Welcome to FROST HARROW Book 2.  (No previous reading required.)  Please support my work via Patreon at www.PaySteve.com.  Enjoy!

NINETEEN – NOTHING TO REPORT

Officer Rick Christopher rubbed his neck and stared at the form on his desk. Man, he felt tired. More tired than even last month when he’d had trouble sleeping.

The clock on the station wall read fifteen past eleven, but it felt like at least two in the morning. His shift had ended two hours ago. Why had it taken so long for him to check out that beach?

He rubbed the short-cropped black hair on his head. He couldn’t remember why.

It’s not like there had been anything to see out there—not like he’d found anything.

No, he’d just taken a pleasant drive down a deserted stretch of sand, looking for a drunkard who’d probably turn up bagged in some flea-bitten motel in a couple of days.

At least, that’s what usually happened. Despite his best efforts, Rick couldn’t quite shake the idea that somehow, this time, things would turn out differently.

He dotted all the ‘i’s and crossed all the ‘t’s on his report and then handed it to the sergeant on duty.

“This it?” the sergeant asked skeptically. “You expect overtime pay for this?”

“Ain’t my fault nothing turned up,” Rick said unenthusiastically. “You gonna start paying us by the perp now, O’Malley?”

The sergeant snorted. “All right, g’wan. Get outta here.” He paused. “Unless, you’d like to help out on another investigation. I sent Flynn to the east docks, check out some kind of attack. Some gal got her throat slashed.”

“Where’s Boyle?” Rick asked. Boyle was Flynn’s usual partner.

“Called in with the flu. That’s why I’m asking you.”

Rick shook his head. “No thanks,” he said. “I need some rest.”

“Well, goodnight, then.”

“Yeah,” said Rick fetching his hat and coat. “Goodnight.”

He rubbed his neck as he left, wondering when it had gotten so stiff.

CONTINUED…

Read the FREE Frost Harrow Halloween stories, too!
“The Weeping Ghost” (2012), “A Trace of Violet” (2013),  “Lunchroom Zombies” (2014), “Omens & Visitations” (2015), “Fata Morgana” (2016), and “At the Appointed Hour” (2017), and “Devil’s Lake” (2018), “A Walk on Witches’ Hill” (2019), “The Beast of Bay Road” (2020)