The Canyon Creek Murders

*Chapter 3*

The following day the same three men gathered once more in the office to further discuss the upcoming case. The captain turned his attention to Sam at first.

"The good news is we've managed to secure you the trailer. We had to pay six months upfront, but the main thing is we've got it. Hopefully, we won't need any longer than that but if we do the tourist season will be well over by then so should be easy enough to extend it," he announced.

"Great news. That’s me sorted then," Sam responded. "And I sure hope we won't need any longer than that. Don't want to be away for too long if I can help it." The captain smiled before turning his attention to Barry.

"And how did you get on? Everything go ok?”

"Yeah, all good," Barry answered. "Katie and I had a really good chat last night. She didn't really like the idea of me being away for so long, but she understands what it means and she supports me in making it happen so yes I'm in."

“No one likes the idea of leaving,” Sam added, causing the captain to nod.

"That is true, and great stuff. Very happy to hear it," the captain smiled. "I will call him back to confirm the details, but I have spoken to Sherriff Shanahan and he's expecting you now and he's looking forward to meeting you both." Sam smiled once more at that one as the captain continued. "He has promised to make sure there is a vehicle available for you to make use of. It should be there waiting for you at the trailer when you arrive.”

“Hopefully with no pranks,” Sam told the captain, who chuckled at the reference but Barry gave the two men a confused look

“Now, speaking of arriving, I have taken the liberty of booking a couple of flights. If you report here, I will give you a lift to the airport for departure, and then Sheriff Shanahan will either be there himself. Or will at least make sure that someone will be there to meet you at the airport on the other end and then transfer you down to Canyon Creek. Now the flights aren't for a couple of days yet and I'm not telling you what to do but my suggestion would be to go home, take a couple of days off, get some rest, and make sure you're ready to hit the ground running. Everyone good?" Both Sam and Barry nodded.

"Sounds good to me" Sam replied.

“Me too,” Barry agreed. "Thank you both for this opportunity. And I will take you up on those days off as well, that will be great."

The time off couldn't have worked out any better for either of them. Sam had taken the captain’s advice somewhat literally and rested and relaxed to the point where he was just about beginning to feel the onset of boredom. Not only was he ready for it but he was actually looking forward to getting stuck into his next assignment.

Barry, meanwhile, had been full of excitement for this since the very get-go. He had taken the opportunity to spend some quality romantic time with his partner Katie, spoiling her as much as he could before heading off with Sam, separating the two of them for the first time since they had gotten together.

The journey down to the southwest had also been a successful one. The flight itself was unusually quiet, giving them the chance to spread out and relax while they were on the plane. It also offered them the opportunity for a really good chat on the way with Sam filling Barry in on all of the details regarding his and Hank’s recent trip to Eustice. Barry was now finally understanding the references that were made previously when they were back in the captain’s office but also beginning to realize the reasons why Hank had suddenly become unavailable.

Though Barry appreciated the opportunity he was given, the details of the case, though, not only made him shudder but also strengthened his desire to be the stay-behind detective looking after things back home in Resmar while the other two headed off on ventures like this one. That role is now currently being filled by Hank himself, although that was surely only on a temporary basis. Probably just this one case after which things would return to normal. Or at least that was what Barry was hoping.

After arriving at the airport, it didn't take them long to spot the man they were supposed to meet. If the shiny badge pinned to his uniform didn't give it away, then the handheld sign with 'Sam Johnson' written on it certainly did.

"Sheriff Shanahan?" Sam asked, extending his right hand out.

"Actually, no the Sheriff is otherwise engaged at the moment. I'm his deputy Harrison Miller," he responded still holding onto the piece of card. Sam opened his jacket with his left hand exposing his own badge.

“I'm Detective Johnson," he explained. "And this is my assistant detective Coulson."

"Oh brilliant. Pleased to meet you," the deputy responded, finally shaking Sam’s hand. Barry was almost jumping for joy on hearing those words for the first time but managed to keep a lid on his emotions, stepping forward and extending his own hand. "So happy to have you guys here. We need all the help we can get on this one," Deputy Miller told them as he took Barry's hand.

"Happy to be here," Sam told him. "Hopefully we'll soon get to the bottom of this and find out exactly what’s been going on."

"Oh, I sure hope so detective," the deputy responded. "I don't know how much you've been told but we have a real tight-knit community down at the Creek. The whole place has been totally rocked by what's happened lately," he added as he turned and led them toward the exit.

Barry gazed out of the window from the back seat as the car cruised down the highway leaving the main city behind. The further they went the more rugged the terrain began to appear on the horizon.

"Wow. The scenery here is breathtaking," Barry claimed excitedly.

"Thank you," Harrison nodded. "We are very proud of our state around here. Like anywhere it has its downsides but generally, we feel we are lucky to live here. And in my own personal opinion, the closer we get to the canyon the better the scenery becomes."

"Sounds great," Sam offered as well.

"It looks absolutely beautiful so far," Barry told him. Harrison Miller smiled proudly before responding once more.

"I know you are here for some rather grisly reasons and very serious purposes. But hopefully, both of you will manage to find a little time at least to try and explore the area and enjoy your time here with us." Sam sat back in silence taking it all in. The vibes he was picking up were a far cry from the ones he got when he and Hank arrived in Eustice.