DRayVan
05-09-2026, 08:05 AM
Chapter 01: Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here—Right?
Wednesday, March 7, 2021, 5:33 a.m.
A cold northwest March wind blew, bringing thick layers of puffy gray clouds, and a dreary blackness settled over Clearfield, Iowa. The chance of rain ticked up by the hour. Except for the illumination of street lamps, security lights, and storefronts, the town had closed down for the night. Only the growling of stray dogs scrapping over food morsels broke the silence along Officer Jack Carter’s route.
Carter, a twenty-four-year-old rookie police officer, drove the patrol car along his assigned course, the last spin around town, before going off duty. Bone-weary and struggling to stay awake, he pressed his two-way comm’s button.
“Code ten-thirty-five, Joey.”
“Ten minutes later than the last time you checked,” Joey’s crackling voice answered. “You bored, Jack?”
“Ever hear of anyone dying of boredom, Joey? Well... Tonight’s gonna be yer first one.”
Carter’s receiver crackled.
“You never know who’s scanning this frequency, Jack, so be careful what you say.”
“Ten-four, Joey,” Carter said, settling back and proceeding along Seventh to Packard.
He whistled his favorite tune while checking one side of the street, then the other. Carter turned on the wipers when a light drizzle began to fall, but they left streaks on the windshield, making it difficult to see much. He rounded the street corner near the loading dock of Abe’s Fine Furniture and Antiques. The store’s lone security lamp cast sharp shadows on an assortment of trash bins, boxes, and scattered debris that cluttered the adjacent alleyway.
When he approached, his vehicle’s lights illuminated a body lying near a trash bin. Carter slammed on the brakes! He grabbed a flashlight and hopped out of the car.
“Oh, my God!” he said, rushing toward the body.
A young woman tried to raise her arm, but it plopped back onto the pavement. Carter knelt beside her and swept the hair from the woman’s eyes.
“Who did this to ya, ma’am?”
The woman’s body shivered, and her teeth chattered. She tried to speak. “I-I-I don’t—”
He took off his coat, put it over the woman, and squeezed his Titan comm-unit. “HQ... HQ! Code two, Joey! Code three!”
“Ten-four, Jack. What ya got?”
“A code two-forty-five. Maybe, a code two-sixty-one! No... A code... Screw the codes, Joey.”
“Just tell me what ya got, Jack.”
“Woman down. Multiple stab wounds... Send EMS. I need some help here, Joey. Pronto! Like yesterday, man!”
“Calm down, Jack. Where are you?”
“I am calm, goddammit! I’m at Abe’s on Packard near Seventh. Need that EMS ASAP.” Carter turned to the woman. “You’ll be okay, ma’am. Just hang on. Help’s a-comin’.” He yelled into the comm unit. “Where the hell is that EMS, Joey? Ya sendin’ that friggin’ help yet?”
*** End Chapter ***
Wednesday, March 7, 2021, 5:33 a.m.
A cold northwest March wind blew, bringing thick layers of puffy gray clouds, and a dreary blackness settled over Clearfield, Iowa. The chance of rain ticked up by the hour. Except for the illumination of street lamps, security lights, and storefronts, the town had closed down for the night. Only the growling of stray dogs scrapping over food morsels broke the silence along Officer Jack Carter’s route.
Carter, a twenty-four-year-old rookie police officer, drove the patrol car along his assigned course, the last spin around town, before going off duty. Bone-weary and struggling to stay awake, he pressed his two-way comm’s button.
“Code ten-thirty-five, Joey.”
“Ten minutes later than the last time you checked,” Joey’s crackling voice answered. “You bored, Jack?”
“Ever hear of anyone dying of boredom, Joey? Well... Tonight’s gonna be yer first one.”
Carter’s receiver crackled.
“You never know who’s scanning this frequency, Jack, so be careful what you say.”
“Ten-four, Joey,” Carter said, settling back and proceeding along Seventh to Packard.
He whistled his favorite tune while checking one side of the street, then the other. Carter turned on the wipers when a light drizzle began to fall, but they left streaks on the windshield, making it difficult to see much. He rounded the street corner near the loading dock of Abe’s Fine Furniture and Antiques. The store’s lone security lamp cast sharp shadows on an assortment of trash bins, boxes, and scattered debris that cluttered the adjacent alleyway.
When he approached, his vehicle’s lights illuminated a body lying near a trash bin. Carter slammed on the brakes! He grabbed a flashlight and hopped out of the car.
“Oh, my God!” he said, rushing toward the body.
A young woman tried to raise her arm, but it plopped back onto the pavement. Carter knelt beside her and swept the hair from the woman’s eyes.
“Who did this to ya, ma’am?”
The woman’s body shivered, and her teeth chattered. She tried to speak. “I-I-I don’t—”
He took off his coat, put it over the woman, and squeezed his Titan comm-unit. “HQ... HQ! Code two, Joey! Code three!”
“Ten-four, Jack. What ya got?”
“A code two-forty-five. Maybe, a code two-sixty-one! No... A code... Screw the codes, Joey.”
“Just tell me what ya got, Jack.”
“Woman down. Multiple stab wounds... Send EMS. I need some help here, Joey. Pronto! Like yesterday, man!”
“Calm down, Jack. Where are you?”
“I am calm, goddammit! I’m at Abe’s on Packard near Seventh. Need that EMS ASAP.” Carter turned to the woman. “You’ll be okay, ma’am. Just hang on. Help’s a-comin’.” He yelled into the comm unit. “Where the hell is that EMS, Joey? Ya sendin’ that friggin’ help yet?”
*** End Chapter ***