From Banjo to Bro and Back

Anna stepped into Sakura Sushi shaking off the freezing rain and exhaling. Her hair was plastered to her cold wet face and her nose began to run as soon as the warmth of the indoors met her. She dug in her purse for a tissue and heard Stephanie’s familiar hysterics coming from the corner table where she sat diagonally across from her brother Garrett.

The restaurant was in the lull between the lunch and dinner rush.

“Oh my god…this is fantastic. Garrett you should totally do this…”

Garrett’s back was to her but Stephanie waved her over as she handed her brother her phone.

“Anna you have to see this after Garrett…and convince him to.”

Garrett looked up as Anna stepped beside where he was sitting and smiled awkwardly “Or don’t…..hi Anna. Let me move over.” He slid towards the window and chuckled quietly before offering her Stephanie’s phone “It’s fuckin weird.”

Anna sat down beside him and took the device “I’d expect nothing less from Steph.” She smirked across the table and said “Tams is running late but on her way.” She began to read and scroll her hand slowly covering her mouth as she giggled and then gestured open handed at Steph “Ok so, why?”

http://www.boredpanda.com/man-bun-hair-trend-fake-clip-on/

Steph still looked completely delighted “Why not? Gar, consider it your Christmas present, Ryan too. Look there’s a Groupon! Stop cutting your hair as of today, got it?”

Garrett pulled off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair and shook it around “Nah…the ladies couldn’t handle more of this. But give one to Ryan. He can be the pretty one.”

Anna slid the phone back to Steph, leaning inadvertently towards Garrett right after he had shaken his head. She inhaled and caught the scent of a light and pleasantly earthy shampoo and caught herself darting a glance at Garrett before shifting quickly back to her side of the booth and snapping her gaze to Steph.

Steph raised a brow at Anna and then smiled towards her brother who was obliviously noticing a fishing boat pull into the docks out the window. He grabbed his hat and shoved it back on and turned to Anna.

“Scuse me, that’s one we need to buy from. I need to get out.”

Anna quickly slid sideways and stood up, letting him pass.

Garrett dashed behind the counter and shouted something in Japanese to his father Hiroshi as he emerged from the big walk in cooler with a bin.

Hiroshi gestured and spoke back very quickly, waving Garrett off as he watched him pull on a raincoat zip it up and take off for the docks with a dolly.

Stephanie observed her family during this interaction and then shouted something else at her father in Japanese, pointing at the till.

She looked back at Anna who shrugged so Stephanie explained.

“They need to write down what they’re spending on fish or mom will have both their asses. I’m going to stick around until I see it go in the ledger. Mom’s at Chen’s picking up some veggies. Tams is late anyway.”

As if on cue, Tamela’s form shuffled in through the door, pausing only to retract her umbrella after shaking the icy cold water off it. She spotted her two friends immediately and stepped over “Holy shit that’s nasty.” She slumped into the seat next to Stephanie and shivered dramatically.

Anna nodded “At least you had an umbrella. I’m still soaked to the bone.”

Stephanie made a face “I hate winter.” Then she pointed insistently at her friends “But Tristan’s at a sleepover so we are still going out! I need some grown up time or I’m going to lose it. I don’t even care who the band is…what are they called again Anna?”

Anna laughed “Molly and the Moles. It’s eclectic stuff.  Sorta folk, punk and reggae…Mexican polka fusion, you know? I first heard them back on Salt Spring. Sky was into them...” her smile dissipated a bit and she rolled her eyes “Anyway, they are good.”

Tamela snorted “Freegan approved freak music. Well one good thing about that, it’ll annoy the shit out of Megan.”

Stephanie looked quizzically at Tamela “I thought you two were getting along?”

Tamela shrugged “It comes and goes. She’s still Megan. You can relate. Sometimes they just make you mean.”

Anna giggled “Steph, show her the man bun!” She head jutted at Tamela “This is what she wants to force upon her brothers.”

Stephanie gleefully called up the link again and passed her phone to Tamela.

Tamela took it tentatively “I tend to prefer woman buns but…Ooook.” She started cracking up as she read “Oh that’s funny. Even better that they’re fake. Hipster hippie boys…save us all.” Tamela started laughing again and quoted the post ““This attachable—and, equally important, detachable—man bun lets you blend in with your surroundings, putting it on when you smell fair-trade coffee or hear a banjo, and taking it off when someone utters the word bro.”

Stephanie and Anna both burst out laughing.

Garrett returned with the dolly full of wet plastic bins and wheeled it to the kitchen. Stephanie looked at the floor and sighed as they had all been tracking in water and debris, the worst of it with the wheels of the dolly. As Hiroshi and Garrett unpacked the fish, she excused herself and exited to grab the mop and tidy the front entrance. Just as she finished, her mother, Sakura Yamada tramped in with bags off food in hand from Chen’s.

“Oh sorry Stephie…..” She gingerly tiptoed across the clean floor and smiled at Tamela and Anna as she passed “Hi girls!”

“Hi Mrs. Yamada.” They replied happily in habitual unison. Sakura, the namesake of the restaurant, looked like an older version of Stephanie and had adored and doted on her friends since their school days.

Stephanie went over her mother’s tracks and then returned the mop to its pail. She took out the ledger from the drawer under the till and walked over to her father and Garrett. They spoke back and forth in Japanese and at some point Stephanie wacked Garrett on the arm with the ledger before writing in it herself. Sakura wandered over after putting some food in the cooler and took it from her to write in it as well. Garrett made a face at Stephanie as she walked away and then caught Anna’s eye and grinned widely at her. Anna giggled and looked away.

Tamela peered across the table at Anna with a knowing wink “Uh huh.”

Anna looked cornered “What?!”

Tamela grinned as Stephanie returned to them “Nothing. Let’s go get pizza and then dance to whatever Mexican polka reggae madness they dish out at the Hole.”






Molly and the Moles are the delightful fictional creation of Mitch Newmore. Their description can be found in his blog here:

https://mitchnewmore.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/gigs/


*This was originally titled as a part 1. Part 2 kind of happened through role play and I was just too busy to work it into a blog. I'll follow up on it and try and make sense of it for future posts.*

Cedar Point Police Press Release

In all online news publications and social media

It is with relief that we are able to inform the public that David Leonard Martin has finally been apprehended. He has been wanted since June 28^th, 2015 for his participation in a robbery and aggravated assault in Richmond, BC. He was sighted in Cedar Point in August and subsequently became an accomplice in an armed robbery and assault at Chen’s Supermarket. Before he was apprehended he committed a third aggravated assault in the Kingfisher lighthouse where it is believed he was in hiding since the incident at Chen’s. Martin will be held in Cedar Point until he is transferred to the British Columbia Penitentiary to reside an await trials. The Cedar Point Police Department thanks the residents for their patience and cooperation during this stressful time.

Leads Part 5

If you are tuning in on part 5, please go back and read 1-4 first. This is the last post in this series and will make no sense without the others.

Tamela watched as Angie wired Megan’s phone to connect through a tracking device. Angie then connected it to the GPS service and the computer and sat down across from Megan. It was time to find David Leonard Martin.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Tamela and her sister had been avoiding eye contact the whole time Megan had been in for questioning and at this moment their gazes finally met. Megan’s eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so sorry I got involved with this guy. I’m so fucking stupid.”

Tamela sighed, visibly softening “No you’re not. How could you know it was this bad from a one night stand? I won’t let him near you Meg. You just need to send a text and see if he’s still got the phone.”

The Chief approached flanked by Officer Yamada and Constable Nault. The three men and Tamela were ready to pursue any signal the trace revealed.

Megan nodded, sniffing a bit and then tapped away at her phone.

The words came across Angie’s screen as she typed them.

Hey Stranger. Wanna hook up again?

Megan shrugged and smiled a bit “I figure that might get his attention more than a hello.”

His reply buzzed on the phone and side scrolled across the screen.

Back for more already? Tell your friends about me?

Megan pursed her lips and then started typing again. A blinking red dot began triangulating on the GPS. Angie, Tamela and the Chief leaned in and stared at it intensely.

Oh yeah baby. They said it sounded hot. Can I see you again tonight?

Megan stared at the screen as her words finished scrolling by “Ugh. I don’t even feel an ounce of attraction to him right now.”

The trace beeped and the dot came completely into focus. The mobile device was showing clearly to be at the end of Beacon Hill Road.

“The lighthouse! Go! No sirens. If he hears us he’ll bolt.” Callahan barked “Nault with me. Yamada, Douglas, follow us.”

The commanded officers rapidly dispersed. Tamela hung back for a second and unexpectedly hugged Megan “You did good kid.” Megan started to tear up again and Angie patted her hand as Tamela raced out the door after Ryan.

Ryan was already in the driver’s seat raring to go so Tamela lept into the passenger seat and slid her seatbelt on as he backed up. Her phone dinged at her and since they were the second cruiser she dared a look at it, intending to answer whomever it was later. Her eyes went wide as she saw Anna’s text and she called out “No!” in a voice of total distress.

Ryan glanced at her sideways for a second “What?”

Tamela looked stricken and texted back quickly but in her haste didn’t realize she hadn’t hit send “Anna’s in the lighthouse….”

“Dammit!” Ryan muttered and then picked up the radio “Yamada to Callahan…we have a civilian in range of the assailant.”

“Acknowledged.” was the reply. They sped on through the town, flashing the lights silently through the intersection of Main and Galley.

The first cruiser stopped on an angle with a small screech with the second sliding up behind more carefully. Callahan was glaring at Nault for his noisy stop. Tamela looked down at her phone for anything else from Anna and then silently cursed and finally hit send.

The officers surrounded the door, two on each side and then quietly opened it. Nault entered first and tripped over a female figure sprawled on the floor. He landed with a thud and then looked at the fallen woman “Oh god…”

Tamela stepped over Anna and pushed past Nault, her breath catching in her throat. She kneeled down to check for a pulse. Callahan looked at Anna and Tamela painfully and then snapped back into command. He smacked Nault in the side of the head and then gestured at him and Ryan and whispered “Fan out.” before taking off into the museum gallery. Ryan shuddered as he looked at Anna but then nodded and slipped back out the door to check the perimeter of the building.

Nault went behind the counter and into the residence. A moment later he yelled “Chief!” at the top of his lungs.

Callahan dashed back in from the gallery and muttered “Fucking nimrod.” Before going to see what had been discovered.

Tamela found a pulse and exhaled smoothing her friend’s hair. Anna’s head was laying a small pool of blood that streamed from her nose. She looked around for anything to slow the bleeding. The gift shop had those tiny little packets of tissue and Tamela grabbed 6 of them. The paddle was right beside her so it was easy to deduce what he had hit her with. Tamela carefully put Anna in the recovery position to reduce the risk of airway obstruction.

Tamela heard a clatter of footsteps down a long flight of stairs and frowned in momentary confusion. Callahan ran back out “There’s a tunnel under this place. I radioed Yamada to get in here and follow us. Stay with her. Call for paramedics.”

Tamela nodded and pulled out her phone. Anna was stirring slightly after being moved. Her moans and movements were weak but fitful. Callahan’s boots thudded down a long flight of stairs and faded away.

Ryan stepped in from outside “Where’s the tunnel?”

Tamela pointed with one hand while holding her phone with the other “Though that door somewhere.”

A 911 operator chimed in on Tamela’s phone “911. How can I help you?”

Ryan started for the door and then hesitated and spun back to face Tamela “I know where it comes out….by the school….my Grandpa…long story….” He tore back through the front door and jumped into the cruiser.

Tamela listened to Ryan, momentarily distracted by him. The operator spoke again.

“Hello, are you still there?”

“Yes, sorry. This is Officer Tamela Douglas of the Cedar Point Police. I have an assault victim who’s had trauma to the face with a blunt object and is bleeding heavily.”

Tamela heard the engine start and then the decent of the vehicle away and down the hill.

“Is the victim breathing?”

“Yes, she’s breathing and has a strong pulse. She’s semi conscious but not in a good way. We’re at the end of Beacon Hill road. It’s a lighthouse. This is in Cedar Point in Kingfisher Bay.”

“We have your location Officer. An ambulance has been dispatched. Please stay with the victim until it arrives.”

Tamela stifled a small sob “Don’t worry. I will.”

A few minutes passed as Tamela spoke soothingly to Anna. She was waking more and more but as she did, her awareness of pain also increased. Tamela lay down beside her friend and held her hand. Her radio crackled at her shoulder and then came the words that gave both Tamela and Anna a moment of comfort. It was a brief transmission from the chief.

“We got him.” 

Leads Part 4

Anna shifted her bike into gear and pressed her feet into the pedals of her bike, easily getting a nice momentum going as she rode up and around the corner of Galley Crescent. The sun was low in the sky in the early part of Saturday evening and it was still a beautiful fall day. She turned left at Main Street and then into the parking lot of Chen’s Supermarket. She was locking up her bike when she felt her phone buzz in her jeans pocket with a text. Anna was someone who frequently had her phone on silent.

It was from Stephanie asking her to go for a drink tonight. She smiled and was about to type back and then laughed at herself and looked towards Sakura’s. It seemed silly to text back and forth about times when they were a parking lot’s distance apart. Anna hiked her backpack up higher on her shoulders and walked over to the restaurant. Stephanie beamed when she saw her come in. She was carrying a board full of sushi from the kitchen towards a table of 4.

“I just have to drop this off and take one last order. Is that a yes then?”

Anna laughed “Yeah. But I want to drop off my Dad’s mail first so I can just have a chill out day tomorrow after the brunch.”

Stephanie turned and stopped momentarily “Meet back here then? How about the Black Hole? I feel like dancing. Tristan’s sleeping over at my folks.”

“That sounds good.” Anna was about to reach for the door when she noticed Garrett waving at her. After he caught her eye he gestured for her to come towards the kitchen. Anna smiled and obliged. Garrett was a dear friend as well. He was in the process of massaging octopus to prep it for use. It was simultaneously fascinating and revolting to observe.

Anna turned up her nose a bit and said “That could be sexy if it wasn’t so gross.”

Garrett chuckled “I know right. Hey listen, remember high school?”

Anna gave him a tongue in cheek look and then said “Uh…can you be more specific?”

Garrett looked a bit embarrassed “Sorry grad, your grad.”

Anna grinned “Yeah you were my date. You bailed me out like a boss after Josh dumped me.”

Garrett smirked “I know. It’s my reunion next month. I was wondering if you would consider returning that favour and be my plus one? As friends of course…” he added quickly.

Anna felt her cheeks go unexpectedly warm “Yeah that would be fun. But don’t let me distract you from your date tonight.” She gestured at the octopus tentacle he was still pummeling.

Garrett laughed “Yeah this one’s putty in my hands. I’ll text you the details.”

Anna nodded “K Cheers” and left to head to Chen’s for the mail.

Michael Chen was at the till as she walked by and she greeted him with the intention not to stare. She was sure he had enough stares after the assault and robbery. She noticed he still had a small cut on the side of his face.

Anna emptied the mail box and added it to the pile in her backpack from the other day. She waved to Michael on the way out and then exited and unlocked her bike.

A small hand tugged on her sleeve as she was doing so and she jumped a bit and then beamed at her niece “Rosalee! You spooked me!”

Rosalee was Lee’s 6 year old daughter with wide blue eyes and shoulder length thick black hair. She threw her arms around Anna and said “Auntie we’re going for ice cream. Will you come too?”

Anna hugged her niece back and looked around. Sure enough her brother was trailing behind a bit from the direction of the school playground. She waved at him and he returned it cheerfully.

“Sorry Sweetie, not tonight. I’ve got other plans but next time OK?”

Lee caught up and Rosalee ran and took his hand “OK. Come on Daddy! Ice Cream time!”

Lee chuckled “Sugar before bedtime. Don’t tell Grandma or we’ll both be in trouble.” He gave Anna a knowing look and she laughed.

“Have fun!”

She took off on her bike pedalling hard up the hill, arriving a bit breathless at the top. She had regained both her breath and momentum by the time she reached the lighthouse. Easing the bike against the building she took out her key and unlocked the door. The sun was almost ready to take its dip into the sea.

Anna crossed the floor to behind the museum front desk to reach the door of her father’s residence. She noticed a bit of mud on the floor just in front of it and frowned at it. She was sure she hadn’t tracked it from the small amount she noticed by the dining table earlier in the week. In fact there was far too much of it for it to even be a possibility. Hesitating for a moment she thought. Maybe it was an animal that got it. But an animal wouldn’t open and shut a door. Her father had just texted her a picture yesterday from Manitou Alberta. There was no way he was back yet. It wasn’t Lee because she’d just seen him and Rosalee.

A chilling thought crossed her mind based on all the recent news.

Anna backed up very quietly from the door, trying to decide what to do next.

Suddenly there was an electronic chime from the other room like the kind some phones make when there’s alert of a text. She heard a cough afterwards followed by the unmistakable sound of footsteps.

Anna froze in terror for a moment and then her eyes darted around the entrance and the museum. Silently she tiptoed into the first exhibit room and eased her pack to the floor. She went to the Salish canoe display and picked up the formidable paddle.

The occupant of the next room got another text.

Text? Text! Text Tamela! She thought suddenly. As quietly as she could she pulled out her phone.

Tams, I’m at the lighthouse. I think that Martin guy might be in here. Help.

And now to stay hidden and hope the guy didn’t leave the other room. She backed herself up against the wall hugging the paddle to her and trying to hardly even breathe. Stupidly, she adjusted her stance and shifted her weight from one foot to the other finding the creakiest floorboard known to existence.

The door opened. Anna winced, now as motionless as a statue. The footsteps now went directly past the doorway where she was hidden and to the front door.

Her bike! Oh shit, her bike was right there.

The footsteps approached rapidly. She clenched her jaw and gripped the paddle like a baseball bat. Anna had never hit anyone in her life. She really hoped it didn’t come to that.

And there he was. David Leonard Martin, a perfect match for his poster.

Do not approach it had said. There were no instructions for if he approached you.

He walked towards her with a slow growing smile “Whatcha gonna do there sweethart?” His left eye twitched and it somehow increased his menace.

“Please leave me alone.” Anna blurted out between terrified rasping breaths.

Martin eyed her as if sizing her up and then lunged at her reaching out to grab the paddle. Anna swung wildly at him but he was surprisingly agile. He dodged the blows and then got in between the paddle and her outstretched arms on one side of her instantly wrapping his hands around her throat. She dropped the paddle and started trying to pull his hands away. It was a futile exercise. His grip was too strong and she was soon beginning to fight for air, her face turning red and her eyes watering. She tried to think through her panic. On a chance she turned the rest of her body to meet the angle of his and brought her kneecap to his groin. It wasn’t hard enough to completely incapacitate him since the choking had weakened her but he let go enough for her to push him back. She attempted to run for the door, moving slower than she’d wish to because of still getting her breath. She was coughing heavily as she reached the handle, having lost sight of Martin. Anna looked back for a millisecond to see if he was behind her and came face to face with the paddle as he swung at it her full force. She heard a crack and everything went hazy. The pain was dizzying. There was the sensation of warm liquid streaming from her nose across her lips. She tasted blood in her mouth and whimpered inaudibly as her body met with the floor and the whole world faded to black.

The sound of a car driving fast and breaking with small screech could be heard outside as Martin’s footsteps retreated back into the residence. Anna’s phone buzzed in her pocket with a reply from Tamela.

“Run. Get the fuck out right now. We’re coming for him.”

Leads Part 3 - Contains Mature Content

WARNING: This particular post is more for mature audiences. It contains a mild amount of adult content and a link to a photo that is sexually graphic. If you only wish to read my more PG posts, then by all means skip it.

Ryan Yamada stopped in front of the door to The Black Hole and took a deep breath in through his nose. As he exhaled through his mouth he pushed it open. There was a burly bearded bouncer at the coat check who coughed as a greeting and then nodded towards the entrance to the bar itself.  It was still quite early in the evening so there was more staff than patrons. The proprietor, Jack Douglas was nowhere to be seen but the bar waitresses were gathered at the far end of the bar talking and giggling. Megan Douglas was in the middle of the trio of ladies and gave Ryan a flirty smile and wave. The two had been friends in school and he was sure she was just having fun with him.

“Officer Yamada, are you here on business…or pleasure?” The two other waitresses dissolved into giggles again.

Ryan smiled awkwardly “Miss Douglas, Can I speak to you in private please?”

Megan had been standing with a bar towel slung over one shoulder and she whirled it around and then threw it to her coworkers like a bridal bouquet leaning back after she started walking and mouthing “Miss Douglas!”

The other waitresses whispered among themselves as they unloaded a rack of bar glasses from a dish rack. Ryan ushered Megan to the side door by the stage where no one was nearby. He pulled an iPad from under his arm and clicked to a picture of David Leonard Martin.

“Megan I'm really sorry I have to do this to you. Do you know this man?”

Megan’s smile fell and she pursed her lips before replying quietly “Yep. Well kinda.”

Ryan put the device back under his arm “You know we’re looking for him right? Have you seen the news?”

Megan swallowed and focussed on one of the unlit spotlights and then cast her gaze down and nodded.

“A witness reported seeing you and him spending time together here. We need you to come down to the station and answer a few questions. We can go out this back door here so you don’t have to walk across the whole room with me.” Ryan’s expression was kind. He knew how fast gossip caught fire in this town and walking by it in progress was never fun.

Megan nodded again and wordlessly pushed the door open. Ryan followed her and then kept pace as they walked to the station quietly.

When they entered the station Ryan saw Tamela walking casually toward the front desk. Upon seeing it was her sister she turned back around and went the other way. Ryan noticed Megan’s shoulders roll forward as she slumped a bit. He quickly moved her though the room to the doorway to the interrogation area. Her eyes went wide as she saw the cells but then Ryan steered her the other way, into the small room with the one way glass. The mirrored side faced Megan and she stared around the room nervously.

“Don’t get too hung up on the room. It’s just the only place we have in here that’s private. Tell me about the nature of your connection with David Leonard Martin.”

Megan laughed nervously and then shrugged “We danced and then we fucked. You probably didn’t need to bring me all the way here to get that. There’s not much else to tell. He wasn’t bad.”

Ryan felt his face flush slightly but kept his professional manner “Has he kept in contact with you? Did he give you any sort of phone number?”

Megan looked away again and then pulled her phone from her back pocket “He texted me something because I asked him for a picture he took.”

Ryan blinked a few times as he watched her fish through her messages “And you didn’t think THAT was a relevant reason to come forward and report it? Megan, come on you're smarter than that. I know you, even if it's been awhile since we hung out.”

Megan licked her lips and then smiled a bit sheepishly “It was personal…but since he’s robbing places and being an ass…yeah I can show you. I really thought the cops would have caught him before this came up.” She slid the phone to Ryan with the text open, revealing a photo of Megan having sex with the accused in what looked to be one of the bathrooms at the Black Hole.”

The picture associated with this link is sexually graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/133521354@N07/21373668559/in/album-72157656529282253/

Ryan’s blush became obvious now “I see. We need to run a trace on this number. Did he text you that…um right after…or awhile later?”

Megan grinned more at Ryan’s awkwardness and said “Right after. Then I never saw him again.  Hoped to god he wouldn’t stick it on the net but since he’s on the run he probably won’t.”

Ryan frowned and shook his head around “You let a dude you’d just met take a porno pic of you with HIS phone and just trusted that would be FINE?” After he said it he watched her worriedly. She'd always been a bit reckless but this was beyond that.

Megan shrugged “If it wasn’t I would have dealt with it. It was a hot night. Why not share?”

Ryan chuckled in disbelief “Ooook then. I’ll be right back. You know I need to show this to Angie.”


Megan shrugged and then sighed "I know. Sorry Ryan. I'm in it now."

He took the phone over to Angie’s desk, tapping it now and then so it didn’t default to lock mode. Angie reached for it distractedly as she asked “Can I get a lead on this number?”

Angie began to answer and then actually looked at the image that had been texted “Well that’s the most interesting evidence I’ve seen all day. Talk about customer service. Martin found the black hole alright…..damn…Least it’s a clear shot of the guy’s tattoos for ID too.” she keyed the cell phone number into the data base and watched her screen now.

Ryan awkwardly ran his hand through the back of his hair and stood waiting. He saw Tamela approaching and took a step toward her, shielding her from the cell phone on Angie’s desk.

“Don’t…you don’t wanna….Tams just don’t look…”

Tamela looked like she was considering trying to get around him and then didn’t “You’re right. I don’t. She screwed him didn’t she? And then didn’t tell us when the news went out after Chen’s.”

Angie laughed heartily and answered first “Mmmhmm.” She drummed her fingers “I gotta wait for downtown to run this through and get back to us. It might even be stolen. You know once we get a trace set up, we could just call it and see if Martin still has it.”

Chief Callahan appeared as if out of nowhere and said “We’re not going to call him. Megan’s going to call him and ask to see him again. We’ll make him come to us.”

At this both Ryan and Tamela turned with a start at the suggestion. Angie took it totally in stride and nodded along.

Tamela bit her lip and then looked worried “With all due respect Sir. Martin’s proven to be violent. You want to use my sister as bait?”

Callahan wiggled his brows and nodded “Glad we’re on the same page Douglas.”

Leads Part 2

Please read Leads Part 1 First:

http://cedarpointstories.blogspot.ca/2015/10/leads-part-1.html

Tamela had momentarily considered taking a cruiser to follow up the lead that had just been called into the station but chose to walk instead. A cruiser pulling up anywhere caused heads to turn and gossip to start. What Tamela wanted was to get this hairdresser talking. You could get more from someone who didn’t feel like you were shining a spotlight on the fact that the cops were paying them a visit. At this point in the investigation she really hoped this Brandy Miller’s information panned out, especially since it was pointing towards her father’s bar.

Tamela took a deep breath and stepped into the Luxe salon. Even without a cruiser there were suddenly many pairs of nervous eyes on her every movement. She approached the desk.

“Is Brandy Miller available?”

A tall thin pale man with dyed black hair shifted nervously “She just left. I know she called you but I think she changed her mind…”

Tamela cringed. Dammit.

“Do you have her home address? You can tell me no but I can find it anyway. This is just faster.” She preyed upon the man’s anxiety and it worked. His long fingers dugs shakily for a pen and a business card. He had subtle guyliner on and painted black sparkly short nails. He flipped over the business card and called up a computer screen with a digital address log. Tamela took the card after he thrust it at her. It listed an address in east Vancouver.

“Here. Please don’t tell her you got it from me.”

“No problem. Thanks man.”

She began her walk back to the station to get a car, mentally kicking herself for not signing one out in the first place. Tamela popped into the Dandelion Café en route to grab a coffee and a muffin for the road. She remembered Angie’s words from first thing in the morning about Nault bringing in Mitch Newmore because he thought it was Martin.

“Jesus, Nault, we don't detain the guy who helps make the doughnuts!"

Tamela started chuckling to herself and it seemed to spread relief through a room of townspeople already watching her. Cedar Point was just continually on edge right now. They had to catch this bastard.

She smiled at the clerk and thanked her after she paid and then tried to offer a reassuring smile to the people still watching her in the room before she left.

After securing a vehicle she was finally sailing down the 99 towards the Massey Tunnel that would take her into Vancouver proper. For once the tunnel was clear. Tamela sipped on her coffee and made her way east to Commercial Drive. Brandy Miller lived in a rundown yellow brick apartment building beside a small dilapidated city park. She pulled around the back of the building and parked in the lane. If her witness was this easily scared off she didn’t want to get in her field of view right away. The building was a 3 storey walk up. Tamela hung back and watched the doorway until a worn out looking mother with 2 small children approached it with a key in hand, her little ones clinging to her while in the midst of a loud shrieking argument. Perfect option. Tamela swiftly walked up and grasped the door handle as the woman turned the key “Let me help you Ma’am.” The woman looked surprised and the children fell silent.  The smallest one who appeared to be a little blonde boy absently stuck a finger in his nose and stared. The older one, a girl with the same shade of blonde in her pigtails smacked at her brother “Luke that’s GROSS!” The mother, also blonde and painfully thin said a quiet “Thank you.” As she let Tamela hold the door open so she could go through. Then she turned to the kids “Come on…” with a look of someone who didn’t want to get mixed up in any business a police officer might have in the building.

Tamela made her way to the third floor and then counted her way down the hallway to the door at the end. She knocked firmly. There was a shuffle of feet and then a nervous female voice.

“Who is it?”

Tamela sighed. This was the part she hated.

“Cedar Point Police. Open up please.”

She could hear a gasp and then the door slowly opened revealing a lightly tanned woman with deep brown eyes and golden blonde hair. Tamela noticed Brandy was very attractive too but shoved that thought to the back of her mind.

Tamela cleared her throat “Brandy Miller?”

Brandy nodded “Yes.” A door down the hall opened a crack and a nosy neighbour poked his head out slightly. Brandy tensed up and then said quickly “Come in then.” She walked away from the door leaving it to swing open.

Tamela took out a small notebook and a pen and pushed the door closed behind her. She followed Brandy into a room with a ratty old couch and chair, a small flat screen TV  and some particle board shelving units with assorted paperback novels and potted plants. The apartment had the slight ammonia stench of a litter box in proximity as well. Brandy sat down on the couch and gestured to the chair. Tamela eased down into it and then teeter tottered the pen in her fingers over the pad of paper.

“So you called us and then you ran. Want to tell me about that?”

Brandy looked at the window instead of making eye contact “No not really. I just got nervous is all.” She turned her head and gaze on Tamela full on now “Do you want my info or not?”

Tamela raised a brow momentarily and then said “Yeah. Hopefully it checks out though. Right now we just need to catch this guy and instead I’m chasing after you. This better be good Ms. Miller.”

Brandy twirled her hair “That all depends on your point of view I guess. Tracy told me she’s your sister. You do kinda look like her.”

Tamela tilted her head in confusion “Sorry what?”

Brandy smiled now “The girl who was dancing with him…that guy from your news story. It looked pretty hot. Someone said they took off together for awhile.  I’m pretty sure it was your sister. The slutty bartender right? No offence.”

Tamela’s eyes closed briefly as she processed this statement and her pen slipped from her hand tumbling to the floor. It could then be heard flitting around behind the chair as the Brandy’s sleek white cat pounced on it and kicked it around.

Tamela grunted quietly and stood up, leaving her pen to the cat “thank you for your time Ms. Miller. We may follow up with you at a later date.” Brandy Miller visibly relaxed and followed her to close the door after her “You’re welcome.”

Once she was back in the cop car she pulled out her cell phone and touched base with the station.

“Hey Angie. I need to pass this one off to someone else. Not Nault though. Also, see what you can find on Brandy Miller. She bolted on me and I had to track her down at home.”

Angie sounded nonchalant at the other end, having no clue what the problem was “I’ll take a look in the database for Miller. You know this is a big one for getting back on the beat. Just take a breath Tamela.”

“Angie I’m fine with the work. I’ve got a conflict of interest. Our next witness to question is Megan.”

Angie let out a slow whistle and then said “Ok I’ll try to track down Yamada.”

Leads Part 1

This post is a direct follow up and continuation of Mitch Newmore’s Journal posted by Danko Whitfield. I recommend reading that first:

https://mitchnewmore.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/welcome-to-cedar-point/

Tamela Douglas stood behind the desk at the Cedar Point police department looking completely exhausted. The whole department had been pulling double and triple shifts in the manhunt for David Leonard Martin. So far their only lead had been the detaining of the wrong person. One of the senior officers, Angie Jones was still chuckling about the rookie fumble.

“Guess we got another “Code” Nault. Callahan’s going to nail that boy’s ass to the wall.” Angie Johnson was close to retirement and mostly pushed papers now. She was a broadly built woman of Jamaican descent with a wide smile and a mop of wild curls. Angie had a deep throaty voice and a contagious full belly laugh.

Tamela shook her head and laughed “Can we take pictures? Maybe send a few to Mitch Newmore as a consolation. That guy plays in the Black Hole all the time. Nault’s a moron.”

As if on cue Constable Cody Nault arrived for his morning shift, hitching up his belt as he walked by Tamela and giving her a winning smile. Tamela looked at him with irritation and then began tapping away at the front computer and focussed on the screen.  Angie coughed to cover a snicker and then said with a grin “Callahan wants to see you Nault. Hope you brought a change of shorts.”

Cody puffed up even more “I always have extra shorts. Because I go to the gym every day.” He made a point of checking to see if Tamela was paying attention as he said this which of course she was adamantly pretending not to. Cody sighed slightly and pushed the door open into the back room that led to the holding cells, the interrogation room and the side door to Callahan’s office. Before the door closed Cody could be heard muttering “What…..where is he?” as he looked toward the holding cells.

Tamela glared at the door as it clicked behind him before Angie whispered “Oh Tamela, I always have extra shorts…” in a swoon like imitation of Nault. She ended with a lude hand gesture to suggest why he might need to change them frquently “Tamela are you watching me?”

Tamela burst out laughing and hissed back at Angie “Ohmygod fuck off!”

Angie threw her head back in momentary hysterical laughter before both women were snapped into a stony silence by the booming voice of Chief Callahan through the wall. The station practically shook.

“Nault! Get the hell in here!”

All the station staff had a collective hesitation followed by some audible exhales.

The phone at Angie’s desk rang and she picked it up “Cedar Point Police.”

Angie frowned slightly and grabbed a pen from the cup of them “Uh huh. What time did you see him on the evening in question? “she began to make some notes and then beckoned Tamela over as she continued “I’m going to send an officer over to take your information in person. What’s the address? Oh yeah we know that one. Alright, Thank you Ms Miller.”

Tamela looked curiously at Angie while she finished writing and hung up the phone.

“One of the stylists at Luxe says she has a positive ID on Martin being in the Black Hole a day or two before the assault and attempted robbery. Candy Miller. She’s there now.”

Tamela nodded and took Angie's notes “I’ll check it out. Thanks Angie. Let me know what happens in there.” She head jutted toward the chief’s office.

Angie chuckled “Oh don’t worry I will. Good luck.”

Cedar Point Police Bulletin - David Leonard Martin

On all social media and every news website and blog relating to Kingfisher Bay, Surrey, Langley and Richmond BC.

Police are conducting a wide scale manhunt for David Leonard Martin. He is a Caucasian male, 35 years old, 6’1, approximately 180 lbs, brown hair and eyes with a slight twitch in his left eye. Martin was last seen in conjunction with an armed robbery and assault at Chen’s Supermarket in Cedar Point on the evening of September 26^th, 2015. Two other assailants were taken into custody but David Martin is still at large. Do not approach. Martin is known to be violent and unpredictable. Please contact your local police if you see him to report the location. Cooperate with law enforcement to assist their search in your area.

Small Town Gossip

Anna Wright buttoned up her cardigan and pulled her purse from the hook. She pulled out her phone on the way up the basement apartment stairs to the door. The breakfast rush was over and her shift had just ended after the clean up. There was a text from her father Morgan.

Hey Anna Banana, can you grab my mail from my postal box. I’m driving to a protest in Alberta to meet Sunny this week and I forgot to ask you before I left.

Anna rolled her eyes. Sunny was Sunshine Meadow, her father’s on again off again whatever non label they were referring to it as this week. Morgan Wright was thought to be a bit of a crackpot conspiracy theory junkie amongst the Cedar Point residents but Sunshine Meadow was even further away from reality. The two of them together were too much to deal with. Anna felt sorry for the Albertans and chuckled to herself as she stepped outside and locked her door.

Jogging up the street was Stephanie’s brother Ryan. Anna mock frowned at him and tapped at her wrist pretending to be gesturing to a watch. Ryan’s run typically happened as her early shift started. She saw him go by most mornings.

Ryan smirked and nodded at her “Yeah I know. Ask Lee about it. Late night for the drunk tank. Supposed to be my night off.”

Anna sighed “Shit, not again. Is he out?”

Ryan laughed “Few hours and a pot of coffee but I think he’s banned from the Black Hole again for awhile. Cleared out the bar pretty early in the night and JD was not happy.”

Anna shook her head “Was it a fight or was he just his usual charming self?”

Ryan rolled his neck from side to side and then leaned to the right pulling his left foot up behind his body in a hamstring stretch “Looked like it started as a thing with a girl, then it went bad, then he bugged the girl until she and her friend screamed for a bouncer and it all hit the fan. That’s what JD saw anyway. This is all off the record of course, just a heads up because maybe you should check on him.”

Anna readjusted her purse on her shoulder “Who was the girl?”

“One of the hairdressers from Luxe. She’s new I think, kinda hot. A bunch of them were there.”

“Hmmm alright. Maybe I’ll go for a haircut and see if they’re still gossiping about it. Then I’ll go check on Lee. Thanks Ryan. Have a good run.”

Ryan had shifted to his other foot to stretch his right hamstring “Always do. See ya Anna.”

Anna walked around the Lavender Dreams B&B down Galley Crescent to the Luxe hair salon at the corner of Main Street. She sauntered up to the desk and spoke to Tracy, one of the long time hair dressers of the establishment. Tracy was a small framed short haired blonde woman.  Anna pointed at the unruly auburn mop on her head “Hi Tracy, do you have any openings for a walk in today?”

Tracy smiled “Yeah I can take you right now. Do you want to go short again or stick with the chin length but a bit more under control?”

Anna laughed “It’s never under control but sure, do your best. Since I seem to only have 2 hairstyles we can just alternate.”

She followed Tracy to the sinks and settled in to have her scalp roughly scrubbed and then lightly massaged. The warm repetition of the sprayer going over her head lulled her into a needed moment of relaxation. Tracy tightly wrapped her head in a towel and ushered her to a chair. The relaxation dissipated as the cut and conversation began.

“Lee Chen Wright is your brother right?”

So much for casually listening in and gleaming the details. A small town keeps no secrets. Anna kept her expression neutral as she made eye contact with Tracy in the mirror and replied “Uh huh. Half brother. You know him?”

Tracy pursed her lips, her eyes going wide for a moment and then she lowered her voice and said “Well…I do now. He and Brandy who works here had a bit of a thing. She broke it off last night and he totally freaked on her. We were all at the bar. It was bad…like call the cops bad. I mean he didn’t hit her or anything but they were yelling and then the bouncers….I think one of them hit Lee and then he broke a bottle. It was a mess. Candy called in sick today. Don’t take this the wrong way…but you seem really sane….”

Anna smiled awkwardly “Compared to my family, I get that a lot. Lee’s complicated and more so if he’s had a few drinks. But he can also be a good guy. I’m sorry you saw him at his worst.”

Tracey pulled up a section of hair and cut in little precise snips “Whatever, men right? Brandy sure has rotten luck.  Our towns a bit dry that way. Am I right?” She giggled.

Anna shrugged “I dunno. Not really putting myself out there right now but I’ll take your word for it.”

Tracy raised one eyebrow and then rolled right into the next bit of gossip about the previous night “Speaking of men, there was some weird guy in the Black Hole dirty dancing with Megan after all the crazy went down. He was kinda creepy looking, just kind of emerged from the shadows. I don’t think she served us a drink all night. Old JD doesn’t seem to care that his daughter grinds it with the tourists every Saturday night. He’s usually pissed himself though so maybe he can’t see that far.”

Anna grimaced quietly, debating whether or not she should mention this tale to Tamela. The topic of her sister’s promiscuity and her father’s drinking was never going to be a good conversation.

Tracy proceeded to snip and tousle and blow dry with snippets of town gossip after that. Anna was thankful for the conversation turning away from her own family and was eager to pay up and go check on Lee. She exhaled slowly as she walked down the back walkway to her brother’s bachelor apartment. She sent a text about halfway there with no reply offered. There was no point in calling as Lee rarely answered the phone anyway. Maybe he was still sleeping it off. Anna knocked loudly at the door a few times but Lee never answered.  She gave up and slid her phone back into her purse.

Anna rounded Galley Crescent to Main at the other end and started walking towards the lighthouse. She decided to cut through the parking lot by the walk in clinic and walk along the ocean. The sound of the waves and the salty air were soothing to her. She stopped briefly to stand and look out across the water. The tide was going out. There was a smattering of fishing boats past the harbour and people of all ages gathered at the ends of the docks to fish as well. A bicycle bell chimed beside her as a gaggle of children whipped by on their way to the beach. Anna continued her walk in the wake of their shouts and laughter. She peered into Sakura’s as she passed looking for Stephanie. There was no sign of her but Garrett noticed her from behind the counter and started waving after breaking into a wide friendly smile. She grinned and waved back and then cut through the next parking lot past Chen’s to the lighthouse. The grocery store was a bustle of activity, as usual. She’d have to come back and wade through it to get to her father’s post box. But first she climbed the hill. The view from Beacon Hill road was always breathtaking at any time of day or night. She paused to look down at the town and catch her breath and then continued on to the lighthouse to get the mailbox key. Morgan had put a scrawled sign on the door closing the museum for refurbishments. He often did this after the busy season to take a bit of a break. Sometimes he fixed up a few of the exhibits while the sign was up and sometimes he chose not to.

Anna used her key and let herself in. The museum was a bit spooky when it was closed. Some of the townsfolk were convinced the place was haunted. With the breeze of the outside door closing behind her the skeleton of a dolphin that hung from the ceiling in the lobby swayed and creaked. Anna felt her breath quicken for a second and she darted a look up and then shook her head.

“Just the wind…” she murmered.

She wasted no time in dashing behind the counter to the doorway into her father’s spartan accommodations. The main room was a combination living room, kitchen and dining room. Morgan used a wood stove for heating his living space and cooking even though the building was wired for modern electricity. He was never a fan of the idea of upgrading because he loved to stoke the fire. As a child Anna had thought it like time travelling to come and stay here.  She went to the old desk past the dining table and took out the key from the drawer.  As she made her way back across the room she heard an odd scuff from her sneaker and felt like she was kicking loose debris. Anna looked down and noticed not just carpet dirt but large chunks of earth on one corner of the carpet. She puzzled at it momentarily and then shrugged it off. Her father was notoriously lax at housekeeping. As she locked up the lighthouse a light rain began to drizzle on her. The air cooled rapidly as she descended the hill.

A chime rang out as she pushed the door open at Chen’s. She walked to the post boxes and gathered the mail. It was mostly a pile of bills, some of them appearing urgent. The children who had bicycled past her were in the candy section nearby, expressing themselves with great enthusiasm. Ushi Chen was behind the cash counter peering down at them as she rubbed one temple with two fingers. A particularly rowdy red haired boy laughed loudly and tossed some sort of slime candy at unsuspecting dark haired girl squatting in front of the Reece’s peanut butter cups. The girl yelled in protest and shoved the boy. Ushi looked mildly rabid. Her name meant bull in Chinese and it went almost too well with her personality. She was a robust woman in her mid 50s with wispy chin length jet black hair and an intense face that rarely cracked a smile.

“Hey cut it out!” Ushi shouted “This is a store not a playground. You throw it around, you buy it!”

A silence fell over the children as the red haired boy sheepishly went to the counter and fished through his pocket change. He fell short and Ushi’s stare was like a death ray. Anna gulped and walked over, leaving Morgan’s mailbox hanging open. She cleared her throat and then carefully asked “How much do you need buddy?”

The boy shrank into himself and squeaked out “Fifty five cents.”

Anna pulled out her change purse and augmented his payment, sighing at Ushi. The rest of the kids quietly filed out the door and the boy followed after looking back briefly and saying a very quiet thank you.

Ushi turned the death ray on Anna “Great. You want to help the kid be a bigger brat? He could have worked it off sweeping the floor.”

Anna stepped back a bit but replied “Ushi, he’s just a kid. He got a bit silly. It happens. Speaking of kids, have you seen Lee today?”

Ushi scoffed “No, and his stupid landlord called here too. Tell him to pay his rent if you get a hold of him.”

Anna sighed “Before you hear it from anyone else, he got into a bit of a situation last night at the Black Hole. It sounds pretty minor compared to…..well…”

Ushi flew off the handle again and started ranting “You see? THAT’s what happens when you let them become brats! They turn into criminals! I should have made him go to military school in China!”

Anna took a few more steps back and headed towards the still open mailbox “Alright well…uh….now you know. Sorry…see you later.”

She could hear Ushi still grumbling as she turned her back and almost pictured smoke coming out from the severe woman’s nostrils. Anna scooped up the mail and shut the box quickly before veering to the other end of the store to exit through the opposite doors. Michael Chen was in the produce section talking to en employee about something in the display cooler. Michael was about 10 years younger than Ushi as there had been a lot of Chens in Cedar Point born into their family. He had similar physical traits but was the polar opposite of Ushi in persona; always having a smile for everyone he met which extended to the warmth of his eyes. He was joking with the worker now and they both laughed. Michael saw Anna and waved cheerily “Have a great day Anna!”

She smiled back “Thanks, you too.”

As she went outside she glanced back up towards the lighthouse. If her father was just texting her today, she’d probably have to grab the mail again in a day or two. She decided to hold onto this pile and deliver the whole lot after her next mail run. She pulled out her phone and checked for messages. There was still no reply from Lee.  There was a text from Stephanie though, inviting her for a late lunch at Sakura’s. Anna texted back, deciding to go de - stress with her friend. It was a well known fact that sushi cured all.

Cedar Point Dragon Naming Contest

Mayor Shirley Douglas and the town council of Cedar Point are inviting you to help us name our new dragon. This dragon was a gift created by a group of sculptors from Guanzhou, China. We are very honoured by generosity and will feature the statue near the main public beach for all to enjoy. Our townsfolk have put forward the 4 following names:

Mookie
Dremora
Dante
Dorp

You can vote for your favourite in the top right corner of the website. We'll announce the winner on  the evening of September 1st!

The Open Road

Stephanie Yamada's (fictional) Facebook Status Update:

We're hitting the road suckas! Tamela Douglas refused to look up because she's a cranky pants. Thanks Tallulah Beal for taking this pic. Anna Wright made awesome cookies and we're not sharing. See you in 9 days!

Tallulah Beal, Morgan Wright, Ryan Yamada, Hiroshi Yamada, Anna Wright and 4 others liked this post.

House Rules

Tamela Douglas stood outside The Black Hole bar, breathing deeply and steeling herself before pulling the door open with an audible exhale. She was a tanned skin muscular brunette with a chin length cut that framed her face. Her heritage was Aboriginal and Spanish. She wore large sunglasses that obscured her face but under them she was nothing short of striking.

 It was the switch over between afternoon dancers and the lead up to the regular happy hour crowd. A fleshy gaggle of strippers could be seen past the open door of the coat check as they made to clock out. A dwindling number of middle aged men nursed the last of their drinks inside the club, savouring the show that had just ended. Tamela walked past them with her sunglasses still on despite the dim room. Most of them knew better than to chat her up but seeing as it was tourist season she didn’t feel like inviting any who did not. She found her sister behind the bar adding fire to the top of a shot with her zippo lighter. Tamela chuckled and rolled her eyes. Megan Douglas looked up at the sound. Megan was a slighter version of Tamela with longer hair. Her face was longer as well. She dressed to show and unlike Tamela, enjoyed the attention it got her. She put the drink down in front of Tamela and nodded at it.

“My latest creation. Too bad you don’t drink.”

Tamela slid the shot back towards Megan and settled into a bar stool “I disagree. Smells like Sambuca though.”

Megan grinned “Holds the fire best.” She leaned on the bar and beckoned to someone behind Tamela with her finger “Hey Craig, come get a free shot honey. Trixie said you tipped the highest.”

Craig practically flew to the bar “She did? I mean…she’s a really gu … gu  … good dancer. Do you think she liked me?” Craig was a pale stout man who had a pronounced sandy blonde comb over. However his chest and back hair spilled generously over the top of his golf shirt collar.

Megan began to giggle as Craig downed the shot and shuddered while waiting for her answer.

Tamela took off her sunglasses and tossed them on the bar in front of her roughly.

“Oh for fuck’s sakes. Are you really that much of a tool?! She’s a stripper man. You put money in the string and of course she’ll act like she likes you.”

Craig jumped “Officer Douglas, I didn’t see you there.”

“Oh relax I’m off duty and sadly being a moron isn’t something I can arrest you for. But do you mind pissing off now? I’m having a conversation with my sister.”

Craig mumbled something quickly and inaudibly and then scampered away like a dog with his tail between his legs.

Megan sighed “Dad says you’re bad for business you know. Why do you have to be so fucking mean?”

Tamela frowned “I’m not mean, just honest. People can’t handle it, that’s their deal.  I’m here to give you the keys, but first we need some ground rules.”

Megan made a face and pre-empted her sister in a mocking tone “No boys, no parties, no bonfires in the living room. I can agree to one of those at least.”

Tamela’s frown deepened “How about we just say don’t do shit I might have to arrest you for later in my place? Change the sheets, wash the dishes and and take out the garbage and recycling. You need to take the trash all the way down. Chute’s blocked. Some dickwad stuffed an ottoman in there and the landlord’s on vacation. And check in on Dad too. I know this is a nice break but he needs someone around.”

Megan nodded noncommittally “Yeah alright. Where are you going anyway?”

Tamela shrugged as she slid a set of keys on a ring across the bar “I dunno, east of here. It’s a road trip and we’re camping so we’ll see how far we get before we need to get back. I think Steph has some sort of colour coded plan in her fucking iPad. Anna’s driving. I’ll chop wood and keep bears off us.”

Megan grinned wryly and took the keys “Good times. Bring me a bear claw.”

Tamela slid her sunglasses back onto her face as she hopped off the bar stool “Don’t tempt me.”

Rocky

Ryan Yamada sipped slowly from a cup of strong black coffee as he poured over his designated stack of incident reports that would dictate the course of his day. He was just deciding between following up on a vandalism report or a break and enter incident when his eyes were drawn upward by motion passing the top of his cubicle and the familiar waft of Lily of the Valley perfume. His sister Stephanie rounded the corner of the inadequate partition. She was smiling but with a determined look in her deep brown eyes, and to Ryan’s alarm she was holding a large wire mesh cage containing a hamster.

“Good morning!” Stephanie chided.

She had shiny jet black hair like Ryan’s, her own worn long with the front pulled back. Stephanie shared the same slim athletic type build as Ryan and had similarly even skin. The two both took after their mother, Sakura. Their older brother Garrett was built thicker, like their father Hiroshi, and had skin that showed all his life’s marks. Stephanie was wearing a green patterned sundress with a light matching summer cardigan over it and high heeled beige strappy sandals. Her purse matched the shoes and her pedicure matched the dress. To say Stephanie was organized was an understatement.

Ryan eyed the cage warily “Uh hi…why are you carrying that around? Show and tell at Tristan’s day camp?”

Stephanie shook her head and gave her brother a look of disappointment “No and I see you haven’t read my email yet or you’d know why I’m here. This is Rocky. We have him over the summer from the school. He has an anxiety disorder so he gets a little queasy if he’s left alone too long, and he needs to get used to people. I figure you guys should get to know each other since he’s yours on the list of care duties regarding Tristan when I go away.” Her cheery smile returned as she said brightly “He’ll keep you company at work!”

Ryan watched with restrained shock as his sister shoved piles of work aside on his desk and made a featured space for the cage. She started detailing a litany of feeding, water bottle filling and shavings changing that mostly flew by him because of the speed she delivered it at. When she stopped for a breath he asked with a tone of dread “There’s a ….list….. of duties?”

Stephanie sighed and then laughed “Don’t worry. It’s super easy if you and Gare follow it in order. I numbered it actually. Mom’s back at work now that Dad’s doing a bit better so she can’t be expected to do all the child care. Plus she’s doing my job part time too.  I put Tristan in camp again then though so he’s sorted during the day, unless he gets sick….then one of you has to stay with him…but its summer so he probably won’t.” Stephanie shifted her purse higher onto her shoulder and leaned in giving Ryan a peck on the cheek “You guys are awesome though. I haven’t had a vacation in years. This is going to be so amazing. Have you seen Tams by the way? She wasn’t at the front desk.”

Ryan stared at her like a deer in the headlights. He was completely overwhelmed with information and obligation. Finally it registered that he was expected to answer a question so he stammered through.

“Uh yeah…no problem. I think she’s on community service supervision. Check the beach. It’s clean up day. Listen Steph, I really need to get to these.” He gestured at his stack of reports and she took the hint and wrapped up.

“I know. I just wanted to bring this little guy by. I’ll catch you later at the restaurant. Bring Rocky OK?”

Ryan nodded and chuckled to himself “Yeah OK. See ya.”

No sooner had Stephanie left the building and his phone vibrated on silent in his left chest pocket. He took it out and it was Garrett trying to face time him. With a wince Ryan slid his finger across his phone to unlock and then answered.

“You guys know I’m at work right? Steph just left. I do actually have shit to do.”

Garrett looked and sounded like he had just woken up, which he probably had considering he worked nights as a sushi chef in their parent’s restaurant “Nine pages.” He mumbled.

Ryan squinted in confusion at his brother’s face on the screen “What?” Garrett had his phone held at extreme close up so his face filled the entire screen. His head was tilted back so Ryan could see up his nose. The effect was disturbing to anyone new to face time with Garrett as this was his standard operating mode. When he laughed his mouth took over the screen. Ryan often teased him saying he could pick Garrett’s tonsils out of a police line up.

“Nine fuckin pages man. I just put Steph’s duty list into a word document. Does she really think we’re going to starve the kid and let him stay up all night?”

Ryan laughed “Yep. We gotta do the list in order or the kid turns to sugar and melts. But we can’t give him any sugar or it happens faster. But don’t worry Gare, I’m on hamster duty so you dodged one.” He shifted his screen to show Rocky running anxiously on his small plastic wheel.

Garrett laughed heartily, with his mouth opened fully and creepily across the screen, “Suckah! K go arrest someone or something.”

Ryan shook his head “Not likely but thanks. See you tonight man.” He tapped to close his phone app and looked up into the not remotely amused face of Chief Nick Callahan.

“Officer Yamada, that’s one personal visit and one personal call today. Do you have any other social distractions that are going to keep you from getting to your work I should be aware of?”

Ryan gulped  “No Sir.”

Rocky let out a high pitched squeak and Callahan looked down at the cage in disdain “What’s with the rat?”

“It’s a hamster Sir. My nephew’s but my sister needs me to…” He broke off as the police chief’s impatient glare bore through him.

Nick Callahan was simultaneously ancient looking and ageless. His skin had a leathery quality to it. He had steely blue grey eyes and cropped white hair cut that likely never dared to to grow and a small neatly kept white goatee. His sparse but expressive eyebrows were potentially a life form of their own and they furrowed, threatening to jump off his face at Ryan and consume him whole.

“You know what, not important. I’m going to hit the pavement and do these follow up calls.”