Chapter 5 Let’s Meet Sarah-

Alsie POV-

I finally reach the DOC Crime building. I park my brand new 2025, black Range Rover, in the parking garage. I look like a FED when I pull up to crime scenes in this thing. I’m not much for all the bells and whistles, but Osiris insisted that my vehicle had the best of everything when I purchased it. I don’t know why he cared, and  I don’t know what half of this stuff is or what it does.

I parked my car, got out, locked the doors with the key FOB, and went to find my partner Sarah Johns. I was hoping and praying that Lt Dodson wouldn’t be on shift tonight. I hate that guy. He asks way too many questions about my personal life. He’s borderline inappropriate, aww who am I kidding, he wasn’t borderline, he is just plain inappropriate.

“Good evening, well I guess it’s actually good morning, Alsie” I sigh a huge sigh of relief when Sgt Jacobson greets me.

“Hello Sarge. Yea, well under these circumstances I don’t think it’s a good anything.” I respond.

“You’re right about that Alsie. This one is particularly weird.”

“Ok, anything else you can give me before I go find Sarah?” I ask.

“No forced cell entry, a couple of stab wounds. County has already come out and removed the body and taken it to the morgue. There were a few things stolen, we’ve asked for a property matrix. The porter called it in. That in of itself is interesting because the porter working this floor stayed in his cell, sick. This other porter came over from A unit.”

"The dorms?" I asked.

"Yup."

“Thank you, for the rundown. Yes, I agree the porter thing is interesting, but it may be completely irrelevant. As you and I both know, sometimes things look one way in the beginning and end up being absolutely of no help in the end. Do you have any idea where the stolen property got off to?” I asked confused.

“I don’t. Randell is pulling CCTV footage from all cameras in the unit and the porter door. Alsie, dealing with inmates and working in prisons, nothing surprises me anymore.”

Now that I had more detailed info, I start to head towards the bunkroom to wake Sarah, so we can get in her cruiser and head over to Shelton

“Oh, hey Sarge!”

“Yea?”

“Why did County remove the body before we cleared the scene?” I was a bit perplexed by this chain of events. But his answer knocked the wind out of me.

“They removed the body because people there on scene were starting to ask questions and take pictures with their cell phones. The body looked like the unsub cut his thumbs off, which is weird, but one thumb was found under the blanket appeared to have something carved into it.”

"Cell phones?" I asked.

"Staff."

I nodded my head, "Ah, got it."

Randell wasn’t pulling my leg.

“Told you so Alsie-Alsie. Carvings, and thumbs. Weird, just fucking weird.”

“It’s just Alsie, Tech Alsie. You do know that in some circles cutting off ones thumbs is calling them a thief and they won’t get into their version of the afterlife, right? It’s not that weird.”

Not going to lie, that type of ritual in a prison is weird. But I’m not about to tell Office Randell that.

I reach the bunkroom to wake Sarah, so we can get to the scene. I’ve never been to Shelton. I know it’s the intake prison for all inmates. But normally this facility is crime-free well, as much as a prison can be. I was about to open the door, when it opens, and Sarah walks out. She looks exhausted. Her light brown hair is pulled up in a messy bun, her sage green eyes are bloodshot, and her clothes are rumpled from sleeping.

“Hey Alsie.”

“Hey Sarah, you ready to go? We can take a few minutes if you need to.”

“I’m good. I’m going to go wash my face and brush my teeth, then we can head out.”

“OK sounds good to me. I’ll go downstairs and grab us a coffee from the cart outside. Lucinda was opening up her cart when I walked in.”

“That sounds amazing. Grab me a bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel if she has one, please.”

“I got you partner. Don’t worry about it.”

I head down the stairs, through the security gate that separates the homicide bullpen from the rest of the squad, out the front door and to the coffee cart.

“Hey Lucinda, 2 of the usuals, make Sarah’s a 24oz, quad shot, and 2 bacon, egg, and cheese on everything’s please.”

“You got it Alsie. Did you two leave? You both seem to be working a lot.”

“I left for a few hours; Sarah bunked upstairs. These budget cuts have us stretched thin. It feels like we’re catching back to backs with no time for anything else. It would be nice if people quit killing each other.”

Lucinda hands me the two coffees and two bagels, just as Sarah starts to exit the building.

“You ready Als.” She takes the coffee from me and takes a huge gulp. “Aww, just what I needed. My cruiser is right around the corner. Let’s go.”

We walk around the corner to the secure lot, we badge in, and find Sarah’s cruiser.

“Why so quiet Als? Job got you down, missing home, missing your bed? I know I am. Thank goodness I’m not married. I see why first responders have a horrible success rate in the marriage department. Children, forget about it.”

“Osiris kissed me as I was leaving.”

Sarah was taking another big gulp of her coffee when I said this,  she choked and spit her coffee out all at the same time.

“I’m sorry. WHAT??!! Wait. That big, tall, hot-ass, sexy man that came and took you to lunch last week, kissed you, as you were leaving for work after I spoke with you?”

“Umm, yes, but no. The guy who came for lunch last week was Evander; Osiris is his identical triplet brother. Osiris kissed me in my driveway; Evander was there in the driveway too. Well, all three of them were there in the driveway.”

“Screw this crime scene. I want to hear more of this story. Let me get this straight. There are 3 of those men walking around this earth, that all look like the one that came to have lunch with you. One of them kissed you tonight in your driveway and the other two watched.”

I laughed… hard at this summation of events. “Yeah Sarah, that’s pretty much how it went down. I went home, got a phone call from you, went to leave, three beautiful men where in my driveway and the eldest of the triplets kissed me. I don’t know why; I don’t know what to think about it. It happened.”

“One comes and takes you to lunch, another one kisses you out of the blue… is this some kind of triplet thing?”

All I could think was if you only knew Sarah. If you only knew.