NIP 8

“A caller? To you?” A puzzled expression replaces his stone cold glare as he rubs his forehead. “Attention seeking prep…” He is thinking out loud...his habit.

“And brutal.” I interject his thoughts.

“Huh.” His brow furrows as he snaps back to reality. He pauses, then points at me, exhales and with immaculate articulation asks, “You have seen the body?”

“Oh no…” I stutter. “No, no not yet.”

“Not ever.” He retorts.

I, once again, feel nauseous. This crime scene and Brad’s behavior is making me very uncomfortable.

“Right.” I blankly say to my shoes.

All the while, I keep thinking, a good reporter keeps her cool but when this is all over I am going to slug him for being such a jerk. A bad friend even. This is not an easy situation for any of us but at least this isn’t Brad’s first murder investigation. He could cut me some slack.

“The caller said,” It’s my nervous jitter...motor mouth. “The caller said it’s a rape, a murder and the girl is hanging from the monkey cage. Brutal.”

Brad glares at me. I have zero sixth sense and cannot pick up what he is thinking. So, without further ado, I decide to use the reporter card I have practiced over and over for fun in the mirror never really believing I would actually say it.

“I am going on the air with this information with or without your…”

“Watch your step Sari. This is not a game, this is not you playing reporter…this is 100% serious shit. This caller told you all of this? He called your direct line?” Brad could have asked these questions without throwing jabs at me.

“Yes Brad, how many times do we have to go over this. He called my line. Why would I make this up?” My eyes are begging him to believe in me.

“Okay then.” Brad sighs and his body releases some of its tension. “When you spoke to this person…”

“Um, it was Sam who spoke to this person. Sam dragged me here the minute I came into work.” It is obvious Brad stopped listening to me after I said ‘Sam’.

“But why would…the caller…” He has broken into his trademark out loud thought process. “he calls you…gives all the details…if they are in fact…”

My lips have formed an ‘O’ from concentrating so hard on piecing Brad’s thoughts together.

“could be a fake…attention…maybe he saw it…attention…could be the perp? But calls Sari directly. Something is not adding up.” Silence. Brad is silent. Could this mean a break through?

“Huh, like what?” I probe.

“Detective Callahan, it’s about fucking time! Stop chatting up the press broad and get the fuck over here!” Brad waves me off and heads over to the burly Detective Hughes. “You are not going to believe the whack job we have on our hands Callahan. It’s been 7 minutes and this investigation is already an ugly son-of-bitchin’ blackhole. And goddamnit it is only six weeks until my retirement.”

I stand mouth agape. Detective Hughes is the crudest man I have ever met. Yet, Brad is an attentive pup hanging on every word.

“The initial walk through reveals who we are dealing with.” They pace circles around each other as the conversation intensifies. I linger behind as they head in the direction of the monkey cages. This I know for a fact. I have been to this zoo a zillion times since birth. Crap…I cannot eavesdrop any longer, they are too far ahead.

I glance over my shoulder to Sam, who is fiddling with his equipment. We share a wavelength with a nod and I fall in line in the wake of the detectives. ‘Okay Sari, just act like you know exactly where you are going…no one will notice…head high…you belong here…this is fine…you are fine…” I do my best to exude confidence as I continue to encourage myself. After all, perception is reality.

I trail the detectives as they cross the bridge over the pond and wind left past the pavilion. As we make our way closer to the monkey cages an eerie sensation of calm penetrates the air…each footstep is vociferous as voices fade to stillness.

The sign pointing the route to the monkey cages comes into view. My head steers my body left. I step forward…I swallow my breath…as I am about to come face to face with the most horrific site of my life.

Blink. It can’t be. BLINK. Blink. I am blinking, blinking repeatedly…more, faster, BLINK! No. I cannot believe it. I will not. My mind is spinning…I am so dizzy. No, oh god no…this can’t be…the whole of my being immobilizes. I have no breath, no voice, no thought. I see my arms thrashing out in front me. I am trying to speak…to yell, to shriek. The body hanging from the cage is dismembered, bloody, stabbed, carved…my eyes are physically in pain taking in the scene. Her scar! The scar…her right knee is scarred from the airborne sledding accident when we were kids. We giggle every time we tell the tale. Her scar. I have to touch her scar. Maybe it’s not her! I have to see the scar. My legs take off. Tracers of color, images, noises float by me in slow motion.

“aaaarrrgggghhhhh!” Something rammed in my waist, knocking the wind out of me and capturing me. ‘Let me go!’ my mind screams. The sky is spinning…I want it to all stop. My neck can no longer bare the burden of my volatile head, it snaps and bobs downward...it’s an arm clutching my waist. Wha?...Who??..oh, Brad. I hunt for his face, his eyes.

“OHMIGOD!!!! OHMIGOD!! Brad…Brad...Ainslie…Ainslie! Oh god.” I begin to sob uncontrollably as I shrill in disbelief and rage. My body lifeless, my eyes open to nothingness.

“Goddamn reporters! This is a closed scene! Shut her the fuck up and get her the hell out of here. Goddamnit Callahan! This is a fucking murder scene. Get the damn priss out of my sight NOW!” Detective Hughes stomps in place screaming as personnel turn their attention on him. The crowd stands motionless.

“Hughes…enough. ENOUGH!” Brad grabs Hughes by the arm, impeding his rant to command eye contact. “The victim is Ainslie Clarke. Sari’s sister.”

The ‘ah’ in unison is followed by deafening silence. I collapse to the ground. Brad falls with me, never letting go of his embrace. I wail an empty mind and empty heart. Brad strokes my hair as he places his lips on my forehead.

“Shhhh Sari…shhh...I will not let go.” Brad’s eyes shift to the sky. “Oh Sari…oh..."

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