4. New Friends

4

New Friends

" W ell, that was a big fucking waste of time!" I yell to myself as I slam my body down on the park bench outside the police station. Even though I'm having dinner with Jack tonight, I figured it would be good to talk to the local police and see what they could tell me. After only fifteen minutes of being gaslighted and rushed out of the station, I'm left with more questions. There's something they don't want me to know. That or Granny was right about people in this town not trusting outsiders.

Most of the officers I'd grown up with, even though they gave no indication that they'd seen me before. Sergeant Brick was the man I thought could give me the answers. He was a new face, a handsome face, actually, with greyish-brown hair and grey, piercing eyes. I hoped he'd have less loyalty to the town's secrets. I was wrong. That man was as stubborn as his name suggests. I wasn't getting any answers. I guess my only hope now is Jack.

I sigh, digging through my bag and pulling out my phone. Two missed calls from my editor. Fuck.

I quickly call her back.

"Hello?" Angela's crisp voice sounds from the other side of the phone.

"Hi, Angela. I'm sorry I missed your calls. I was at the Dayton Police Station trying to find out more."

"And?" Her voice rises over the commotion in the background.

I glance around at the expanse of the green park before me. I imagine our settings couldn't be more different. I want nothing more than to be back in the hustle and bustle of the office. It's too goddamn quiet here.

"They told me it was nothing but a freak accident, that the case has already been closed."

She huffs. "You'd think they'd have a better excuse than that. If anything, that makes everything more suspicious."

"That's what I thought."

"So what next? I put you on this story because you have connections there. "

"I do. I'm meeting with an old friend for dinner tonight. I think he might know something. Is there any way I can get an extension on this? I'm not sure I can get everything done in a week."

She sighs, silent for a moment as if contemplating. "Yeah, sure, why not. I don't think the higher-ups are even interested in this story."

Fuck, I didn't expect it to be that easy. Maybe I'm less valuable to the team than I thought. "Oh, well, I think we got something here. In fact, I don't need an extra week. I can hurry and work through the nights."

"Don't worry about it. Enjoy yourself. Come back when you're ready. You know how slow news is during the summers anyways."

"No, really, Angela. I want to work. I'll get the story back to you as soon as I can."

"Whatever. Alright, talk to you later." She hangs up.

"Fuck," I say, cradling my phone in my hand.

"Work giving you crap?" A woman's voice startles me. I look over at the short-haired brunette sitting next to me. She slides closer. "Uh, yeah." I give a tight-lipped smile, looking back at my phone on my lap.

"Tell me about it. I work at Joanne's Diner, and my boss makes me want to commit murder most of the time." She smiles, leaning back, her silver nose ring catching in the sunlight .

"Oh, yeah. I used to go there all the time. I'm meeting a friend there tonight, actually."

She hits my arm harder than I think she means to. I rub at the spot. "No, shit! I'll see you there. I'm working tonight." I notice the light trail of freckles under her green eyes. "Where do you work?" she asks.

"The Times."

"As in the New York Times?"

"That's the one."

"Well, shit. What are you doing here?" She pulls her legs onto the park bench and turns to me. This girl has never met a stranger.

"I grew up here, but I'm here to investigate those bodies found in the clearing."

She jumps to her feet. "Fuck yes! Finally, someone is going to do something about it. I've been coming to the police station every day to get those jackasses to make some moves, but they're too chicken shit."

"Do you know the people that were murdered?" I flip on my recorder in my pocket.

Her shoulders sag, and her eyes dart from left to right. "Yeah, they were people in my community." I've known this girl for a total of five minutes, but I can tell she's holding something back.

I nod. "I'm part of this community too. Well, I used to be. Those people don't look familiar to me. "

"What's your name?" she asks, sitting back down and leaning closer to me. "I don't think I've ever seen you around."

"Red Hoodson. I look a little different than when I…"

"Hoodson?" she yells. "I knew your dad!"

"You did?" She looks about my age, and I was five when he died. Maybe she's a few years older than me, though.

"Yeah, he was the old park ranger. I was just a kid, but I remember him."

I nod. "Yeah, he was."

"I'm so sorry to hear what happened to him." The light from her eyes dim.

I exhale. "It's alright. I was five when they died. I barely even knew them."

She shakes her head, leaning back and looking at the park. "This town has a habit of letting bad things slide. I'm fucking sick of it."

"Well, that's why I'm here." I lean closer, holding out my recorder. "Is there anything you can think of to help me put the pieces together?"

She looks nervously down at the recorder before meeting my eyes again. "What you need is to get that dick in there to do something about it."

"Sergeant Brick?"

"That's the one! He won't even see me, and I know it's just because I fucked two of his officers. "

I can't help but laugh. "What?"

She smacks her lips and smiles. "What? It's a small town. Who else am I supposed to fuck?"

I nod. "Touche." I like this girl.

She looks down at her wristwatch. "Shit. I gotta get going. I'm working a double today." She stands. "It was good to meet ya! Hopefully, I'll see you around, and you can scare these dickwads into doing something about this."

"Oh, I never got your name," I call after her.

"Carmen! Carmen Badson."

"Good to meet you!"

She salutes before turning and walking away.

Maybe this morning had been a waste, but at least I made a friend. Maybe making friends is the secret to getting answers around here.