When Darkness Calls

Chapter Sixteen

"So tell us again, Mr. Macmillian, what happened to you and your brother?" asked an officer with dark wavy brown hair, and dull blue-gray eyes.

Dean lay in his hospital bed, loudly slurping orange jell-o, not bothering to look up at either officer interrogating him. "You know, they say hospital food sucks, but this is damn good jell-o." He held out the small container to one of them. "Want some? I already had like ten of them." He smiled sheepishly. "What can I say, the nurses here just love me."

"Look, Mr. Macmillian," the other sandy-haired, officer interjected, with a strong, authoritative tone. "We checked out your story, and no one in or around the movie theater can recall seeing either you or your brother for the night in question. And what with the subsequent injuries you sustained since being admitted to the hospital, we have a have a strong suspicion there's something you aren't tell us."

"Told you what happened two times yesterday, three times the day before, and once the day before that. Don't know how much more help I can be."

The sandy-haired officer, eyed him suspiciously. "So you can't tell us anymore more about the two assailants beside one was taller than the other."

"Think one of them might've had bad breath." Dean chuckled.

The dark-haired officer with a name badge that read, Connors, stopped taking notes, and glanced up at Dean."Your brother almost died, sir. I would think you would be taking this a little more seriously."

In an instant, Dean's expression and tone turned deadly. "Officer Connors, you have no idea how seriously I'm taking this."

The other officer named, Edmundston, was quick to come back with, "If that's the case, then why do I have the feeling you're giving us the run-around?"

Setting his jell-o down on the tray, Dean brusquely raked his fingers through his hair. "Look, we were at the movies — "

"What movie, sir?"

"Ghost Rider . . . Nicolas Cage, Sam Elliott, bad-ass motorcycle, need I say more."

"Then what happened?"

"We were walking back to my car after the movie was over, and two guys jumped us."

"And yet, they didn't steal either yours or your brother's wallets? Why do you think that is?"

Dean shrugged. "Not very smart criminals?"

"Or maybe you're hiding something from us," Edmundston said.

"What would I be hiding."

"Maybe a criminal record of your own," Connors quickly supplied. "Just so you know, we are checking into that. Haven't found anything yet, but you never know what kinda skeletons you'll uncover if you dig deep enough."

"Well, as long as you salt and burn them, once their dug up, I'm good with that."

"What?" both men said simultaneously.

Dean chuckled at the befuddled looks on their faces. "Nothin' just tryin' to lighten the mood in here."

A knock on the door, stopped the officers from asking any more questions. A woman, wearing a dark blue business suit, pushed the door open, strode determinedly to Officer Edmundston, and shook his hand. "Officer Edmundston, my name is Detective Ballard, from the Maryland Special Crime Task Force Unit."