On an average day in an average building in an average town, there was more entertainment to last for a year.
“It all started with our community theatres version of that one play with that stupid little girl with the dog and those red shoes or whatever it’s called. Anyway, right after they were done singing about that dusty old road a body flew off stage! Now, I’ve never seen this show thing before so I started clapping ‘cause dang that thing looked real!” an older lady said to me.
“Clairy! that’s because it was real!” another lady interrupted.
“Of course but, on with the story. Where was I? Oh! Yes, I remember! The body, it looked so real! Everyone kinda looked at me funny. Kinda like I just walked into a meeting with my wig on backwards. Then, at least four fifths of the audience ran out of the theatre! How rude of them!”
“Clairy! Don’t forget about that attractive young police man!”
“Gwyneth! I’m getting to it! So, the people, they left. Gwen and I were one of the only people left in the theatre. Even the actors left! After the entire building was evacuated they sent in the C.S.I. team. They had a gurney, a body bad, and even that fingerprint stuff! I was truly a real crime scene! The police were obviously also there. They were the people who put up the crime scene tape. The police man, or should I say gentlemen,” she winks at me, “that escorted me out of the theatre is a dashing young man. I believe he’s standing right over there!” they both point to my colleague.
“Now that’s a man I’d let take me to dinner and some, if you know what i mean,” Gwen says then winks at me for a second time.
“Now Clair,” I say before she interrupts me.
“Now to think about it, It wasn’t even my idea to go to see the play! It was Patti’s!”
“Well, ever since your husband died, how many years ago?”
“Three,”
“Ever since he died three years ago you haven’t been going out much.”
“I have been quite lonely. I was so thrilled when you asked me to go out.”
“My condolences.”
“Thank you officer.”
“Not to interrupt your story but what exactly happened after officer smith took you out of the theatre? Did you see anything else?”
“Well, he took Gwyneth and I out of the theatre and directed us to you.”
“Before the play did you see anyone suspicious?”
“Not really.”
“If either of you need anything here’s my card.”
I walk away from the two women and get into my police car. I drive to the morgue. I arrived to a sea of reporters and new cameras.
“What’s the latest information?” Yells one reporter.
“I there an I.D. for the victim?” yells another.
I finally get inside the morgue and everyone looks as if they have just seen a ghost.
“What happened?” I say almost demanding an answer.
Everyone stays silent.
“Seriously! What happened?”
An intern hesitantly walks up to me while the others stay back. He almost walks back but then, almost as a whisper says, “The body, it’s gone missing.”
“How could that have happened? This facility is under surveillance and you have to have a badge to get in!”
The room when back to a silence. It was as if in that moment the entire room filled with dread and nervousness.
“I’ll be back momentarily. I’m going to get a bottle of water. Anyone need anything?” the intern says.
The intern walks down the hall almost half way and stops.
“Molly! Molly! Come quick!”
Molly, the pathologist, runs to the intern and yelps.
“Martin! Quick!”
I run to the group.
“What..”
Before I could even finish my sentence I see the body plastered on the wall.
“How did that get there!” the intern says in disbelief.
Molly walked to her lab and got a large examination tray for the body and several smaller trays for the evidence. We each grabbed protective suits and gloves, put them on, and got to work.
“Who wants the honors?” I say in a joking tone.
“I'll do it,” the intern says.
We all slowly take the body off of the wall and put it onto the large tray.
“Can you take it from here?” I ask.
“Yeah we should be good. But, would you mind calling in some extra security?” Molly asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”
I step away from the group and all of a sudden my phone rings.
“Hello?”
There’s a loud crackling noise.
“Hello, who is this?”
Silence.
“Is anyone there?”
“Yes.”
“Who are you?”
“I am nobody.”
“Well, What do you want?”
“I want nothing”
“Why did you call?”
“To forward a message.”
“What message?”
“This is a waring. If you of your team pursues this case you will all die!”
The call is disconnected. I call officer Smith and ask for him to bring over ten officers to the morgue. I walk back into the lab.
The call is disconnected. I call officer Smith and ask for him to bring over ten officers to the morgue. I walk back into the lab.
“Anything new?”
“We don't have an I.D. or cause of death but there is some red residue on the victims left cheek. I’ll have to send it to Dr. Hanz to know what it actually is,” says the intern.
“You know, you don't have to be here. You can go home. Get some rest. You’ve had a long day,” Molly says.
I get back into my car and drive to my apartment. I immediately fall asleep when I arrive home.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I look over at my alarm clock and I slowly turn back over clutching the duvet with a firm grip.
“Get up!” my mind says, “Get up right this instance!”
The room is blurry and i can’t focus. What’s happening to me! I cant keep my eyes open. I slowly fall back asleep.
“Martin. Martin are you okay?”
I cant answer. Every muscle in my body feels paralysed.
“Smith! Call the paramedics! I don't think he’s breathing!”
I fall unconscious again, only later to wake up in a hospital. I look around my room. There’s nobody. Not even one of those annoying roommates. I’m all alone.
A younger lady probably in her late twenties, about the same age as me, walked in and bent over and whispered in my ear, “I warned you,” Then walked away.
I just layed there, dazed, trying to move my hand to the nurse button but i can’t. Soon enough, a nurse walked into my empty room. She put some medicine into my IV then left.
Hours later Molly visited me. By that time i could actually move and speak.
“We have an I.D. on the victim. Now I was only able to get this information from being close with the forensic anthropologist so, nobody else knows this information. His name is Allen Hanson. You remember that red residue I found on his neck, that was lipstick. That’s all I got.”
“Do you have his cause of death yet?”
“Ooh I almost forgot! Yes! He was poisoned.”
“With what?”
“Hemlock. Someone could’ve given him a salad of hemlock and he’d be dead in as little as two hours.”
“Hey Molly, would you mind getting the nurse?”
“Sure.”
Molly walked out of the room and came back in with the nurse.
“What do you need?” the nurse asked.
“NObody has told me what happened to me. Would you mind telling me?’
“Sure thing.” the nurse opened my chart, “You were poisoned with hemlock.”
“That’s odd,” Molly said.
“Would you mind giving us a minute?” I ask the nurse.
“Sure thing,” she says while leaving.
“You remember when i left your lab?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, when I left I got a call warning me about not pursuing the case. Also, earlier today a lady visited me and said ‘I warned you’”
“So you think whoever killed Allen tried to kill you?”
“It’s a possibility, although I don't think she wanted to kill me. I think it was just a message.”
“I definitely think that it’s worth investigating.. I’m gonna go to officer Smiths’ office and tell him about this. You just stay put and get better. We need you out in the field.”
Molly leaves my room.
“What do I do now?” I ask myself without the slightest idea of how to use my time.
I get out my computer and log in to my blog.
Today was pretty good other than the fact I got poisoned by a crazy woman with red lipstick.
I type into the word box only to delete every letter.
“Hmmm,” I let out a gasp of aspiration, “What to write?”
I stare at the empty word box for a while just thinking.
“Ah ha!” I say with a burst of energy and hope.
The Postman A Tale By Martin Saul
I write for hours and hours. I actually wrote for so long that by the time i got done the nurse told me that I was going to be able to be discharged in a couple of hours.
I arrange for a taxi to pick me up and take me home.
I arrive home being greeted by several of coworkers and most importantly Molly.
We ate cake with welcome home written in purple frosting. We laughed and drank and had a great time. Everyone except Molly left. Which was nothing but two old pals hanging out.
“I’ve got good news!”
“What is it?”
“They arrested Indigo Redman for the murder of Allen and attempted murder of you.”
“Redman,” I say while laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“The lipstick, it was red and her last name literally starts with red.”
“That is quite ironic isn’t it?”
“Very much so.” I grab my glass. “Cheers to irony.”
“Cheers.”
