Part One: A Police Officer Comes to Visit
-----------------------
"Things are just friendlier in Meadowdaleville. Even our police are awfully neighborly..."
~H.R.
A turkey was loose, which made it a police matter.
Turkeys are outlawed in Meadowdaleville. The townspeople rallied together over a hundred years ago and slaughtered every turkey in they city limits and the neighboring woods. It seems silly, but that hatred has become somewhat of a source of local pride. Which is odd for such an open and compassionate little town. People will still say, "Hi," and ask about your day when they pass you by on the street, but if they catch you eating a turkey sandwich you're likely to be shunned without a word. Perhaps it's not really questioned because it rarely comes up, except when the local high school football team the "Meadowdaleville Pilgrims" goes up against the "Cratetown Turkeys." Everyone shows up to those games, pitchforks in hand, but it's all for show. Nonetheless, you can hardly tell that to terrified and resentful Cratetown residents being shouted down by the usually docile Meadowdaleville citizenry.
In fact, the sports rivalry between the two towns was only ever aggravated by Meadowdaleville's collectively vibrant ornithophobia. Which means that every year, after Meadowdaleville inevitably wins the game, the irate teens (and often adults) of Cratetown will drive into the town at night and unleash a turkey on the town. These retaliations would go on for about a week, and the police would receive numerous calls to chase these birds down by hysterical Meadowdalevillites.
There are those on the police force who relished that particular time. Going around and shooting the hideous birds down with any firearm at arm's length, and then dumping the carcasses in the middle of Cratetown without being caught could be thrilling.
Officer Slate wasn't interested in that kind of thrill. Despite being considered one of the most diligent and capable men on the force he was ready to take a break from turkey chasing. Oh, he hated the things just as much as anyone else in town but he'd received a very special lunch invitation that day and wouldn't miss it for the world. He was, after all, a good neighbor before he was an officer of the law.
He parked in front of a home he knew well - belonging to the Herst family. An average house in an average suburb. You know the type with the uniformly shorn lawn, white picket fence, all enclosing a quaint 2-story home. Their neighbor, Mr. Shirfser, was outside watering his plants and looked up when he saw the officer approaching the Herst's front door.
"You be sure to give those damn filthy buzzards hell, Slate! Those Cratetown loonies will be the death of us, I swear," Mr. Shirfser declared, shaking a fist covered by a gardening glove.
"I'll be sure to do that Alan, don't you worry."
"If I see anything I'll call Doris down at the station to be sure you all know about it. No one can say I don't do my part! The laws the law." Mr. Shirfser punctuated point by patting his chest.
"I believe you, Alan, I believe you. You take care now, and tell Rachel I said hello."
Mr. Shifser mumbled something about "dirt birds" and resumed watering his flowers. Officer Slate shook his head and knocked on the Herst's door.
A man with short brownish-blonde hair, glasses, and a mustache opened the door. He was wearing a patterned sweater vest over a buttoned up shirt, slacks, and an apron over both of those. If anyone looked like someone's father it was Greg Herst - who smiled broadly at Officer Slate, immediately recognizing who it was. But most people knew Officer Slate, he was well liked and very easy to spot. He was shorter than most, only about 5'3, and his black hair had begun to go steel grey at an early age. The women of Meadowdaleville swooned over his blue-grey eyes and toned athletic build. His body type broadcasted "capable of defense" while Greg's said "I do my own taxes, and like it," despite them both being the same age. That's "early 40's" for those taking notes. Don't worry, there won't be a test later.
"Andrew! Come in, come in," Mr. Herst beamed as he waved Officer Slate through the door,"I'm still cooking things up while the Twins are at school. You know how it is."
"Can't say I really do, Greg," Officer Slate replied, removing his policeman's hat as he walked over the threshold of the Herst home,"how are those rascals of yours doing?"
"Oh, fine, fine, their senior year is going real well." Both men walked into the living room of the modestly decorated home. It had all the charms of a ghost house, where you knew that those who occupied it were not the ones who decorated it and would be unlikely to change a single thing.