Chapter 75: Checking Off The List
Within the Graheel police headquarters, Joe sat at his cluttered desk. Around him in the background, a variety of activities unfolded: fellow officers milled about, engaged in animated discussions, others worked on paperwork, and groups of people were constantly entering and leaving the office. The headquarters was abuzz with a mix of urgency and routine, with each officer focusing on their individual tasks.
Across from Joe, a man of unremarkable appearance sat in front of him. He had a head of unkempt brown hair, a ruddy complexion, and a pair of faded blue overalls that seemed worn from hard labor. Everything about him—from his sturdy build to his calloused hands—suggested a life of living in the countryside.
The man was known as Gary Freeman. A farmer living just outside Graheel and one of the suspects in the Sorin case that Joe’s unit was asked to look into. Joe had been talking to Gary for a little under an hour already.
Joe: “And, you didn’t notice anything strange with Sorin's behavior?”
Gary: “Not at all. Didn’t talk much. Figured he was one of them university folk that don’t like to make conversation. Dealt a ton with those kinds of people in the past.”
Joe: “From the university?”
Gary: “Yup. Got lots of them fancy university wizards coming to me and my brother to buy out produce all the time. My family grows the best blue ginger root on this side of Golgatta,” he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
Joe: “And to clarify, the people that buy your blue ginger are all from the university?”
Gary: “The mages that come to me and my brother are all from the university. We have a lot of regular folk that buy blue ginger to use as a normal spice.”