Chapter 22: Candy Sensation
1108 Words
“She is what?” Majors was screaming into the phone on her side of the line. “Where did you say she was?” Other people could hear her as Jason held the phone to one ear.
“She’s climbing up the side of a building,” Jason tried to explain. “I don’t know how she was able to do it. I took my eyes off her for a minute and up she went.”
“What are you doing about it?” Majors yelled at him. “I don’t have to remind you what will happen if any harm comes to her.” Jason could feel the phone heat up as he held onto it.
“I’m going to the top of the building,” he told her as he walked through the hallway of the older apartment building. “When I get up there, maybe I can reason with her.”
“Did you tell her she could climb the building?”
“No I did not,” Jason explained as he waited for the elevator to come down with the other cops. “I think she’s trying to help us find the missing children. Candy found a shoe that belonged to an abductee yesterday when she climbed a tree in a park. I think she feels it’s the best way to see what’s on the ground.” He heard the elevator bell ring.
“It’s happened before?”
“I put it in the report. We know she likes to climb things.” The elevator doors opened and Jason stepped inside with the officers.
“Keep me posted,” she let him know. “And don’t take your eyes off her.” He heard the connection brake.
“No help from your boss?” one of the cops asked as Jason watched the numbers roll by above him.
“Nothing that I can use,” he replied. “Did one of you remember to bring the keys to the roof door?”
“I did,” the second cop replied. “It’s the only way we can get onto the top of the building.”
“Good. I’ll try to talk to her once we get up there. Maybe I can get her to go back down with us.”
“She ever do that before?” the first cop asked. “I don’t think you should let her run around.”
“Several times, but this is her first trip to a city. She doesn’t understand how dangerous it is out here.” The doors slid open and all three of them filed out.
The roof of the building was only supposed to be opened by the maintenance workers. Due to the security of the roof, the door to it had several locks. All of them needed to be opened by separate locks, which slowed down their attempt to get on the top of the building. After what felt like ten thousand years, the last one was unlocked. One of the cops swung open the metal door to the roof.
Jason was the first one up the small flight of stairs that led to the roof. He swung open the second door, which was left unlocked. He was out on the asphalt that coated the roof with the footsteps of the cops behind him.
She wasn’t there.
Jason dashed around the small roof level and looked everywhere for her. He called out her name and the two cops helped him search for her.
“Jesus Christ, Candy!” Jason yelled as she ran around the roof. He splashed in pools of water left over from a recent rainfall.
They even checked over the sides of the building. Nothing.
“You think she’s hiding in one of the window wells?” one of the cops asked. “The girl isn’t that big. She could fold herself into one of them. Let me call down below and see if anyone has a pair of binoculars.” He picked up his radio.
Before the cop could say word, it squawked. “Hey up there,” the voice of the detective came through. “We’ve spotted your cat woman. She’s three buildings to the north.”
Jason froze again and looked in all directions until he could figure out what way was north. There she was! He could see Candy in the distance as she sat on the ledge of a building’s roof. His heart beat as it reminded him so much of the first time he saw Candy on top of her house. She crouched on the ledge and sat on her heels as she starred out away from him and into the distance. Once again, he felt she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“How the hell did she get over there?” the cop cried out into the radio receiver.
“Same way she got up here,” the detective’s voice responded. “But this time she leaped from one ledge to another. These old buildings were put up close to each other.”
“Guess that means we’ll have to come down,” the cop sighed. “This is going to be a long day. I knew it when I signed in this morning.”
Jason continued to stare at her in the distance. It wasn’t easy to pick her out. Candy didn’t move on that perch. He speculated this was another way she managed to protect herself in the wild. She could freeze and remain motionless for lengthy periods of time. In the right spot, she would become invisible. Jason could imagine her waiting for a deer, knife in hand, covered with mud as she stood by a trail. The mud would cover her scent, the stillness her very presence. He realized he was in infatuated with her, but there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. Even if she survived.
“Mr. Moon,” one of the cops said to him. “Are you coming with us? We need to get back down there if we can track your friend.”
“Yes,” Jason spoke to him. “Sorry, I’m trying to think how I get out of this mess. Never should have taken my eyes off her. Not for a second.”
- Writer
