Astral Plane

"Look, lady, we're busy and we don't have time to answer calls unless something really came down here." Officer Josh Adkins wasn't in a good mood. It was a hectic night with one emergency call after another. No let ups, no breaks. And the police officer was tired and cranky. "It's against the law to falsely report..."

Adkins knew that his temper was short, his fuse, on the best of days, always just about to ignite.

"Let me field this one, Josh." Officer Joseph Andrews was more laid back, less inclined to make enemies of the very people he and his partner were supposed to protect and serve.

The exchange was amiable, shared with Josh alone. Joe gave over a look that said, take a break, I got this.

Adkins was only too glad to walk back to his squad car in pretense of doing this or that chore. What he actually was going to do is try to find a pillow to scream into.

Not really, of course, but on a night like this, it was a nice notion.

"I didn't call you people." the elderly lady was a little hapless, clearly not understanding why two burly, questionable looking 'gentlemen' awakened her out of a sound sleep, for no reason she could discern, according to her. "I don't know why you're here. And that's the truth, officer."

"It's okay." Andrews smiled ingratiatingly down at the small, diminutive figure. "Things like this happen all the time. Could be one of your neighbors thought they saw something and called in. No problem. But, we got a 'disturbance' call. So, I'm wondering if it would be okay if we checked out the store, is all. Just a fast walk-through to see that everything is fine before we take our leave."

The woman hesitated, an odd look on her face. She stared into the darkened space, as if pondering the question.

"I guess that would be alright." it was clear she didn't really want such an occurrence which told Joseph Andrews that maybe there was a reason she didn't want such a thing. "I'll go get the keys. I left them upstairs."

Joe closed his eyes, dropping his head. For the lady moved at a snail's pace, being elderly and all. "I can get those for you, Ma'am, if you want. That's a lot of stairs, right?"

"Oh, sure." the small figure retraced her steps, motioning behind her. "When you go in the door, they are hanging on a keyboard to the right, just inside."

The cop bounded up the stairs, finding the objects, returning in a few moments. "There ya, go." he smiled down at the woman, handing over the keys.

"Now you boys be careful in there, lot of breakables. Lots of stuff, so...don't go just barreling through." she fumbled with a difficult key but soon, the door was opened wide.

"Yes, Ma'am." Joseph stepped into the stuffy shop, his flashlight swinging this way and that. His partner was doing the same, having come on scene a few seconds back.

The two officers stood in the dark, getting their bearings, listening to the sounds of their surroundings.

Wind whistled eerily farther back into the area. As if somewhere back there, someone had opened a window, say...

"It’s bigger than it looks." Josh's light showed far back into the shadowy depths. He motioned with his head, and each man took an alternate route, moving deeper into the curio shop.

The men moved slow and cautiously.

Glass counters held every bric-a-brac imaginable, shelves were overstuffed with frilly items, Joe could not even begin to name.

Lace handkerchiefs were stacked on every available space, knitted shawls bespoke of another time, when women were more feminine and delicate. Well, at least in Officer Andrew's humble opinion.

He walked stealthily, taking his time because the place was packed, from floor to ceiling in some spots.

Pewter shined in the sweep of his light, delicate China, quaint tea sets set out, as if awaiting a woman's pleasure.

Furniture of every era and style, but nothing heavy or ornate. This place screamed 'old time' elegance.

Joe could see the back of the shop, the back door was bolted shut, secure, untouched for Centuries. Well, not that long, but maybe. The lock was actually rusted.

The cop was in some sort of storeroom, his light showing long rods full of dresses and clothes he didn't even recognize, in actuality.

He fingered a silk concoction to his right, liking the feel of the garment under his fingertips. Yeah, women should still dress in this shit.

He could only imagine how they would look, like some princess maybe, or one of those women off the Titanic.

The guy sighed mentally for such meanderings, turning back to retrace his steps.

He let out a squawk, the woman having scared the shit out of him.

The cop pulled back, his hand reaching for his weapon, only to have his mind scream the reality of what just happened.

"What the hell, Lady!" he tried to gather some sense of decorum, cause it was kind of embarrassing, how the adrenalin pumped through his system from the unexpected appearance of anyone, let alone some lone female...standing directly behind him.

"You trying to give me a heart attack?" his tone was a little more testy than he meant, for the start. "...Where the hell did you come from?"

"I have been here." the soft, melodious voice washed over the man like a warm summer breeze, his anger melting a bit for the fact.

"Well, I didn't see you." he was calming by the second, gathering his wits, his nerves settling. "What are you doing back here? And...who are you?" he demanded a reply.

She stared at him with those arresting eyes, something inside making the man uneasy.

On the beat, his cronies would call her a ‘blonde bombshell’ because the woman was stacked. The man knew ‘stacked’ and this female just happened to be...stacked, that is

But, the moniker didn’t fit. There was something small and fragile surrounding the petite presence. Something that made a guy want to protect...and serve, even if he didn’t get paid for it.

"...My name? Do you wish my name?"

"That would be just the best place to start ever...so, yeah. Your name." he fumbled with the top pocket of his uniform, extracting his notepad and pencil. "Are you supposed to be back here?" he motioned about them, sitting his flashlight upright that some sort of light be available.

"She lives here, Officer."

Andrews glanced at the new arrival on seen. This one, he had heard coming. This one brought a scowl of annoyance. "Mrs. Trusdale, you were supposed to wait outside until we cleared the building." he scolded her with a look but really, he was kind of glad someone else was there at that particular time.

This place was spooky with all its weird vibes. The shadows gave a guy thoughts. Especially if he was alone, thinking some perp might strike out at any time from behind some tall piece of furniture say.

"This is my friend." the elderly lady advised, her head slightly indicating... "Elenore Bennett. This is Officer Andrews, Elenore."

The woman inclined her head almost regally. "Very pleasant to make your acquaintance, Officer. I am so sorry if I gave you a fright."

Joe had the grace to be bothered by the accusation. "Didn't give me anything. It was just unexpected, that's all. You weren't there and then you were. Just didn't think anyone was back here." he sent another glare Martha Trusdale’s way. “You could have told us.”

"I do apologize, never-the-less." that voice again, that soft, elegant, gentle...way she spoke. "I am pleased you are here, however. I wish to report...a murder."

"Excuse me?" the cop blinked his shock, hastily glancing around, inspecting the area more cautiously. "You said...what?"

"It happened ever so long ago, Officer." Martha Trusdale added hastily. "But, yes. A murder occurred in this very house. It was May 7th, 1915, to be exact. It was a Friday. Late, that night."

"The victim was a young woman, Lillian Rose Hastings." Elenore nodded solemnly. "Her murderer has never been brought to justice, you see."

Joe took his time, trying to add up things in this weird scenario but nothing seemed to come out as it should. "...I see."

"You are a policeman, is that right?" Martha Trusdale asked plaintively. "It is your duty to solve such things, am I mistaken? Even if it happened so long ago?"

"Detectives usually look into such cases, Ma'am." passing the buck seemed like the thing to do in this instance, suddenly. Shame too, for that Elenore woman was a looker. She filled out that simple black dress in all the right places, and those grey eyes looked into a man's soul.

Too bad she was dingy. Beyond bad, actually.

"The standard procedure is, I get the information you ladies wish to supply then I turn it over to the Central Bureau of Detectives. They will follow up with an official investigation of your claims." The man knew the rote by heart. He had been on the force over a year now. “If you wish to follow through on your...quest, that is.”

Elenore's features allowed a certain sadness. She lowered her head, that long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders in lush waves.

Joe pulled his attention away from the lovely features, concentrating on the approach of his partner.

"What's going on?" Josh Adkins made his way through the debris field, joining the small group in time. "Everything kosher?"

Joe reported the story up to this point, filling in his partner who stood, the dark eyes shifting from him to Martha Trusdale.

"We got a lot of murders in the here and now, lady. Not sure the detectives would want to bother with something that happened thirty years ago, I gotta be honest here." the man was not known for his tact or diplomacy.

Josh Adkins grew up in the Bronx, served as Infantry during the war and didn't suffer what he considered idiots easily.

"We've checked out the building, nothing here to concern yourself with." he did manage a smile for Mrs. Trusdale. "If you want to come to the Precinct tomorrow and talk to one of the cops there, they probably could tell you where you could go to ask about...your other problem."

Martha scowled darkly up at the man. "You're just going to let this go, aren't you. You should be ashamed. A young woman lost her life. No one cares. It's just old news, isn't it."

"No, Ma'am." Joe tried for damage control. "It's just out of our purview. We can't overstep our authority, you see."

"It is quite alright, Martha." Elenore laid a calming hand on her friend. "We have kept these gentlemen long enough, perhaps."

"I could pass this on to my Captain, if you like. See what he thinks." Joe didn't like the sadness in those grey eyes. He found himself reacting as a man, as opposed to a cop.

His buddy's look said as much. Joe chose to ignore Josh Adkin's opinion in this instance.

"I'll see what can be done. If you will give me your contact information, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I promise."

Josh Adkins sighed heavily. "We got to get rolling."

"In a sec." Joe smiled to the women. "Mrs. Trusdale? Could I get your phone number?"

The woman stiffly complied, clearly not happy with how the complaint was being handled.

"I'll call you." Andrews put his pad into its proper place, his look a sincere one. "I promise. One way or another."

He sought out Elenore's countenance.

She smiled gently over. "You are most kind, Officer. Thank you for your time and effort on our behalf."

"Just doing my duty, Ma'am."

"Not in my world, you aren't." Martha offered over a persnickety response.

"Now, Martha." the younger woman soothed. "Officer Andrews is doing the best he can. Let us hold our judgements, please." another soft smile came the 'Officer's way.

"Stay safe." Joe took his leave with but one hesitant smile to the lovely young woman.

He ignored Josh Adkins 'judgmental' glare as they walked back to the squad car.

"What the hell was that?" the other cop grumbled. "You know the Captain will laugh your ass out of the room if you bring that shit up to him. That is one weird ass tale. One better left to the shrinks than us."

"That is one man's opinion." Joe shrugged off the bad humor and comments. "It won't hurt to look into it. I'm not going to speak to the Captain, of course, but...it interests me. I'll go to the library and see what I can dig up."

"If you want to waste your day off, it's no skin off my back."

Joe grinned over to his partner. "Let's get you some food. You're as bitchy as my ex-girlfriend on her period."

The night settled a little. The two cops even got to have ‘lunch’ even though it was four hours late.