Dead Ringers; Chapter 4

I finally pull up to the scene about an hour later. Flashing my badge to the officer at the tape, I duck under it. It takes me a couple seconds to spot Elliot.

I jog over to Elliot. "Well?" I ask.

Elliot looks at me. "Well, so far it matches our case's profile."

"Who's our medical examiner?"

"Jeb. They just put him on since he dealt with the first body."

"Works for me."

Together we walk towards the body. I can see flashes of Jeb's red hair between the milling officers. I have a sudden thought.

"What are we calling the bodies? I mean, we can't exactly say vic. The person they seem to be is technically still alive. They just happen to have a dead double."

Elliot thinks for a second. "Doppelgänger vic?"

I stop and so does Elliot. "I'm not saying that mouthful every time."

"How about dopp vic?"

Rolling my eyes, I begin to walk towards Jeb again.

"Vic gänger?" Elliot calls after me.

I shake my head as I continue walking. Elliot jogs ahead of me. He snaps his fingers, then points finger guns at me.

"D.V.?" He suggests with a goofy smile.

I chuckle. "D.V. it is."

Walking through the milling officers, I stop next to Jeb. Jeb briefly glances up at Elliot and me.

"Detective Fullin, I trust Detective Rider told you what I told him," Jeb says.

"He did, but I'm curious."

Jeb looks up at us from his position on the ground. "Well, with looks, I'd say it's Thomas Hardy. Same eye and hair color, same physical features. All injuries appear postmortem. No fingerprints. Just like your doppelgänger."

I glance at the sheet covering the body. "Eyes open upon discovery?" Jeb continues his work, simply nodding. I nod. "Thank you."

Turning, I scan the officers. Spotting the one that appears to be in charge I head towards him. Elliot walks beside me.

"Evening," The officer says as we approach.

"Evening. I'm Detective Fullin, this is my partner, Detective Rider. We're the leading detectives for this case." I flash him my badge and Elliot mimics me.

The officer nods. "What can I do for you?"

"We would like to speak with any eyewitnesses."

"Joseph McCromwick," the officer says pointing to a man in business casual talking with another officer. "Bank teller. He was just leaving when it happened."

"Thank you," I say.

Elliot and I walk towards the witness. When we reach him, Elliot takes the lead.

"Mr. McCromwick?" He asks. When the man looks at us, we show our badges. "Copultin City P.D, Day Division. I'm Detective Rider, this is my partner, Detective Fullin."

McCromwick nods. "Day Division's finest, I've read about you in the newspapers."

I ignore the remark. "We were told you were the eyewitness."

"I guess," McCromwick says with a shrug.

"Just tell us what you saw."

"I had just finished my shift and was heading out. As I walked through the doors this black van sped into the parking lot. It started to slow down, but the sped back up." McCromwick shrugs again. "Guess the driver saw me. Anyways, when they got close to the stairs, the back doors flew open and out came the body. The van never stopped moving."

"Did you see inside the van?" Elliot asks.

McCromwick shakes his head. "No. They were pretty proficient at opening and closing the doors."

"Did you see the driver?"

"Windows were tinted so I couldn't see in."

"License plate?"

"None."

"Anything you can think of that may be helpful?"

McCromwick thinks for a second. "No."

Elliot nods. "Well, tha-"

"Did you recognize the body?" I ask, cutting off Elliot. Elliot and McCromwick look at me, both caught off guard by my question. "Well?"

"Yes," McCromwick says, slowly nodding his head. "It looked like Thomas Hardy, a son of one of the directors."

I nod. "Thank you for your time."

I turn and walk off, Elliot at my heels. "Why did you ask him if he recognized the body. Jeb told us who it looked like."

"I was curious."

"Why?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I just got a hunch." I stop walking and turn to look at the chaos of the crime scene. "It's just so weird. First my doppelgänger, now the son of the Copultin City Bank's manager. It just seems so random. I feel like we're missing something."

Elliot is silent for a few seconds. "That's nice, but you didn't really answer my question."

I roll my eyes. "I answered your question. You need to work on your listening skills."

I don't have to look at Elliot to know that he's smiling. We stand and watch the officers, photographers, and everyone else bustles around. I don't know how long we stand there, but a yawn from me breaks the moment.

"Sorry. Gosh, I'm tired. Let's go talk to Hardy," I say as I start to move.

"Don't bother," Elliot advises me. I stop to look at him. "I already tried. His dad had him placed under guard at a secured location and is refusing to release any more details until tomorrow."

Nodding, I stifle another yawn. Why am I suddenly so tired? "Alright. Let's get back to the office and enter what we've got, then call it a night."

"How about I do that, and you go get some sleep." Elliot orders, leaving no room for negotiation.

My mind likes this idea, but the stubborn side of me isn't appeased at getting told to get some sleep like a child. I place my fists on my hips and fix Elliot with a stern gaze. "It won't take that long. I'll be fi-" I'm cut off by a yawn.

Elliot smirks. "If you call falling asleep in your desk chair 'fine', sure. Just know, I ain't gonna let you drive home if you fall asleep in your chair, which you will do."

I feel myself sway slightly. "Fine. I'll go home."

Elliot's smirk becomes a smile. "I love these rare times that I win arguments."

I point a warning finger at him. "Don't push it."

Elliot gives me a two-finger mock salute. "Aye, aye, captain."

I roll my eyes and turn away, heading for my car.

I'm sliding my key into the lock when I feel it. The hairs on the back of my neck rise. Someone is watching me. I spin around.

No one is there, but the feeling remains. To my right is the hustle and bustle of the crime scene, but they're all busy doing their jobs. Other than them, there is no one around.

I shake my head in an attempt to dislodge the feeling, but it remains. I tell myself it's just my tired brain so just get into the car. As I do so, the feeling of being watched intensifies.

Slamming the door shut, I lock the car.

"I'm just tired and need sleep. I'm just tired and need sleep," I chant to myself as I start the car.

I take one last look at the shadows. It's still empty and devoid of movement.

Shaking my head on last time, I head home.