His brother had been dead for nearly three months, and still there was no sign as to who the killer was. The only thing he knew was that it had occurred somewhere between two and three in the morning, on Tuesday, July the 16th. He had filed reports in every police station in Montana, not to mention all the posters he had put up in store windows. Now, all he wanted to do was find the killer and go home. Home, in all its empty glory. Coril had been his only family ever since his parents had passed away four years previously. Now, he didn't even have his brother, because some idiot had decided to kill him.
He threw down the paper in disgust. "You idiots. You'll never find the
killer unless you start putting the pieces together." He muttered, running
a hand through his sandy blond hair. The phone at the wooden desk rang and
Galen's hand shot down to pick it up.
"Inspector Faust speaking." He stated, hoping the call would give him
more evidence.
"I have information regarding the murder of Coril Faust. Go to 1143
Amethyst Street." The line went dead, and Galen was left with
the toning of his telephone. He hurried over to his closet and pulled
out a
long, gray overcoat and a black hat, then rushed out the door.
"Okay, now what?"
he asked himself, as he shivered in the cold wind, waiting for his mysterious
contact. He tugged the collar of his jacket up, wishing that he had brought
something warmer. He heard a house door shut and turned to face the sound.
Something slunk through the shadows, and he saw something that slightly
resembled a woman, but it very well could have been a man. Once again, he
wished he had brought a flashlight with him. His hand slid down to where his
pistol was holstered. He took a firm grip on it, but did not load it, mostly
for safety reasons. A flash of light caught his eye, and he saw the beam of a
pen light scanning the area around him.
"Are you alone?" A surprisingly soft voice inquired. So, it was a
woman. Good. He hated negotiating with men.
"Yes." He answered slowly. The woman deftly stepped out from the
shadows, nervously glancing around.
"Good, because I don't want anyone else to see me." She replied,
sounding as if she had a logical reason.
"Tell me what happened to my brother." He commanded, stepping away
from his dark blue car. The woman made is if to step back, but stopped when she
realized that he wasn't coming any closer.
"Would you like something to drink? You know, something to warm you up?
It's awfully chilly out here." She asked, trying to side-step his
statement. She shivered as a gust of cold wind blew through the night.
"You're stalling. Tell me now." He gruffly said, slowly bringing his
gun out of the holster. Her eyes followed his movement, and he could tell that
she did not trust him. The feeling's mutual, girl.
"Your brother and I were….friends. One night, he asked me to come over and
meet someone-"
Galen cut her off. "And you got jealous, right? Decided that you could
take control?" He was nearly yelling, and it made her flinch. Good. She's
scared.
"No, it wasn't like that! When I got to his apartment, he was lying on the
floor, dead! His 'friend' had left, by the looks of it. I was the one who
called the ambulance. But, when I realized that they would think I was the
killer, I got scared and left," She protested. Galen could see the fear
and the pain in her eyes, and almost reached out to comfort her. No, she's
probably bluffing. Don't trust her until you have cold, hard proof.
"How do you know my brother, anyway?" He inquired, placing his gun
back in the holster. He could tell that she wasn't going to hurt him. The fear
in her eyes softened, and she almost smiled.
"I met him when I was working at the 'Golden Lobster'. I was a waitress,
okay?" She shivered again, and her arms reached up to rub her shoulders.
"Girl, you still haven't told me what I want." He stated gruffly. He
was tired of being out in the cold. He was sick of the altitude making it hard
for him to breathe. All in all, he was fed up with Montana.
"I've told you everything I know!" She protested, her face again
filled with pain. She turned as if she were going to run, and Galen did not
stop her. He sighed and got back into his car, slamming the door.
"Great! I learned absolutely nothing from the girl." He muttered,
rubbing his temples. Yeah, but you could've been nicer to the kid. He hated it
when his sensible half got the better of him. Funny, you probably aren't much
older than her, genius.