The Blue Envelope Episode 1

Rain had been falling over Midnight Harbor since sunrise. Not a hard rain. The kind that blurred the edges of streetlights and made the harbor disappear into gray. The kind of rain detectives learn to appreciate.

It kept honest folks indoors. And encouraged everyone else to make mistakes.

I wasn’t looking for trouble that afternoon. I was looking for coffee. That usually meant stopping by The Watering Hole. Tank was exactly where he always was. Behind the counter. Drying the same glass he’d probably been drying for the last ten minutes. He looked up as I walked in.

“You look tired” said Tank

“I’ve been chasing answers.”

“Find any?”

I shook my head. “Only more questions.”

Tank nodded toward the booth near the front window. Someone had been sitting there. Recently. The coffee was still warm. But the chair was empty.

“They’re asking about you again.”

I frowned. “Who’s they?”

Tank didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he reached beneath the counter. When his hand returned…

A blue envelope rested between two enormous fingers. No stamp. No address. Only one word written across the front.

Nick.

Tank slid it toward me.

“I wouldn’t open it here.”

Outside…A motorcycle rolled slowly past the window. The rider never looked inside. But somehow… I knew he didn’t have to.

Something told me this wasn’t going to be an ordinary case. I picked up the envelope. It felt heavier than paper should.

To be continued…