51: The Series

51: The Storm Chapter 1

Lindsay Gold was pulling her patrol car up in front of the sheriff’s department and parking when Little Bob began to walk toward her.

Little Bob said, shaking his head, “I can’t believe that you hired that girl. She is going to drive us all crazy.”

“Let’s go inside and talk about it,” Lindsay said.

As they went inside, Cat was waiting for them, and Annie was sitting in a chair beside the desk that Little Bob used. Cat looked at Lindsay and raised an eyebrow as if she was questioning her. Lindsay looked at Cat and then back at Annie, who was still sitting in the chair. The only thing she thought was it was too early in the day for this. She motioned for Cat to follow them into her office and closed the door behind them.

“OK, yes, I know she is young and inexperienced, and she talks nonstop, but she is also here and wants the job. It had been weeks, and she was the only one who wanted it. What else was I supposed to do?” Lindsay asked, looking at Cat and Little Bob. “Anyway, Bob, you and Big Bob are the ones who said I should talk to her.”

“I know, but good grief, that girl is going to drive me crazy if she talks like that all the time,” Little Bob told Lindsay.

“Bob, what do you do when your oldest does that? Just do the same thing with Annie,” Lindsay said. “And Cat, what problem do you have with her?”

Cat shook her head, smiling, “I don’t have a problem with her. I was just wondering what Little Bob had to say about her. I actually find her quite delightful.”

Little Bob rubbed the side of his face and answered, “Today is her last day with me. Tomorrow, she starts with Big Bob.”

“OK, so if you have this under control, I will get started on the stack of reports that I have to go through and put on the map,” Lindsay told them.

Cat and Little Bob knew what that meant. They both turned and left her office. Cat had left Lindsay’s office door open, which was normal. Lindsay liked to be able to see and hear what was taking place in the department. She looked at the stack of reports on her desk and honestly dreaded going through them.

Over the weekend, there had been a lot of calls that fit into the strange category, and now there was a backlog of reports she needed to read and decide if she needed to notify her husband about or if they could wait. She always gave him a quick rundown at the end of the day, regardless of what the reports were, but occasionally, one needed to be reported to him immediately.

The first file she picked up was a report from the night supervisor, Max. It began as a typical call of cattle being on the roadway. Then, it took a turn when he reported strange lights and whistling sounds among the trees in the field where the animals had been. He was able to chase the cows into the pasture. As soon as he did, the lights and whistling sound went straight up into the air, out of sight and hearing range.

She quickly typed the address, time, date, and incident. She cut it out and made a tag to go on the map. As she pinned the label in the correct location, she could tell there still was no pattern for where the strange calls were taking place. She could also recognize that there was no sign of them slowing down.

Lindsay returned to her desk and continued going through the stack of reports. It seemed that each one she read was stranger than the previous one. She leaned back in her chair, slowly let out a deep breath, and looked at the ceiling. Lindsay was tired. The night before, she had heard sounds that made her think back to the night she had been attacked by whatever it was. Lindsay now knew that at least one of the creatures was near her home. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind for a moment, but a knock on her open door interrupted her. She opened her eyes and saw her husband, Wren, standing in the doorway.

“If you are going to take a nap, you should at least close your door,” he said, smiling.

“I wasn’t asleep. I was just trying not to think of the sounds outside last night,” Lindsay answered.

Wren looked at her desk and said, “Don’t tell me that all of those are strange calls that I need to look into.”

“Oh yes, Agent Gold, they most certainly are. There are some bizarre ones this time. So far, nothing that I have read is dangerous, but there is definitely some weirdness,” Lindsay said as she handed him a few files.

“Weirdness? Is that the new technical term for what is going on around here?” Wren asked, smiling.

“I think it might be,” she said, laughing. “I know you can’t tell me why this is happening, but I think the term weirdness sums it up pretty well.” She leaned forward and picked up another file. “I’m glad you stopped by. It helps when you’re here, and I’m going through these things.”

Lindsay picked up the next file on the stack and began to read it aloud.

“At approximately 01:31, I responded to a report of vandalism at 12439 Oak Street. Upon arrival, I witnessed a small human-like creature, approximately the size and appearance of a lawn gnome, run across the front yard of the residence.” She stopped reading and looked at Wren. “Please don’t tell me that lawn gnomes are coming to life and wreaking havoc in my county,” she said.

“Of course not, or at least I don’t think so,” Wren answered. “I am guessing there is more in that report than what you read.”

“Oh yes,” Lindsay scanned it and then continued. “The little person came running back out of the dark toward the patrol car and jumped onto the hood of the car.” She stopped and looked at Wren again. “Great, now I have to call Max and ask if there are dents in his car that he needs to explain.”

She did not even continue to read the report; she closed it and pushed it across the desk toward Wren. She looked at him and could see in his eyes that what she and the department were dealing with bothered him.

“Sweetheart, I know you can’t tell me about all of this,” she said as she motioned to her desk and the map on her office wall. “But do you have any idea as to how long this is going to go on? I can barely find deputies to replace those who quit because of this stuff. The only deputies I know are not going anywhere are the Bobs, Andy, and Max. I hired Annie, and so far so good, but she is fresh out of training and barely old enough to carry a gun.”

“I wish I knew, but I have to say what you and this department are doing is a huge help. I don’t have the resources to track and locate everything, and your idea of this map has been more help than you know,” Wren said. “I promise I will tell you everything I can as soon as possible.”

“I know you will. Do you want to call Max and ask him about his lawn gnome, or would you like to just talk to him in the morning before he goes home?” Lindsay asked.

“I think I might send a small team out to the address and see what they can find,” Wren said as he picked up the file off the desk and read over it. “It had a strong smell of wet dirt and mold,” Wren read, shaking his head. “Isn’t Max the one that saw your little flying friend the first time?”

“He was, and I told everyone that it was just him playing a practical joke on everyone,” Lindsay answered. “If you have never watched any of his animated films, you should because he has a lot of talent.”

“I’ve known about his talents long before Little Bob and Mike Sims brought that video to the house. Max truly does have a gift when it comes to computer animation. That is why I have had him help me with a few things in the past,” Wren said. “Oh, and her name is Bow.”

“I’m sorry, but whose name?” Lindsay asked with confusion.

“Your little friend from the bridge, Randy, named her Rainbow, but we all call her Bow,” Wren said, smiling. “The lab guys keep her there and take her out every day when the weather is nice to let her play. There is someone with her twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If you would like to see her, I will take you there.”

Lindsay smiled as she thought about the strange little creature she had befriended. It had the body of a small rhesus monkey with golden fur and large wings similar to an eagle’s but covered in iridescent feathers that changed colors in the sunlight. Strangely, it had bonded with Lindsay. She had been able to hold it and carry it to the van, where it was loaded and taken to the lab.

“I will think about it. I would love to see Bow, but I don’t want her to get upset,” Lindsay told him.

“I understand. I think you should know that she wrote your name down. She didn’t spell it right, but it was clear that she was trying to write Lindsay,” Wren told her.

“Well, I guess if she is asking for me, I should go see her soon,” Lindsay answered.

“You aren’t even going to ask about a flying monkey’s ability to write? Wow, you are definitely the right person to have the job you have. You aren’t even a little surprised?” Wren asked.

“Wren, since I have taken over this office, I have had teenagers attacked in the Sycamore River by a sea monster that had some kind of venom that doesn’t exist in nature. We had the incident involving our large friends when rescuing Nim Jones. Little Bob and I went out to the poltergeist call, and it seemed to understand what I said and follow my commands. That is on top of the dozens of calls involving weirdness that my poor deputies have been trying to deal with on top of the normal calls. So no, it does not surprise me the flying monkey can write,” Lindsay said.

Wren laughed, “That has to be one of the best things you have ever said to me. I think I love you more now than I did when I walked in here, and I didn’t think that was possible.”

“I love you too. You understand part of the weirdness I have been through when no one else does. I think I am beginning to understand your job a little, even though you still can’t tell me what it is. We have been married for years and have never been able to talk about work, and now it is all overlapping. Someday, I would appreciate knowing how you always seem to be the highest-ranking person in the room. Personally, I find it entertaining. That, and why everyone is so afraid of Agent Gold,” Lindsay said.

“OK, I have to agree with the idea that people being afraid of me is entertaining.”

“I try to help spread the rumor about you making people disappear, but I’m not sure if it helps any,” Lindsay said, smiling.

“Oh, thank you so much. I do appreciate the effort,” Wren laughed.

Lindsay looked down at the stack of files still on her desk. She took a deep breath and sighed.

“What would you like me to do with these files? I can read them and give you just a list like I have been, or I can finish going through them and bring them to you at the house so you can also go through them,” Lindsay asked.

Wren told her, “A list is fine with me, Linz.”

“OK, I will get...” she began, but she was then cut off when Cat knocked on her open door.

“Sheriff, I am sorry to interrupt, but there may be a problem,” Cat told her.

“I’m sure I don’t want to know, but tell me what the problem is,” Lindsay answered.

“Little Bob and Annie were heading to call near where the poltergeist was, and they say they can’t get to it because they hit something invisible in the road and wrecked the patrol car,” Cat explained.

“Are they alright?” Lindsay asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Bob says they aren’t hurt, but Annie is very shaken. Here is their location. I thought you would want to respond to it before I called for anyone else to assist,” Cat said.

“Don’t call anyone. The sheriff and I will respond, and I will call for additional personnel as needed,” Wren answered.

“Sheriff?” Cat asked.

“Do what he says, and don’t ask questions about this one,” Lindsay told Cat. “We will go get them and take care of the incident.”

Wren and Lindsay both stood to leave her office. It was clear to Lindsay that he knew precisely what Little Bob and Annie had hit but could not say anything. She looked at her watch and realized it was not even 10 a.m. yet. This was going to be a long day.