Recycle - 3. Chapter 3

“What do we do next?” Elena asked Owen, after Kiran Sachs had left the station. Her boss was leaning back in his swivel chair with his feet on his desk. Over the years, she’d seen a lot of Owen’s soles.

“Well, since he doesn’t want to press charges,” the chief replied, “there’s not a lot we can do – or really need to. Just write it up, so we’re covered – in case anything like this happens again.”

“He’s still treating it lightly... even though he’s right – it is an assault. I’m sure that’s why he won’t press charges. They could end up hurting one of his friends.”

“Or a bunch of them.”

“You think there’s more than one?”

“Well, you know guys... or kids in general at that age – they travel in groups.”

Elena laughed. “I thought we weren’t supposed to think that way. Or so you keep telling us.”

Owen grinned. “Officially, we’re not allowed to... But since most of us can’t stop ourselves, we may as well admit it.”

Elena nodded. “Anyway, everything he told us is in the computer. The file’s up to date.”

“Thanks... as always.”

“But if we do have to follow up, where would we begin?”

Owen considered. “Well... like any assault... by asking questions.”

“Interview his friends?”

“That might not tell us much – except about his honesty. Which might be worth it.”

“You think he’s making this up? Showing off?”

“He was quick enough to take off his shirt.”

“And he put it right back on when I asked.”

“But he let his friends take pictures... and he took some himself. And everyone seems to have posted them.”

“I suppose I could find out where... and check on the kinds of comments.”

“You could... if we needed to. But there’s no rush... those things don’t go away... And we could check to see who runs along the river regularly – this kid can’t be the only one. Maybe someone saw him... or saw something... or knows of kids who usually play there.”

“Could someone have seen him passed out?”

“‘Knocked out’ is more like it. The other makes him seem responsible.”

Elena agreed.

“It’s a narrow enough path,” Owen went on. “I’ve walked it occasionally... parts of it.”

“So have I – for investigations.”

“So I think if someone saw him, they might’ve said.”

Elena considered. “Unless they thought it was about drugs and didn’t want to get involved.”

“Could be,” Owen admitted. “Though didn’t he say he was sitting off the path – a little? And there are some areas where’s there’s eight or ten feet, sloping down to the river.”

“Mainly covered with scrub.”

“But not like the other side of the path... which is forest, and fairly dense. So if the dart was shot – and the guy’s not lying about that...”

Elena interrupted. “I still don’t see why he’d do that.”

Owen grinned. “Because he seems to like being a mini-porn star... both to his friends and in front of you... Maybe he wants more attention.”

Elena shook her head. “He doesn’t seem the type. He was very loose... very outgoing... Confident. On top of running, he may be an athlete... and used to being casual about his body. And he seems to have lots of friends.”

“”You could double-check that, too.”

“I will.” She added the note to her phone.

“Going back to the dart,” Owen continued. “If it does exist, it probably didn’t come from the scrub near the river... And there are very few boats – the water there just leads to the dam from the old mill – so the dart had to come from the forest side.”

“Should I look for it?”

Owen laughed. “You may as well throw a nickle on the high school football field and try to find it in the dark.”

They both laughed.

“Still, who would’ve shot it?” Elena asked. “If it weren’t for the tattoo, I’d say kids who got hold of a tranquilizer dart... somehow... and wanted to try it on squirrels.”

“And the shot went wild?”

She nodded. “So they ran... But the tattoo changes everything.”

Owen acknowledged that. “It does make it seem done on purpose... But it also tips back towards a prank.”

“Why?”

He grinned. “Because it’s exactly the sort of thing Don and I... and our other friends... would’ve done at that age.”

Elena tried to imagine two of her bosses as kids.

“Anyway,” Owen went on, swinging his feet down, so Elena knew he was pretty well done, “you’ve done your job, and you’ve done it well. Now, we have to wait.”

She agreed. But they both quickly discovered, it didn’t take long.