A Phillip Canton Mystery - Blood Drive (Hiatus)

03

The complex looked to be six or seven floors. It's all pretty standard really. A mix of red and brown bricks lined the walls with small windows marking the rooms. I pulled into the large gated parking lot that sat just in front. Frank and I got out. We shut our doors in sync; something that happens maybe twice in your lifetime. We walked from the car to the large glass door of the apartment complex. The first set of doors opened up to two walls of mailboxes. Each had their respective apartment numbers, but lacked any names. I opened the second set of doors. The silence that followed spoke volumes. People were present, but all were silent.

As soon as our presence was known, all eyes turned to us. "I'm Detective Phil, and this is my partner Frank." I stutter a bit; both out of nervousness and the eerie gazes that covered us both.

"Fifth floor." Frank nudged me out of my nervous state and pointed me towards a nearby stairwell. We reach the top to find that it only goes to the third floor. A sign at the top directs us to the end of the hall to get to the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors. The halls are mostly quiet. Not even a whisper of wind. We make our way to the other stairs and finally reach the fifth floor. "Room 506," Frank pointed down the hall when we entered the hall.

"So how come you know so much of the case already?" I look back at him just as we got to the room.

"I was briefed last night. Because of the way things looked, Bobby wanted you on the case. He knew that you would need someone with field experience and he chose me." He pulled some keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

"How do you have the keys? I thought only the Officer..." I trailed off in thought. It hit me as soon as I said it.

"We have the apartment to ourselves. Bobby's orders." The door creaked open as Frank pushed it with two fingers. An aura of death poured out as it hit the wall. You could just tell that someone had died as soon as you entered the apartment. Everything appeared to be perfectly normal. Well, aside from the body tape showing where the body was.

I walk over to the outline of the body to take a closer look. I kneeled down to see if there was anything the officers missed. I didn't even find any dust. I then spot a vent by the wall. They tend to be good hiding spots for needles. The vent popped open fairly easy. I look down and see nothing again. "Find anything out of place?" I shouted as I carefully put the vent back.

"Not a thing." Frank had come from the kitchen with a bottle of wine in his hand.

"That's a lot of nothing," I pick myself up and meet up with Frank. "Is it possible she died from alcohol poisoning?" I look back at the tape and look around once more. "No, there would be some indication of drinking. No glass. Upon further inspection of the bottle, it appeared to be unopened. I saw no point in checking the bedroom or the bathroom as there were no signs of a struggle. It was as if she just stood there and fell flat. Nothing was damaged during the fall either. "I think it's time to do some questioning. I will take odd numbered apartments. You can take the even numbers. Meet me back here when you finish." Frank quick nodded approval before putting the bottle down and walked back out of the apartment.

I followed him into the hall, and we went our separate ways. As he headed for 500, I made my way to the far end of the hall to Apartment 515. The apartments were small but enough to get by if you were by yourself. I reach the door and begin to knock. This time I heard a television and then heard rustling as if someone was having trouble. I finally hear locks and then the turning of a knob. The door opened inward. I looked down to find an older man in a wheelchair.

"Yeah?" His voice showed slight irritation.

"I'm Phil Canton from Billings Third Precinct. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your neighbor down the hall?" He forces me to stand in silence for a few moments before finally rolling back to allow me entrance. "Not related, but how did you get all the way up here to the fifth floor? I didn't see any elevators on my way up."