51: The Series

51: Monsters Chapter 2 Part 1

Lindsay had finished her shift at the sheriff’s department without anything serious taking place. She was now at home with her family enjoying supper when the home phone rang.

Wren looked at Lindsay as he stood and went to answer it. He brought it over to the table and handed it to her.

“It’s for you,” he said as she took the phone from him.

“Hello?” Lindsay answered.

“Sorry to bother you, but something happened that I thought you should know about,” Big Bob told her.

Lindsay took a deep breath and slowly let it out, preparing for what he would say. She remembered the last time Big Bob had called her at home about something. It was because he had used someone as a sled on a muddy hillside.

“What is it, Bob?” Lindsay asked.

Wren looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he continued to eat.

“First, let me just say everyone is fine,” he told her.

“Just tell me what happened,” Lindsay told him. She could feel a headache coming on, and he had not even told her what had happened yet.

“Well, it sort of has to do with that little gnome thing that keeps going after Max. We had another call about it just after you left the office, so Andy went out to check on it. Andy is fine, but it did bite the car a few times and…,” Big Bob told her.

Lindsay cut Big Bob off. “Don’t tell me another thing. You need to tell this to the man in charge of all of this weirdness so he can send a team out to deal with that little sucker before he hurts someone,” Lindsay told him, then handed the phone to Wren.

“What happened?” Wren asked her as he took the phone.

Lindsay answered him with a smile, “The thing that went after Max went after Andy this time, so you need to have someone remove it because it is now a threat to life and property.”

“Yeah, Bob, tell me what happened,” Wren told Big Bob as he put the phone to his ear.

Lindsay watched Wren as Big Bob told him about what had happened, and she could tell from his changing expressions that it was a good story. Telling stories was something that he was very, very good at doing. Wren hung up the phone, sat it on the table, and looked at Lindsay.

“Hey, Dillon, will you please get started on your homework if you are done eating?” Wren told him.

“OK, but you know you two could just tell me that this is work stuff, and I need to leave the room because I can’t know about it,” Dillon told him as he stood up and cleared his place at the table.

Lindsay smiled a little when Dillon said that. He was not trying to be disrespectful, but he did want Wren and her both to know that he was not a little kid anymore, and he did understand he could not know about their work at times. She looked at Wren and saw that he was also smiling a little; he had gotten Dillon’s message. Neither of them said anything until they heard Dillon’s bedroom door close to ensure he was out of earshot.

“I have to call a team to take care of that lawn gnome. Of all the things that are out there that could be a threat to people, it winds up that a creature that looks like a lawn ornament is the biggest threat that I know of right now,” Wren told Lindsay, shaking his head.

“Welcome to my world. Sometimes, the biggest threat is something you least expect. Keeping the public safe is hard and rarely glamorous,” Lindsay said, smiling. “Are you going to go out to where this thing is and see it for yourself?”

“I’m thinking about it. I normally only give the instructions, but I do want to see this one for myself. It is still hard for me to believe it could be that dangerous. Mean, yes, but not as dangerous as some of the other things have been,” Wren told her. He stood up, walked to her, and kissed her. “If you don’t mind, I will go to your department and talk to Andy, and then I will call a team from there and go out to where this thing lives.”

“Of course, I don’t mind. You are welcome to use my department anytime you need to for whatever you need. Just remember that gnomes like to hoard precious metals and jewels, so if you find any, I do expect some jewelry out of it,” Lindsay told him with a smile.

She stood and began clearing the table and loading the dishwasher while Wren went into the bedroom and changed clothes. Just as she was finishing, he came back into the kitchen. She dried her hands and turned toward him.

“Why did you do the dishes? You cooked, so that means dishes are my job,” Wren said, putting his arms around her and kissing her.

“Because if it had been my turn and I had to go back to work, you would have done them. You are still working, so I can do the dishes. Please be careful on this call. That thing might be small, but there is no telling what kind of damage it can do if it wants,” Lindsay told him.

“I promise. That is why I have a team to do the hard stuff,” Wren told her, then gave her another kiss. “I’m guessing that you will be waiting for me on the couch with Crook when I get home.”

“Where else would I be?” she answered him, smiling.

She watched him walk out the door and heard his car start. She walked into the living room and saw Crook was already waiting for her on the couch. She sat down, and he scooted next to her and lay down.

“Well, it looks like it’s you and me tonight, Crooky Boy, unless Dillon decides to join us. What do you want to watch on TV?” she asked the dog as she scratched his head and turned on the TV.