Jack Beale 00 - Killer Run

hot coffee while an EMT bandaged his forehead. Forgetting about nature’s call, Dave rushed over.
    Jack looked up. “Hey, Dave.”
    “What the hell happened to you?” he asked, seeing that there were cuts on his hands and knees, and his forehead had been bandaged.
    “I fell.”
    “You fell?”
    “Yeah, I fell. I don’t know. I was running along. I must have not been watching where I stepped, I slipped, fell down an embankment, and landed on this guy.”
    “You’re the one who found the guy!”
    Before Dave could ask any more questions, a police officer walked up to them. “Mr. Beale?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’m Lieutenant Malloy. You okay?”
    Jack looked over at him. “I’ll live.”
    “Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
    “No. Uh, sure. Okay.” He took a sip of his coffee.
    “I’ll be right back,” said Dave. He really needed to use the head and he had to find Christos and Paul.
    Jack repeated his story for the lieutenant, filling in as many details as he could. Dave returned with the guys before Malloy had finished, so they stood by, listening, waiting for him to finish, so they could get the real scoop.
    “Thanks,” the lieutenant said as he closed his notebook. “I have all your contact information. If there are any further questions, either I or the State Police will be in touch.”
    A continuous stream of runners walked past the ambulance now, moving to or from their cars, and each one slowed and looked at Jack sitting there. Some asked if he was okay, while others only paused and then hurried by.
    That was when a second ambulance arrived. With its back-up signal beeping, it eased up a short distance from the one where Jack was sitting and came to a stop. As soon as it was stopped, they all turned and watched as two men climbed out and hurried off toward the field, their kits slung over their shoulders. That’s when the back doors of the ambulance opened and a third EMT climbed out. Dave, Christos, and Paul saw a pair of crutches emerge, but Jack, his view blocked, didn’t. Suddenly a woman’s voice called out, “Jack?”
    He turned his head. “Sylvie?” said Jack. He was surprised to see her again.
    Dave, Christos, and Paul all turned their heads at the same time, first toward Jack and then back in the direction the voice came from. Hobbling toward them on crutches was a very attractive woman wearing a stability boot on her left ankle.
    “Guys, this is Sylvie. We were running together but she fell. She twisted her ankle and I helped her back.”
    “Hi,” she said while trying to balance on one leg, hold on to her crutches, and extend her hand out to them all at the same time. She dropped one of the crutches and began to wobble. Christos caught the crutch and then her elbow to steady her.
    “Thanks,” she said to Christos. She took her crutch and hopped toward Jack, sitting down next to him on the ambulance’s bumper. As soon as she was settled, Christos walked off. Then he came back with a blanket and handed it to her.
    “Thanks,” she said again. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders and turned toward Jack. “So what happened to you?” she asked.
    “I fell.”
    “You too!”
    “Come on Jack, tell her the rest of it,” said Dave. Then, turning to Sylvie, he added, “You’re not going to believe this.”
    “What?” said Sylvie. Concern filled her voice, and worry showed in her eyes as she turned and looked straight into Jack’s.
    “I slipped and fell down an embankment and landed on a dead guy.”
    The color drained from her face. She was about to ask Jack for more details, but before she could say anything else, the third EMT walked up and asked, “You guys okay?”
    “Yeah,” Jack answered for both of them while she nodded.
    Someone shouted, and they all looked back toward the finish area. Coming around the corner of the school, maybe fifty yards away, a full contingent of EMTs, firefighters, and state and local police officers were pushing and pulling a gurney. Lieutenant Malloy was with them. As they got closer, it became clear that strapped to the gurney was a black body bag.
    “Gotta’ go,” said the third EMT, and he rushed back to the ambulance that had delivered Sylvie.
    The four guys and Sylvie watched in silence as the gurney was wheeled toward that second ambulance. Malloy halted the entourage before they got to the ambulance and called over to Jack, “Would you mind taking another look, see if you recognize him?”
    “Sure.” As