Graham Park

by Kevin M Moehring

  The three men, each with a rifle and a flashlight, walk side-by-side toward the main gate of the park. Two giant columns act as bookends and hold the giant letters that spell out the park’s name in large letters. The gate is constructed of iron spindles that come to a point at the top of each. A large chain is wrapped loosely around the spot where the two halves of the iron gate meet. Since the owners of the park only live in town during the peak season, they have left the keys to the gate at the police station in case there was ever a need to get in. Mitch fumbles around for the right key and as he reaches to position the lock, he sees it has already been opened. It hangs from two links of chain, one from each end, to make it appear as if everything was secure. In reality, it takes less than three seconds to remove the lock and allow the chain to fall to the ground. Stuart gives the left gate a slight push with his foot and Graham Park, and everything inside, is open to the three men.

  Chapter 5

  They walk together into the darkness of the park, Mitch in the center, Stuart on the left and Fred on the right. The enormity of the Ferris Wheel looms in front of them and although none of the men want to say anything about it, it welcomes them with an eerie quiet. Each man is shining his flashlight to cover as much ground as they can before moving forward with small hesitant steps. They climb over the turnstiles that would normally count the visitors to the park on a daily basis, and hesitantly cover the fifty or so feet to the front of the large wheel.

  "Stuart, you go around the back and check for anything unusual. Fred, you come with me and once we climb the fence, we'll each go around the ride from opposite directions. Make note of anything that looks out of place or doesn't seem to belong. Once you finish the loop, meet back here in front." He uses his flashlight to point out the specifics to the two other deputies as if he has appointed himself in charge of the investigation. The other two men have far more seniority than Mitch, but they have never been eager to take the lead.

  "I'm not sure what we are looking for," Fred utters, "this thing looks like it hasn't been run since last fall." The fence surrounding the ride is showing the signs that come with many months of inactivity. The vines have worked their way through the opening in the fence and have laid their claim to the area. The harsh winter months have left much of the black paint on the metal gate needing repair. Even the bright colors of the cars of the Ferris Wheel look worn out and weathered.

  "Let's just do our due diligence and if there's nothing to find, we'll be out of here quickly. Then you can get over to the Bottom Dollar for that drink." Once again Mitch has taken control of the situation and tries to act like his father would if he were in the same situation. Even though he doesn’t want to be a police officer for the rest of his life, he desperately seeks the approval of his father.

  Fred snickers a bit at the last remark, he knows it's just another intentional attack at his lack of success with the ladies. "A drink sounds good," the man replies. "Actually, quite a few drinks sound even better."

  Stuart follows the concrete path to the right of the ride and the other two men watch him until the path leads him out of their sight. Mitch nods to Fred and they aim their flashlights toward the gate to the Ferris Wheel. They bypass the long winding rows that would form the line for the riders and opt to take the shortest path and climb the fence near where the ride operator would sit. Mitch clears the fence with a fluid, athletic motion while Fred struggles a bit. He spends several seconds with his legs on either side of the fence, both dangling about six inches from the ground. His crotch is resting on the railing as if he were sliding down the banister of a stairway. After a few seconds of awkward groans and movements, Fred finally decides to go for it and throws his right leg over and slides clumsily off of the railing.

  "Boy, I can see the gracefulness that all the ladies rave about. You head that way." Mitch uses his flashlight to point Fred to go counter-clockwise around the ride, while he takes off in the opposite direction. Mitch stops long enough to inspect the control panel the ride operator would use. There is a series of buttons, knobs and switches. He pulls out his notebook, which he was taught early on that every good police officer should carry, and jots down a reminder to ask the park owner if the control panels are usually covered up during the off months.

  He continues to follow the vine-covered fence around to the right until he has completed about half of the circle. He is now directly across from where the operator sits and where they just climbed the fence. There is more than enough room to for a person to get close to the inner workings of the ride. He is only a few feet from the levers, gears and chains that make the enormous ride spin so smoothly. The cool night air is filled with the odor of exhaust and oil. A few small steps put him in between two of the brightly colored gondolas, where there are sheets of thin metal that cover the mechanical aspects of the ride. He places his hand on the metal to balance himself, so he can lean in and take a look at the oily parts. It takes a brief second for him to understand what is happening before he removes his hand and lets out an expletive filled rant.

  "Mitch, what’s going on? I heard you talking like a sailor over here." Fred is now standing directly behind Mitch. "Everything alright?"

  "Put your hand on that piece of sheet metal." Mitch is rubbing the inside of his palm and wincing in pain. "Just touch it, don't leave your hand on there too long."

  "It's hot. It's really hot. That makes no sense." Fred touches the sheet metal a few times to make sure the sensation he is feeling is legitimate. "What in the world would make that feel so warm?"

  Mitch stands up straight and looks around the park once more, then looks right into the eyes of his colleague. "It makes perfect sense if the ride was running tonight. Just like I told you it was. If it was running earlier, and I know it was, that means we are not alone in the park. We need to find out who else is here and why."

  Chapter 6

  The two officers finish inspecting the area directly surrounding the Ferris Wheel and find nothing else abnormal. Mitch is now holding the flashlight in his left hand and has his rifle slung over his shoulder. The time he left his hand on the sheet metal has turned his palm a bright red color and his skin is painful to the touch. Even with the use of only one good hand, Mitch is still able to climb the fence with far more grace than Fred does. Once again, the elder officer has a look on his face like he is stuck on a test question that he doesn't know the answer to. Mitch starts heading away from the ride and a few seconds later he can hear the panting breaths of Fred who is jogging to catch up.

  It isn't long before Stuart meets the other two at the front of the ride. "Mitch, I found this behind the ride. It could be something or it could have been left last fall. There's really no way to tell." Stuart extends his right arm and hands Mitch a ball cap.

  He takes the cap and gives it the once over. The bright yellow logo of the University of Oregon is embroidered on the front of the hat, in stark contrast to the forest green coloring of the rest of the material. The back of the hat has been adjusted to fit the head of someone very small, an adult more than likely, but not a very large individual. "Where did you find this? I need to know exactly where it was."

  Stuart seems puzzled by the question at first and looks back down the path before responding. "It was on the north side of the ride, about three quarters of the way around the path. Under that side of the wheel, like someone probably lost it while riding the ride."

  "Where was it exactly? Was it on the path or did you find it underneath the bushes?" It's times like these that Mitch has been told he can be a bit arrogant and hard to work with. His father has told him numerous times he needs to work on his people skills, but he finds it hard to be patient when Stuart is being oblivious to the importance of the hat.

  "It was in the path, right in the middle of the path. If I hadn't seen it and picked it up, chances are I would have stepped on it. I don't see what the big deal is Mitch, it's just a hat. I'm sure kids lose hats on the rides here all summer long." When Mitch gets in one of
his moods, the other deputies usually stay their distance. Stuart, in this case, has nowhere else to go and is forced to deal with the full wrath.

  "For your information, this hat was not lost last summer. It was probably lost tonight while the ride was running. That's why it's so important for you to remember the details." Mitch pulls out his notebook once more and jots down more details regarding the hat, mainly where it was found and by whom.

  Fred chimes in, making an effort to take some of the heat off of his partner, "How do you know it wasn't lost during the summer? I think you may be jumping to conclusions."

  "Fred, I know what you're doing. You're a good partner and friend but we need to do everything here by the book. Someone is here, and we need to make sure we cover all our bases. You felt the ride, so you know it had been running at some point tonight."

  "Yes, I did. Like you I find that odd but that has nothing to do with the hat that Stuart found." Fred reaches for the ball cap, but Mitch just turns away from him and directs his attention back to Stuart.

  "What are you guys talking about? How do you know the ride was operating at some point tonight?" Stuart takes two steps away from the other two and says these words out loud, not directing them at either man in particular. His gaze is affixed over their heads as he studies the Ferris Wheel for any sign of activity.

  "The covering to the mechanical part of the ride was very hot, so hot that it burned my palm. For this reason, we can deduct that the ride was operating at some point tonight, and that I'm not crazy for that matter." He stops long enough to let that last point sink in and takes the time to make eye contact with both men before proceeding. "As for this ball cap, I can tell just by looking at it that it was not left here from the summer. Anyone can see that. We had about four feet of snow this year. If this hat would have been left out in the elements for the winter, there would be for more signs of damage. The material is in far too good of shape and the brim looks like it has barely ever been worn, let alone survived an Oregon winter."

  "That all makes sense Mitch, but I am not sure. Maybe it was under the branches of one of the tall pine trees over there. The trees are all over the place in this park. Couldn't the hat just have landed in the exact right spot to stay dry?" Stuart sounds more as if he was trying to convince himself, as well as Mitch, that there is nothing out of the ordinary going on at Graham Park, but even a person with as little intuition as he has would know that something just isn't right.

  "If it were under the trees it would have been covered in pine straws or sap. There is no evidence of either. This hat was lost recently, maybe even this evening." Mitch finally hands the hat to Fred who again gives it a thorough inspection. "There have been too many signs that there is something going on in here. We need to do a proper investigation. Boys, get ready for a very long night."

  Chapter 7

  Fred Donovan has always been willing to do whatever task is needed as part of the job. Stuart Johnson, on the other hand, would rather sit behind his desk and fill out paperwork until his shift was over. He is in no way cut out for any type of police work other than writing tickets for the cars that are parked illegally on Main Street during the summer months. Now that he is forced to be a part of the threesome that is searching Graham Park, he is less than eager to get started. "You think I should head back to the station and make a few phone calls? I'm sure the feds would be willing to send some people down to help us out."

  Mitch looks at him with disgust. The winters in Twisted Timbers are long and cold and lack of anything close to excitement. This is the first real police matter that has arose since September. "That's not going to happen. The park is very big, and we will need all the men we have. Plus, what if this turns out to be nothing? Do you want to be responsible for calling in the boys from Portland over something that we should have handled ourselves?"

  "No, not exactly. I'm just not cut out for this kind of stuff. Chasing ghosts and sounds in the night are not the things I signed up for when I took this job." Stuart is already showing the signs of a nervous man who is being forced to do something that is far from his comfort zone.

  "You signed up to be a police officer. This is what police officers do. They investigate strange happenings, apprehend the suspects and arrest them." He looks over to Fred in hopes he will give a nod of agreement and take his side. "I don't know what exactly you think you signed up for, but this is what we are supposed to do. We are going to spread out, so we can cover more ground. Every time you enter a new building or ride, or you find something that could be important, I want you to communicate it over the radio. Is that clear?"

  Stuart nods in agreement, even though he does it reluctantly. He knows that Mitch is the son of his boss, and he is aware of the fact that how he acts tonight will be relayed to the sheriff whether he likes it or not. Stuart Johnson has been on the police force for over fifteen years and in all of that time he has never had to carry his rifle. Not even once. The last time it was used was when he went to Portland to take training classes and become re-certified to carry it. Now he grips onto it as if it is the only thing that is keeping him safe from whatever is hiding in the dark.

  Mitch is still nursing his sore hand but manages to use the tip of his rifle to point each man in the direction he wants them to head. "Stuart, I want you to head north and check out the kids’ area. Fred, you go south and check out the water park and area around it. I'll head straight through, behind the Ferris Wheel and have a look at the midway and the other rides. Stay alert, and remember to use the radio. I don't know who is here, but I have a feeling they are not going to be happy to see us."

  Mitch watches as Fred almost skips into action and heads for the water park area. He is heading down the same patch of concrete that he used to circle the Ferris Wheel, except this time when the path forks, he heads left. He disappears behind a row of trees that have been allowed to hang low over the path. A few seconds later, even the glow from his flashlight is no longer visible.

  Mitch turns to Stuart and gives him the nodding motion that signals it's time for him to get going too. Although he is reluctant to do so, he finally gets his lanky body moving in the direction of the kids rides. Mitch watches him and can tell he is extremely nervous. His flashlight is darting quickly from side to side. Mitch knows that there is someone uninvited in Graham Park and he prays that it is not Stuart who runs into the person first.

  Satisfied that the other two officers are going about their tasks properly, Mitch turns on his flashlight and circles around to the back of the Ferris Wheel. Here the path forms a T with the large, usually well-lit midway. This was always the last stop most visitors would make before exiting the park. The midway is lined with carnival games, arcades and food booths. Mitch stands at the intersection of the two paths and closes his eyes. The time he spent with his grandfather hunting in the woods has taught him the importance of smelling the air for anything that seems out of place.

  His mind takes him back to visiting Graham Park as a child. The smells of cotton candy, popcorn and caramel apples always made him smile. He remembers his father always promising that he could have one treat on the way out if he acted properly throughout the day. Mitch would always choose the popcorn, because it was his father’s favorite and he knew he could share.

  Standing here in the quiet now has brought no unusual smells. The night has turned colder, and the change in temperature has made the tip of his nose red. He opens his eyes and without thinking about it he uses his right hand to rub his nose in an attempt to warm it up. The pain in his hand is excruciating but he refrains from letting out a sound and giving away his position.

  He proceeds down the path of the midway in pure silence. Every step that he makes falls softly on the concrete. To the west he can see the lightning off in the distance. The weather guy had said there would be a storm overnight, but Mitch was hoping they could finish this up before it moved in. Using the knowledge that comes from years spent in this part of the country, he knows the storm is still
about an hour away.

  A few more steps down the midway brings Mitch to the rows of carnival games and video game arcades. Both sides of the walkway are surrounded by the short, wooden buildings. When the park is open, the individual rooms of these buildings are filled with stuffed animals, flashing lights and workers who are trying to convince the visitors that they are guaranteed to win. Now, the openings are covered with sheets of plywood, the lights are all dark and the midway is completely silent.

  Mitch shines his flashlight from side to side, he didn't really know if there was a proper technique, but he uses the flashlight as he was trained to do with his pistol. Don't point it anywhere you are not looking was the line the instructor used repeatedly. When he was a kid the thrill of these games sent his heart racing. He remembers how his father told him that most of these games were rigged in favor of the park but that didn't make it any easier for Mitch to bypass them. Near the center of the buildings, and located directly in the middle of the walkway, is a circular hut.

  The hut has been boarded up and there are no distinct markings on the outside. Mitch assumes this building operates as a food or beverage vendor when the park is open, but he can't be sure. He decides to walk around the small building and when he reaches the back side, he sees a door. This is when Mitch wishes the owner would leave all the keys to the park, rather than just the one that opens the front gate. The door is closed tightly but he decides to try the handle anyway. A small turn of the knob and he hears the unmistakable sound of the locking mechanism releasing. With the door opened slightly he can see the stream of light that is escaping through the tiny opening. He returns his flashlight to his back pocket and positions his rifle to aim directly at the door, so as to be ready for anything that may be inside. He counts to three in his head, grabs the handle again and swings the door open.