SHADOWS IN THE GLASS -- Part I - A BOTTLE OF SMOKE -- Chapter 1

Thursday July 7

The dog was going crazy. That was what woke her up. She was whimpering and digging her paws into Lisa's leg. Lisa stroked the thick double coat on Shadow's neck and face until her doggy dreams calmed.

It was hot. Six in the morning and already pushing 96 degrees. Phoenix was always hot. It was just a matter of how hot. Chandler, the suburb where Lisa lived was no exception.

She wiped the sweat from her eyes with a handful of sweat. Sat up. Dismissed the alarm on her watch. It was her backup. Her first was the clock radio which had started playing a Spanish station twenty minutes earlier. She reset it. Turned off the radio.

Shut off the sound conditioner. The whispered white noise usually sounded like the sea but today in that groggy place between the dreams of sleep and those of waking, the sibilant susurration of static sounded like accusing whispers.

Blackout curtains at the windows held back the mercilessly blasting blowtorch in the sky but light still streamed around the edges, illuminating the room to a murky twilight.

Shadow stayed on the bed in peaceful slumber. Whatever had bothered her had passed. The red-black German Shepard was a sixty pound puddle of furry jello. Lisa let her sleep. Shadow deserved it in more ways than Lisa could count.

She rose and stretched. Lifted her shoulder-length hair off the back of her neck to let the ceiling fan cool her sweat. Her thumb laid alongside the curve of a scar that curled behind her right ear. One of many.

After a quick shower she tuned in local news on the portable TV in her bedroom. Forecast hot. Supposed to hit 115 degrees.

She sweated as she toweled herself dry, turning the simple task into a Sisyphean process. She switched on the small rotary fan on the bathroom counter. The breeze slipped across her wet skin giving her a shiver. A rare luxury in the unending heat.

As she brushed her teeth she avoided her image in the mirror. She had honed her mind as a critical instrument. Her eyes sought out every flaw. Not helpful for self-esteem.

Her appearance was never a priority but she took care of herself. Still young at thirty-three. Her body was toned. Her skin golden. Her face freckled by the sun. At five foot eight and a hundred forty-five give or take ten pounds all her parts were more or less in their proper places.

Except the scars. The one behind her right ear slashed like lightning across her scalp but her hair covered most of that. Another started under her left breast. It curled around her rib cage and tucked into her back. Old deep wounds that twisted and puckered as she grew into adulthood. Dried up rivers of pain bordered by arroyos of suture scars.

Most were covered when she was dressed but she was still self-conscious. The back of her left calf was rippled with scar tissue so shorts were never in season.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Applied a combination moisturizer and sunscreen. Her routine was simple. Hadn't changed in years. The same products. Brands that didn't test on animals and were available at the supermarket.

Average looking by her own harsh assessment but even she had to admit that her eyes were striking. Clinically referred to as heterochromia iridum. Her iris was deep brown with green highlights on the left. Icy-blue on the right.

Behind Lisa's back a coworker had noted the irony that she was a cop, since arresting was an apt word to describe her.

Still the pretty shell that time would whither wasn't what made her remarkable. It was the fire of mind that burned behind her eyes. Early in her life she considered beauty to be a detriment. She nurtured the ability to blend in. To disappear from the social radar. To adopt a simple flat façade to show the world. Just a kid. Just a cadet. Just a cop.

Now more often than not she had herself fooled. She couldn't see herself separate from the job anymore. She was never at home. She was just off-duty.

She walked into her bedroom and turned down the TV. The worn volume control crackled. Shadow's ear twitched but the dog didn't move.

"Lazy dog. Still asleep?"

Shadow lifted an eyebrow and blinked her eyes open.

"Faker. Bet you think you're clever."

If the look on Shadow's face was any indication, yes she did indeed think she was clever. She rolled onto her belly and unfurled her tongue in a leisurely yawn.

"You probably want breakfast in bed too."

Lisa shrugged a sports bra over her shoulders. Stretched it over her breasts. Carefully tugged the edges smooth to minimize irritation of her scars.

Traffic reports were less dismal than the weather but just as consistent. Chandler had seemed like a good idea when she bought the place. Phoenix was still growing. Real estate was booming. Getting into a new house in a good neighborhood for just over two hundred thousand dollars seemed like a good deal.

She had to drive a little farther for her commute. Over thirty miles each way but it seemed a small price to pay for home ownership.

That was a little over a decade ago. Gas had doubled in price while the value of her house was nearly half what she had bought it for. Her loan was so far upside down it had flopped over on its back. So many people had lost their homes that Lisa could get a house within five miles of the station for a little over half what she still owed on her mortgage.

Many of her neighbors defaulted on their loans when home values plummeted. She didn’t know if it was a tactical decision or the force of the sluggish economy.

Lisa only knew it wasn’t something she could do. She wasn’t wired to break rules. It wasn't who she was. The sole thing that gave her life purpose was bringing order to the chaos. Doing what was right. Following the rules.

That was what got her here, slow-baking in Chandler.

The breaking TV news was three days old. A woman and child had gone missing over the long weekend. The reporter on location in Flagstaff repeated virtually the same report she had given the night before.

They planned to drag Lake Elaine for bodies. Men and dogs were searching the surrounding area. There was a person of interest. Man of medium height and build, perhaps Hispanic. He was seen driving the missing woman's car. The car was found yesterday. Torched and blackened in the desert north of Phoenix.

It wasn't much. But it was enough to tell Lisa that the woman and her child were dead. Maybe bodies would turn up. Maybe not. Luckily it was outside her jurisdiction. None of her business. She had her hands full already.

Lisa had her slacks and undershirt on. Put her socks on by the time the reporter wrapped her segment. She stepped into her shoes and grabbed the closest hanger with a blouse on it.

Her clothes were all similar enough to be interchangeable. Anything she could build into a habit would obviate the need to make a decision. She strove to keep her non-case life decision free. She hooked the hanger over the doorknob. She'd put it on when she got to work. Otherwise it would be soaked through with sweat by the time she arrived.

She reached to turn off the TV but it said something that made her freeze in her tracks.

"In a press release issued from Central City Precinct, Police Lieutenant Markus Garrison has confirmed rumors that a serial killer has claimed the lives of three young Latina women over the past two months. Lieutenant Garrison has been in contact with Sheriff Joe Spaulding about forming a joint task force."

Lisa let out a long sigh. "Markus, what have you done?"

Shadow let out a whine.