Chapter 4

The door of the patrol car opens and Audrey's musing shatter as she

almost topples out of the car. "Whoa!" Officer McKenna exclaims as he grabs

Audrey's arm to help her regain her balance. He is met with a glare from the

disheveled young woman. "Sorry." Josef offers. "This way." He commands as he

guides her towards the entrance of the police station.

Inside, Josef escorts her through the cacophonic buzzing of the police

station to a waiting room. "Officer find my sister! Please! Someone took her!"

The officer cuffs her to a table before walking to the open door. "Officer

Evans is examining the parking lot." Josef replies "But right now you have to

stay put, there are charges against you." Before Audrey can say a word, he

slips out shutting the door, and the silence crashes in as the noise of the

workforce is abruptly muted.

"Officer Evans! Over here." a voice calls. Noah briskly walks to the

forensic technician, where a bunch of bright yellow tags mark an empty parking

space. "What is it Mike?" Noah asks. "There are pieces of glass here, some

blood and an empty syringe." Mike gestures to the markers. "Drug addict, or

something unorthodox?" Noah inquires as he meets Mike's intelligent gaze behind

his thick black-rimmed spectacles. Mike readjusts his spectacles; a habit that

Noah has often noticed when Mike's inward childlike curiosity is peaked, and

says "It does seem like it could possibly have been a struggle, Officer Evans."

Noah runs his hands through his dark hair, a habit which he picked up when he

had quit smoking. "Bag it, run it through the system and get back to me Mike…and

Mike, call me Noah." Mike smiled excitedly "Right away Officer Ev- uh Noah."

Mike was one of the few actually competent members of the forensics

team and of the few that Noah actually liked. His average looks and overly neat

appearance is the result of having an unrelenting English teacher as a mother.

Mike's mother had instilled in him good manners, perseverance and a hunger for

knowledge. If Mike's father had not bailed when Mike was a baby, he would

probably have had the courage to chase his dream of becoming a detective. The

kid has the brains for it, Noah thought as he walked back to the officers that

had closed off the area.