Asatru

by Ariana Kenny

  Chapter 15. Sam

  I had reluctantly left Rachael sleeping in the bed as I finally made it home to gather fresh clothes. I had meant to make it back home all weekend, but hadn’t quite got there, and really, hadn’t needed clothes until now. I felt self satisfied and adamant that my relationship with Rachael was going to work. I just needed to mind my p’s and q’s around work mates, get back into work in a big way, and just move through the motions.

  Day one, I was desk bound while my partner organised access on his desktop, flirted with the trainee office assistant over biros and took a tour with Tan for the second time. I tried not to show my ire, but I was looking forward to getting back out on the road. Peters had called in sick, so Tan was overcompensating by romancing my partner down the corridors. I smiled to myself. Whatever the damage, it didn’t matter. I had just had the best weekend of my life, and was going back for more as soon as I could clock off.

  While I was left to my own devices, I finished off leftover paperwork that was more than outstanding. On the corner of Tan’s desk I saw the case file, Rachael’s case file, still with James’ handwriting on the front. I casually looked about me, and everyone was busy, distracted. I slowly got up and manoeuvred over to the desk and flipped over the front cover. There were pictures of the corpse, and some notes, but I couldn’t make out Tan’s handwriting. Gary suddenly appeared two desks away, giving me a sideways glance as he pulled out a manila envelope and placed a stamped form at the front.

  Abandoning my clear attempt to cross lines in record time, I returned to my desk to find missed calls from Sabian. I rolled my eyes and put the phone in the drawer, closing it with a clear conscience. Not today.

  By 11:00 we had nearly completed what felt like the world’s longest briefing when Gary pulled me away early because of a visitor. Sabian. It had taken all my concentration not to physically pick him up and throw him through the door disturbing me at work, on my first day with his shit. And insinuating something was wrong with Rachael. Just because she and I had disengaged form him for the weekend. A couple of days locked away together and away from him must have thrown him into a tailspin. Oh well, sucks to be him. I thought to myself.

  I had shuffled back in to the briefing as they announced a cold case coming my way – our way, a stream of statements that needed to be processed and the ‘on-call’ from 8:00 tomorrow.

  My partner finally found me sitting with my head in a typed statement I was prepping for court and asked where he could find a decent burger. I happily left everything as it was and decided lunch and a little bonding time was in order.

  As we exited the building and I pulled on my coat, I directed us to the Corner Spot, a place with one of the best Cappuccinos, and one I visited at least three times a week.

  He had brought a deep red portfolio with him, with a manila folder sticking out around the edges. I had been curious, but ignored it, until half way though lunch, after he had hoovered back a double cheese burger and half a basket of fries, he leaned back, tossing the manila folder in front of me.

  I left the rest of my meal and wiped my hands before picking it up. On opening it, there were copies of the records and notes on the body. The same ones I had tried to take note of on Tan’s desk. I gave the man across from me a quizzical look. He shrugged as if my unasked question need not be voiced. I poured over the documents, but really there wasn’t much I didn’t already know other than notes taken from the ‘special operations’ officers who had picked up the body from Klink the other day. A rare mineral compound was being blamed for making the body appear older than it was, and a picture of an old science crew standing outside a mine in the desert was included in the information. The photo looked circa 1960’s. A man that definitely resembled the corpse was there, Uther Crane was the name on the back. The body had been confiscated for toxins stemming from exposure to the mine. Interesting, but hardly pulling together any of the puzzle. Sitting there in the café, everything I had seen a couple of days ago seemed so far away. The voice of my partner pulled me away from my thoughts.

  “What’s she like?” He asked.

  “What, who?” I deflected.

  “The girl people are talking about.” He was smiling at my efforts now.

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The hot brunette, pale, lithe, killer body – literally.” He must have paid close attention to the shift in the look on my face because his next efforts were to reassure me. “Don’t worry, It’s cool. I come from narc central. Not much I haven’t seen.”

  OK now it was clear. He wanted something from me. “What’s your deal?”

  Pressing the tips of his fingers together, he gave a dismissive shrug. “Just looking out for my partner. Tan was very accommodating when I heard the body was taken and took a look at the file.”

  “You hear a lot of things…” I observed.

  “That’s my job really isn’t it?”

  “You’ve been busy too for a guy who only really started this morning.” I wasn’t hiding my suspicions, just in case this was going to end in blackmail or at the very least – leverage.

  “This ain’t my first rodeo.” He jokingly remarked. “Besides, I don’t do down time well.”

  “Hmmm.” I reflected back as I paused to soak this guy in.

  “Relax. I don’t give a shit about your extra curriculars. Just don’t make me look bad – that’s all I ask.” I finally did relax again. Things might be looking up after all.

  When we got back, I checked my phone for missed calls. Sabian had called me again even after I had told him to keep to himself. Un-Freaking- believable! That man was like a pit bull.

  I finished up my statement and left early, knowing the rest of the week was going to be a push to make it home at a decent time after some of the other events of the day. It had been a big day. A fire and abduction in a small town, and a robbery downtown. I knew I would be looking after other jobs while the relative departments were tied up investigating those over the next couple of weeks. In all honesty, I had plans for the afternoon too, and they involved getting out of my clothes. Rachael had different plans though because she was waiting at the base of the apartment block as I pulled up.

  Even before the car had really stopped she had skipped to me and opened the door, climbing in the passenger seat. She looked different somehow, a confidence in her walk and a surety in the way she looked at me. She wore a long red coat over high heeled boots. I found myself wondering what she wore underneath. As she sat beside me the coat dropped back revealing black leather pants. How curious I thought to myself. She never seemed to be the black leather type. That was probably what freaked Sabian, I thought, a change of outfit and he was reading so much more into everything. Still, she smiled and my mind drifted to more pleasant things than Sabian.

  “Drive Sam, I thought we could go somewhere special.”

  I would follow her across the globe right now. I hung on her words and loved it. “Done, where am I taking us?”

  “Just head towards the coast, along the freeway, I can guide us from there.” Without another word about it, I revved the engine and took off. As dusk approached I pulled up at her direction on the side of a road at what looked to be a farm. Or it had been once upon a time. Now it just looked like a large barn like structure with a few fence palings barely holding old wire in place.

  "We're here." Rachael sighed satisfied as I turned off the ignition. As she hopped out I followed more slowly. She seemed invigorated, her skin practically glowed in the setting sunlight, and she set out authoritatively past the fence line. I liked this new air of assurance she had, she seemed somehow different but in all the right ways. She waited impatiently for me to catch up to her.

  "Come on" she called to me big green eyes reflecting back at me. When I reached her she grabbed me by the hand. "Come with me baby."

  "To the barn?" I asked incredulously.

  "Why not? You can show me yours, I’ll show you mine…
." With that she nipped my ear, kissed my neck and pulled at me more feverishly.

  "Oww." I reacted to the bite. She let go of me and skipped ahead. "What’s got in to you?" Rachael simply laughed and ran in to the barn. By the time I walked through the door, she was hiding.

  I didn’t like the look of the swaying corroded lamps that hung from the beams above, or the old rusted tools that lay on old straw. I thought I saw a rat at one stage.

  “Come on Rach.” I called in vain. “Come out. Games like this are ... I don’t know but you know a barn doesn’t make it in to the top ten places I want to take you on a date. Especially not one that’s about to fall in on us.” Still no answer so I took a few more steps in. “Rachael. I called again. I thought I saw something behind a half wall protruding out from the main structure.

  As I walked deeper in, I noticed little else than the straw on the ground, farm equipment and tools. The floor itself seemed to be one huge concrete slab. As I walked I thought I saw markings underneath the straw and brushed strands away with my foot. There were markings that didn’t look old, didn’t look worn like everything else here. In fact, I knelt down to touch a part, and paint came off on to my fingers. Red paint? Brushing away more to reveal the entire image, there was a large pentagram with varying symbols embedded in it. Some of them Runic that I recognized from Sabian’s many papers and books I had found strewn around Rachael’s place.

  “What the hell?” Was the last thing I said before I felt the hit to the back of my head.