Static Reflections: Book 1 of The M... - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

~The Call~
The moment between Nick and Richard passed comfortably. Happily, the universe was giving them the time they needed together and not trying to ruin it. Nick was pressed against Richard, and his partner kept his arm around him, breathing softly. Unfortunately, the two couldn't lay there forever, and the phone did eventually start buzzing in Richard's pocket. The raccoon got off the table and leaned against the edge while the hyena stayed sitting with his legs crossed on top.
"Hello?" Richard spoke into the device, pressing a button to put it on speaker.
"Hello, am I speaking to Richard Seife?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
"This is him," Richard answered, looking at Nick, who just blinked in response.
"My name is Quin. I'm in a Sub-Sect in the Mortal Guard that relays info gathered from police to members. Are you on the case of Sandy Mitchell along with Nicholas Flynn?"
"I am."
"And is Nicholas Flynn currently in the room with you?"
"Yep," Nick responded, shifting on his behind, so his tail wasn't under him. The phone's on speaker."
"And you are in a secure place?" asked Quin, clearing his throat on the other line.
"We are, yes," responded Richard. "You can begin."
"Alright, here's how this works. I'll give you some info to start and then you can ask me the questions you want to know. I'll also update this in your Cases app accordingly."
"Sounds good," Richard nodded.
"Alright, well, needless to say, the family was devastated at the news. It was hard to calm the mother down enough for her to speak to the police, but the father and brother were too in shock to break down while they were there."
"You can skip this," Nick announced. "We don't need to hear how the family reacted to it. How was Sandy the last time they spoke?"
"They said the last time they spoke to Sandy was over the phone a few days ago, on Ocean Moon. Strangely, they reported that she, in fact, wasn't acting like herself."
"What is she usually like?" Nick queried.
"They said that she was a very dedicated girl, always on top of things like school and finances. She was staying in her dormitory that she rented for the summer, which is why she was still here."
"Oh, right. It's June. There's no school going on right now. That's why we didn't see anyone in the halls," Nick pointed out.
"Right," Richard answered. "Did she have a job?"
"Yeah, she worked at a movie theater on South. We spoke to them, too. Staying on the topic of her parents, we'll start with Mrs. Mitchell. She told the police that when she spoke with them on the phone, her daughter sounded different. Says she sounded despondent and not all there. When the mother asked what was wrong, Sandy told her that it was a movie she had seen recently. Mrs. Mitchell recalled that her daughter was never usually affected by movies that way, so she found it strange."
"Did she say anything about how Sandy acted before?" Nick asked. "Mood-wise?"
"Unfortunately, Mrs. Mitchell couldn't talk anymore after that," Quin reported.
"Doesn't sound like enough to commit suicide," Nick stated.
"Well, the supernatural aspect of this case is that it was thirty suicides at once. With all the questioning being done, there has to be a connection with all of them," Richard inserted. "Did Sandy leave a note?"
"All of the family members and police reported that they found no such thing."
"Alright, what did the dad say?" Nick asked, looking down at the table between his crossed legs.
"They actually spoke to the brother next," Quin reported. "He says that he hadn't spoken to her when she called last but that he did text her due to a favor that she owed him. When he asked her to come over, she told him that she wasn't feeling up to doing anything. He asked if she was okay, and she responded that she was fine and just needed some time. That was the last he heard of her."
Nick's heart sank deeper. "She clearly wasn't fine, especially if she acted as she did before, which you still haven't told us."
"Right. Well, they spoke to Mr. Mitchell next. He told them that he had only spoken to her before the strange sadness. The last thing he remembers talking to her about was that she would see that movie at a discount at her work. After the call with Mrs. Mitchell, Mr. Mitchell tried to get in contact with Sandy, but she didn't answer her phone nor text back."
"It seems like she quit communicating with them for a few days before the incident," Richard noted. "Strange. Did any of the family members report any strange happenings or behaviors before the bout of sadness?"
"No, actually. They said she was completely normal and noted that she never struggled with depression or suicidal thoughts, so this was completely out of left-field," Quin explained.
"Huh." Nick rubbed his cheek, sighing. "Sadly. Is that all?"
"From the family, yes. The information from Sandy's work was only helpful in one regard. She was eager to see the movie titled Darkest Sun. The day after, she didn't show up, and they couldn't get in contact with her."
"Did they try to do anything to find her?" Nick asked, lifting his head.
"They assumed she quit due to a big argument she had with the manager the day before."
"Do they know what the argument was about?"
"Apparently, she wanted to be a server at the theater, but they had her running food. The theater says that they usually have animals start with running food, but she got upset when new hires were consistently trained on being servers before her. Said she thought they were playing favorites and she wasn't one of them."
"I can see how that would bother someone," Nick nodded. "Why wouldn't they think she quit after being treated unfairly?"
"It makes sense," Richard sighed. "I suppose that's all the information you found out, aside from what her friends know."
"Currently, yes. Another thing of note was that they couldn't find any trace of her cell phone."
"That must be why she didn't contact anyone," Nick commented.
Quin cleared his throat again on the other side of the line. "Oh, yes. I must disclose that the school revealed to investigators that they hadn't seen her for a few days. They weren't worried about it since the students are allowed to come and go as they please. She wasn't in her dormitory when they did the checks at night."
"So she went somewhere for a few days," Richard nodded. "Thank you for telling us."
"Is that all you need to know?" Quin asked.
"We need to interview the animals in her friend group," Richard responded. "Thank you for reporting all of this to us."
"Certainly. I'll update your Cases app with all of the info I told you. Good luck with the investigation, and have a good day." Quin hung up.
Nick looked down again, sighing.
Richard set the phone on the table, reaching over and grabbing his hand. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I feel a lot better not having to hear the family break down over the phone. I hope that that doesn't make me selfish or anything."
Richard shook his head. "Of course not, Nicholas. Some members are more sensitive than others when it comes to these things."
"Yeah . . . ." He squeezed his partner's hand, wanting only to be lying down with him again. "Are you going to bring the first friend in?"
"I am." Richard let go and pushed off of the table, walking to the door and looking back. "Hang in there."
~Hailey~
Richard came in, a female calico cat following in behind him. She was wearing the white clothes that everyone adorned when they arrived in Prostasia. The feline was looking down at the floor as she walked forward. Nick sighed as Richard handed him a pair of cuffs, giving him a short rundown on how to use them. The two animals worked together to cuff the cat's hands and legs. Afterward, the raccoon put the little silver key in his white shirt pocket.
The hyena looked up. "Sorry about this."
"They explained to me where I am," Hailey told him. "This is about Sandy, right? Well, I didn't do anything. She was my best friend!"
"No." Nick stood up. "You're not a suspect or anything. We just want to find out a bit more about her and why she did this to herself. The handcuffs are just for safety."
Richard walked around the table and sat down in the other metal chair. Nick came close to him and leaned against the hard surface. "So," Richard stated. "My name is Richard Seife, and this is Nicholas Flynn. We're investigating the supernatural case of Sandy Mitchell. A case deemed supernatural due to it coinciding with over thirty other suicides. Your name is Hailey, correct? Can you tell us a little bit about your relationship with Sandy, Hailey?"
Hailey's lip quivered before she even spoke. "W-well . . . we've been best friends before high school since we were fourteen. I've been with her through thick and thin, but I've always been the one she had to look out for." She sniffed. "She never had problems with her image or mental state, and this just came completely out of nowhere . . . ."
"So, you'd say you're very close?" Richard asked.
"The closest!"
After she said this, Nick thought back to how he and Tyler used to do everything together. The German shepherd had been in some dark places before, and Nick had pulled him out, forging an iron bond between them. Nick wondered where he was and what he was up to.
"Before this meeting, we spoke with Sandy's family and work. Both of them said that she hadn't contacted them for a few days since last Wednesday. Has it been the same with you?"
"N-no," Haily sniffled. "She talked to me yesterday. Sh-she told me that she was having a hard time, and I was trying to be there before, but she seemed really down."
"Did Sandy make any mention to you of suicide? Did she seem like she was sad enough to take her own life?" Richard asked, placing his hands on the table and lacing his fingers.
"No, but she mentioned going somewhere. She said that she just wanted to run away because she was feeling overwhelmed. I told her just to have a drink, relax, and take it easy. She accepted it easily and told me goodnight after that. I didn't think that she would . . ." Tears stung Hailey's eyes. "Oh, Sandy . . . ."
Richard's eyebrows wiggled as he attempted to stay composed. Seeing this animal struggle was torturous. "Do you need a moment?"
Nick glanced at him. "Do you?"
"I'm . . . fine," Richard told him, swallowing. "Was there a note left?"
Hailey shook her head. "No, nothing. When I texted her the next morning, she didn't respond. Wh-wh-what do I do now that my best friend is d--Oh!" The cat hung her head as she sobbed.
Nick's heart grew heavy, and he got up, moving over to her. "Hey. Hey, Hailey . . ."
The cat shook her head. "What?"
"I know this is going to be a hard part of your life, but we're asking these questions so we can figure out what happened. Now that I can say with certainty Souls exist, the sooner we solve this mystery, the sooner she can be laid to rest once we figure out what happened to her. Don't you want that?"
"If Souls really do exist . . . yes . . ." Hailey nodded. "Sorry, I'm trying my best . . . ."
Nick looked up. "Do you recall her saying anything about a movie she saw at work? Darkest Sun?"
"O-oh, yeah . . . Everyone is talking about that movie right now. Apparently, it's heavy. Sandy said that it definitely got to her."
"Do you think it got to her enough for her to want to end her own life?" Richard asked.
"N-no way! It's just a movie! Sandy would never let a piece of art control her like that. Didn't you say there were over thirty other suicides? What's happening with that?"
Richard shook his head. "We're not sure yet. Everyone's still gathering the information. And there were no strange occurrences or behaviors before the incident? Nothing that made your ears perk?"
Hailey shook her head. "No . . ."
Richard nodded. "Thank you for your time." He pulled the silver key out of his pocket and came over, unlocking her cuffs. "I'll escort you out so we can bring Tanner in."
"O-okay . . ." Haily nodded, sniffling.
Nick gave her an understanding look. "Hang in there." He watched as Richard escorted her out and the door shut behind them. The hyena covered his face with his hands, exhaling loudly. How did investigators do this all the time?
~Tanner~
"My name is Richard Seife, and this is my partner Nicholas Flynn," Richard said, looking at a red fox sitting across from them, cuffed by the two creature hunters. "We're investigating the Sandy Mitchell suicide. Can you tell us a little about your relationship with Ms. Mitchell, Tanner?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah," the canine nodded, messing with the sleeve of the white shirt. "I am, erm . . . I was her boyfriend. We were seeing each other for a little over six months now. I don't know what happened . . . She was never like that, man. She wouldn't have done this!"
"Are you certain?" Richard asked. "There were no signs? Did she stop contacting you a few days before her death?"
Tanner nodded. "Yeah, actually. She did. She was supposed to come over after the movie on Wednesday, but she texted me that she was feeling sick. I dunno what came over her, but she said goodnight and then . . . nothing. That was it. I tried contacting her after that, but she wouldn't answer. I didn't know her parent's number, so I went to her place to check on her, but she wasn't there. I assumed she was at their place or something."
Nick was listening to each bout of information and tried to glue the puzzle together to stick it on his wall and show Richard. So far, it was chilling to hear that she stopped contacting animals, making it apparent that something had happened to her phone.
Richard nodded. "What was she like before she felt sick?"
Tanner smiled, but it immediately morphed into a look of sadness. "Oh, she was the best, man . . . Sandy had goals and was always dedicated to having her weeks planned out. She was also the most beautiful bunny you'd ever seen and . . . I just can't believe she's gone . . . ." There was a slight sound from his throat, but he just shook his head.
As the questions went on, Nick noticed that Richard's eyes grew sadder with each answer. "Did she leave a note? Any sign? Anything?"
"Nah, man, nothing. This just came out of nowhere and fucked everything up. We were gonna move in together after her next semester . . . ."
"I'm . . . sorry to hear that," Richard sighed.
"We promise we'll figure this out," Nick told him. "And avenge your girlfriend."
"I just hope that she's in a better place if she wasn't happy here . . ." Tanner whispered.
Richard's breath caught at that. "Alright, well, I'll escort you so we can finish up with Shel and get you all back to the Mortal Realm."
Nick had noticed how this was definitely harder on Richard than it was on him. The hyena had to stay strong for them both.
~Shel~
"Greetings, Shel. My name is Richard Seife, and this is Nicholas Flynn, my partner. We're investigating the suicide of Sandy Mitchell. Can you tell us a little bit about the bond you shared with Ms. Mitchell?"
A golden-furred bunny sat across from them, not showing her feelings as clearly as Sandy's other friends. "Um, sure. We were good friends, but we weren't as close as her and Hailey. I think before I say anything else, I gotta tell you that her relationship was more complicated than the one she shared with Tanner. I was the only animal that knew, too. Not even her parents knew . . . ."
Richard raised a brow and leaned forward. "What is it?"
"Sandy was . . . seeing another animal. A mouse named Stephanie Moore. It's complicated, but obviously, Tanner didn't know."
Nick blinked. "Sandy was interested in girls?"
"And boys," Shel nodded, scratching at the cold surface of the table with her claw. "Both, I guess. She said that she met Stephanie at work when she was a customer, and there was just this connection, I guess? Stephanie became a regular, and soon it was just for the chance to even see Sandy. Sandy began buying discounted tickets for her and taking her to the movies, and then she invited Steph to her house, and-- Sorry, I'm rambling."
"No, this is good," Richard nodded. "We need all the information we can get for this investigation. Do you think that this would have anything to do with her killing herself? Do you think she felt guilty about seeing another animal, Shel?"
Shel nodded. "Yeah. She definitely felt guilty about it, but she's not the kind of animal that would let her emotions build up so much that she wouldn't spill them to someone."
Nick rubbed his chin. "What about the movies? Did she mention something about the movie Darkest Sun to you?"
Shel took a moment to think. "Actually, yeah, she did. Sandy said that she and Stephanie went on a date there. I asked her how the movie was, and she said it was really sad, which is what I had heard, but we didn't talk after that. I'm not really the type to text first that often, so I was just kinda leaving her to her own devices, but I never thought she'd do something like this . . . ."
"Are you feeling okay?" Nick asked.
"I'm doing my best to stay together," Shel smiled. "Do you need to know anything else? This is hard enough . . . ."
"Just one more thing," Richard stated. "Did she leave any kind of note or sign?"
Shel pursed her lips, then shook her head. "No, she didn't. There was no sign that this was coming, at least to me."
The raccoon nodded. "Alright, thank you for your time, Shel. Do you know anything about Stephanie or where she might be right now?"
"Sorry, no," answered Shel. "I wasn't friends with her, myself. Just knew about their relationship."
"Alright, thank you," Richard said. "Let's uncuff her and get her out of here, Nicholas."
~Conclusion~
After the last animal was led out and Richard came back in, staring at the floor, Nick went right over to him. "How are you holding up?" he asked.
Richard had a distant look in his eyes. "I am trying my best, but this case reminds me so much of him."
"Him? Him who?" Nick blinked.
The raccoon took in a deep breath, sticking his hands in his pocket and leaning back against the door. His ears flattened a bit. "My Double."
Nick looked up, ready to hear the story.
"As you know, I was brought into the Mortal Guard when I was thirteen, meaning they made a Double of me and sent me back to my father. He was happy that he was no longer Diligence-- he actually had time to take care of my Double. Of course, they altered his memories, so he thought it was me.
"Long story short, my father died of an illness a little after I returned from the alternate timeline, and my Double was distraught. He got a job that he worked hard enough at, but he struggled financially, unable to pay for bills or food, and my father left him almost nothing. Yet, he still tried to make it through school but a little before finals and failing his classes, having no friends, and barely enough money to scrape by. My Double was exhausted from working and began having back problems on top of the sadness he felt from losing his father. He was absolutely miserable. The one friend he did have who tried to save him couldn't convince him not to run away that night. A few days later, they found his body in the sewer. I was dead."
Nick had already felt tears stinging his eyes, and he clutched Richard's chest. "Did he really . . . ?"
"And you know who that one friend was?" Richard asked, looking to the side. A tear rolled down the dark fur of his mask.
Nick blinked the tears away. "Who?"
"Me. I know I told you that I didn't leave or go anywhere in the two years after the alternate timeline, but I lied. I had to know what life my Double was living, and so I convinced Iwai that it would be good for me to wander the Mortal Realm. I promised him I would stay away from my Double, but I lied about that, too. At first, I was just observing him, but I knew I had to intervene when I saw how bad he was struggling.
"He already knew he was a Double, and I had to argue with him not to report me to the Mortal Guard. We both complained about the fact that he couldn't just be a part of the Mortal Guard himself, but he didn't want to risk my position here. He was so miserable that he let me become his friend. I promised him that I would help him, so I began working hard to gather money. I worked as hard as I could, but it just wasn't enough . . . ."
Richard shut his eyes, willing himself to stop crying. "The final night, I begged him not to go through with it, but he was convinced that it would be the easiest for everyone if he just didn't exist anymore. He felt like he couldn't handle the world and that he was burdening me, and it ate him up inside. I told him that if he stuck it out a little longer, we could figure it out, but his mind was made. The next time I was in the Mortal Realm and found out the news, it just made everything harder."
Nick pressed his cheek to Richard, sniffling and holding him close. "Did you ever feel that way?"
"After watching my Double go through that and knowing that one version of me had gone over the edge, I vowed never to let myself go that far. I've wanted to, but I have never given in to the pull. That's why I'm still here today, even after everything. So that Richard didn't die for nothing."
The hyena just held him. "It's so cruel of them to have you on this damn case!"
"Nick . . ."
"No! Even if they didn't know you had a relationship with your Double, they knew that he was dead, and I bet they even told you! Did you have to act surprised? How did you do it? What the fuck?! This is horrible!"
Richard just held him close, rubbing the back of his palm against his wet cheeks. "Calm down, Nick . . . I'm alright now. We're going to figure this case out and lay Sandy's Soul to rest."
"Bullshit!" Nick shouted. "I didn't know this had happened to you! I feel so shitty with all of that Soul shit I said. I'm so fucking sorry . . ." he cried.
Richard tried to remain calm, simply holding him. "Let's go over the information we learned today . . . ."
Nick shook his head. "I can't. I can't right now. I'm sorry."
"Don't you want to figure this out?"
"I can't. Everyone keeps telling me to put my feelings aside for the job, but I just can't do it right now. I need to go to Trauma Sect. I'm sorry."
Richard sighed. ". . . Okay. We'll meet up with Adrian tomorrow and talk about what we found then."
"Can I sleep over after?" Nick asked, sniffing. "I don't want to be without you."
Richard stroked down his mane, kissing the hyena's right ear softly. "Sure. I'll escort you there, okay?"
Nick only nodded against him.