The Canyon Creek Murders

For Sam, hunting and tracking down another serial killer was just as exciting and enticing as it had always been. Hank, however, was an entirely different matter. Still troubled by the aftereffects of the events in Eustice, he wasn't even sure he wanted to remain in homicide at all, let alone pursue a high-profile case again. The very thought of heading away from home once more to do exactly that was too much to bear right now. Something that had become painfully evident when the captain had called the two detectives into his office to present the latest opportunity that had fallen their way. "Okay, so where do we go from here then?" Sam asked with a clear note of concern in his voice. "Well, if you wish to go solo on this one and tackle the case yourself then you're welcome to," the captain responded, "however if you don't fancy that it's not a problem. They are kind of expecting two of you to turn up anyway, so I do have one other suggestion for you to consider." "Well, I haven't worked alone for many years now so I'm all ears," Sam told him. "Ok good. To be honest, I’ve been thinking for a while that we could use another detective around here for when you guys are away anyway. So, how would you feel about taking young Barry Coulson under your wing? Show him the ropes as it were," the captain asked. "Hmm, interesting thought," Sam added. "Certainly, from a personal perspective if Hank is unavailable then there is probably no one else that I'd rather work with than Barry." "I like the sound of that," the captain responded sitting back in his chair appearing to relax a little. "Detective Harvey, any thoughts on this one?" he asked, turning towards Hank who nodded in silence before offering his response. "He's a great lad and his investigative skills are exceptional, but this could be a big ask for a first case. Depending on how things go you could be under a lot of pressure on this. Is he really ready for something like that?" "That's exactly what I want to find out," the captain replied. "If we're all in agreement and as long as Detective Johnson is happy to do so, then I'm proposing we send Barry to work under Sam’s leadership and we essentially use this as a test to see what he's capable of and if he is ready to make the step up." The two detectives nodded in agreement while seemingly still considering the options. "That could work," Hank conceded. "And he'll never find anyone better to learn from than Sam here", Hank commented, bringing broad smiles to the faces of both Sam and the captain alike. "That sounds great," The captain beamed. "Looks like we have an agreement then. I will, of course, be requiring progress reports on how he is doing though." "No problem. That's fine by me," Sam answered. After a moment’s silence, the captain spoke up once more. "Okay then. Detective Harvey, it's all down to you now. One final chance. The case is still yours if you want it. If not, we totally understand but could you leave us and send Barry Coulson in please." Hank took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before rising to his feet. "I'm sorry..... I just... can't....," he told them sorrowfully. Sam gave his partner a gentle pat on the back as Hank turned and made his way toward the exit. Sam understood, the last case was just too close of a call. If that was his wife, he’d be in the same situation, but it was still a hard pill to swallow, Sam and Hank had been partners for so long, they could easily read each other. This would be a new learning curve for Sam. A few short moments later a rather nervous-looking Barry Coulson gingerly opened the office door. "Come in, take a seat," the captain greeted him. "Don't worry, nothing is wrong. In fact, quite the opposite. I think you're going to like this," he chuckled spotting his nervous disposition. "Ok, I'm intrigued now," Barry replied, pulling up the chair Hank had just vacated. "Now then," the captain began, "as I'm sure you're aware, a little while ago detectives Sam Johnson here along with his partner Hank Harvey traveled away to take care of a particularly challenging case. Well, a similar opportunity has arisen once more but unfortunately, on this occasion Detective Harvey is unavailable. To get to the point, we were wondering if you would be interested in taking his place?" "What? Me? You mean? As a...?" Barry stumbled, clearly startled by the question and flabbergasted by the thought. "To clear up any confusion," the captain continued, "this will be Sam’s case. He will take the lead on this and we want you to assist him in any way possible. On top of this, we will also be expecting you to watch everything he does, follow him, and shadow him even. Listen to what he tells you. And learn as much as you can from his experience. You got that?" “Yes sir,” Barry said as he nodded showing he understood everything that was being asked of him. "Now then to complete this task and to successfully close this case, you will need to act and behave as a full detective yourself. To make sure you are given and treated with the levels of respect that you will need to do this, we will be issuing you with a temporary badge," the captain continued. "I say temporary but on successful completion of this case, I will be looking into reports from both Detective Johnson and from the local chief, Sheriff, errr, Shanahan I think his name is, regarding your performance throughout your stay there. As long as those are both satisfactory, we will then be looking at making this a permanent arrangement." Barry's eyes began to light up as he suddenly realized the full opportunity he was about to be given. "So.....," he paused before finishing his question, his mind still trying to clarify everything. Thankfully the captain knew exactly what he was going to say and so pre-emptively answered his query for him. "Yes. Essentially, if you take this chance and everything goes well with it then you will be promoted to detective." Barry leaned forward, resting his elbows onto the arms of the chair, and took in a deep breath through his nose. If he was trying to appear nonchalant, he was failing miserably, the joy and pride on his face were as clear as clear can be. "Ok great. So, now we can move on and discuss the details of the case itself," the Captain added, picking up a file from his desk.