Dangers in the Dark

Death Songs and Shania Twain 21.1

Holly POV
G.C.P.D. Precinct

Dropping a bag with a bagel in front of me, I jumped up from my semi-snooze on dad's desk and looked up at the culprit who had disturbed my slumber. Dad was shrugging off his jacket, a napkin still in his hand from the bagel. He clearly hadn't noticed that he had woken me up as his eyes were tired and his hair a dishevelled mess. Thankfully, Lee decided that would be the perfect moment to come over.

"Hey. How are you doing?" Lee asked, placing two coffees on dad's desk while keeping one in her hands. She sent me a soft smile as she pushed a coffee over to me.

"Been better," dad answered, chucking his jacket over to me so I could hang it on the back of the chair considering I had stolen his seat. "You seen Harvey?"

"No," Lee shook her head. "Any word on Barbara?"

"They haven't found her body yet, so there's a chance she's still alive," dad answered, and my eyebrows shot up at the bluntness of his answer. It still hadn't quite clicked with me that Barbara was in danger, that that man had gotten to her. It still felt like it was somebody else living through this.

"When's the last time you slept?" Lee asked, as I moved from dad's seat so he could work.

"I don't know," dad shrugged as he took the seat and began flicking through everything they had on the Ogre.

"Last time you ate?" Lee continued.

"I don't know," dad repeated, irritably.

"I know better than to try to get you to sleep, but you really should eat something," Lee insisted.

"You can have my bagel. I'm really not that hungry," I offered, even though it was a lie. I was starving.

"Thanks but I'm not hungry," dad replied, pushing the bagel closer to me.

"Jim ..." Lee said, placing a hand on dad's arm. "It's not your fault."

"I did this," dad countered, getting up from his seat and leaning against his desk. "I pressed Loeb, he sent the Ogre after me, and I didn't stop. It was bad enough I knowingly put you and my own daughter in danger. I didn't even think of Barbara."

"You were doing your job," Lee said gently, but dad appeared to be beyond reason.

"But I should've known," dad sighed.

"How?" Lee responded, and I suddenly felt like this was a conversation I didn't need to be a part of. "Y-You weren't together. Do you blame yourself for falling out of love?"

"Lee, it's my responsibility. There's nothing you can say that changes that. Whatever happens to Barbara, it's on me," dad insisted, and I began to shuffle around the desk, so as to avoid disturbing their conversation.

At that moment Harvey returned to the scene but I was long gone, making my way away from the desk. Feeling like I needed to see a familiar face to calm the anxiety that was tightening my throat and creating a large hole in my stomach, I made my way out back to find Ed. It had been a while since a Miss Kringle update.

As I approached the door I could hear Ed muttering, "No body, no crime,' to himself. Knocking on the door, I waited as I listened to a box slam shut before a strained "come in" sounded.

"That a new song you're working on?" I joked as I entered the room.

"What?" Ed asked with furrowed brows.

"No body, no crime do do do do," I repeated in a singsong voice. "Though if it's a song for Miss Kringle I'd recommend avoiding the whole death song. Kinda dooming, don't you think?"