Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Darkening Sturgeons: Chapter Eleven


Yet another entry in my piece of blog fiction...
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DARKENING STURGEONS

Chapter Eleven

by John L. Harmon

 

    Joe Grossman, the tall lanky dispatcher with a shock of blond/nearly white hair, bursts into the employee lounge, waking Sheriff Benjamin Straker from a particularly intriguing dream.  The two men stare awkwardly at each other for a moment, adjusting their bearings.

    “Well, Joe?” Ben inquires, quickly sitting up and buttoning his shirt.

    “Leslie, uh, I mean Officer Johns reported in.  She spotted the white van at the Teeter-Totter and—”

    “The Teeter-Totter?”

    Out of all the places in all of Sturgeons, the Teeter-Totter Motel was the last place he would’ve looked for the blond woman and Samuel Dwyer.  It is a seedy little joint on the outskirts of town and was once, according to legend, a house of ill-repute.

    “And there’s more,” Joe adds.

    Having put on his boots, Ben grabs the beige hat and picks up the yearbook.  “Let’s talk as we walk, Joe.”

    “Chief Deputy Woodhouse reported for duty—”

    “What time is it?” Ben interrupts, checking his watch as they make their way through the Sturgeons Police Headquarters.  “It’s nine o’clock, Joe!  Why was I allowed to sleep so long?”

    “Everything happened in just the last ten minutes.”

    Ben stops at the enormous front counter and stares at the empty chair.  He briefly wonders if he is simply feeling confused after being startled from a hard sleep.  “It’s nine in the morning and Miss Whiffle is not at her post?  She is the most punctual person I know, aside from Officer Johns.”

    Joe points to a colorful item on the counter, “She dropped it off for you.”

    “Another day, another envelope,” Ben whispers to himself as he places the yearbook down and picks up the pink rectangle.  Tearing it open, he slides out a folded pink note.  A dumbfounded silence fills the room as he is confronted with a second letter of resignation.  It seems that Miss Whiffle has run off with ‘Ol Ned to elope, forever leaving Sturgeons.

    The Sheriff recalls the comforting nature Miss Miranda Whiffle displayed towards the emotionally distraught Ned Dobson.  Perhaps they always had feelings for one another and it took the mysterious disappearance of Bob Kinney to bring everything to the surface.  The only thing Ben knows for certain is how disturbed he feels about this new/old couple leaving Sturgeons, but there are far more vital issues to deal with.  He stuffs the envelope and note into the yearbook.

    “I’m sorry for interrupting you, Joe.  You were saying something about Clyde.”

    “Yes.  Officer Woodhouse reported for duty and is now trailing the white van.”

    “I thought you said Officer Johns located it at the Teeter-Totter.”

    “Leslie did,” Joe explains calmly, despite feeling irritated at his superior, “but she lost track of the van when it left the motel.  Chief Deputy Woodhouse quickly picked up its trail.”

    Ben gives the tall lanky dispatcher a seriously quizzical look.  “How could Leslie possibly lose track of that van in Sturgeons?”

    Joe Grossman points a long finger from the end of one of his long arms towards the main door of the Sturgeons Police Headquarters.  “It’s a madhouse out there, Sheriff,” he opinionates, his voice slightly quivering.

    Sheriff Benjamin Straker curiously and cautiously walks to the solid door and reaches for the handle.  He glances back at Joe as if to make sure this is real and he is not still sleeping on the old beat-up brown couch.  Certain of reality, as much as he can be, Ben yanks open the door, encountering sights and sounds he has only experienced at the cinema.
 
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Click CHAPTER TWELVE to continue.

Until next time, Readers, be well and Freak Out,
JLH

 

1 comment:

  1. Love the visuals in my mind! Keeps the story alive in my mind! So many corners to turn yet!!

    ReplyDelete