The Last of the Twenty: The Setting of the Board

Chapter 6

Sitting behind his desk at the Conway Police Department Officer Raymond Steward let out an exasperated sigh and dropped his head into his hands. He was now an hour late getting off his shift and from the sound of things he didn’t think his luck was going to change. A young couple had come into the station a few hours before to file a report about an incident that had happened in the woods; both had new bandages and looked pretty tired and beat up. Thinking it would be a quick report since there was no real crime involved; Raymond had volunteered to take the report down before he left for the night. Now here he was, nearly three hours later trying to calm the young woman down enough to get her out of his office and to the correct people. This was out of his jurisdiction.

“Ma’am I’m going to need you to calm down...” Raymond started to say for the hundredth time.

“BUT I’M NOT CRAZY!!!” she yelled, cutting him off also for the hundredth time.

Letting out yet another sigh, Raymond leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. Why didn’t he take all those promotions he had been offered throughout the years? If he had he wouldn’t be sitting here listening to a hysterical woman go on about an unbelievable animal attack that should be reported to the Fish and Game offices anyways. We deal with people; he had tried to tell her. He was really going to need an aspirin after this, or a stiff drink. Raymond took a deep breath in preparation for a speech that would probably earn him another screaming fit.

“Ma’am, once again I am not trying to say you’re crazy. I am not trying to say that your story is false. All I’m trying to make you understand is that this is out of my jurisdiction. There was no crime involved, so there can be no investigation. Wild animal attacks are the responsibility of the NH Fish and Game department, not the Conway Police Department. Now I can give you the number to NH Fish and Game, you can e-mail them or go directly to their offices. But ma’am I’m going to be honest with you, your story is going to be a tough sell.”

He looked over to her husband but once again he was no help. The bandage covering half his forehead had been getting redder as the shocked and wounded man sat there, making Raymond nervous. She needs to be taking him to the hospital, not trying to fill out a crazy report, he thought.

“And why is it going to be a tough sell? We got attacked by wolves in a state park and they need to be removed or shot!” She yelled with tears filling her eyes.

“Because, according to your story, two wolves, a species that does not live in NH by the way, killed a full grown moose by tearing its head clean off its body; Ma’am, I do not believe even a bear can do that. That’s not even the hard part, you reported that not only did the wolves spot you taking pictures of them during this, but that they chased you down and took your camera. Now, you have to understand that I cannot officially file a report on wolves stealing a camera, and I would suggest if you have insurance on it that you file it as lost in the woods after an accident. What I can do is give you the number to the N.H. Fish and Game offices, and strongly suggest you get your husband up to the hospital to get his head looked over and a proper bandage on your ankle.” Raymond talked very slowly and deliberately, trying to will the young woman to calm down and see reason.

He held out the card with the information on it and almost sighed with relief when she snatched it out of his hand and nodded. Her husband got up and helped her out of the chair, shooting Raymond an apologetic look when she had her head turned. She stuffed the card into her jacket pocket and allowed him to help her to the door. Raymond had a funny feeling she was restraining herself from coming back in the office and yelling again.  As he escorted her out he stopped one last time and turned to Raymond.

“Thanks for your time anyways, it’s been a strange day for us and I hope we didn’t waste too much of your time.” 

 Before Raymond could respond they were out the door. He looked down at the report and shook his head. No way in hell was he was going to turn this one in.  He picked it up and crumpled it into a ball before dropping it into the trash can. Wolves stealing cameras, that was definitely a first.

“I know what I saw Jason…” Raymond heard her groan from the hall.

            Raymond shook his head and sat back waiting for them to leave. They don’t pay me enough for this, he thought.