Savage Echoes (The Nickie Savage Series, Short Story Prequel) by R.T. Wolfe Page B
Book: Savage Echoes (The Nickie Savage Series, Short Story Prequel) by R.T. Wolfe
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Authors: R.T. Wolfe
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the buildings sound different. That's some shit, huh? Too bad we can't use him." He laughed as he got in.
Her hand froze on the door handle. She considered his comment, then smirked. Opening the door a crack, she told Eddy she would be just a minute and pulled out her cell.
"Hey," she said softly into her phone.
"Good day, Detective." The almost-baritone voice sent a wave of calm over her.
Running her fingers through the top of her hair, she asked, "Can I... uh... ask a favor?"
"Does it involve whipped cream or a hot tub?"
She smiled and ducked her head. "Not exactly. Can you come down to the station and listen to something?"
"Listen to something." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. A 9-1-1 call. I can get clearance for you. Are you in the middle of anything?" Stupid question. He was always in the middle of something.
"Twenty minutes?" he asked.
"Thank you."
* * *
Nickie stood statue still at the back of the captain's office as Serena Flats' parents listened to the call. She positioned herself so she could see both Dave and the hallway. The mother crossed her arms. The dad folded his hands and rested his chin on his chest.
"It's a prank," the mother said. "Her friends are always doing this crap."
Luckily, the captain asked exactly what Nickie wanted to know. "Your daughter's friends have done this before?"
Serena's mother shook her head quickly. "Not this exactly, no. They play stupid jokes. Make stupid decisions. She's always hung around the wrong crowd. There's only so much a mother can do, ya know?"
Kids? Twenty years old is a kid? She supposed some families might think so. Not in Nickie's life. The dad looked sad, defeated and silent. It would be nice to have a parent who showed concern. Using her knuckles, Nickie pushed her chin to one side, cracked her neck, then did the same in the opposite direction.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him.
His coat came just over the pockets of his casual black pants. Dark chocolate waves brushed the top of a slate blue shirt that peeked above the coat. Duncan Reed strode through the stale third floor of the Northridge Police Department like he'd just stepped out of a magazine. Technically, he had.
Their eyes met. Blissful peace. In question, he jerked his head toward her office. She nodded slightly in response.
Turning her glance back to the group, she saw the muscles in Eddy's jaws flex and release.
Chapter 2
Duncan recognized the look on Nickie's face. Pale and clammy said all he needed to know.
Patience had left him the minute he heard the tone of her voice on the phone. She was right, he had been busy. But he was nowhere near ready to tell her about any of that.
He wanted to walk into Captain Nolan's office to get a closer look at the steel gray in her eyes, run his hand down the long locks of the honey wheat she rarely wore up. Instead, he would wait in her office. He didn't have to like it.
Ignoring the stares from the clerk whose desk was just outside the door, he eased the time by clearing Nickie's ancient printer from underneath the jacket and papers that had been tossed over it. He pulled out a piece of paper from the tray.
Sitting at her desk, he did what he needed to in order to focus. He sketched a section of the road he'd traveled on the way to the station. Northridge, New York, was just big enough to be free from the antics of a small town. But small enough that one needed to drive to Rochester or Binghamton to get the feel of a real city. The tallest building was just four stories high. He knew this because the top floor belonged to him.
He drew the outlines of a row of mid-sized buildings, all well-kept and mostly brick. The trim over the front doors, the occasional bench away from the curb. The detail of each point and line helped clear his mind.
He recognized her footsteps long before she arrived. Quick, purposeful. By the time she turned the corner into her office, he was at the door. Respecting her need for discretion, he
Her hand froze on the door handle. She considered his comment, then smirked. Opening the door a crack, she told Eddy she would be just a minute and pulled out her cell.
"Hey," she said softly into her phone.
"Good day, Detective." The almost-baritone voice sent a wave of calm over her.
Running her fingers through the top of her hair, she asked, "Can I... uh... ask a favor?"
"Does it involve whipped cream or a hot tub?"
She smiled and ducked her head. "Not exactly. Can you come down to the station and listen to something?"
"Listen to something." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. A 9-1-1 call. I can get clearance for you. Are you in the middle of anything?" Stupid question. He was always in the middle of something.
"Twenty minutes?" he asked.
"Thank you."
* * *
Nickie stood statue still at the back of the captain's office as Serena Flats' parents listened to the call. She positioned herself so she could see both Dave and the hallway. The mother crossed her arms. The dad folded his hands and rested his chin on his chest.
"It's a prank," the mother said. "Her friends are always doing this crap."
Luckily, the captain asked exactly what Nickie wanted to know. "Your daughter's friends have done this before?"
Serena's mother shook her head quickly. "Not this exactly, no. They play stupid jokes. Make stupid decisions. She's always hung around the wrong crowd. There's only so much a mother can do, ya know?"
Kids? Twenty years old is a kid? She supposed some families might think so. Not in Nickie's life. The dad looked sad, defeated and silent. It would be nice to have a parent who showed concern. Using her knuckles, Nickie pushed her chin to one side, cracked her neck, then did the same in the opposite direction.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him.
His coat came just over the pockets of his casual black pants. Dark chocolate waves brushed the top of a slate blue shirt that peeked above the coat. Duncan Reed strode through the stale third floor of the Northridge Police Department like he'd just stepped out of a magazine. Technically, he had.
Their eyes met. Blissful peace. In question, he jerked his head toward her office. She nodded slightly in response.
Turning her glance back to the group, she saw the muscles in Eddy's jaws flex and release.
Chapter 2
Duncan recognized the look on Nickie's face. Pale and clammy said all he needed to know.
Patience had left him the minute he heard the tone of her voice on the phone. She was right, he had been busy. But he was nowhere near ready to tell her about any of that.
He wanted to walk into Captain Nolan's office to get a closer look at the steel gray in her eyes, run his hand down the long locks of the honey wheat she rarely wore up. Instead, he would wait in her office. He didn't have to like it.
Ignoring the stares from the clerk whose desk was just outside the door, he eased the time by clearing Nickie's ancient printer from underneath the jacket and papers that had been tossed over it. He pulled out a piece of paper from the tray.
Sitting at her desk, he did what he needed to in order to focus. He sketched a section of the road he'd traveled on the way to the station. Northridge, New York, was just big enough to be free from the antics of a small town. But small enough that one needed to drive to Rochester or Binghamton to get the feel of a real city. The tallest building was just four stories high. He knew this because the top floor belonged to him.
He drew the outlines of a row of mid-sized buildings, all well-kept and mostly brick. The trim over the front doors, the occasional bench away from the curb. The detail of each point and line helped clear his mind.
He recognized her footsteps long before she arrived. Quick, purposeful. By the time she turned the corner into her office, he was at the door. Respecting her need for discretion, he
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