New day – The retrieval of Jupiter’s Heart
Eric closes the garage. Then he enters the mud room of their new home. After removing his shoes (Emma’s orders) he steps into the kitchen. He’s home earlier than expected today. It will be a couple of hours before Emma returns home. Therefore, he decides to do some work. Preferably before she returns.
The new home is a modern split level. They chose a design that balanced their available space between two floors. There was a three bay garage. And then the detached garage, where they stayed while building their new home. They decided to keep the detached garage. It had history with them. And it was their home. Right after Eric’s previous house got demolished. By mistake?
He pauses for a moment. So much has happened since those days. He hasn’t thought about it in months. And this is a new day. They never did find out who demolished his home. In fact, the demolition company went out of business the same week they demolished the house. Back then it was suspicious. However, everything unraveled so fast, Eric never had the chance to follow up. He puts the thought out of his mind as he sits down at his desk. Maybe sometime in the future they will sort it out.
New day
Laraby wakes up laying on the ground behind the detached garage. He has no idea how long he was out but it was still dark, so not too long. He stands, albeit wobbly. Likewise, there’s a knot on the back of his head where he was hit. He looks around but he’s the only one here. What the? The lights of the garage are still on, so he makes a hasty retreat to his car. Along the way he realizes his wallet is gone.
That isn’t all. His gun and shield are also gone. He stops in the middle of the dark road. And double checks, but to no avail. Someone knocked him out. Then robbed him. Detective Laraby is in very hot water. Furthermore, Chief Fred Jones, is going to kick his ass. Laraby limps back to his car. Then he radios the station. This was going to be a long night.
The Retrieval of Jupiter’s Heart
Eric stares at the computer screen. The blinking cursor holds his attention while his mind sorts through details. They flew out to Idaho and met the elusive Eileen. Interestingly enough she was on house arrest. Their conversation had been pleasant. However, Eric had the uneasy feeling they were being watched. This was accompanied by the feeling that Eileen knew more than she was saying.
After an hour they left the mysterious woman’s home with more questions than answers. Furthermore, Eric was surprised to learn that Emma also felt the sensation of being watched. The whole encounter felt off somehow. The flight home was uneventful. And after a few days, they put it behind them. Whatever Eileen knew, she wasn’t sharing. Three days after that they got the news that Eileen passed away. Apparently by accident.
New Day – The Retrieval of Jupiter’s Heart
Once again Eric brings his attention back to his desk. An hour went by and he hasn’t done the first bit of work. Time to step up the pace. They moved into their house only two weeks ago. There were many things still unfinished. Furthermore, they have many items left from the shipping containers. Benjamin Thomas was nothing, if not unpredictable.
With this in mind, the doorbell jars him from his focused state of mind. Strange. They weren’t expecting company. Eric leaves his office and descends to the main level. But before he reaches the door the doorbell chimes again. Someone is impatient, he thinks, as he reaches the door.
The gentleman at the door gives Eric a polite smile and flashes a badge. The badge is a detective’s badge. Then the detective introduces himself as Detective Laraby, from the state police. Eric looks over the badge but only to stall. He is frantically trying to figure out what to do. He knows Detective Laraby. In fact, he and Emma both knew Detective Laraby, and this impostor was not him.
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