Chapter 2
"Ok, where is she?" I sidestepped a small puddle as I talked to a short, fat, and obviously nervous officer whose tag said McGee.
"She had a few bullets in that gun, but shot a tree, the ground, and the side of one of our squad cars. She dropped the gun, and is now sitting in the middle of the street."
I nodded, "Alright, I'll take care of it."
The officer's eyes widened in shock. I groaned inwardly. I know I looked younger than my twenty-nine years, despite my profession. But I always get incrediblely annoyed when someone thinks I'm just some kid trying to play with fire.
Stepping over the tape, I strode to where the girl was sitting. She had her knees to her chest, and her arms pulled so tightly around them her knuckles were shite. She rocked slightly, causing her plain, white cotton gown and dark hair, both damp from the storm, to sway slightly. I stooped down about five feet from her, facing her head on.
"Hey," I said softly. Her head jerked up, and through the matted ahir, I saw two large, dark, empty eyes staring back at me.
She stared at me, her eyes boring into mine. I looked back at her, and when I did, her eyes sparkled, and she began to laugh. I smiled, but it soon dropped from my face when her laughter became hysterical. I slowly approached her, slipping the tranquilizer gun out of the inside of my jacket. When I did, she stopped laughing.
"What's your name?" I asked quietly.
"Anna," her voice was small and squeaky, as if she was talking through a chokehold.
"Why were you laughing?"
Without warning, her face twisted up into a sneer, and she began to speak rapidly in a strange language.
"What the hell is that?!" McGee screamed in a high pitched voice. I shot him a look, and turned back to her. I glanced behind her, and saw the news crew that's been filming us the whole time.
"They are coming!" Anna's voice screeched. She began rocking faster. The dark, empty eyes rolled around and around, ending with only seeing the whites of her eyes. The wind roared up around us. I thought I heard myself scream, but I'm not sure. I struggled towards Anna, and shot the tranquilizer into her arm.
Anna's eyes came back, and her pupils shrunk. Clear blue contrasted the blackness that eclipsed it. Her breathing became ragged, her chest heaving against her knees. The wind stilled, and water from the puddles and the fallen leaves sprinkled down around us. Anna sighed, unclasped her hands, and fainted.
"Looks like the sedative kicked in," Tony came up beside me. "What was she saying before?"
"I don't know," I looked over at the cameras. "But I intend to find out."
My eyes burned, and I stared hard at the screen, hearing Anna speaking rapidly in that horrible language. I rubbed my eyes and sighed. It made no sense. What was that language? If only I knew-
"Romanian!" Tony burst through the stainless steel door, revealing the long, well-lit hallway that led from the front reception, and Tony's office.
"What?" I blinked and paused the tape.
"What Anna was saying. The language is Romanian."
"Do you know what she said?"
"No."
"Well then," I swiveled away from my metal desk and stood up. "Let's find someone who does."
"She had a few bullets in that gun, but shot a tree, the ground, and the side of one of our squad cars. She dropped the gun, and is now sitting in the middle of the street."
I nodded, "Alright, I'll take care of it."
The officer's eyes widened in shock. I groaned inwardly. I know I looked younger than my twenty-nine years, despite my profession. But I always get incrediblely annoyed when someone thinks I'm just some kid trying to play with fire.
Stepping over the tape, I strode to where the girl was sitting. She had her knees to her chest, and her arms pulled so tightly around them her knuckles were shite. She rocked slightly, causing her plain, white cotton gown and dark hair, both damp from the storm, to sway slightly. I stooped down about five feet from her, facing her head on.
"Hey," I said softly. Her head jerked up, and through the matted ahir, I saw two large, dark, empty eyes staring back at me.
She stared at me, her eyes boring into mine. I looked back at her, and when I did, her eyes sparkled, and she began to laugh. I smiled, but it soon dropped from my face when her laughter became hysterical. I slowly approached her, slipping the tranquilizer gun out of the inside of my jacket. When I did, she stopped laughing.
"What's your name?" I asked quietly.
"Anna," her voice was small and squeaky, as if she was talking through a chokehold.
"Why were you laughing?"
Without warning, her face twisted up into a sneer, and she began to speak rapidly in a strange language.
"What the hell is that?!" McGee screamed in a high pitched voice. I shot him a look, and turned back to her. I glanced behind her, and saw the news crew that's been filming us the whole time.
"They are coming!" Anna's voice screeched. She began rocking faster. The dark, empty eyes rolled around and around, ending with only seeing the whites of her eyes. The wind roared up around us. I thought I heard myself scream, but I'm not sure. I struggled towards Anna, and shot the tranquilizer into her arm.
Anna's eyes came back, and her pupils shrunk. Clear blue contrasted the blackness that eclipsed it. Her breathing became ragged, her chest heaving against her knees. The wind stilled, and water from the puddles and the fallen leaves sprinkled down around us. Anna sighed, unclasped her hands, and fainted.
"Looks like the sedative kicked in," Tony came up beside me. "What was she saying before?"
"I don't know," I looked over at the cameras. "But I intend to find out."
My eyes burned, and I stared hard at the screen, hearing Anna speaking rapidly in that horrible language. I rubbed my eyes and sighed. It made no sense. What was that language? If only I knew-
"Romanian!" Tony burst through the stainless steel door, revealing the long, well-lit hallway that led from the front reception, and Tony's office.
"What?" I blinked and paused the tape.
"What Anna was saying. The language is Romanian."
"Do you know what she said?"
"No."
"Well then," I swiveled away from my metal desk and stood up. "Let's find someone who does."
Chapter 3
After wandering around, calling everyone we knew, and checking on Anna in her cell, Tony and I stood there, watching her sleep on the cot. The whole hall was lined with the same kind of thick metal doors. Beyond the hall to my right, was a high criss-crossed metal fence, with a door inside. I keypad opened and closed it. Beyond that was another hall, lined with more doors. This time, they're still metal, but thinner, and seemed much more inviting. My office was the closest. Beyond that was Tony's office, and our arsenary. This room was under lock and key, and only Tony and I knew where the key was.
"Look at her," Tony murmered. "She's sleeping like an angel."
"I wonder where she came from," I looked at Anna, who did look so peaceful.
"Nikki, that's not our job."
"I know."
"We're psycho ward field police."
"I know," my own voice sounded exasperated. "and we make about $15 grand each month."
"Because we're good at what we do," Tony finished for me.
"Still," I sighed and leaned against the door, looking through the window in the door.
Tony let it go, and also looked at her.
"Wait a minute," Tony swiped his card through the scanner, and the door creaked open.
"Wasn't her hair dark red before?" He leaned to Anna. "Now it's brown."
"Hmm," I touched her hair lightly. It was sticky. As I pulled my hand back, my eyes widened, and I gasped. My fingertips were stained a dark red. I knew immediantly it was blood.
"Oh, dear God," I fell back against the wall, and covered my mouth with my clean hand, as I tampered down the rising nausea within me.
"What's wrong?" Tony caught my head before I carelessly slammed against the wall as I slowly sank myself down to the ground.
"Get a medic," I said hoarsely, staring at my hand.
After two hours, Tony and I were standing in the medical wing, waiting for the test results. I shifted from one foor to the next, trying to get myself to calm down. Tony sensed my uneasiness.
"Nikki, they said she was fine," his arm dropped around my shoulders.
"Well, I still want to know what the blood is," I shook off his arm.
"Looked real to me."
"No shit," I grumbled. "They said it wasn't her blood. The DNA didn't match.
just then, a tall, lean man with a thin mustache strode through the white swinging doors, and into the overly-sanitized waiting room, stopping in front of us.
"Miss Arling? Mr. Ragatti?" our medic, Dr. Merriton nodded to both of us. I snorted hearing Tony's last name. All his childhood, Tony was nicknamed "Ragu" by the neighboring kids, until Bobby Chow said he was just like Ragu: stupid. tony's touchy about his intellligence, so he broke Bobby's nose. They were both ten at the time.
tony shot me his "don't-mess-with-me" look, and turned bakd to Dr. Merriton.
"We found a match in the blood's DNA," Dr. Merriton produced a folder and handed it to Tony. "You'll find him at the city morgue."
"And you said connections with the FBI would never come in handy, "I grinned at Tony as I plucked the folder from his hands. "Let's go see this guy."
"Nikki. He's dead."
"Have you no respect for the deceased? Honestly, your godfather would be ashamed."
"Ah, shut up."
I walked to the front of the building, grabbing my coat and car keys along the way. Tony followed suit, and we both got into my Mercedes-Benz.
"Why don't you get a sensible car?" Tony grumbled as he sank down into the seat.
Tell the rest later!
"Look at her," Tony murmered. "She's sleeping like an angel."
"I wonder where she came from," I looked at Anna, who did look so peaceful.
"Nikki, that's not our job."
"I know."
"We're psycho ward field police."
"I know," my own voice sounded exasperated. "and we make about $15 grand each month."
"Because we're good at what we do," Tony finished for me.
"Still," I sighed and leaned against the door, looking through the window in the door.
Tony let it go, and also looked at her.
"Wait a minute," Tony swiped his card through the scanner, and the door creaked open.
"Wasn't her hair dark red before?" He leaned to Anna. "Now it's brown."
"Hmm," I touched her hair lightly. It was sticky. As I pulled my hand back, my eyes widened, and I gasped. My fingertips were stained a dark red. I knew immediantly it was blood.
"Oh, dear God," I fell back against the wall, and covered my mouth with my clean hand, as I tampered down the rising nausea within me.
"What's wrong?" Tony caught my head before I carelessly slammed against the wall as I slowly sank myself down to the ground.
"Get a medic," I said hoarsely, staring at my hand.
After two hours, Tony and I were standing in the medical wing, waiting for the test results. I shifted from one foor to the next, trying to get myself to calm down. Tony sensed my uneasiness.
"Nikki, they said she was fine," his arm dropped around my shoulders.
"Well, I still want to know what the blood is," I shook off his arm.
"Looked real to me."
"No shit," I grumbled. "They said it wasn't her blood. The DNA didn't match.
just then, a tall, lean man with a thin mustache strode through the white swinging doors, and into the overly-sanitized waiting room, stopping in front of us.
"Miss Arling? Mr. Ragatti?" our medic, Dr. Merriton nodded to both of us. I snorted hearing Tony's last name. All his childhood, Tony was nicknamed "Ragu" by the neighboring kids, until Bobby Chow said he was just like Ragu: stupid. tony's touchy about his intellligence, so he broke Bobby's nose. They were both ten at the time.
tony shot me his "don't-mess-with-me" look, and turned bakd to Dr. Merriton.
"We found a match in the blood's DNA," Dr. Merriton produced a folder and handed it to Tony. "You'll find him at the city morgue."
"And you said connections with the FBI would never come in handy, "I grinned at Tony as I plucked the folder from his hands. "Let's go see this guy."
"Nikki. He's dead."
"Have you no respect for the deceased? Honestly, your godfather would be ashamed."
"Ah, shut up."
I walked to the front of the building, grabbing my coat and car keys along the way. Tony followed suit, and we both got into my Mercedes-Benz.
"Why don't you get a sensible car?" Tony grumbled as he sank down into the seat.
Tell the rest later!
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