Peter Grist - Flashback

Ed followed Linda and Jan to the very back of the library where there was a door marked fire exit, Linda lead through into a narrow corridor lit by a single strip light and a frosted skylight. The corridor had several doors on either side with the last door directly in front of them at the very end marked FIRE EXIT ONLY and operated by a push bar. Linda led them to the last door on the left before the fire exit then paused as Jan found the correct key from a large bunch taken from her pocket. Jan inserted a key into the lock but it wouldn’t turn. She tried the handle, it turned easily in her hand and the door swung open.

“Oh, that’s odd, it’s already unlocked”. She stepped into the room, turned to the right and knocked the light switch up. None of the group was prepared for what they saw. Linda and Jan gasped at the mess that confronted them. The room measured roughly twenty feet square and had shelves and cupboards on three of the four sides but no windows except another small skylight in the centre of the roof. The back wall held a computer work station, the main computer and an old microfiche machine. Below the skylight, in the middle of the room was another stand-alone island work station with storage underneath. The contents of the shelves and storage units were scattered on the floor in disarray. The plastic microfiche files were heaped in the corner, the shattered machine bashed in nearby. Ed could see that most of the mess was old newspapers and magazines.

“I’m guessing this isn’t your usual filing system?” Dazed, the two women looked helplessly around the room. “Why would anyone do this Ed? It’s only our newspaper archive, what’s the point?” Ed looked at Linda, “I think we should get out and lock the door, this is a crime scene so I doubt the Police will appreciate us disturbing things, the computer will have to wait”. They backed out, Linda switched off the light and Jan locked the door after them then went to the front desk to call the Police. Linda and Ed stood in the corridor facing each other. “Let’s go sit in the staff room, have a coffee while we wait.” She gently grabbed his hand and led him the way they came back to the staff room. She busied herself filling the coffee percolator with water and coffee then found two clean mugs in the cupboard under the worktop.

“I have a feeling this has something to do with Gracie.” said Linda.

“Why would you think that? It looks like something kids would do, just goofing around.”

“Well because that is where I transferred all the information from the newspapers and microfiche to computer and where I would have looked into the disappearance if the computers were working. I think whoever did this has messed up the computers too, so that I can’t find anything, and that is the most secure room in the building, I doubt any kids would have got in there.”

“Damn, so we can’t find anything else out about the missing kids?”

“Kids? What do you mean kids, are you saying there’s more than one now?” she looked even more shocked.

“Well I don’t know exactly, but there might be, somebody mentioned something to me this morning at the diner but it’s gonna be hard to find anything out now, unless…”

“Unless what?” she asked. The water had run through the machine and filled the glass jar underneath with strong smelling coffee. Ed watched in silence as she filled the two mugs with the steaming liquid then added creamer and sugar to his then passed him his drink. “Unless what?” she repeated.

“Thank you.” He replied as he took the proffered drink, he held it below his nose and breathed in deeply, savouring the aroma of coffee beans. “I don’t know, it’s just that I had a thought, when I first got into town I looked for the local newspaper office to see what they might have on the little girl. The place was locked up tight for the night so I never got to ask. Luckily for me I found you instead.” He blushed a little as he said the words but moved swiftly on, “but it is still worth asking them, they would keep copies too.”

“Yes, of course, I know the editor a little as they use the library for research sometimes, let’s go across now and ask…”

“You’re not going anywhere yet Mrs Saxon!”

Ed and Linda both jumped as Sheriff Rosen’s voice seemed to echo around the staff room as he stood in the doorway, a solid barrier to the library. “Or you either Mr Saunders, least not until we have had a look at this intrusion Mrs Phillips told me about.” He turned his back on the couple and walked slowly down the corridor towards the stock room, each step purposeful. Rosen directly stopped outside the room then turned back to the pair as they followed him down the corridor, looking expectantly at them.

“You got here really quickly Sheriff, must be a quiet day!” suggested Ed as they caught up.

“No Mr Saunders, it’s actually quite a busy day, what with the fire and all, but my office is just across the street and poor Mrs Phillips sounded real upset on the phone so I came right over.”

“What fire is that? I heard sirens earlier but didn’t give it much of a thought.” Linda enquired. Rosen turned to Linda, a hard-edged smile playing on his lips.

“Damn shame, big blaze over at a storage unit on the outskirts of town, from what I hear, the whole of the Tribune’s files and history have gone up in a big ball of smoke.”

Ed and Linda looked at each other, the knowledge of the fact that probably their last line of enquiry was now lost forever needed no words. Rosen stood rock steady, an enigmatic smile on his face. They waited in silence until Mrs Phillips reappeared, carrying the bunch of keys. She was still flustered and upset.

“Sorry, I had to tell a couple of people to leave, then I closed the library, I think its best, in the circumstances.” Rosen looked down on her but said nothing, just held out a gloved hand. Jan Phillips looked down at his hand then back to his face, confused.

“I think the Sheriff would like the key to the storeroom now Jan.” Linda offered, breaking the silence. The realisation finally dawned on the aged librarian’s face and she fumbled for the right key but not before dropping them on the floor. Rosen stared at her impassively, patiently waiting until she finally found the correct key for the room. Finally, she sorted out the right key and handed it to the Sheriff. He deftly inserted the key in the lock and opened the door. Without looking he stretched out to his right and knocked the light switch to on.

“Mmm, quite a mess you got here” he drawled. The other three tried to squeeze in behind the Sheriff but there was little space as he had barely entered the room.

“We think whoever did this went into the computer too as the ones in the library aren’t working.” offered Linda. The law enforcement officer gazed a few moments longer around the room then abruptly turned around, almost bowling the other three over in surprise.

“Nothing much to be done here, no signs of forced entry, but I’ll get my deputy to come over when he’s finished at the fire, see if he can get any prints from anything. ’Til then leave the place as it is, you got that?” He switched off the light, closed the door behind him and locked the room.

“I’ll take this with me” he said as he slipped the key from the bunch and dropped it in a top pocket of his starched chocolate-coloured shirt.

Ignoring Jan and looking at Ed and Linda, the Sheriff said “I’ll be wanting to talk with both of you at some point so don’t go disappearing anywhere will you?” With that he marched back the way he came, beckoning Jan to let him out the main doors at the front. She bustled after him quickly leaving Ed and Linda in the corridor.