Police Sirens: Jason

[tarnishedbadge]

There were days when Levi's job wasn't too bad. It wasn't necessarily ever easy, but there were days when it wasn't too hectic and for a few hours he could ignore the really hard stuff. No one's life or possessions were at stake and it was just generally relaxing. Today was one of those days, at least so far.

The station was relatively quiet and his partner was currently out grabbing something to eat while Levi manned the fort. He thought about texting Lara to see if she wanted to get lunch then decided that might be a bit too distracting.

Instead he settled on surfing the internet and checking craigslist to see what weird stuff he could fine for Siren Cove. Someone was selling an authentic, cursed monkey's paw that supposedly protected the owner from getting hiccups. Levi didn't get hiccups all that much but it would almost be worth it just to see if it worked.

"Maybe today is a bit too slow," he wondered.

Comments

[jasonwright]

To say he's uncomfortable is an understatement. People like Jason and cops? Generally don't mix. Sure there's the good ones who look out for everyone, no matter what cards life dealt them, but most--in Jason's experience--don't give a shit about the homeless population. But someone has to look out for those people and he's worried about them.

He enters the police station and it's...weirdly quiet. He's been arrested a handful of times, mostly for fighting but twice just because the cop didn't want him to freeze to death on a bench. For a place like Siren Cove that has a lot of drama, this police station is, well, empty. Except for one man stationed at his desk looking rather bored, something that may work out in Jason's favor. Maybe he's more willing to give a damn. He takes a deep breath and approaches the man.

"Excuse me? I'd like to report a missing person. Or two rather."

[tarnishedbadge]

"Missing people, I find those," Levi said, spinning around in his chair and standing up to face the new comer. The man was obviously uncomfortable in a police station, but then just about everyone was. No one came here for fun, except maybe June Thornton, and people generally had no idea what to do once they got here.

"Detective Astor, how can I help you?"

[jasonwright]

"I'm Jason," he responds. "Two homeless guys have gone missing. I see them every day before I go to work at the docks and I haven't seen them in four days. I've looked everywhere for them. Nothing." He's crossing his fingers behind his back, hoping the detective actually cares that the homeless are suddenly disappearing.

[tarnishedbadge]

Levi squinted in thought, trying to picture the docks and which of the homeless hung out there. It had been a few years since he'd been on the beat though and couldn't clearly recall who it was.

"Do you have names or descriptions of either of them?" Levi asked, flipping open his notebook. There were a lot of reasons two homeless guys could go missing, some of them benign, some of them unfortunate and some of them illegal. "It doesn't have to be their real names, just what they might have by or what others called them."

[jasonwright]

"Wulfric Anders, probably in his 60's, German accent. Probably just under 6' tall and way underweight. He has an old anchor tattoo on his left forearm. The second is Edbyrd, that's what he goes by. Edward Johnson, but he won't respond to that. Just Edbyrd because he loves...birds," he feels dumb saying that, but it's Edbyrd and Edbyrd is...special. "He has a stoop behind city hall. All his birds are there but no sign he's been there. He's short, dark hair, dark beard. Very nice and quiet. He's easy to overlook."

Jason takes a breath, racking his brain for anymore information on either of the men. "Is that enough information?"

[tarnishedbadge]

Not a lot of people would take notice of the homeless enough to realize if one or two had gone missing. Levi couldn't think of anyone outside of cops and nurses that would actually know any of their names. No one except the other homeless or a really good Samaritan. Levi wasn't sure which this guy was, could go either way, but he was good people if he was reporting this.

"I know of Edbyrd," Levi said, because you didn't forget someone named Edbyrd. A lot of the homeless had mental problems but could tell you fascinating stories. Edbyrd could tell you anything you wanted to know about birds. Loved them.

"He wouldn't leave his birds. I'll make inquiries but I'm not promising anything. I'll give it every bit as much attention as I would any other member of the community, you have my word, but finding missing persons who are off the grid are exceptionally difficult."