by T. R. Cupak
Beau looked down at the ground, nodded his head, and took a step back.
“And anyway, first things first. What did you forget to do before you tried to hop in Ole Bessie here?” Murphy patted the old white car.
Beau stared at the beauty sitting before him. Yeah, she definitely wasn’t the newest thing in the lot, but she was his dream on four wheels, complete with silver letters stenciled along the side, spelling out the word defining what he had only imagined becoming ever since he was a little boy.
Police.
Growing up, he played cops and robbers more times than he could remember. He made sure he was always the cop. One of the good guys. One of the heroes. And now here he was, standing in blue and couldn’t have been prouder of himself.
“Callahan!”
Two snaps pulled him out of his daydream.
“Am I going to have an issue with you today? Focus.”
“Yes, sir.” Beau stood up straighter.
“Well?” Murphy opened his arms up to the car, trying to give Beau a hint. “Come on, detective. What did you forget?”
Beau closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds as he tried to remember. He snapped his own fingers.
“Vehicle inspection.”
Corporal Murphy let out a sigh of relief. “Right. Okay, pull out that card I gave you with the sheet listing all of the things that are supposed to be in the car.”
Chapter Three
Present
“Beau . . . baby . . .” Raven snapped at her husband.
He looked up at her. Eyes sunken and his soul being slowly ripped apart.
She reached her hand out to him and wrapped his balled fist as best she could with her small fingers.
“Baby, it wasn’t Cory.”
He shook his head. When another tear threatened to fall all the way down his face, he removed his hands from Raven’s and stopped the stray tear creeping out of the corner of his eye with his finger.
“I know he wasn’t. He was too young to have been Cory and Cory wasn’t killed by our father. It’s just . . .,” his voice trailed off.
“How he was killed?” she asked sincerely.
He nodded his head. “Yeah, and the fact he was left outside of the house to rot like trash from the night before.”
Raven pursed her lips as they formed into a frown. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to make it better. Most days were good. Beau was happy and smiled at the memory of his brother, but other days were hard. Days like these. When the memories came back and slapped him in the face. These were the bad memories of Cory. How he looked when they found him.
For just a moment longer, Raven and Beau sat in silence. Both of them slowly sipped their wine and stared off into the distance. Some people would find the quiet awkward or irritating, but Raven knew Beau needed it. He needed to reset his mind. Erase what he had seen today until it was time to work the case tomorrow. Erase what he had seen so many years ago.
She would give him the time he needed. She moved around to where he sat and brushed a light kiss on the back of his neck. He didn’t move, but his lips shifted into a slight grin as he watched his wife walk back around the counter into the kitchen to preheat the oven.
Raven knew him all too well. She knew he would come back to her. He just needed a little time to reflect and erase.
Chapter Four
Eight years ago . . .
“So why be a cop, Rook?” Corporal Murphy uttered as he kept his eyes on the road.
Beau’s arm was resting in the open window frame of Ole Bessie. He was lost in thought, the sun was shining, the wind was light, and the day was perfect. He couldn’t ask for a better first day of training. It was so perfect, he didn’t even hear his corporal talking to him.
“You’ve got to get your head out of your ass.” Murphy’s tone was stern.
“What?” Beau asked as he turned to face his corporal.
“You’re a cop, Rook. You’ve got the gun and the shiny badge and you get through a few more days of training and I might let you drive. Soak it in, but you’ve got to get your head out of your ass, damnit.” Murphy quickly looked over at Beau and lifted his sunglasses, before looking back to the road ahead of him. “Now I’m gonna ask you again and this better be the last time I’ve got to get you to pay attention. Why be a cop?”
Beau sat more comfortably in the seat and smiled. “I’ve always wanted to be a cop.” He looked out the window at the passing buildings. “My dad was a cop in the military. We used to watch all the TV shows together and he would tell me all of these awesome stories about his experiences. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Pops tried to talk me out of it. He was always saying it was ‘too dangerous’ and asking ‘didn’t I want a normal job with normal hours’.
“I tried to ignore the dream for a while when I started college. I picked a completely different major. One day when I was driving home to visit my parents and my little brother, I saw this police officer on the side of the road tossing a ball with a kid. It was something so small, so simple. Seeing that uniform and the happiness on that kid’s face as he interacted with the officer, I knew I couldn’t squelch the idea of being a cop anymore.
“I told my dad as soon as I got into the house, and as much as he tried to talk me out of it, he was proud. I could see it all in the smile that spread across his cheeks.”
Murphy grunted in response, but Beau noticed his corporal’s lips turn up into a smile.
“Any kids, Corporal?” Beau asked.
“Yeah. I’ve got a little girl. She’s seven. She wants to be on the force too. Don’t know how I’m gonna feel about letting my baby girl chase down bad guys, but she’s tough . . . and bull-headed. She’ll tell me where to shove it if I don’t let her do it. I can see it now.” Murphy chuckled. “You got any little ones, Callahan?”
“Nope. Not unless you count my little brother. Our dad passed away not too long after we had that conversation about me being a cop. Cancer . . .” Beau stopped momentarily. “I was nineteen. Cory was fifteen. Just when he was really growing up and really needed a dad. School was close, so I moved back in to help out where I could. He’s not so little any more. Actually goes to school here.”
“Sorry to hear that about your dad. I can’t even imagine.”
Beau sighed heavily. “Thanks. We ended up okay. Dad would be proud.” He looked down at the badge pinned onto his shirt and smiled.
“I’m sure he would be,” Murphy said with a warmth to his voice Beau hadn’t yet heard.
He pulled into an empty lot and hopped out of the driver’s seat. After shuffling around in the trunk for a few moments, Murphy reappeared and tossed a map into Beau’s lap.
“Okay, we’re gonna sit here for a few minutes and I want you to study the north zone. After a while, I’m gonna start driving around and I’m gonna call out a building name. I want you to give me directions on how to get there without looking at the map. If you’re unsure where it is, get me as close as you can and then give me the name of the place where we stop. Obviously, if we get a call, that comes first. If the call isn’t an emergency, I’m gonna expect you to get us there. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Beau nodded his head.
“North zone. You’ve got a few minutes.” Murphy sat back and unrolled his window, looking at passing motorists and pedestrians.
“University to 223,” dispatch blared over the radio.
“223, go ahead.” Murphy sat up straighter in the seat and reached for his seatbelt.
“We’ve got a possible missing person. Meet with a Tristan Harris at 1278 Greek Terrace. We’ve added more information to your mobile.”
“10-4, University. We’ll broadcast any identifiers once we’ve spoken to the reporting party. Please continue any further radio traffic with 252. En route.” Murphy let go of his shoulder mic and looked over at Beau, who was already scanning the information on the mobile. “Buckle up, Callahan. You know where we’re going?”
“It�
��s one of the sorority houses. I know where those are.” Beau shut the mobile and put on his seatbelt.
“All right, Rook. Get us there. Which way do I go?”
“Good job, Callahan.” Murphy put the car in park.
Beau got them there without any issues. He had attended the university and knew most of campus. It was going to be the cardinal directions that were going to trip him.
“I’ll do most of the talking since it’s your first day, but take notes on the kinds of questions I’m asking, as well as the caller’s answers. If you think of anything pertinent to ask that I may forget, don’t be afraid to step in. You ready for your first call?”
Beau froze, but only for a second, as he took in his surroundings. He had spent a lot of time in Greek Square. The majority of the university’s sorority and fraternity houses were set in this isolated location on campus. He was in a fraternity, the same one his brother was a part of now. He wondered if Cory was knocked out asleep after a long night of partying, much like the many mornings Beau had here as a second-year student.
“I’m ready.” Beau opened the passenger side door and stepped out. “252, University.”
“252,” the dispatcher came over the radio.
“We’re on scene.”
“10-4.”
“Great,” Murphy interjected. “Now, what do you think we’re going to need for this call?”
“For now, we should be good with just a notebook and a pen.”
Murphy smirked. “You got it. The essentials.” Murphy locked the car and stuffed the keys in the pocket of his navy blue cargo pants. “All right. Let’s go. Lead the way.”
Beau led Corporal Murphy up to the front of the old Victorian home. All of the houses on the square were practically mansions and ancient. Generations and generations of sorority girls had lived and studied and partied in this home, Beau was sure.
He knocked on the old oak door and heard the pitter patter of feet immediately begin to shuffle toward him. A few seconds later, the door flung open and a petite blonde female with the brightest hazel eyes Beau had ever seen stood in front of him. Her face was red and blotchy and her eyes had the beginnings of dark circles forming around them. Beau could see where trails on her cheeks had formed from tears erasing her make-up.
“Good morning, miss. I’m looking for a Tristan Harris,” Beau said.
“That’s me,” the young girl croaked.
She stepped out onto the porch and closed the large door behind her.
“Okay,” Beau continued. “Well, I’m Officer Callahan and this is Corporal Murphy. Would you like to stand or sit down?” Beau looked over at the rocking chairs on the porch. “Corporal Murphy is going to ask you some questions.”
“We can stand for now.” Her voice was shaky.
Beau pulled out his notebook out of his breast pocket.
Murphy took a step up. “Okay, Miss Harris, tell us what happened.”
“You can call me Tristan.” She smiled slightly, though tears were beginning to form again in her eyes.
Murphy nodded. “Tristan, what’s going on this morning?”
“Uhm, I think something bad happened.” Her voice was low. Almost a whisper.
“Something like what? Dispatch stated a possible missing person,” Murphy asked.
Tristan wrapped herself in her own arms and looked down at the ground. Beau noticed a tear fall to the ground. Without thinking, he put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but all it did was cause her to jump. More tears started flowing and she choked on a sob.
“Tristan . . . can you tell us what happened?” Beau chimed in to the almost nonexistent conversation.
She finally looked up at him and nodded. “I can try, but I really don’t know . . . not exactly . . . anyway.”
“It’s okay. Just tell us what you do know. Who’s missing?” Corporal Murphy attempted to continue the interview.
“I don’t know his name. His real name at least. But it’s just some guy I’ve been talking to and”—she stopped and looked up at the officers, shrugging her shoulders— “hanging out with.”
“Why do you think he’s missing?” Murphy asked.
“He was here last night and, uhm,” she tripped over the words, “my boyfriend came stumbling in from his frat’s house party.” Tristan paused, waiting for a reaction from either of them.
Beau was jotting things down in his notebook and Murphy was waiting for her to continue.
“What happened then?” Murphy asked.
“Mikey was pissed. I’d never seen him so angry. He practically dragged Nick out of the house. I thought they were just gonna fight it out. You know how guys are? A couple jabs here. A few shoves there. And then they would be over it. Nick texted me later and said he was okay and to meet him at the spot, but he wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened.” Tristan finally took a breath and ran her shaky hands through her hair.
Beau was scribbling furiously, trying to catch everything she said. Making notes of what should be asked next.
“So, Nick is the young man who may be missing?” Murphy asked.
“Yes,” Tristan answered, her voice low again.
“Okay, before I ask you any more questions about what happened, can you tell me what time you last saw him and what he was wearing. Along with his age and any physical indicators like hair color, eye color, tattoos, anything like that you might know. And you said Nick wasn’t his real name?”
“Uhm . . . it was probably around 11:30 last night. He was wearing a red polo and khakis. White Converse. No tattoos. I think he’s my age . . . nineteen. He’s white, has blonde hair . . . a little darker than mine. Blue eyes. No facial hair. And I think he told me Nick was his middle name, but I can’t remember.”
Murphy turned to Beau. “You got all of that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Provide dispatch with the details on radio so the other units can hear the descriptors and be on the lookout.”
“I’m on it.” Beau took a step down from the porch. “252, University.”
“Go ahead, 252.”
“I’ve got information on the missing individual.”
“Go ahead.”
“Individual is a white male. Approximately nineteen years of age. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and no tattoos or visible scars. Individual goes by the name of Nick and was last seen at the address in the call, wearing a red polo, khakis, and white Converse sneakers.”
“10-4. Units, be on the lookout for an individual matching the description. Notify dispatch if contact is made.”
Murphy joined Beau at the bottom of the steps. “Good radio traffic. Looks like you do pay attention sometimes.”
Beau smirked. “What else did she say?”
“She said ‘the spot’ was a place where she and Nick met to hook up. They were the only two who knew about it as far as she was concerned. She told me where it is. We can go check it out. She said Nick never showed after he sent her that text for her to meet him there. Nothing appeared out of place there, but she said there was something eerie about it.” Murphy shrugged as he started walking toward the car.
“Did she happen to mention which fraternity her boyfriend is in?” Beau asked, looking up from his notepad.
“Yeah. Zeta Theta. It’s the same fraternity Nick is in. I think that’s why the argument was so heated. They were frat brothers.”
“Interesting,” Beau mumbled under his breath while he put his notepad back in his pocket.
“What’s that, Rook?”
“That’s the same fraternity I was in. And my brother, Cory, is too. I’m gonna try to give him a call to see if he knows Nick or Mikey. Do you think we should try the Theta house? It’s right across the way.” Beau pointed to the house as he pulled out his phone.
“Yeah. We’re already here. Let’s take a walk over and check things out.” Murphy reached for his shoulder mic. “223, University.”
“Go ahead, 223.”
“We’re gonna be walking over
to the Theta house here in Greek Square to try and make contact with the missing individual and/or the person who may have seen him last. 276, do you think you all could go to the section of the railroad tracks between South Campus Road and the Art Building? It’s the portion covered by thick bushes and trees. See if there’s anything out of place or if Nick may be in the area?”
“I copy, 223. University, show us en route.”
“University’s clear.”
Beau and Murphy started walking toward the house Beau was so familiar with. He had his phone pressed to his ear and listened to the unanswered rings.
“No answer?” Murphy asked as Beau put his phone back in his pocket.
“Nope. He’s probably passed out asleep. They do a hell of a lot of partying in this house.” Beau smirked.
Murphy looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Not that I ever did much of that.” A Cheshire Cat grin grew across Beau’s cheeks.
“Uh huh.” Murphy laughed.
The pair reached the door and Beau rang the doorbell. There was no answer. There were no sounds of footfalls making their way to the front door.
Beau rang the bell again. Still, there was no answer.
Murphy started pounding on the front door. Not a sound was made. It was almost like there were only ghosts residing inside.
“What the hell do they put in those drinks? Sleeping pills?” Murphy joked.
“Partying as hard as a Theta does takes a lot of work.” Beau started laughing.
