IC-Chapter 1-Never Get Old(Rawlings/Yeager/Bill Johns/Jim)

[Philulhu]

OOC,Where boys are meant to go and where they actually go are often quite different! ;)

"You ready?" said Bill as he climbed out of the car. "Brian Anderson could already be here so keep an eye open." He looked around for a sign indicating where the dorm was that they needed.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,You're parked right in front of the dorm. I described it in my previous post.

[zerostate]

"Ready," Jim responded.

[Mr. Handy]

Bill and Jim walked through the front doors of the dormitory building and into the lobby. A middle aged woman with dark hair sat behind a desk, frowning when she saw the two men enter. "Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked.

[Philulhu]

"We're policemen, ma'am," replied Bill politely. He fished his ID out of his jacket pocket and opened the wallet to show her his shield. "We're here to see Mary Walters, room 87 I believe?"

[zerostate]

Jim also shows the woman his badge.

[Mr. Handy]

The woman looked startled when the men showed her their badges, but she nodded. "Yes, that's right," she said. "It's all the way down the hall, up the stairs, and straight down the upstairs hall. Fourth door on the left. You can go on back. Miss Walters is a nice girl. I can't imagine what the police would want with her."

[zerostate]

"Don't worry ma'am, she's not in any trouble - just helping us with our enquiries," Jim tells her.

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, all right," said the woman. "Miss Walters is there. I saw her come in half an hour ago, and she hasn't left for dinner yet. Just go on up."

[Philulhu]

"Thank you, ma'am," said Bill, turning towards the hall. He paused, struck by a thought, and turned back. "You haven't had anyone else asking about Mary... Miss Walters, have you? We're looking out for one of her fellow students, a guy called Brian Anderson".

Bill glanced around to see if they were being overheard then looked back at the woman. "He's been dealing in narcotics and we're concerned for her safety."

[Mr. Handy]

"No," she said, "although I've only been on duty for half an hour so far today. If you describe this Brian Anderson for me, I'll keep an eye out for him and tell the others who work this desk."

[Philulhu]

Bill ran through a quick description of Brian Anderson, checking that the woman had a clear picture of who she was looking out for. That done, he turned Jim. "You ready?" he asked, "Let's go speak to Mary."

[Mr. Handy]

Bill and Jim followed the matron's directions up the stairs and down the hall, and they soon found the door to Room 87. There was light visible beneath the door, and some soft rock music was playing beyond it.

[zerostate]

Jim knocked on the door a waited for a reply...

[Mr. Handy]

A few moments later, a blonde girl in blue jeans and a red blouse, her long hair spilling down her back, opened the door. She looked startled to see two men standing there. "Um, can I help you?" she asked.

With the door open, it was easier to hear the music. Further back in the dorm room was a record player, from which came the strains of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. There was another door inside the room in the left wall that was closed.

Bill Johns,This girl was not [b]Mary[/b].

[Philulhu]

Bill fished his shield out from his inside jacket pocket. "We're police officers, miss," he said. "Is Mary Walters at home?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Police?" she said, confused. "Uh, yeah, she's in the bathroom. I'll go get her." The girl went over to the door and knocked. "Mary, are you decent? There's two policemen here to see you."

"Just a minute," called back Mary from beyond the door. This was followed by a flushing sound and then running water. Shortly after that, the door opened and Mary Walters stepped into the room. She was about eighteen years old and very pretty, and she was wearing a green dress. "Oh, you're that nice sergeant from last night." She smiled at Bill. "This is my roommate, Jill."

"Um, hi," said the other girl.

"So, what brings you here? Is everything all right?"

[Philulhu]

Bill flushed at the compliment and returned Mary's smile. "We're just checking in to make sure everything's ok," he said. "There's nothing to be alarmed about but Brian Anderson was released earlier today so we're keeping an eye on things to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

[Mr. Handy]

"Released?" said Mary, frowning. "I thought he was going away for a long time. You think he might come here?"

Jill shivered. "You mean that creep might come after us?" she asked, her voice quavering.

[Philulhu]

Bill held up his hands to calm Jill down. "The judge bailed him - very much against our wishes, I hasten to add," he said, "but we've no real reason to think that he's going to come around here. All the same we thought we'd call in and make sure you're ok."

"You've, ah, had problems with Anderson before?" he asked Jill.