Sitting in my desk, leaned against folded arms exhaustion started to creep up behind my eyes as with every minute they grew ever heavier. But as they close once more, I am jolted awake by Chief's office door flying open. Bouncing against the wall as he laughs triumphantly.
"Wake up! We got a lead!" He cheers, shaking my shoulders, making me groan tiredly as I wave him off and rub my eyes.
"What kind of lead in this weather?"
"You'll find out if you stop moaning and get up!" He announces rushing over to the front door, Olive is already pulling her arms through her coat sleeve. Drawing close behind Henderson. Shaking my head, I get up from my desk and pick up my feet to catch up. Meeting them in the parking lot Chief's already got his engine fired up and ready to go.
Dropping into the passenger seat, Alice and Marie fall in with a small stack of books in their arms.
"What in the world are you two doing with those?"
"I may have figured out what move he's on… or, well I hope I have…" Marie answers opening on of the books titled, Chess Pro. Alice on the other hand has a different set of books in her possession.
"And?"
"I am trying to figure out what our dear Detective was looking for before he had gone missing. Hadn't touched these since they were pulled from their car."
"You mean my dad?" Olive declares reaching over and taking the book under the one Alice had open.
"Yep kiddo." Henderson says pulling from the lot and turning his lights and siren on. Peeling down the road as the rain pelted his windshield.
You can imagine my surprise as we reached the hospital just as fast as Olive had opened that book. Rolling up front, he parks the car and usher's us all out. Rushing into the hospital a nurse is quick to meet us, a clipboard tight within her grip as she nods towards us. Motioning with a quick wave to follow.
"He was brought in less then an hour ago, gun shot wound to his left side and a mass of scars and marks litter him." Leading us into an empty room my eyes land on the short man in the bed, sweat coming in waves off his brow as takes shallow breaths. "We got a name from the man who brought him in, but I didn't put two and two together until the other man had already disappeared." She continues handing Chief the clipboard.
"Linus McIntyre… One down, one more to go. Anything out if the ordinary? Or did his partner say something?" Chief looks up from the clipboard to the nurse who nods a bit before looking out into the hallway, poking her head back in she whispers.
"Only that they seem to be a married pair. Let's just hope he comes back." She sighs shaking her head before making her way out of the room. Leaving us in the normal silence of softly beeping machines and jagged breathing.
"Rookie." Perking my head up a bit from the man body, Chief is holding the clipboard out to me. "Take this info and see what our computers can dig up, I'm going to see if a nurse can patch up Alice's handy work while we wait on his partner. Take Olive and Marie home."
"Wait?! What? I am not going home after all this! We almost have them, I can't just go home and wait I won't be able to stand still, and you know it!" Olive announces throwing her hands to her side and stomping a foot to the floor, a sharp glare on her face behind the bags that had begun to form. Marie on the other hand is still so deep within the book she hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation at all.
"Chief do you really think it'll be a good idea? His partner is still out there." I motion towards the man who looks more like a corpse by the minute. "What if?"
"Your Aunt already knows of the circumstances following this case and will be briefed with the new information as soon as your butts get home. Now go." Henderson commands, his voice strained as they glare each other down. Kicking her hands into the air Olive concedes with a loud 'Fine' before turning towards Marie.
"Let's go…" Marie picks her head up from the book only nodding as her eyes don't leave the page.
"Can we stop by my dad's morgue real quick and check up with him. He's probably worried sick…" She says closing the book and holding it to her side. Nodding, I lead them through the hospital and back towards the cruiser. Chief tossing the keys as he follows towards the doors first, his eyes planted on the back of Olive's head.
"Make sure she doesn't cause any trouble." Nodding, we get into the cruiser and make our way to Marie's father's place.
"Let's just hope we catch him." I mumble as I flip the sirens back on.