Phantom

Dead Man Walking

The alarm rang at 7AM but Alexis did not wake up. After the overtime she'd endured, she was overly tired. She practically died herself the second she entered her home. After all the death and mystery she just wanted to sleep. Forget about all of it, but, at the same time, it was exciting to her. She hadn't been able to use her "detective" skills as significantly before. This case was different. Finally at 8:24AM her eyes opened. She was awake, just too lazy to get out of bed. Eventually she rolled over while cocooned in her blanket and checked the clock. Within seconds she was up with clothes on and out the door. She raced to work. As she frantically parked in her assigned spot, she called Jack. He answered relatively quick.

Alexis started.

"Hey Jack, I'm so sorry, the overtime just really got to me and I slept through my alarm, it will..." She was cut off before she could finish.

"Don't worry Alexis, I understood that it was a rough night. No need to apologize, but I need to ask you to do something when you get the chance." Jack said relaxed and soft.

Alexis quickly responded.

"Yes! What do you need sir."

Jack laughed. She never referred to people with sir that much.

"Can you head up to the analysts lab? The evidence you found yesterday should be processed, I need you to pick it up, I'll be at the office in a bit, we can go over it all then." He asked and explained.

Alexis was excited to learn more about the case. She said "yes" reluctantly.

"Thank you, I'll talk to you later." He said.

Alexis responded with an even more professional line.

"Yes, sir. Goodbye." She said mockingly and boldly.

Jack laughed a little more.

"Dismissed!" He yelled out like a drill instructor.

Alexis hanged up, took a deep breath to get her wits and groggily got out out of her car and walked into the office.

She signed in and began to walk to the lab for the evidence results. She was very groggy from waking up and leaving instantaneously, but, when Nate noticed her from down the hall and caught up, she brightened up fast.

"So, how was the night?" He asked.

Alexis smiled, it was the most genuine, perfect smile.

"It was.. Interesting. And sickening, but, we managed to get some evidence. I'm going by the lab to grab it now." She responded. Nate laughed and they made entertaining small talk while they walked to the lab. Eventually they reached the door to the main area. She looked back at Nate.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

Nate grinned.

"Unsure, I gotta go finish some notes but I felt like walking with you here first."

Alexis loved his attempts to impress her. He tried hard but in reality, it didn't take much.

She waited a few seconds then sprung up.

"I'm still sorry about last night." She said.

Nate shook his head and grinned.

"Its fine, we'll find another time. You're busy a lot, its for good. Don't let me stop you."

Something about the statement made Alexis blush and within a split second she had kissed him on the cheek and walked into the lab leaving him in awe.

She walked into the main lab. It was very clean. About as big as a normal university lecture hall. There were many different machines around the lab, all used for examining all types of evidence. As she slowly walked through the lab, looking at everything like it was a thrift store isle, someone called her name. She scanned around to where she heard it and finally caught glimpse on a man in a doctor style coat. She knew him, his name was Alec. He was in his mid 60's but he was a great analyst so he was never really forced to retire. They rarely ever talked. More in group conferences, but he was a nice man with a stereotypical angry grandpa look. Bald, bushy gray eyebrows, a pair of reading glasses. He was a cliché looking man. She finally answered back.

"Hi Alec, I was sent to pick up some evidence on the murder case last night?" She said, making it seem more like a question than a statement. Alec was a bit slow on replying but he did while Alexis walked closer to him.

"Yes, I've done what I could do with what I was sent. I managed to match the skin cells with the blood, I was able to conclude they were the same person. And even better.. I managed to scan the DNA. I searched for a match but there were many. The DNA was destroyed from burning and dryness. And there was also more than 1 person's blood in it, this means it mismatched and could be a lot of people."

After he finished his detailed report, Alexis was surprised. She couldn't believe how much he got done. She then asked about the surveillance video and if the face matched anyone. This question caused Alec to freeze. He seemed dead, like he was lobotomized then and there.

"Are you okay?" Alexis asked worryingly.

There was silence but he finally replied.

"Yes. I did find a match. It... It just doesn't make sense though." He said with an irritated and exhausted voice.

Alexis needed to see now.

"Can I see what you found?" She asked.

Alec thought about it then turned to his office and nodded to Alexis to follow. She did. They stepped into his neatly kept office. It had files perfectly sorted on the desks, a nice painting of a sunset on the wall, and a small table held bagged evidence from the case. The skin, the collected blood, the leather piece. It was all there. Alec sat down at his computer pulling up a picture of a man, then pulling up the saved picture of the man in the footage. They looked alike.. Perfectly. The first picture, the man being compared, had the same jawline as the video man. The hair, while it was hard to see, could easily be pictured on the footage man. After a long examination of the picture the silence was broken. Jack walked in saying hello to both of them.

"Did you find something?" He asked.

Alexis quickly replied.

"It seems so, we found the man." She said enthusiastically.

Jack was surprised as he quickly stepped over to the see the picture being compared. He took a few seconds to see it all but then it hit him, he leaned back into the nearest wall. Alec seemed to have been thinking the same thing as they both made eye contact. Alec just did a slow nod and Jack understood it all. Alexis was caught off guard by what was happening.

"What!?" She asked frantically and worryingly.

After a few seconds, Jack spoke in a quiet, mournful voice.

"Its...Its...really...him" he said with shaking breaths between each word. Alec nodded again. Alexis kept looking at both of them until Jack said one final thing before leaving. A name.

"Its...Logan." Alexis tried to stop him from leaving but decided it was best if he was alone for a bit. She looked at Alec.

"He's dead though right? Is that really him?" She asked, confused. After a few seconds Alec stared up at her, then, he nodded.

"Dead man walking." Alec said seriously but with a hint of sarcasm and surprise.

"There is no doubt.. That is Logan." He finished. Alexis couldn't believe it.

"How?" She thought in her head as she quickly walked out of the room. She needed to know more, it wasn't right for her to be left in the dark. In time she would try and ask Jack or Alec, for now they were mourning. She didn't look for Jack, she decided to leave him be for now. She left the lab, her mind was blown. All she could think about was the fact a dead man was just proven to be alive.