The suspect in the shooting of Henry Jenkins, Junior was unceremoniously put in the back of a police cruiser and hauled off to a holding facility at the Moon Lake Jail, where he was processed and booked on various charges, all stemming from his attempted killing of an innocent civilian.
But there was only one thought on the suspect's mind.
Dieter's going to kill me when he finds out I shot the wrong guy!
However, that was the least of his worries.
"Any evidence on the man's cellphone we can use to tie Dieter Wilhelm into all of this?" asked Chief O'Hara, while watching Yamato Tachibana work. Employed by the technical division of Tachibana Industries, he was busy going back and forth from the display on the suspect's phone to data on a laptop computer.
"There are several phone calls to Alabama," began Yamato, studying his display screen, "all dated since we suspect he left there to journey to Moon Lake. A few to what I suspect is a girl friend, but that will have to be confirmed. Yet most are to an unlisted number that I have yet to officially identify."
"If we can tie him to Dieter Wilhelm, when the man comes Saturday in hopes of dragging Jennifer Harper back home, we can arrest him on at least conspiracy to commit murder," announced O'Hara.
"Why not send someone to arrest him now?" wondered Yamato.
"And let him know that Harry's still alive? Let alone the fact that we're on to him? No," said O'Hara, shaking his head negatively. "Better to bag this skunk in our own backyard where we have home field advantage than there where he probably has a couple of high priced lawyers and who knows what else on standby."
"From what I hear, you have plenty of forensic evidence tying the suspect to the attempt on Henry Jenkins, Junior's life, so he will not escape justice; but I understand your desire to capture the bigger fish too," replied Yamato, as the display on his computer changed. "And I think I can help you do that," he added with a smile, before showing Chief O'Hara the results.
"Wilhelm was dumb enough to call him from his own cell?" asked the Police Chief in disbelief.
"Apparently, being a big fish in a small pond for so long, this man mistakenly believes himself above the law," commented Yamato.
"A mistake we will correct him of when he sets foot in Moon Lake Saturday morning!" said O'Hara with a smile.
MEANWHILE...
Martha Anderson was in the girls locker room of Moon Lake Junior High with all the second period students under her care.
Since the school bell rang the lock down alert, they had all been gathered there, waiting for either the "All Clear" signal or further information over the public address system.
To pass the time and break the ice between them as part of a bonding exercise she remembered reading about once, Martha told her class a highly edited version of her life, skipping parts like why her family moved to Moon Lake to get a fresh start and the fact she was bi, before asking each of the students about their own lives.
Most, as she suspected, were weres, although hardly anyone actually had their first transformation yet.
For a naturally born were, the first transformation usually doesn't happen until after their 14th birthday, she remembered.
Then, in the middle of the session, the school bell rang again.
Once long. A pause. Then once long again.
"Okay ladies. That's the All Clear signal," said Coach Katherine "Kat" Johnson as she came back into the Girls' Locker Room. "Hmm..." she added, while looking at her wristwatch. "We still have a few minutes before the end of second period. Why don't all of you go out to the Gym and stretch your legs before dismissal to third period. Otherwise, we'll call it a day and I'll see you tomorrow."
The students thanked her and started filing out to the gym, leaving Kat and Martha alone in the dressing room.
Or so they thought.
"Coach Anderson?" said one girl, waiting until the others left.
"Yes?" replied Martha, wondering what the student wanted.
"My name's Suzie. Suzie Oldman," began the brown haired girl. "Thank you for being brave, because I was scared."
"You're welcome Suzie," replied Martha, as Kat just smiled at her temporary assistant coach.
With that, Suzie turned and left to join the others.
"So, life as a junior high gym coach?" asked Kat, now that they were finally alone.
"As much as this position has some perks," began Martha, as she snuggled up next to her friend and let out a low purr, "I think I'll stick to elementary school once I get re-certified to teach in Washington State."
"You do know life isn't perfect everywhere. Look at what happened at Sandy Hook," pointed out Kat.
"True. But I've been an elementary school teacher all my professional life. At least there I have some experience with what to expect and how to deal with it," observed Martha. "But that doesn't mean we can't be... friends," she added with a smile.
"With benefits?" asked Kat hopefully.
"You better believe it," agreed Martha, before giving Kat a quick but passionate kiss.