EPISODE 1 – DARK VICES
When the paths of a missing student and a private detective intertwine, dangerous trouble ensues.
This micro-fiction mystery story includes life-threatening peril while spotlighting the negative consequences of alcohol addiction. Continue with discretion.
The Moonlight Danger
FOOTSTEPS close in as a panting young woman flees down a deserted cobblestone road in the darkness. The heel of a shoe breaks, hindering her mobility, but she continues running with limited visibility through foliage until there is no escape.
Desperation fills her anguished eyes as she pleads for her life, but her cries fall on deaf ears. There’s a shriek, a thud, and a splash before the silhouettes of two figures stand over the pond, confirming her descent. They then disappear into the fog from which they emerged.
A disheveled man stumbles through the moonlight, down echoing corridors, his heart beating with uncertainty, until entering a downtown loft.
Without the equilibrium to climb the stairs to the mezzanine, Waylon lowers his head on a maple wood table the size of a double bed, dazed and dizzy before passing out.
The Morning Discoveries
The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and sizzling ham enlivens Waylon’s olfactory senses. A familiar female voice brings the setting into focus.
“Good morning, Mr. Garnet. You blacked out again. Breakfast is ready.”
Waylon groans, coughing while yawning and stretching with a gravelly voice. “Morning.” Glancing at the neatly stacked papers on the large table portrays a semblance of normalcy in his chaotic life.
“Is there anything other than lost pets and boring surveillance in our caseload today?” he asks Veronica, trying to shake off the lingering dread from his blackout.
Veronica’s eyes reflect a mix of concern and exasperation. “That depends on how well you do during the interview this morning. Mr. McCarthy phoned for an urgent appointment. I suggest you shower before putting on the clean suit that’s hanging in the restroom.”
Waylon nods, feeling the weight of her unspoken worries. “The name sounds somewhat familiar,” he mutters, his mind flickering with fragments of the night before, elusive and haunting. He needs to piece them together before they consume him.
Descending from the loft mezzanine after refreshing himself gives Mr. Garnet a bird’s eye view of the portly client pacing the floor. The private eye slowly approaches and sits at a desk on the opposite end of the room.
He sharpens a pencil, takes out a pad of paper, and asks, “How can I help you, Mr. McCarthy?”
With the lack of pleasantries or familiarity, he jumps right into the subject. “My daughter went missing yesterday, Mr. Garnet. I need you to find her.”
Waylon sets down his pencil, responding sarcastically, “I understand. People confuse the word ‘private’ on the door with ‘police’ all the time. I think it has to do with the common first letter.”
“I assure you there’s no issue with my phonetics. This is a matter requiring more discretion than the police can offer.”
“I see. What’s her name, and how old is she?”
“Her name is Melissa. She’s 19 years old.”
“She seems of the age to spend the night with friends.”
“It seems. But that isn’t the case. Someone with a disguised voice threatened my family on the phone before she went missing.”
Waylon pauses to sip coffee during dizzying recollections of familiar faces. “What did he expect you to surrender for their safety?”
“I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”
“Then, can you tell me if you complied with the request for your family’s safety?”
“Negative, Mr. Garnet.”
“Let me give you some free advice. The next time you hear from this distorted voice, ask when and where to deliver what he requests in exchange for your daughter.”
“I didn’t come here for free advice. I want to retain you for double your monthly fee to deliver my daughter safely home, as soon as possible.”
“Okay, you have my attention, Mr. McCarthy. That gets you priority treatment. However, if she returns home before the month’s end, the retainer is non-refundable.”
“I have no problem with that. I will even add up to ten thousand dollars for incidental expenses, Mr. Garnet.”
“Share as much information as you can about Melissa’s daily routine.”
A lengthy discussion fills Waylon’s notepad as the men finish a pot of coffee.
The Afternoon Hunt
The client points Waylon Garnet to the last known mobile phone location. Remnants of Melissa’s shattered phone are the only things that remain. Her college campus, a pond, and a quaint brick pub are nearby.
All this is near the cobblestone path that he traversed the night before. Between intermittent flashbacks, there are many unanswered questions.
“Why did Mr. McCarthy choose me? And of what importance is a young woman in his negotiation?” he wonders. “I’ve tried so hard to rise above the shadows of my father, who succumbed to the bottle. And here I am replicating his past.”
A suspicious man wearing a trench coat stands in the distance. Waylon begins walking toward him and is led inside the local tavern. The man in the coat vanishes, so Waylon questions the bartender while knocking back a few pints. The pungent air of ale is familiar to Wayland, but the bartender doesn’t recall the woman.
A sudden flurry of outdoor activity accompanies police sirens as they establish a perimeter around the pond and send in divers before sunset.
After Waylon’s unsuccessful persuasion of authorities to allow passage, he sees the supine body of a woman covered with a white sheet in the distance. The shrill of carrion-circling birds portends the yet-announced discovery.
From Waylon’s vantage point, he could have been an eyewitness to the crime. His liquid vice has hindered recollection and investigative efforts. Yet, he is happy to have received a tidy sum for spending an afternoon in the pub, to which he returns. During his first sip of a new pint, his phone rings.
A disguised voice tells him he has become the one hunted, altering the caliber of Waylon’s assignment. Is it possible to cut through the fog of disjointed memories and make sense of recent events while resolving inner conflicts?
Continued…
Return twice weekly for miniseries. Use of this material for generative training or republication in any format without authorization is prohibited. Any relation to actual persons or events is coincidental. Login provides the most immersive experience. About 2100 total words. Enhance your listening or reading experience with ambient music on this page. Educational review questions are available for ClinicalNovellas Scholar members. Cinematic materials are available with ClinicalNovellas Cinematic membership. Story includes one or more generative AI images to help readers visualize scenes.
