“THE RESULTS TURNED UP NEGATIVE, SIR.”

“So it’s not the girl’s,” Detective Hart said thoughtfully, stroking his pointed goatee.

Detective Hart, a large man of fifty, was the head of this case. He was an old member of the New Hampshire Police Department, and he was expected to stay there until his retirement. He had a large, sturdy frame, and intelligent eyes circled with laugh lines.

“No, sir. Negative,” a scrawny officer insisted.

“What?”

“I didn’t find DNA.”

“What do you mean, no DNA?” Hart exclaimed, jumping out of his office chair. It squeaked in protest and spun the other way. The scrawny officer shrank into the corner of the small office, bumping into the large oak bookcase and disturbing the thin layer of dust that rested on it.

“I’m sorry sir,” he squeaked, though he had no idea why or what he was apologizing for.

“Are you sure? It could be a rabbit. A rabbit was missing too,” Hart continued, ignoring the officer’s discomfort and advance menacingly.

“N-no! Certainly not! I checked to make sure. I was just as surprised, you know, that there was no DNA found. B-But—” he stuttered harder as Detective Hart furrowed his thick, dark brows. “B-But you have to see this D-d-detective! It’s nothing I’ve e-ever seen before! L-like a DNA substitute. I-It looks like DNA, but slightly mutated. I-it’s definitely not from any living thing I-I know of!”

“What are you suggesting then?” Hart snapped. The officer’s stuttering only infuriated him further. He had no time for repetition. “Are you saying it’s DNA from a non-living thing? Like a rock?”

“N-no!” the officer gasped, as if he were underwater. “No! Definitely not! What a ridiculous idea!”

“Some sort of DNA mutation then? A sickness? Or a clever invention someone has done to escape the authorities?”

“N-no…”

“What then? An extraterrestrial? An alien from outer space?” Detective Hart snorted at the absurdity of his own comment.

Before the officer could give a reply, he was jostled out of the way by another officer—Officer Vaxman-Madrid—rushing through the door. “Detective!” she breathed, panting between words. “The officers have come.”

“Take me to them,” he replied, hurrying after her. The scrawny officer sighed the breath he had been holding in, and slowly made his way out the office.

It was a dull and lifeless morning, with dreary gray clouds dragging across the sky. There was no rain predicted (though the accuracy of weather forecasts is always questionable), but the gray clouds seemed to be taunting all the humans on the ground. If the weather could speak, it would say, Ha! I’m going to make your day miserable. You could take your umbrella just in case, but the effort may be a waste and you might forget it on the subway. It’s a fifty-fifty chance. Take your pick.

The weary silhouettes of Andrea and Jake could be seen through the light fog. The only one alert was Officer Kirk, who vibrated energy. His eyes darted around, as if expecting to be attacked any second. Andrea could barely stand straight from the fatigue, and Jake looked like his lunch would be coming out very, very soon.

“Ah, Detective Hart!” Officer Kirk exclaimed, standing even straighter and offering his hand.

“Officer!” Hart returned, accepting the handshake and completely disregarding Andrea and Jake.

The two policemen plastered on their fake smiles as a silent arm wrestle took place, neither one of them wanting to end the bone-crushing handshake. Eventually, Detective Hart let go, and he hid his sweaty hand in his coat pocket. His dark eyes became even colder, and, like a wolf, he sensed his dominance being challenged. Officer Kirk’s gray-blue eyes glinted in triumph, and the corners of his mouth stretched wider.

“Why don’t you come this way, officers,” Hart said, his eyes still on Kirk. Andrea attempted to introduce herself, but she understood that Hart had no intention of remembering her name. Jake supported her as she stumbled along. Kirk and Hart were still locked in a staring contest, challenging the other to break eye contact.

Hart pulled out a chair for Kirk as he entered the office. Jake hurried to close the door and pull a chair for Andrea, who was on the verge of collapse. Jake stood standing on the other side of Officer Kirk, though he himself was still suffering from motion sickness.

“Coffee?” Hart offered, making himself a cup.

“Thank you. Black, please,” Kirk accepted.

Jake shared a glance with Andrea. They both knew Officer Kirk took his coffee with cream and sugar. Andrea motioned him to keep silent, and Jake shrugged.

After a prolonged silence broken occasionally by Detective Hart’s sipping (Officer Kirk did not drink because it was too bitter), Kirk began, “This is a long way from Maine.”

“Maine?” Detective Hart asked, though his voice held no confusion.

“It was the last place Ms. Lucifay was seen,” Officer Kirk explained, a smile creeping on his mouth. “Hair samples were found and matched with her mother. She was also seen with a boy, about fourteen, with bright red hair. Quite a unique color. The stylist had insisted that it was his natural hair color.”

“Hm,” Detective Hart replied, suddenly making Kirk seem foolish for talking so much about something so insignificant.

“Well?” Officer Kirk demanded. “Have you analyzed the blood samples yet? What were the results?”

“The trailer was definitely Ms. Lucifay’s blood, though there isn’t enough to confirm death. Something large has been removed from it. Circular. There are also suggestions that a ferret lived in the trailer too, along with the red-haired boy. We still can’t determine who this boy is, but I’m confident it will all come out soon.”

Officer Kirk nodded his head all-knowingly. “And blood stains in the parking lot?”

“The results came back negative.”

“Negative?” Officer Kirk exclaimed. “There was no match?”

“No. Negative as in no DNA was found. Only an approximation.” Detective Hart smiled smugly at Kirk’s misunderstanding.

“That’s impossible,” Officer Kirk declared.

“So I thought.” Hart sipped his coffee, though the cup had long been emptied. “However, the results did show something similar to DNA, though it’s from no living thing I know of.”

“What are you suggesting, then?” Officer Kirk asked.

“Me?” Detective Hart asked, feigning surprise. “Nothing. I was just stating the facts. It could be an extraterrestrial, for all I know.”

“An extraterrestrial?” Kirk snorted.

“That’s absurd!”