Rude Awakening (con't)

"Umm.. well.. the.. uh.. the fireplace.." He stumbled. This was baffling me. From the first time I ever met Sam, he's never been at a loss of words. I couldn't comprehend why he wouldn't just tell me already!

"SAM! Say it! WHAT?" I yelled, turning the attention of the Officer still at his post at the front enterence at me. He gave me a scolding glance and looked away.

"It was found right over there. By the fireplace." He pointed. "Parts of him were laying on the floor, and some parts were.. well.. already gone."

So THAT'S what that smell was, then. Burning flesh and meat and bones and clothes. I knew it reminded me of bar-b-que....

I shuddered at that last thought. Never again would I ever be able to sit and enjoy some pork ribs drenched in sauce. Not to mention one of those big turkey legs you get at the fairs.

"Which victim was it?" I asked, trying to get the mental picture out of my head.

"They think it was the owner. He was having family game night here with his wife and kids"

That was all I needed to know at the moment. I didn't want to hear anymore. I was just glad it wasn't one of his children. I heard from the gossiping police that the owner had 3 kids. Two sons, 9 and 13 and a daughter who just turned 17.

"You gonna be O.K., Sam? We really need to start on this scene."

"Oh sure.. I'll be fine." He sighed heavily "Hey, would you start cleaning the fireplace though? I think I got the last of the bones out, but I can't be sure."

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2 hours later I was finally ready to leave the scene. I had boxes and boxes of evidence. Papers, pieces of carpet, lamps, knifes, fingerprints, even ashes from the fireplace. Thankfully, I wouldn't have to sort through all of this. That was for the 'lab rats'. In this field, you are either a lab rat or a field mouse. There was a time, not too long ago, that I thought I would more enjoy being a field mouse. But on days like this... working in a lab where verything's clean and you don't have to actually SEE or smell a freshly made crime scene, well, it would be so much better.

I stood near the back of the van, loading it down with my horrible luggage and being thankful it was no longer pouring, when I heard one of the bystanders talking.

I guess the word 'heard' could be used loosely here. While I 'hear' like everyone else with working eardrums,.. I also hear people differently than others.

As long as I am in the vicinity of someone, I can here what they are thinking. I try not to use it. I try to keep out of people's personal thoughts. I know it's violating someone's privacy, but sometimes it comes in handy. That's one of the reasons why I chose this profession. I figured, if I was given this gift, then I should put it to good use and help rid the world of bad guys. But, no one knows what I can do. I don't like telling people. I've often thought about telling Sam, but I don't know how he'd react. Most people, when they find out, feel very uncomfortable around me and don't like to be near me. That would be a bad thing with Sam, since he's my partner.

Sometimes, when my own mind is wondering, I forget to keep the barrier up and someone's thoughts always end up drifting in, mixing with my own. And that's exactly what happened while I was standing there. I was lost in my own mind, going over what I just saw inside that quiet house in that quiet little neighborhood. That's when I heard it...

"HA! Even though that little bitch has boxes full of shit.. They still won't catch me!!!"

My head jerked up and started scanning the area. Even in crowds I can normally tell which direction the voice is coming from. But not tonight. Tonight I can't tell. My mind was so unfocused, I probably wouldn't even be able to tell if they were standing right in front of me.

My eyes keep scanning the area as I try to act like I'm still working. After fiddling with my stuff for over 15 minutes, I give up. I hadn't heard the voice since that one time and figured they've left. I slammed the back of the van's door closed and make my way to the driver's side. Sam is heading towards me looking more ragged than I feel.

"I got all my stuff loaded, Sam. Are you meeting me back at the office?"

"Yea, eventually. But I have to stick around here for a bit, then I'll be on my way."

I just stared at him. I thikn that was the first sentence I've ever heard him say and NOT reference the rodeo. This is obviously affecting him. More than he wants to let on.

I nod and get into the van. I wave goodbye to him as I pull away from the curb and head to the lab. As I'm driving, his last sentence keeps replaying over in my mind. It just isn't like Sam to talk like that. While his constant rodeo references are a bit irritating, I never realized until now that I would miss them when they weren't said. The lack of them is scaring me, because that means Sam ISN'T O.K.

I have to figure out whats going on with him before it gets even worse. Before it starts to affect his work or our partnership.