Three Hours In (Blogophilia 28.6) Part 2 of an ongoing series.

In the Memphis murder of Commander Danny Kaye, found in a pool of blood on a Beale St. sidewalk...

Farthing and Sullens have returned to the office, leaving Lt. Martian to finish processing the murder scene and deal with the emotions of losing his former partner. The witness who called 911 is waiting in the interview room. 

[Cut to picture of Sullens emptying the dregs from the bottom of a five hour old pot of coffee]

"Mmmmm...vintage 7:30.  Just the thing to get me through the next few hours"

Sullens will be joined by Det. Marianne Brick in the interview.  Brick, a seventeen year veteran of the force, grew up in the rough part of town and is known for being a no nonsense interrogator.  

The Witness, Rutger Siskens, known on the internet as Ruggi, is a man from the Netherlands in town for a writers conference. 

"Mr. Siskens?  How are you.  I am Sgt. Sullens and this is my colleague, Det. Brick.  We need to ask you a few questions about what went on tonight. 

"Oh, not even in Amsterdam have I ever tripped over a body.  And it's funny.  I could have sworn I had see the fellow before.  But, the Red Bereted Muse said it was nothing."

Sullens looks confused.  "Muse?  When we met you, you were alone."

"Ah, yes.  She does not like attention, that one.  As soon as the spell from the beer is gone from the shock of the body, so was she.  Anyway, we had dinner and drinks with another fellow named Myke I knew from the internet and he knew I liked classic movies.  He was the one that suggested I to and see it...how did phrase it?...old style glory. I must admit, he was right. It was an enthralling evening. "

"Does Myke have a last name?"

"Oh, I am sure he does, but I don't know it.  Anyway, he lives some distance from jeer and had to be back home for a poetry reading.   I would have joined him, but my plane for home leaves today and I wasn't sure I would make it back. The muse stayed with me."

Siskens goes on to describe going to the theater for the 11:00PM show and as the crowd thinned out, he realized he had taken a wrong turn to go back to his hotel.  He was looking for the right cross street when he found the deceased. Taken aback, he called for help.

"Mr. Siskens, have you ever seen this man before?"  Det. Brick slides over a picture of Kaye. 

"My. Oh yes.  He does look familiar. He is known on the Internet as Commander K.  Sidekick of a weird man named Marvin Martian."  Sullens and Brick look up in surprise.  " They run a writing group known as Blogophilia."

Siskens describes how each week the writers get their assignments and trade their work back and forth.  All friendly with no criticism.  They ask Siskens whether he had ever met Martian or Kaye outside of the internet.  Siskens said no.  He wasn't even sure where they lived. 

The detectives finish up the interview and release Siskens to catch his plane home.  Sullens, Farthing and Brick stand at Farthing's desk stunned at the revelations.

Det. Brick breaks the silence.

"So, we know Lt. Martian knew our deceased.  Now we find he's involved in this internet group. Do we need to take it upstairs?"

Farthing answers: "Probably. If only we knew..."

RRRiiinnnnggg.... [Sullens' cellphone goes off]

"Sgt. Sullens....Really?" Sullens grabs a tablet and begins writing, going back and forth in a boustrophedon method. It is something Metal Sullens is regularly mocked about.  "Dude in funny hat was in the theatre?  And was asked to leave for what?  We'll be right down."

"That was the manager of the Orpheum.  Looks like our deceased was in the back row of the theater earlier in the evening playing 'Beach Blanket Bingo' with one of those blow up dolls you find at the Love Shack and was asked to leave.  Let's go see if there is any surveillance tape."






Link to part 1, Summertime Blues


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