Gemyni
Knight
He was shrugging into his shirt when the phone rang. He knew who it was without looking, and his intense glare did nothing to shut the damn thing up. Snatching the phone off the dresser, he stabbed the green icon to accept the call.
"I'm on vacation," he snapped.
"Don't care," Tim Boyer, his boss, replied unapologetically. "We need you downtown. 157 Market Street."
He trapped the phone between his ear and shoulder and started buttoning his shirt. "I need more info than that, Boyer."
"Female, looks to be in her mid-twenties. She's sitting on the edge of The Madison Building's roof, naked with a pair of binoculars."
Strange, but not the weirdest thing he'd heard in his twenty-five years on the job. "And you think she's going to jump?"
"Oh, she quite cheerfully told Charleston that's what she's going to do."
His fingers froze on the last button. "Cheerfully?"
"That's the word he used, yeah." His boss let out a heavy sigh. "This one feels weird, James. I need my best on it. I need you."
Moving quicker, he tucked in his shirt and sat on the bed to slip on his shoes. "I'll be there in twenty," he said, then hung up.
He got there in fifteen.
Quite a crowd had gathered outside the police barriers. News vans intermingled with squad cars, firetrucks, and ambulances making him wonder who got here first. He approached the barricade with long strides and after a quick flash of his badge they let him through. He found Charleston standing near a flower bed in front of the building and made his way over.
"Charleston," he greeted briskly. "Fill me in."
The ginger haired officer stood up straighter, like a soldier snapping to attention.
James held up a hand to stop him before he began. "Relax. Start at the beginning."
Charleston exhaled and nodded. "Yes, sir. We arrived on the scene around 7:30 after a passer-by called in a potential jumper. A crowd was already forming. My partner, Parks, stayed behind to deal with them while I went inside. There's roof access from the top floor, easy to get to. When I got out there I found the woman sitting on the edge with her legs dangling over." His green eyes drifted up towards the roof, his expression a mix of confusion and... What was that? Awe? Charleston's gaze returned to his as he continued, "She's sitting up there naked as a jay bird comfortable as you please, occasionally looking through those binoculars. I tried to get her to talk to me, tell me her name, but the only time she spoke was when I asked what she was planning to do. She said, 'Jump.'"
But there was more to it than that. James could tell by the wide-eyed look on Charleston's flushed face. "What else?"
The officer dropped his eyes and shook his head. "I don't think you'll believe me."
"We don't have time for your feelings, officer," James said ruthlessly. "Every scrap of information I take up there with me is important. And so far I have next to nothing to go on."
Charleston flinched. His words came out slow and reluctant. "I... It's just... When she said jump, she sounded cheerful. Then she turned and gave me this smile. Her eyes were bright blue and...twinkling, kinda? And her smile was warm and happy. This...," he waved a hand while he searched for words. "This feeling of total peace came over me. The sunlight must have been just right because she... She glowed, sir." His eyes raised, wide and imploring. "She glowed. And got brighter, and brighter until all I saw was white. The next thing I know I'm back down here."
James stared at him. The officer sighed and swiped a hand through his hair, dislodging his hat in the process. It landed upside down behind him, but Charleston either didn't notice, or didn't care. "I know it sounds crazy, sir, but that's what happened."
"Don't tell anyone else that story." James stepped close and leaned in, jabbing a finger in the other man's chest. "I'm serious, Charleston." He looked pointedly at the group of reporters gathering off to the side. "If one peep of that shit winds up on air, I know exactly whose ass to kick."
A few minutes later James was stepping out onto the roof. He spotted her immediately, casually swinging her legs over a 300 foot drop and peering down at the crowd through the binoculars. Even from the back he could tell she was a beautiful woman. Thick, wavy blonde hair spilled down her back and the sun gleamed off creamy pale flesh. She was slender, but soft in all the places a woman should be.
No wonder Charleston was dazzled.
Not wanting to startle her, he called out softly, "Miss?" She turned towards him and smiled brightly, as if she knew him somehow. His heart stuttered in his chest. Her features were perfectly symmetrical. She had wide set, sky blue eyes with a slight upwards tilt, a narrow nose, and full cupid's bow lips. She wasn't wearing makeup; there was a natural, healthy blush to her cheeks and no dark circles under her eyes.
She didn't look like any suicidal person he'd ever seen.
"I've been waiting for you." Her voice was musical, a soft alto with the hint of an accent he couldn't place. Suddenly he wanted to hear her sing. She patted the spot beside her invitingly. "Come sit." Her smile turned playful. "I promise I won't let you fall."
With impressive willpower, James kept his eyes upwards as he slowly walked over and took a seat on the edge. "What's your name?"
She raised the binoculars, once again gazing down at the still growing crowd. Her lips twitched with amusement. "You can call me Sofie."
"It's nice to meet you, Sofie. I'm James."
"I know who you are," she chuckled.
His brow furrowed. "Have we met before?"
"Not exactly."
"Why don't we go somewhere else? You can tell me how you know me."
Sofie laughed and the sound was as beautiful as she was. "I'm only going one place from here."
Sadness filled him, momentarily tightening his throat. She had to be mentally disturbed. It was such a shame. But he didn't believe she was beyond hope. "If you fall from this height you won't survive."
"Not as I am now, you're right," she nodded.
A brief silence fell between them before he abruptly asked, "Why are you naked?"
She waved a hand at the crowd. "I thought it would attract more attention. It worked."
He couldn't deny that. The sunlight glinted off the many screens aimed upwards. "You want all those people to see you die? There are other ways to get attention, Sofie. Healthier ways. I can see that you get help. Just tell me what the problem is. We'll fix it."
She dropped the binoculars to her lap and frowned. "There's only one way to fix it. I've given it a lot of thought."
"What are you trying to fix?"
Her posture slumped a little as she sighed. "People don't believe in anything anymore. They don't trust. They have little faith and are rarely awed. It makes me sad. They weren't always like this."
"And you think committing suicide in front of all these people will...what? Inspire them somehow? That's not how it works, Sofie." He pointed down at the crowd. "Some of them will be traumatized. There are children down there. You don't want to scar them, do you?"
Again she laughed. "I'm doing this for the children most of all."
She shifted her weight on the hard granite and he reached for her instinctively, blood running cold. Sofie gently pried his hands from her arm and lightly patted his shoulder before going back to observing the masses below. It took a few moments for the lump in his throat to fade enough for him to form words.
"Who are you looking for?" he asked, taking a stab in the dark.
"I'm just curious," she shrugged. "It's like getting to see who shows up at your funeral and how they behave."
"Do you see anyone you know? Someone you'd like to talk to? I can have them brought up."
"There are a few," she nodded, sounding cheerful once again. "None of them look happy with me. I'm breaking all sorts of rules." She glanced at him and smiled. "You're the only person I want here right now, though."
Confused, he shook his head and frowned. "Why me?"
In answer, she handed the binoculars over. "Look next to the last firetruck on the right. Right in front of the crowd."
He followed her directions and immediately stiffened. "That's my wife."
"She looks terrified, doesn't she?"
"Yes." He turned to her, desperation roughening his tone. "You can't do this." Witnessing something as horrible as a suicide would haunt his wife forever. And it would be all his fault, because he failed. Again.
"She doesn't want you to die, Jimmy. She still loves you."
Only his mother called him Jimmy. She'd died five years ago. Tears pricked at his eyes. "How...?"
Sofie abruptly stood up. James had to stop himself from grabbing her legs. He was afraid he'd disrupt her balance.
"Sofie no!"
She smiled down at him lovingly. "It's time to believe again, Jimmy." And then she jumped.
"NO!"
His scream of horror joined hundreds of others from below as Sofie plummeted towards the ground. He didn't want to watch, didn't want to see, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Suddenly brilliant white wings burst from her back and she swooped over the crowd before flying higher and higher. She slowed to hover directly in front of him. Sofie winked, and then continued her flight upwards until she disappeared from sight.
"I'm on vacation," he snapped.
"Don't care," Tim Boyer, his boss, replied unapologetically. "We need you downtown. 157 Market Street."
He trapped the phone between his ear and shoulder and started buttoning his shirt. "I need more info than that, Boyer."
"Female, looks to be in her mid-twenties. She's sitting on the edge of The Madison Building's roof, naked with a pair of binoculars."
Strange, but not the weirdest thing he'd heard in his twenty-five years on the job. "And you think she's going to jump?"
"Oh, she quite cheerfully told Charleston that's what she's going to do."
His fingers froze on the last button. "Cheerfully?"
"That's the word he used, yeah." His boss let out a heavy sigh. "This one feels weird, James. I need my best on it. I need you."
Moving quicker, he tucked in his shirt and sat on the bed to slip on his shoes. "I'll be there in twenty," he said, then hung up.
He got there in fifteen.
Quite a crowd had gathered outside the police barriers. News vans intermingled with squad cars, firetrucks, and ambulances making him wonder who got here first. He approached the barricade with long strides and after a quick flash of his badge they let him through. He found Charleston standing near a flower bed in front of the building and made his way over.
"Charleston," he greeted briskly. "Fill me in."
The ginger haired officer stood up straighter, like a soldier snapping to attention.
James held up a hand to stop him before he began. "Relax. Start at the beginning."
Charleston exhaled and nodded. "Yes, sir. We arrived on the scene around 7:30 after a passer-by called in a potential jumper. A crowd was already forming. My partner, Parks, stayed behind to deal with them while I went inside. There's roof access from the top floor, easy to get to. When I got out there I found the woman sitting on the edge with her legs dangling over." His green eyes drifted up towards the roof, his expression a mix of confusion and... What was that? Awe? Charleston's gaze returned to his as he continued, "She's sitting up there naked as a jay bird comfortable as you please, occasionally looking through those binoculars. I tried to get her to talk to me, tell me her name, but the only time she spoke was when I asked what she was planning to do. She said, 'Jump.'"
But there was more to it than that. James could tell by the wide-eyed look on Charleston's flushed face. "What else?"
The officer dropped his eyes and shook his head. "I don't think you'll believe me."
"We don't have time for your feelings, officer," James said ruthlessly. "Every scrap of information I take up there with me is important. And so far I have next to nothing to go on."
Charleston flinched. His words came out slow and reluctant. "I... It's just... When she said jump, she sounded cheerful. Then she turned and gave me this smile. Her eyes were bright blue and...twinkling, kinda? And her smile was warm and happy. This...," he waved a hand while he searched for words. "This feeling of total peace came over me. The sunlight must have been just right because she... She glowed, sir." His eyes raised, wide and imploring. "She glowed. And got brighter, and brighter until all I saw was white. The next thing I know I'm back down here."
James stared at him. The officer sighed and swiped a hand through his hair, dislodging his hat in the process. It landed upside down behind him, but Charleston either didn't notice, or didn't care. "I know it sounds crazy, sir, but that's what happened."
"Don't tell anyone else that story." James stepped close and leaned in, jabbing a finger in the other man's chest. "I'm serious, Charleston." He looked pointedly at the group of reporters gathering off to the side. "If one peep of that shit winds up on air, I know exactly whose ass to kick."
A few minutes later James was stepping out onto the roof. He spotted her immediately, casually swinging her legs over a 300 foot drop and peering down at the crowd through the binoculars. Even from the back he could tell she was a beautiful woman. Thick, wavy blonde hair spilled down her back and the sun gleamed off creamy pale flesh. She was slender, but soft in all the places a woman should be.
No wonder Charleston was dazzled.
Not wanting to startle her, he called out softly, "Miss?" She turned towards him and smiled brightly, as if she knew him somehow. His heart stuttered in his chest. Her features were perfectly symmetrical. She had wide set, sky blue eyes with a slight upwards tilt, a narrow nose, and full cupid's bow lips. She wasn't wearing makeup; there was a natural, healthy blush to her cheeks and no dark circles under her eyes.
She didn't look like any suicidal person he'd ever seen.
"I've been waiting for you." Her voice was musical, a soft alto with the hint of an accent he couldn't place. Suddenly he wanted to hear her sing. She patted the spot beside her invitingly. "Come sit." Her smile turned playful. "I promise I won't let you fall."
With impressive willpower, James kept his eyes upwards as he slowly walked over and took a seat on the edge. "What's your name?"
She raised the binoculars, once again gazing down at the still growing crowd. Her lips twitched with amusement. "You can call me Sofie."
"It's nice to meet you, Sofie. I'm James."
"I know who you are," she chuckled.
His brow furrowed. "Have we met before?"
"Not exactly."
"Why don't we go somewhere else? You can tell me how you know me."
Sofie laughed and the sound was as beautiful as she was. "I'm only going one place from here."
Sadness filled him, momentarily tightening his throat. She had to be mentally disturbed. It was such a shame. But he didn't believe she was beyond hope. "If you fall from this height you won't survive."
"Not as I am now, you're right," she nodded.
A brief silence fell between them before he abruptly asked, "Why are you naked?"
She waved a hand at the crowd. "I thought it would attract more attention. It worked."
He couldn't deny that. The sunlight glinted off the many screens aimed upwards. "You want all those people to see you die? There are other ways to get attention, Sofie. Healthier ways. I can see that you get help. Just tell me what the problem is. We'll fix it."
She dropped the binoculars to her lap and frowned. "There's only one way to fix it. I've given it a lot of thought."
"What are you trying to fix?"
Her posture slumped a little as she sighed. "People don't believe in anything anymore. They don't trust. They have little faith and are rarely awed. It makes me sad. They weren't always like this."
"And you think committing suicide in front of all these people will...what? Inspire them somehow? That's not how it works, Sofie." He pointed down at the crowd. "Some of them will be traumatized. There are children down there. You don't want to scar them, do you?"
Again she laughed. "I'm doing this for the children most of all."
She shifted her weight on the hard granite and he reached for her instinctively, blood running cold. Sofie gently pried his hands from her arm and lightly patted his shoulder before going back to observing the masses below. It took a few moments for the lump in his throat to fade enough for him to form words.
"Who are you looking for?" he asked, taking a stab in the dark.
"I'm just curious," she shrugged. "It's like getting to see who shows up at your funeral and how they behave."
"Do you see anyone you know? Someone you'd like to talk to? I can have them brought up."
"There are a few," she nodded, sounding cheerful once again. "None of them look happy with me. I'm breaking all sorts of rules." She glanced at him and smiled. "You're the only person I want here right now, though."
Confused, he shook his head and frowned. "Why me?"
In answer, she handed the binoculars over. "Look next to the last firetruck on the right. Right in front of the crowd."
He followed her directions and immediately stiffened. "That's my wife."
"She looks terrified, doesn't she?"
"Yes." He turned to her, desperation roughening his tone. "You can't do this." Witnessing something as horrible as a suicide would haunt his wife forever. And it would be all his fault, because he failed. Again.
"She doesn't want you to die, Jimmy. She still loves you."
Only his mother called him Jimmy. She'd died five years ago. Tears pricked at his eyes. "How...?"
Sofie abruptly stood up. James had to stop himself from grabbing her legs. He was afraid he'd disrupt her balance.
"Sofie no!"
She smiled down at him lovingly. "It's time to believe again, Jimmy." And then she jumped.
"NO!"
His scream of horror joined hundreds of others from below as Sofie plummeted towards the ground. He didn't want to watch, didn't want to see, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Suddenly brilliant white wings burst from her back and she swooped over the crowd before flying higher and higher. She slowed to hover directly in front of him. Sofie winked, and then continued her flight upwards until she disappeared from sight.