[Write the Story] A Crime Scene
Prompt: A Crime Scene
Words: phantom, desperate, scale, normality, ponytail, tremendous, stiletto, hound, wrinkle, smoke
Story
“I can’t believe this is what passes for our normality,†Ashley said as she picked her way through smoke and debris.
“If you didn’t expect this, why’d you take the job?†Alton asked, kneeling to tag an errant stiletto. Its mate had to be somewhere, hopefully not on the foot of a victim.
Ashley shook her head, sending her ponytail bobbing. “I don’t mind helping people get answers for crimes, but this scale? It’s…tremendous. How do we begin?â€
“One piece of evidence at a time.†Alton wrinkled his nose as an odor hit him. A moment later a hound bayed its desperate call. “We have phantoms.â€
Ashley pulled a filter out of a cargo pocket and snapped it on her camera. “Let me get some shots of where they are before they pass on. We can use them for locating the bodies when the mortuary guys get past the tape.â€
The gauzy figures jumped into view as Ashley started photographing. This. This was the part of Forensics she never expected. The scene of a building collapse? Rubble? Sure. Carnage from an active shooter? No problem. The sight of disembodied souls about to head into the light, getting their orientation? Not so much, even though in some cases the spirits were able to point to evidence needed to solve their crimes. Mostly she felt sorry for them, the recently dead and confused. It’s one thing to study. Another to deal with it in the field.
Word Count: 244
Written: 5/31/2019