The Magic Hour

Chapter 1: Harbinger

    "I want you on it full-time."

    "Wait a minute, I have five cases I'm working, and three of my detectives are out sick with the flu. Not to mention I have to be in court today. I promised Stamworth."

    "He's a lawyer. He'll handle things just fine. I already told him to leave you out of it for now. Paulson's going to follow up on your caseload for a while and he'll temp the squad. Nothing for you to do but find Henry. This isn't a debate," the captain added. "I want a report every hour." He spun his chair around and faced the window, his usual method of dismissal.

    As he left, Nathan couldn't resist adding one comment.

    "You know, Colin, this isn't the kind of work I should be doing."

    Still focused on the view of the city beyond the window, the captain answered him. "Captain is the rank. Captain Oberson to you. Don't forget that next time."

    As Nathan closed the door behind him he saw Oberson picking up more dry leaves off the floor.

Teams were already packing up when Nathan arrived at the site where Henry Jacobson had gone missing.

    "Detective Byrne," a voice said behind him. It was Ames, the officer in charge of the scene.

    "They told me you'd be coming out. We're done, for the most part, but I can show you what we have so far." Although he'd been out there for hours collecting evidence, his uniform looked as if he had just put it on.

    "How'd you keep so clean in this muck, Ames?"

    "Oh, changed, sir. Always do. Once the heavy work is done. Don't like a mess."

    Nathan nodded, repressing a desire to comment.

    The area was idyllic, the river flowing over rocks, a soft wind high in the trees, green moss on the banks. It was cold, but everything was tranquil and contained.

    "Two fishermen, right? One of them moved downstream when this all started?"

    "That's what he said. Then he rushed up to help his partner reel in what they thought was a prize trout, and all they came up with was some piece of metal stuck in the rocks underwater. The tracks are clear enough where they stood on the bank. We haven't found anything else—except that one partner went missing in the middle of the river."

    "Yes. Unlikely, wouldn't you say?"

    "I would," Ames said, his expression serious.

    "So where is the one who didn't drown, get abducted, or whatever it was?"

    Ames pointed toward the cars lining the dirt road, where Nathan had parked his own. "That would be Parker Morris. Over there in the truck. Hasn't said anything to anyone except over and over that his friend Henry was gone."

    "You know who Henry is, right?" Nathan added.

    "Yes. I do. They pulled me away from my day off—it's my son's birthday. Emergency, they said."

    Nathan nodded again. "Where's this metal object?"

    The sergeant looked surprised for the first time. "Why, I—there wasn't any. That is, no one on the team has reported finding it. I figured he'd imagined it, that fisherman, or wants us to think he saw something. I mean, what this is about, I don't think it's something they saw in the river."

    "You think they went at it for some reason and Henry lost?"

    "Maybe. Before I go I'll check that spot in the river again, just to be sure."