A local officer in the town of Merrish by the name of Ben Carpenter was known for thinking outside the box, and even believed in the unatural or mystic ways even more so. Ben is a stalky man at about five feet nine inches and weighed a little over 180 lbs. For his size the man could cover some ground very quickly. He has brown eyes, red hair, and a bit of a baby face. For his build he was still very attractive, and had a very pleasant demeanor but always knew when it was time not to be nice. Some people said he was crazy for believing in such things. More than once these things helped him come to a realistic conclusion of why and how things happened in cases that he had solved.

Since Ben is not a detective it made it hard for him to be involved in most cases. Fprtinately a couple of detectives liked his methods and often referred to him for help. For Ben, the morning had started out normal, going out and getting his coffee and doughnuts. He then made his way to the station and carried on to his desk. He started working on some of his reports he had piled on his desk for the minor traffic stops and calls he had been on. His normal job as a patrol officer always took second fiddle anytime he got to help on a detective case. As Ben began to head to the parking lot to begin his patrols, his chief called him in to his office. Ben could not fathom why the chief would have the mayor in there to lecture him about paperwork, maybe he was getting fired. Ben now sat nervously in a chair in his chief's office. 

"Ben we know that you have been getting behind on your paperwork," the mayor began "We also know that it is because you are busy helping a selext few detectives with their cases." His chief then chimed in, "the actual detective load for this department has nearly doubled since I have been chief, but we are still only employing the same number of detectives. The mayor feels that we should hire a few more detectives." Now Ben was almost certain that he is getting a promotion when the mayor starts in again. "The problem is the fact that to do so we have to let go of some officers in order to hire detectives. The departments budget is nowhere near high enough to just hire some detectives off the street." 

  Ben's heart nearly sank when he heard that and assumed he was being fired for not keeping up with his case load, and that someone else would be getting the job he was gunning for. The mayor, after seeing the look on his face, stopped and asked, "What did I say? I figured you would be filled with joy at the fact you are getting this promotion." 

Ben's eyes enlarged, his heart stopped, and he paused and waited for the ha,ha got you or to wake up from this, as if it were a dream. A second later with his heart still in his throat he managed to say, "Ye-ye-yes s-sir... I-It's just at the beginning. I th-thought you were going to fire me." The chief looked over and shot him a glare and says in a not really impressed tone, "Yes, but you still have to pass a field test and you'll be on probation for at least your first assignment. Depending on how well you wrap the case up for the Distric Attorney." The mayor looks at Ben and says the one thing to put a smile on his face. "The case you are put on is your choice, but there must be a conviction and it must be an active case. To keep yourself from being demoted as terms of your probation you must solve the case with the evidence you collect." Ben stood up and thanked them for the opportunity. "I will finish my reports from patrol officer and then I will begin going through and start looking for an active case. Ben is then excused from the chief's office.