'm sorry, Eddy. I don't know what I was thinking.” Samantha shook her head.
“You didn't do anything wrong, Samantha. You were just trying to help. Why don't we take a look around together?” Eddy gestured to the tiled area. “We can start where you left the bag. If someone snatched it, they must have been on foot. Maybe there's something that the officers overlooked.”
“I thi
nk that is a definite possibility,” Samantha mumbled. While looking along the side of the villa Samantha noticed that there was a smudge of mud on one of the tiles. She had just cleaned it, and she knew that she hadn't tracked anything onto the tiles. It looked like half of a footprint. “Look at this, Eddy!” She pointed it out to him.
Eddy walked over to her and looked down at it. “Where there's mud, if someone has been here, there's going to be a footprint in the mud nearby.” He began scanning the area surrounding the side door for any evidence of a footprint. It didn't take him long to discover that there was one just beside the bushes that shielded Samantha's side window. “Here it is!” He peered closely at the impression in the mud. Samantha stepped up behind him.
“Do you think it is from whoever took the bag?” She studied the footprint as well.
“I think it probably is. It rained early this morning, so this must have happened between that time and now. I don't think too many people would have been lurking around the side window. Can you get a picture of it with your phone? It might be a good way for us to find matching prints. We might be able to figure out at least in which direction they went.”
“Do you think that it could be one of the officer's shoes?” Samantha suggested. She aimed the camera on her phone towards the footprint.
“No, I don't think so. The pattern of the sole looks more like the pattern you would find on the bottom of tennis shoes. Don't you think?” He pointed to the ridges in the soil. Samantha nodded and took a close-up picture of the footprint.
