Quazum

INVESTIGATION 210

Ben hurried into the same run-down police department and was recognized immediately by the same receptionist. “Hello Mr. Thomas. What can we help you with today?”

“Hi,” answered Ben as he looked around. “I just want to talk to the sheriff. Is Sheriff Neil in?”

“After your last reported tragedy, I don’t think he’s got time. He’s really busy...”

“It’ll just take a second. I just have a few quick questions.”

“Well, I’ll let him know you’re here. You can have a seat.” The secretary then pushed buttons and began to speak, “Sheriff Neil? I have the gentleman, Mr. Ben Thomas. He says he needs to talk to you. Yes, I told him.”

The secretary then hung up the phone and looked over to Ben waiting anxiously. Before she could give an answer, the same door opened, and Sheriff Neil poked his head out. “I didn’t think I’d ever be seeing you again. What can I help you with Mr. Thomas?”

“I’d like to speak to you, Sheriff. In your office?” Sheriff Neil backed up as Ben walked by and down the long hallway. Policemen watched quietly as he passed, wondering why Ben was even showing his face.

Ben sat down on the same chair as Neil closed the door and walked back behind his desk. “What can Back-Bayou Police do for you? You want to launch another investigation?”

“I don’t want to bother you. I just have a few questions. It’ll just take a minute.”

Sheriff Neil looked around and seemed annoyed, “You got one minute. What is it you want to know now?”

“I just want to know what kind of reports you might have about what was discovered at the Meaux house? Do you have any reports of Lacy, her condition, or any other information you may have about other Meaux property?”

“You know what we got. It was just Gabriel Meaux, who you killed, and his daughter, Lacy, who one of my deputies killed,” answered Neil. “There’s no other property, and all the false reports and unnecessary violence has been covered up and filed away. What else do you need to know?”

“Can you tell me how long Lacy was even living there? Did she have any kind of registration, a driver’s license, or maybe a credit rating? Or were there ever any visitors to her home in Back-Bayou? Anyone?”

“You know the answers to all those questions,” replied Neil. “It was just Gabriel Meaux and his daughter living there. That’s all we got!”

“Well, since the attack,” Ben stumbled and thought about how to ask the next question. “Have there been any sightings of something strange on the property or around the city? Has anyone else been asking questions? Or looking for information?”

“What does that have to do with Gabriel Meaux?” replied Sheriff Neil. “We’ve got criminal reports around town coming in every day. But I’ve seen no link to the Meaux investigation. Why do you even care?”

“Yeah? What kind of reports?”

Neil thought for a second, rolled his eyes and answered, “We’ve had fights, robberies, and a couple of reports of ghosts appearing around the city. How’s that?”

Ben’s eyes lit up, “Oh, what kind of ghosts? Where? Do you have pictures?”

“Ha! I’m not going to play that game. Reports of ghosts are thrown right in the trash. We get them once a year, usually around Halloween. It's worthless crap.”

“Any description of the ghost? Or a location?”

“Well... A couple of diggers at the graveyard said they heard a talking ghost.”

“Was that at Gabriel Meaux’s funeral?”

“Yeah. They claimed they heard voices and saw movement. That’s all.”

Ben pulled out his phone and began entering information. “Anything else? Another sighting? Anywhere!”

“Yesterday, we had some workers at a local store called Grocery Mart. That’s in town. Said people were yelling about a ghost riding in a shopping cart. We thought that was funny.”

“Grocery Mart?”

“That’s over by the bridge, close to the Meaux place.”

Ben entered the information, then got up and rushed to the door. “I’ll check all this out! Thanks Sheriff.”

Sheriff Neil looked confused and shook his head as Ben ran out slamming the office door.

* * *

Ben parked his car outside the Grocery Mart and looked around for possible clues. He then walked in studying shopping carts, the baskets for groceries, and the four-wheel carts. He politely walked over to a cashier. “Hi. I heard reports of some type of sighting that occurred here. Do you know anything about this?”

“Oh, you heard about that too?” answered Nancy.

“Police think we’re crazy,” said another worker.

The grocery store manager finally walked over and joined into the discussion, “I wish we’d never even reported it.”

“I understand. I just have a few questions,” said Ben politely. “Can someone tell me what the ghost looked like? What exactly did you see?”

“What did ‘he’ look like?” asked Nancy. “It wasn’t no ‘he’. It was just some ghost moving around the store. I saw it down by the aisle of seasonings, and then it climbed up the side of a row of groceries, and flew out the front door.”

Ben thought about that and seemed surprised, “Hmmm. So, you think it was a real ghost?”

“And we saw an empty rolling cart!” yelled another cashier. “With nothing inside!”

“You’re sure that cart was empty?”

Cashier yelled out, “It was rolling around the store like a car.”

Ben turned back to Nancy and asked, “What did you see?”

“I heard a voice talking in the aisle, and I saw something move.”

“And all the customers were yelling,” said the manager. “They all saw the same invisible ghost!”

Ben looked confused before he asked, “Everyone saw the invisible ghost? Has anything like that ever happened before?”

“I ain’t never seen nothing like that in all my time at the Grocery Mart.”

Nancy stepped up again, “It was something you don’t even see in a movie!”

“So, did this ghost take anything?” asked Ben. “Any idea what he was even after?”

“Nobody knows!” said manager. “It was all just unexplained motion. That’s all we know. And everything’s now back to normal.”

Ben looked around at all the serious faces and replied. “Okay. Thanks.”

As Ben then turned and started to make his way out, Nancy spoke up, “I think the ghost might have taken some salt. A box of salt.”

Ben and store employees seemed confused as they looked back. “Salt?”

“Yeah,” said Nancy. “There was a big box of salt missing off the shelf and, in the cart when it rolled out.”

“What would a ghost want with salt?” asked the manager.

“I don’t know. That’s the only thing I could find that might be missing!”

“Were there possibly any photos? Maybe something from a security camera?”

“We don’t have any of that stuff,” answered the manager with a laugh. “All we saw was something moving around the store. And it’s gone now.”

Ben then stared at each of the store workers and thought about the situation.

“So that’s the information you need? You got everything?” asked the store manager. “A ghost came in and stole some salt?”

“Yes, thank you.” Ben then turned and hurried out.

* * *

As the sun began to set in the dark bayou, Ben was driving with his windows rolled down through the marshy area. With car lights on and shining his flashlight out of the car windows, Ben yelled out, “Quazum? Can you hear me?”

Ben continued carefully examining the trees and wild grass along the road. He noticed a movement of squirrels and wild deer deep in the wooded area but did not seem interested.

A soft rain began to drizzle down causing Ben to partially roll up his window and start the windshield wipers. In the distance, Ben saw lights from the big city and continued heading into town. He concentrated on any possible motion he noticed through the wet windows.

As he approached a downtown area, Ben pulled over and parked his dirty car. He climbed out and walked through the light rain to a homeless man standing on an empty street. Ben looked like he hadn't eaten or slept for several days and said politely, “Excuse me. I want to know if you’ve seen something strange around here. Anything unusual movement, or just a sound?”

“Something strange?” answered the man. “I see strange things every night. Can you spare a buck?”

“I just need you to answer some simple questions.”

“What is it?” asked another homeless man as he walked up. “I’ll tell you anything for a buck.”

“Have you seen any kind of strange movement?” asked Ben again. “Just a shadow or an unusual color in the streets? Or maybe just a voice?”

The homeless man looked confused before responding. “I hear voices every day. Can you spare a dollar?”

“How about motion?” asked Ben as he moved his arms. “Do you know anyone that maybe saw an unusual movement? It could be just a rolling ball or just an unusual color.”

“That guy there,” finally answered one homeless man as he pointed down the alley. “That man laying down at the corner said he saw something move. That’s what he said.”

“Thanks,” said Ben as he turned and headed down the alley.

“Wait! Where’s my money,” said the homeless man. “You promised me some money for talking!”

Ben then turned around and pulled out his wallet. He looked down to see two one-dollar bills. Ben thought for a second, then handed him one dollar.

“That’s all I get? Just a buck?”

“Thanks! I appreciate your help,” said Ben before rushing towards the man lying on the blanket. Ben politely shook his shoulder to wake him up.

“Hello,” said Ben as the man started to roll over. “I just want to ask you about the movement you saw? Did you see a ‘ghost’? Can you tell me what happened?

“I can tell you, but it’s going to cost you.”

Ben reached into his wallet and pulled out the last dollar. “This is all I got.”

The man took the money and turned to Ben, “I saw a moving shape down an alley. It was by a dirty gutter, about a mile up the road.”

“Can you tell me what this trashcan looked like?”

“It was by a little trash can in the middle of an alley,” said the man. “Then it just turned invisible and disappeared!”

Ben thought and looked around the empty alley, “When did you see this motion?”

“It was a couple of days ago I think. I don’t know what it was, but it scared me.”

“Where do you think this trashcan, ghost went?”

“It just took off down the alley! I yelled at the ghost, but then it just disappeared!” said the homeless man.

* * *

Ben walked curiously down the streets and up alleyways between buildings shining his flashlight at garbage and into doorways as he walked down the empty streets quietly whispering, “Quazum?”

Homeless bodies in each alleyway were wrapped in old clothes and old blankets. Ben examined the bodies, and shined his light. Trash and empty bottles could be seen up and down each alleyway. “Quazum? I know you’re out here. I just want to talk to you.”

Homeless drunk men and d**g addicts looked curiously at Ben as he continued walking up and down alleys calling for Quazum.

When finally heading towards the end of an old narrow street, Ben noticed an unusual smell. Puddles of water and bugs were moving quickly along the surface. In the distance, Ben spotted a small blanket in the far corner. The pile appeared to display an old hat and discolored shoes, all covered by an old dirty blanket.

Ben approached cautiously. He first picked up an empty whiskey bottle next to the trash pile and smelled it curiously. Ben then squatted down and leaned down and studied the pile of trash.

“Hello?” Ben tapped on the dark colored area at one side of the blanket and noticed slight motion. As he pulled off more of the covering, he recognized the shape of a small body. “Excuse me, can you answer some questions?”

Ben then shined his flashlight and noticed a color-changing partially invisible body. “Hey, Quazum? Is it you? It’s me. Ben.”

Quazum didn’t move, and Ben sat down quietly. He then looked up at the sky and hugged the unconscious body. “It’s okay, Quazum. It’s me, Ben. I was your Mom’s friend. And I’m here to take care of you. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise you.”

Ben then leaned back holding Quazum tight and was near tears in the dark cold alleyway.