Happy Sunday! Guess what? It’s Mystery Month during May!
This week’s short story is the first part of a mystery short story and is brought to you by the prompt, “bullet.”
I hope you enjoy the story.
Detective Kasa sat at her desk, typing up some paperwork from her latest case. It didn’t end well and she wasn’t happy to be reliving it through the paperwork. She hated having to fill out the paperwork to begin with but when she was explaining how she failed and they didn’t make it to the victim in time… well, she just felt as though she failed at her job big time. All she wanted to do was go home, lie in bed, and pull the blankets over her head and cry about it. She couldn’t do that though. Detectives supposedly didn’t have emotions.
A rookie detective came up to her desk, standing on the other side in silence. She stared Detective Kasa down.
Detective Kasa appreciated the patience, but she didn’t like having someone stand over her while she was trying. She finished typing the sentence she was on before minimizing the window screen and giving the other detective her attention.
“What is it, Hale?” she asked.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Detective Hale said, quietly. “It’s just that my partner called in sick and I’m looking for a little advice.”
“Can it wait? I’m in the middle of some paperwork from my last case,” Kasa replied. She pointed to her computer screen as though Hale wouldn’t have a clue about how she was getting the paperwork done. Kasa didn’t even want to do it. She just wanted to get it over with.
Hale bit her lower lip, shaking her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’m afraid it can’t.”
Kasa sighed, leaning forward on her desk. “Alright, well out with it. What’s up?”
“What do you do if you respond to a call about a disturbance in a quiet neighborhood – two people shouting and arguing with one another – an elderly woman called it in – and you go there and no one is around to talk to you?” Hale asked.
Kasa narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“An older woman called, saying there were a few people arguing with one another in her neighborhood. She thought they were going to break out into a bigger fight, which was why she called. I drove there to check it out, but there was no one around. I even knocked on the old lady’s house and she didn’t answer. There wasn’t even a car in the driveway.”
Kasa leaned back in her chair, shrugging her shoulders. “Well, it was nice of that lady to call but it seems as though maybe the dispute had been settled. Maybe whoever was arguing walked away from one another. It doesn’t sound like anything else happened otherwise if the neighborhood was that quiet.”
Hale titled her head from side to side. “Well… yeah. I think that’s what we’re supposed to think, but I feel like there’s more to it than that.”
“What makes you think that? If you’re looking for a case, I have plenty,” Kasa said, chuckling to herself. “Or just take the peace and quiet while you can get it.”
Hale held up a small plastic bag. “I found a bullet in one of the yards.”
Kasa’s smile faded. “You know, you could have led with that.” She stood up from her chair, taking the bag. She looked closely at it. “I don’t see any marks or blood.”
“That’s partly what’s confusing me,” Hale replied.
“I assume you haven’t taken it to the lab, yet?”
“No.”
“Okay, well… might as well to be on the safe side, but I don’t think anything will turn up. I don’t know how the bullet could have been fired without anyone hearing it and reporting it. But it looks clean, so it seems like everything is fine.” Kasa handed the bag back to the rookie. “What neighborhood did you say this was? Is it Terrance Street? There’s always trouble over there.”
Hale shook her head. “I didn’t say. And it was Juno Ave.”
Kasa furrowed her brows. “That’s my neighborhood.”
“I know.”
“Where did you find the bullet?”
Hale pressed her lips together, looking sheepish. “Your front yard.”
Kasa’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry, what?”
“The elderly woman who called in the disturbance was your neighbor across the street from your house. Two men were arguing in your front yard. She called specifically looking for you but you were out finishing up your previous case,” Hale explained.
Kasa saved what she was doing on her computer, exiting out of all the windows. She reached behind her, grabbing her coat from the back of her chair, tossing it over her shoulders. “Did my neighbor happen to recognize the two men arguing in my front yard?”
Hale shook her head. “That’s all I know, too. As I said, when I got to your house, the neighborhood was deserted. Your neighbor across the street was gone too, so I couldn’t talk to her.”
“What made you look around my yard?” Kasa asked, buttoning up her coat.
Hale shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. I just had this weird feeling. How can someone call in an argument just to disappear along with the people who were arguing in the first place? It was strange and I wanted to make sure nothing around your house was broken. I didn’t know if these two men had tried breaking in or something.”
“Well, I appreciate you coming to tell me this. Have you told anyone else?” Kasa asked.
Hale shook her head.
“Good, we’ll check it out ourselves. You said your partner called out to today?”
“Yeah. Her daughter has the flu.”
“Bummer,” Kasa replied. “Well, my partner’s kids had a play at school today so it looks like it’s just you and me.”
“Wait, really?” Hale grinned.
“Yeah, I need you to show me the exact spot you found the bullet in my yard. Did you comb over the rest of my yard?” Kasa asked, leading the way out of the office.
“I didn’t, actually. I walked around your house to make sure no one was there, but that was all. I didn’t think to look closer at the yard, I’m sorry.” Hale replied, following her superior.
“No problem, you did well. I’m glad you came straight to me too. Let’s go together and check it out,” Kasa said. She reached into her pocket, taking out her car keys. “I’ll drive.”
To be continued.
