DNA however, so I’d rather hold off telling you anything else until I have the full DNA profile back from the state lab.”
“Just give me your best guess then doc,” Hank replied. “I really need somewhere to start on this.”
Dr. Jacoby looked up at Hank and shook his head. “I’m really not comfortable forming an opinion at this time.”
“Lucifer,” Hank called out over his shoulder. “Crawl.”
Luci moved to her belly and started slowly crawling toward the lab table.
“Hey!” Dr. Jacoby spoke loudly. “Keep that mutt over by the door!”
“She just wants to see what’s going on, Doc,” Hank replied, turning and watching her inch forward. “Maybe she can sniff the remains, she’d let me know if they were human.”
Dr. Jacoby watched with dread as the dog moved closer and closer to the table.
“All right, all right! I’ll tell you if you get that red devil away from my evidence.”
Snapping his finger beside his leg, Hank put his fingers together in an upside-down hand signal for stop. Flicking his fingertips back twice, Luci got up and returned to her place by the door, panting happily.
“You were saying?” Hank smiled at Dr. Jacoby.
The doctor mumbled under his breath before speaking. “Let me reiterate, these are very preliminary findings.”
Hank nodded quietly as he waited for the doctor to continue.
“As I said before, these remains are not of a human. What I left out was that they did encompass some humanlike strands.”
Hank took in the information, but wasn’t sure he’d heard the doctor right.
“What is it you’re telling me, Doctor?”
Dr. Jacoby shook his head as he looked down at the ash, raising his eyes toward Hank before he continued. “What I’m trying to say, Hank, is that you have made a very mysterious scientific discovery.”
“What you have discovered, is a completely unknown species of humanoid!”
Chapter 3
Hank Snowdon sat at his desk quietly, thinking. He’d been trying to get through some paperwork on some of his other cases, but his mind wouldn’t focus.
It kept going back to what Dr. Jacoby had said earlier.
…a completely unknown species of humanoid…
What the hell did that even mean anyway?
Sighing, he reached down and scratched Lucifer behind the ear. Glancing at Luci, he saw that she was looking back at him expectantly.
“You’re ready to go, aren’t you girl?”
Since the first reports of missing people had started coming in a week ago, Hank and Luci had been spending their afternoons on the south side of the city. Their investigation was concentrated around the South Waterfront neighborhood, as well as Brooklyn across the Willamette River. These were the areas where most of the reports had been coming from, as well as where they had found the ashes yesterday.
Luci loved the added activity to her days.
“Ok, girl,” Hank said as he leaned over and snapped on her leash, “Let’s go see what we can find.”
Following 2 nd Avenue south for ten blocks on foot, they then turned east and made their way another six blocks to the river, then south again into South Waterfront. Using the travel time as their lunch hour, Hank bought two hot dogs from a street vender and gave one to Lucifer. Letting her off of the leash when he could, Luci could then get some additional exercise chasing the errant squirrel or bird. All told, their leisurely thirty-block hike took them 45 minutes.
When they arrived at the sparsely populated waterfront, the leash came off for good.
They were in investigative mode now, and Lucifer was a full-fledged member of the PPB on patrol.
“Let’s see what we can find girl,” Hank mumbled to his companion as they made their way east toward the riverfront. Whenever he found someone on the street that would talk to him, he stopped and asked them a few questions.
Many were homeless however, and most homeless didn’t like cops.
Purposely dressing casually for this investigation,
“Just give me your best guess then doc,” Hank replied. “I really need somewhere to start on this.”
Dr. Jacoby looked up at Hank and shook his head. “I’m really not comfortable forming an opinion at this time.”
“Lucifer,” Hank called out over his shoulder. “Crawl.”
Luci moved to her belly and started slowly crawling toward the lab table.
“Hey!” Dr. Jacoby spoke loudly. “Keep that mutt over by the door!”
“She just wants to see what’s going on, Doc,” Hank replied, turning and watching her inch forward. “Maybe she can sniff the remains, she’d let me know if they were human.”
Dr. Jacoby watched with dread as the dog moved closer and closer to the table.
“All right, all right! I’ll tell you if you get that red devil away from my evidence.”
Snapping his finger beside his leg, Hank put his fingers together in an upside-down hand signal for stop. Flicking his fingertips back twice, Luci got up and returned to her place by the door, panting happily.
“You were saying?” Hank smiled at Dr. Jacoby.
The doctor mumbled under his breath before speaking. “Let me reiterate, these are very preliminary findings.”
Hank nodded quietly as he waited for the doctor to continue.
“As I said before, these remains are not of a human. What I left out was that they did encompass some humanlike strands.”
Hank took in the information, but wasn’t sure he’d heard the doctor right.
“What is it you’re telling me, Doctor?”
Dr. Jacoby shook his head as he looked down at the ash, raising his eyes toward Hank before he continued. “What I’m trying to say, Hank, is that you have made a very mysterious scientific discovery.”
“What you have discovered, is a completely unknown species of humanoid!”
Chapter 3
Hank Snowdon sat at his desk quietly, thinking. He’d been trying to get through some paperwork on some of his other cases, but his mind wouldn’t focus.
It kept going back to what Dr. Jacoby had said earlier.
…a completely unknown species of humanoid…
What the hell did that even mean anyway?
Sighing, he reached down and scratched Lucifer behind the ear. Glancing at Luci, he saw that she was looking back at him expectantly.
“You’re ready to go, aren’t you girl?”
Since the first reports of missing people had started coming in a week ago, Hank and Luci had been spending their afternoons on the south side of the city. Their investigation was concentrated around the South Waterfront neighborhood, as well as Brooklyn across the Willamette River. These were the areas where most of the reports had been coming from, as well as where they had found the ashes yesterday.
Luci loved the added activity to her days.
“Ok, girl,” Hank said as he leaned over and snapped on her leash, “Let’s go see what we can find.”
Following 2 nd Avenue south for ten blocks on foot, they then turned east and made their way another six blocks to the river, then south again into South Waterfront. Using the travel time as their lunch hour, Hank bought two hot dogs from a street vender and gave one to Lucifer. Letting her off of the leash when he could, Luci could then get some additional exercise chasing the errant squirrel or bird. All told, their leisurely thirty-block hike took them 45 minutes.
When they arrived at the sparsely populated waterfront, the leash came off for good.
They were in investigative mode now, and Lucifer was a full-fledged member of the PPB on patrol.
“Let’s see what we can find girl,” Hank mumbled to his companion as they made their way east toward the riverfront. Whenever he found someone on the street that would talk to him, he stopped and asked them a few questions.
Many were homeless however, and most homeless didn’t like cops.
Purposely dressing casually for this investigation,