Phantom Island-"Origins"-5

Byron sat at the table, drinking his coffee and watching the videos they had left him here with. They wanted him to take on another new case. He had already refused and said he was too busy but they had agreed to take off the two cold cases he had agreed to look into if he would just watch the videos.

So here he was, putting in the first video from the stack. He hated surveillance footage. It was always grainy and hard to see and almost impossible to identify people from them.

The video was from a street corner post. The sidewalk was as crowded as it usually was and everything looked normal. After several long minutes, he began to wonder what he was supposed to be looking for and if he’d already missed whatever it was.

Then a male walked backwards into view. Byron could tell right away that this guy was pissed. He was walking backward then turning around to walk away then turning back around to say more to someone.

This must be it, Bryon thought. This grainy guy probably stabs or shoots another grainy guy. Why would they bother him with this street crime, as he liked to call it? He didn’t work the typical street beat. He was best at things others found difficult or even impossible.

As he sat waiting for another grainy guy to come into view he began to get agitated. This was bullshit. Then a female figure entered the picture. She was walking calmly toward the angry guy. In between his outbursts, she would say something in a non-threatening way, as if she weren’t the least bit upset.

Odd.

They walked out of view of the camera and the recording stopped playing. That must have been what he was here for because someone had edited the recordings to only show that scene.

Byron switched out recording one with recording two and resumed watching. It seemed to be from a security camera outside of a shop this time.

The couple walked into view, still playing the same roles as in the last recording. They eventually walked out of frame here too. This was already getting old. Byron took out the disc and skipped ahead to disc four, assuming he wouldn’t miss much.

It seemed he was right. The only change was the guy looking even more frustrated than before. Why would he be so upset at this female? Was she a stalker? The recording ended again.

Byron was beginning to feel as though he was binge-watching a super short television series; which annoyed him. He skipped ahead to the last disc.

Here the couple had come to a stop on the curb. The guy was now face to face with the female. He was still angry and she was still calm.

Suddenly, the guy’s emotion disappeared and was replaced with a blank stare. Then he just walked into traffic. He was hit at least three times before cars began to stop.

Everyone started gathering immediately around the scene of the accident. They were recording on their cell phones and making those faces that people make when they see something terrible but refuse to look away. Byron hated those people, they were always in the way and never stopped asking annoying questions they knew they couldn’t have the answers to.

Byron rewound the recording to see what could have prompted the guy’s actions, and to find out why they wanted him on this particular case. It seemed to be another street case that any of the other officers should be handling.

Then he noticed that right before the guy’s face went slack, the female had spoken. Calmly. What could she have possibly said to him to make him walk into traffic? This was strange; which is why they showed it to him.

Now he wouldn’t have a choice. He would need to know what she said before he could move on. He knew this scene would play on repeat in his head until he knew. It would bother him night and day and probably disturb his sleep.

He rewound the footage and paused on the shot that came closest to showing her face. He could only tell that she was a female without obvious features like an oversized nose or extra weight. He really hated surveillance footage.

He walked out of the video room and up to the officer currently in charge of the case; the one who was trying to hand it off to him. He was about to ask what other information they had on her and if there was a better picture of her but the officer smiled and spoke first. He took Byron’s approach as acceptance of the case.

“That was quick. Are you ready for the rest now?” asked the officer; Kast, his name tag said.

Byron came to a halt in front of Kast and gave him the questioning glare he was known for; one that asked “what do you mean rest?”

Kast grinned and replied “Oh, we have several videos on Lady Death. You just watched her debut performance.”

END of Story 2-"Byron"-Part 1

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