Gluskin & Ichor Family Funeral Home

Part 12 (Hunting Dog)

Maddox breathed out heavy air from his lips, he'd been away from his family for what felt like way too long... Not being able to see his close friends and family took a toll on him mentally.

He'd been away hunting for whoever had killed his wife and business partner a long while ago, leaving town to get the answers he needed. The state capital was the only place to go to get his hands on the personal records and documents that the local police department wouldn't have on hand.

Maddox was also meeting with a friend of his from back in the day of his long-forgotten high school years, Beaumont, "Beau" as he was known around the capital, Beau was a special agent that specialized in the crimes no-one else wanted to touch.

The long sidewalks and tall buildings surrounding him made his heartache for the small town surrounded by rolling hills instead of skyscrapers. The cloudy sky looked even less welcoming, especially with the view of the oncoming thunderstorm being just within eyeshot.

Bystanders rushed to the nearest buildings they were going to avoid getting rained on, Maddox didn't mind, walking at a normal pace to the police station, making his way into the main lobby. His friend waiting for him just in front of the secretary's desk, another person next to him he didn't recognize.

"Hey, Beau, how's it been my man?!" he called out happily, the presence of his old friend lightening the mood.

"Mad Dog!" he responded with a smile "Ho-ly shit, it is you!" he held out his arms as the two of them exchanged the manliest hug possible, slapping each other on the spine.

Beau was a detective that got moved to the city several years after high school, he was a well-weathered man who had seen just about everything a special case detective could. Black curly hair reaching long enough to make him look scraggly, streaks of white from a birthmark splattered throughout his scalp.

Maddox was a tall man, but compared to Beau, he was a giant, the man only coming up just below his shoulder as he stood next to him. Gazing down to meet his face for the first time in years, he noticed dark circles and smile lines along with a small beard coming in thickly on his chin, caressing his round face, reminding him how old the two of them truly were.

"Who's this dude?" Maddox pointed to the man next to him, who was, by some miracle, taller than the both of them, yet much leaner and slim. "New partner, did the police station finally decide you needed to stop being a hermit?" he chuckled.

"Ha-ha very funny Maddox, but yes he is my new partner, and well, my partner," he replied sheepishly, hand coming up to caress the man's shoulder.

"Well I'll be damned." he smiled, "Good for you, and uhm, what's your name?"

"Oh, it's Callum, you can call me Call," he said back.

Callum was a tall and lean figure, soft and thin bronze hair parted in the middle. A thicker, shapely piece fell directly in his face, complimenting his dark brown eyes, with no facial hair to speak of. He had broad shoulders despite his smaller stature, and was ever so slightly on the muscular side, meaning he had just come out of the police academy.

"You new here, just got out of the police academy?" he asked Call.

"Ahh, yeah, this little old man over here convinced me to become a detective since he helped find my missing sister." he explained, "He was a huge help, and he managed to convince me to join the same work field as him."

"Old man?!" Beau looked shocked, elbowing him in the side. Callum keeled over in the sudden jab.

"Ow!"