Chapter 1
"Prowler reported on 154 Birch Wood Lane." My radio crackled to life, I reached up and depressed the button on the microphone.
"One-Adam-twelve, ten-four."
"Ten-four, one-Adam-twelve, proceed."
I put up my lights, no siren, and sped through the dark quaint town. As I rounded the corner I turned off my lights completely and as I approached 154 Birch Wood Lane I began to swing my spotlight about.
The light fell onto the form of a scared woman, crouch near the edge of the house. She was naked and shivering. I depressed the microphone button once again.
"One-Adam-twelve, requesting ambulance, subject in sight. One female, caucasian, dark hair, mid to lower twenties. I am also going to need a female officer on scene to supervise."
"Ten-four. Detective in need of assistance, 154 Birch Wood Lane, female officer needed." The radio crackled in and out, a female officer had eventually replied.
I switched my lights to solid red and blues and got out of the cruiser. Taking my Maglight from its holster I flicked it on and approached the still figure.
"Hello, miss? Can you come out into the open please." I took a pair of blue evidence gloves out of my pocket, donning them while I walked backwards back to my cruiser. Popping the trunk I pulled out a blanket.
"I have a blanket you can use. I won't hurt you," I lowered himself into a squat, bending at the knees, "You look cold, come on out." I put on a broad smile, and offered out the blanket. The woman regarded me carefully, and eventually made to crawl out and took the blanket. I felt my smile widened. I heard two vehicles approaching and the house's porch lights went on.
"What have we here?" A feminine voice sounded from behind me.
"I don't know, she hasn't said a word."
An EMT approached on my other side.
"Can we get her into the ambulance?" The EMT inquired.
"I don't know if I can coax her out." I replied. Then I noticed how the strange woman's eyes were darting back and forth between everyone there, "Everyone back up, were scaring her." I crept closer. The woman's eyes settled on me, as if to stare me down. I shuddered, there was a lot of determination in those eyes. No hate, not even fear, just raw confidence.
"Look, sweetie, me and my friends just want to help you. Come on out and we can talk and take you somewhere warm and safe." She didn't respond.
"My name is Daniel," I told her, offering my name in hope I could coax her name out. After a period of silence. "What is your name?"
"Luna." My eyes widened, she replied!
"Alright miss Luna. You have my word, we won't harm you, why don't you come out and talk?"
She crawled out from the dark corner she was in. She shakily tried to emulate walking, she pushed herself up off the ground and teetered to and fro. She looked uncertain. I stood up to maintain eye level.
"Do you want me to help you?"
Nod.
I walked to her, I took her blanket in my hands and adjusted it for more cover. I threw her arm around the back of my neck and wrapped my hand around her waist to guide her. After a shaky few feet I had her sitting on the stretcher. In the light cast by the ambulance's open doors I could see her features better.
She had a round face, very defined lips, a small level nose. Her hair was the blackest and longest I'd ever seen. Her eyes seemed a bit bigger than normal, but that was probably just nerves. The cyan colored orbs scanned my face, she wouldn't look anywhere else. I faltered under her scrutiny. I shuffled my feet and broke my gaze with her.
The EMT's did their job, and reported everything as normal. They said she didn't need to go to the hospital so I guided her to the back of my cruiser.
"Well it is good that there is nothing wrong, but I still need to know why you were out in their yard," I pointed to the house. "Why were you over there?"
She pondered for a moment.
"I am... Lost."
I blinked.
"Why are you not wearing any clothes?"
"I don't normally wear clothing."
Uhh...
"Well I am going to take you to the station, and we'll see if we can find more about you." I smiled to her once more. I reached over her and buckled her in. She shot me an offended look.
"Are thou detaining me!?"
Waa? 'Thou'?
"No. Its for safety." I pointed at the red button. "When we get there, you can press that button to make it release, but not until we are there, ok?" I looked at her seriously. She resigned her temper.
I frowned as I walked away. "Strangest. Case. Ever." I muttered to myself looking up at the moon, it was full of course.
We arrived at the station, I stepped out and opened the child and criminal safe door and watched as Luna fumbled in her attempt to press the button. She moved her fingers like she didn't know how to work them. All I could think was 'drugs'. I reached over her and pressed the button, the belt popped loose with a click and coiled up. She looked at me, defiant of my impatience, her eyes said she felt she could of handled it herself. I sighed.
"Come on Luna. I'm sure you want to get home." Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Her sudden sobbing served as an indicator.
"Hey." Those brilliant cyan orbs gazing into my soul again. "Everything is going to be fine." I informed her matter-of-factly, she stopped sobbing a hope look in her eyes, her lips quivering and jaw tensing as she bit into the back of her lip.
"I don't belong here." I sighed again, more crazy, huh?
"Well lets go in. I can get you some scrubs and we can talk about what happened to you." I took her hand and helped her up. She walked shakily but without her arm around my shoulder this time. We made it past the automatic doors, which initially caused her alarm. After her shock had faded we continued in, past the main desk and towards the bathrooms. I pulled a set of scrubs from a nearby shelf and pushed them into her arms. I pointed to the woman's bathroom.
"You can get into those in there, if you need help I can get a female officer to assist you."
She frowned at me, I guess the idea of being dressed by someone else was below her.
But why was she naked in someones yard in the first place. I went to my desk and stood over my computer and brought up the missing person's index. I typed in her details and didn't even get a close match.
The door to the bathroom opened. She timidly stepped out, eyes widening when she saw I wasn't waiting for her, she glanced around nervously wringing her hands.
"Luna, over here." I waved and the speed of her relaxation was intense.
She walked to my desk and I pointed out the chair situated in front of it.
"You can sit there." She sat.
"Uhh, right. So what is your full name." I scrutinized her. She looked confused.
"I am Luna."
"Uhh well, I am Daniel Harquail, and you are Luna, Luna what?" She looked at me, seething with contempt.
"Luna." Her tone shifted up.
I felt the situation was futile.
"So why were you in that yard."
"Lost."
"Right."
I typed into my computer for a bit. Her name and rough details. I steepled my fingers and peered at her through them. Looking at her in the well lit room revealed something I hadn't noticed earlier. Her hair, it wasn't completely pitch black. Here and there were small pinpricks of white. They seemed to shimmer and move slightly. An invisible breeze blew her hair a bit. She coughed.
"So look. You have a twenty-something woman who appeared in someone's yard, near midnight, naked, she doesn't have a last name and she seems perfectly sane but acting as if she's hiding something. What would you think?"
She looked at me seriously.
"I would think she's in trouble and doesn't want to explain how." She answered, locking eyes with me, as if she was staring me down once more.
"Precisely. So what happened."
I didn't get an answer. She thought and thought, trying to start several times, futility dominating her words. Then suddenly her eye widened, she was on the precipice of declaration when she swooned on the spot and hit the floor like a sack of bricks.
Beep. "Thirty six." I said under my breath.
Beep. "Thirty Seven."
Beep. "Thirty Eight."
I had lost track of which of the hundred's I was in.
Luna stirred.
"What is that infernal noise."
I looked up.
"Heart monitor." She rolled over to look at me.
"What happened?"
"You, oh so conveniently, dropped like a sack of bricks, when you tried to tell me what had happened to you."
She scowled at me, my sarcasm wasn't subtle.
"What is this place?"
"Hospital."
"Oh."
"I told the doctors to get a psych down here for you when you woke up."
"What is a psych?"
"Psychiatrist, a doctor who diagnose mental illness."
"You think I'm crazy?" Incredulation spreading across her face. I was beginning to think of her as pampered.
"You haven't given me a reason not to."
That scowl again.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you bad faces would stick?" Now she was frowning in confusion.
"What?" Incredulation.
"Nothing. Anyways, the psych. Talk to him, tell him any and everything, he can't repeat anything you don't want me or anyone else to hear." I looked at her seriously. If she was honest with him, she might feel more at ease with opening up to me.
"Truly?"
"Yeah, if he did; he would lose his career and the loads of money he spent to go through school." She frowned.
"You pay for school here?" That caught me off guard.
"Uh? Yeah well not for the first twelve years." Her eyes bulged. She began to sputter.
"Twelve years?!"
There was a gentle knock at the door. A doctor in a tweed vest and a golf hat made his way into the room. He bore a wide smile and a too cheery tone.
"Hello miss Luna." He smiled at her generously. She looked to me, concern spreading across her face. I smiled and waved to them both, a hi to him and bye to her.
"Remember, don't hesitate." I closed the door behind me with a smirk.
I opened my laptop. I hopped onto the lobby wifi and went to google. I typed "Luna Missing" into the engine. I look at the faces of various people who shared her name that had gone missing. About half way down was a cartoon horse. My eyes flicked over it dismissing it almost immediately. Almost. My eyes darted back to the cartoon drawing. It's hair was apparently made up of a scene scape of stars and flowed in an invisible breeze. Pervasive thought burrowed deep.
"You work fast detective, I didn't know she mentioned she used to be a pony to you." The super cheery voice rang over my shoulder.
"So much for the hippocratic oath." I turned to look at him, confusion, and fear on his face. I chuckled, "Whatever." I waved him off.
"Diagnosis?" I demanded.
"S-She appears to show signs of extreme False Memory Syndrome," He stammered, "But the classical signs are interrupted by the lack of physical abuse, or PTSD or panic disorder. She is very much sane, but she believes in, with complete conviction, memories that are implausibly false."
"And?" I pressed him for anything else he could tell me.
"Uh. Well she is extremely curious. She doesn't voice her questions but she appears to take in what is common as new sights. It's like she had been culturally displaced. Be that as it may, she is sane, which means she can't stay here." The doctor wringed his hand nervously as he dropped the last comment.
"What do you mean she can't stay?" I frowned at him.
"She might be confused and repressing memories but she had complete control over her decision making faculties, and she isn't injured or recovering so the bed needs to be freed."
I closed my eyes, shook my head slightly, and pressed my fingers into my temples and crown; trying to massage away the headache that was rapidly approaching.
"Protective custody." I mumbled, doctor happy heard my muttering.
"Oh I wouldn't put her in a cell, it would alienate her." He informed me.
"Why is that?"
"She is extremely proud. Being in a cell, or even a cot in the station back room would be considered as detainment. If you want her cooperation making her feel trapped is the last thing you want to do."
I sighed. Pulled a phone from my pocket and dialed out to my superior. A conversation later I had permission to house her. Tonight was going to be a long night.