Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound Annual 1

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound Annual 1

  by Christopher D. Carter, © 2013

  Text and Illustration Copyright © 2013 Christopher D. Carter

  All Rights Reserved

  Also by Christopher Carter:

  Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 1

  Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 2

  Discover other titles by Christopher Carter at:

  Table of Contents

  Faith Rock

  For More Adventure!

  About the Author

  *

  Faith Rock

  *

  “Things are slow these days, huh?” Seth Hogan commented as he watched I. M. Pound play a round of cards on the desktop computer. It was ten o’clock on a hot summer Monday morning, and the building air conditioning unit at the Department of Adventures and Mysteries was rattling as it struggled to keep the office area to an almost tolerable eighty degrees.

  “Yeah, no kidding,” Pound replied as he played his last card. “I’ve beaten this game three times, and broken my previous time record of thirty-six seconds for completion by ten seconds today. You would think some work would come in so I wouldn’t have to keep challenging the computer.”

  “Um, dude. Playing games isn’t part of our work description,” Seth answered.

  “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll remember that when I have to pull an eighty hour week in Death Valley again,” Pound retorted. “Here it’s your turn,” he said as he offered Seth a seat at the controls. “This game will keep your mind sharp since this job doesn’t seem to be able to.” Before Seth could reply or take a seat, S. S. Crush walked into the cubicle area and sighed a complaint out loud as he laid a folder down on the group table. Pound minimized the game on the screen and turned around to look at his partner.

  “Boys, we got a hot one here,” Crush announced with a severe expression on his face. Their manager, Dr. Theresa Tatum, soon followed behind into the room with her arms crossed, not in anger, but in contemplation. “One of you has to come with me to Franklinville, NC. I’m leaving in two hours, so I’ll leave it to you two to decide among yourselves who is the most appropriate. If neither of you are suitable, then flip a coin. I’m going to load up the hybrid,” he said as he slapped a quarter down on the table and walked back out of the room.

  “Geez, don’t be in such a good mood,” Pound replied with a smile as he slid the quarter off the table and into his palm. “Heads or tails?” he asked, and Seth thought for a few seconds before he replied.

  “Tails,” he said with a grin. Pound flipped the coin into the air, and before he could catch it in his palm, Dr. Tatum snatched it out of the air.

  “Hey, what’s this? I didn’t know you wanted a chance to go into the field on a mission,” Pound remarked. “I thought you hated going into the field.” Dr. Tatum returned a look of disbelief at the sudden pronouncement of leadership weakness by Pound.

  “I don’t hate the field,” she replied coolly as she took the higher road. “I wanted to flip the coin myself. That way I’m at least involved in the decision making,” she continued as she looked the coin over from one side to the other.

  “Tails, you say?” she then asked Seth as she flipped the coin back into the air. Catching it in her palm, she flipped it over onto the back of her hand. As she raised her palm to take a peek, Dr. Tatum announced the winner. “Heads, it is, Pound.” Then she slid the coin down into her front skirt pocket and sat down at the table with the two rambunctious field agents.

  “Seth, there are some files that need to be archived before the audit next month. Do you think that you can help Sherry with that over the next few days while Crush and Pound are away?” Dr. Tatum requested.

  “I suppose,” Seth answered with a groan. “It beats playing cards on the desktop.”

  “Good, that’s the spirit. There is a stack ready on my desk now, if you have the time,” she replied. Knowing the cue, Seth left the cubicles and walked down the hall to her office as Dr. Tatum turned her attention back to Pound who had opened the file to analyze the circumstances of the case.

  “Listen, I realize that you don’t quite see eye-to-eye with my management style, but you’ll acclimate eventually,” she encouraged him. Steering the subject away from their interpersonal conflicts, Dr. Tatum sat down across from Pound and retrieved the flipped coin from her pocket. “Pound, this assignment may be more serious than it looks, and I’m glad Crush used the double-headed coin,” she said as she placed it back onto the table. Pound smiled in recognition.

  “You catch on fast, Doc. Everybody knows that Seth defaults to tails. Crush and I try to look out for the other agents,” he replied with a wink.

  “And no one appreciates that more than I do,” she replied. “Besides, I believe Seth can train Sherry in some of the basics of detective work while you two are on assignment.” This revelation drew a look of disapproval from Pound, but he had already jokingly crossed her once today. There was no need to push his luck any further.

  “I hope that turns out well for you and for Sherry. Now, from the report, I see that some people are missing, and vampires may be involved,” he stated with an arched eyebrow. “There are multiple eyewitness accounts from that sleepy little town to corroborate the story,” he then surmised as he laid out copies of statements onto the table. “Do you have any reservations about us going?”

  “Yes, since you ask. I never like sending agents into harm’s way, but since it’s our job, I recommend that you take every precaution in regards to vampires and get to the bottom of the disappearances safely and in a timely manner,” she countered drily as she patted him on the back and walked back down the hall to her office.

  “Nice. I guess I’m dismissed,” Pound said as he snatched the double-headed coin from the table and slipped it into his pocket. As he began to gather his tools for the trip, Sherry Lance stepped into the cubicle area, and Pound froze as he smelled the compelling scent of her perfume.

  “Hi Pound,” she said with a smile as she brought in a stack of archives and placed the folders down on the table. The dust that had collected on the aged records flew out in all directions, and Sherry waved her hands back and forth in front of her face to keep from inhaling the particles. “You guys have waited long enough to put your archives away. I guess I should be thankful for the backlog, or the Department might not have hired me. Do you think I’ll get my chance on a big case?” she asked with a look of endless hope.

  “Sure, sure. Once you learn the ropes around the office, you’ll be sent on a mission with one of the senior agents where you’ll get a chance to take notes on assignment in the field. Before you know it, you’ll be wielding talismans and banishing demons all on your own,” he replied, and she returned a smile. Pound did not really believe she would get to that point in her career anytime soon, but he did not want to be the one to crush her dreams. Besides, for some reason, his spirits improved whenever she was around.

  “Thanks, I think,” she added as Pound threw his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the hall. Seth passed him in the hall and stepped to one side to let him through.

  “Knock ‘em dead!” Seth cheered.

  “Yeah, you, too. File ‘em straight!” Pound said as he slapped him on the arm and walked to the stairwell at the end of the hallway. When he rounded the first set of stairs down, a feeling of dread fell over him at the upcoming trip, and the feeling stayed with him as he loaded his things into the back of the hybrid. Crush was setting up the satellite mapping when he took the passenger’s seat and closed the door.

  “That was fast. I didn’t expect you down here that quick. Doc
said she had something to discuss with you before we leave,” said Crush.

  “I get the distinct feeling she isn’t happy with me. The feeling is mutual, though,” Pound explained. “I don’t approve of the Doc training Sherry when she won’t even go into the field herself.”

  “Easy on the boss now, Pound. She may not have much experience at ghost hunting, but she is the most educated leader we’ve had since I can remember,” Crush said as he started the vehicle with the push of a button. “And Sherry is no slouch herself. I think once she gets trained, that young lady will put us all to shame.”