ã€ŠHeathens in Us (First Draft)ã€‹


 Heathen

    Chapter 1: Heathen

    Yet another one of those feelings. Another man loses his mind and takes out his family before pointing the barrel at himself. I don¡¯t even see the color of the homes I walk into anymore. It¡¯s all become gray to me over the years. Ever since I lost her I feel like my senses have been dulled to the point I¡¯m as useful as a rusted kitchen knife. You know what it¡¯s for but no one has any use for it. After that day I feel like I only had eyes for the job. Every single drop of blood accounted for but I couldn¡¯t tell you the date with a gun to my head. I know they¡¯ll think I¡¯m crazy if I told them so I just keep it to myself. I need proof. I need to find a way to prove that these things exist. Maybe then I can stop this for good. From a stolen candy bar at a gas station to killing the person you love most. I swear that they have something to do with this. The little fuckers that ruined my life. Proving they are real is the only thing that keeps me going at this point. Walking into the dining room I see that this is once again not just an act of passion. The devil on our shoulder they call it. As if the angel would ever be there to help. Another kid and their mother, taken just before dinner. Their plates weren¡¯t even finished before this bastard cut their lives short. What kind of person has a gun near the dining room anyway? Maybe they deserve it. We only get to see the aftermath. Maybe she was a bitch. Her little brat wouldn¡¯t eat the dinner his mom worked hours on just because he didn¡¯t like veggies. What made this man do it? The blood tells all. Let¡¯s go over this one shall we? Three people in the house having dinner. A nice roast ham would set them back a pretty penny. Coupled with three sides shows that she knew her way around the kitchen. Lucky man. So what did it? The bruising on her wrist match the size of his hand. Probably a struggle. Not a lot of scratch marks on him though. Didn¡¯t stay close to each other long. Looks like a tooth on the ground. Judging by the direction it rolled on the carpet it was a pretty big hit. Explains the bruising under her left eye. Got some bruising on the back of his left hand near the wrist. Probably a back hand to show dominance. Carving knife on the ground with a couple broken plates all going the same way. Looks like she went for it but missed. Looks like a scraped right knee. I¡¯d put my money on her falling when she got hit likely reaching for the knife. Seems like the carpet got turned a little. Some dust marks make it look like it¡¯s not normally this crooked. Rotated clockwise heading near the upright piano. Clearly he was trying to get there in a hurry before she got up. I¡¯d bet the gun was next to the piano judging by the fact that theres a fresh jagged edge scrapped on the leg in the front. Normally an old scrape on wood would have worn down. He grabbed it and took a quick shot. Explains the shell in the chest. Not enough time to aim for the head. He wanted to make sure he made his shot count.

    ¡°Got anything Hanes?¡± a voice at my back tickles my ear. It¡¯s Shaw. An old friend from back in the war. Poor sap was so lost after that hell hole that he followed me into this one.

    ¡°Looks pretty cut and dry¡± I told him while I take a scan of the room.

    ¡°What do you think happened?¡± He asked me.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ve got a couple questions before I can know for sure but my guess is they got in a fight just before dinner. She tried to make a quick getaway and he didn¡¯t like that. When he noticed her try to grab the knife at the edge of the table he gave her good one to her side knocking her down just long enough for him to take her out.¡±

    ¡°What about the kid?¡± He asks. Been in the force same amount as me and can¡¯t even see it.

    ¡°He joined after.¡± I said. I can see they don¡¯t get it but it¡¯s ok. Not everyone has been there first hand.

    ¡°Kid was in the living room. Finishing his show first. Dad got angry at mom then the kid had to go next.¡±

    ¡°How are you sure? TV¡¯s not on and the plate is served.¡±

    ¡°Take a better look at the TV. Sure it¡¯s off but it¡¯s still warm. Also this kid cried. There¡¯s a small wet stain on his shirt that¡¯s clearly not blood. I¡¯d guess he gave the kid at least 5 minutes before taking him out.¡±

    ¡°Why would you say that?¡± He asked jotting down notes of every word I¡¯m saying.

    ¡°Kid¡¯s face down on his mother with a shell in the back of the head covered in blood. That¡¯s more than I can see a four year old bleeding. And her clothes looks like it¡¯s been grabbed multiple times by small hands.¡±

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    ¡°And him? How¡¯d he go?¡± He asks me still scribbling away.

    ¡°Looks like he went calm. Chain on the door when we got in with a small smearing of blood shows he locked it after all of this. Same for turning off the TV. he even put the chairs back in there place before finishing his meal.¡±

    Crazy bastards always go calm in their last moment.

    ¡°Once he was done he stuck the barrel down his throat and pulled the trigger.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever get used to these scenes.¡± Shaw saying out loud like a rookie. I can¡¯t believe he still has any innocence after the nights we¡¯ve had overseas.

    ¡°And motive?¡± He asked me.

    ¡°When the men went upstairs did they find a packed bag?¡± I asked fully knowing there would be.

    ¡°There was. But how¡­¡±

    ¡°She was leaving him. She just didn¡¯t have the smarts not to tell him. Little did she know he was already aware. First there¡¯s only three shells in the gun. And on top of the piano is the box that¡¯s been freshly dusted off. Not sure how he found out but this wasn¡¯t out of passion. This was planned.¡±

    Shaw takes a quick shallow breath as he writes down the rest of my findings. I can see the kids uneasy hands but he just keeps coming back.

    ¡°Get the clean up over here and let¡¯s go.¡±

    The smell of blood had stuck to my nose like gum on my shoe and it was reminding me of other times.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait in the car.¡± I told him. They didn¡¯t need me there anymore.

    Fifteen minutes go by and Shaw joins me in the car.

    ¡°Good job as always Hanes. Not sure how you do it.¡± He says fastening his seatbelt.

    ¡°You just have to look Shaw. The whole story in painted right in front of you.¡± I said biting at him a little more than I should have.

    As he turns the keys he pauses for a second and takes a deep breath.

    ¡°Want to go get drink?¡± He says

    ¡°I¡¯m drinking alone tonight. Just bring me home.¡±

    As we make our way through the streets at night, we don¡¯t talk. I don¡¯t want to anyways. Not tonight.

    ¡°See you tomorrow Shaw.¡± I tell him as I get out of the car. He steps out with me and places his elbows up on the hood of the car.

    ¡°It¡¯s today isn¡¯t it? The anniversary.¡± He asked me.

    I take a breath and look up to the streetlit sky.

    ¡°Ya¡­ it¡¯ll be 4 years at midnite.¡±

    I didn¡¯t really want to talk about it. To this day it shakes me to my core.

    ¡°Listen, If you need anything just let me know.¡± He said. Always there to give out a helping hand.

    ¡°Thanks, Aaron.¡± I said dropping my head to your feet.

    ¡°You know¡­ I know it¡¯s been a long time. But they still might find who did it. Amanda wouldn¡¯t want you still hung up about it though.¡±

    ¡°Ya I know. I¡¯m gonna go. See you tomorrow Shaw.¡±

    I know he means the best. Never met a man with such a kind heart but I couldn¡¯t think about it tonight. I make my way to my apartment door waving Shaw away. The rancid piss smelling home that I¡¯ve stayed in since that fateful day. The day I lost her. The day all the colour in my life left. Just like those years ago I climb those creaky steps waking up every soul within the building. I can afford better. I just don¡¯t think I deserve it. This is all I¡¯m worth at this point.

    After giving the usual shoulder to open my door, I make it to my dimly lit kitchen. The one working light left in the home. Why bother changing it? I¡¯m at work more than I¡¯m home anyways. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m planning to have anyone over anyways.

    ¡°Fucking Shaw.¡± I utter to myself while removing the plastic wrap off my half drank bottle of whisky. Two ice cubes as always. It¡¯s not that I like the ice. I just prefer it cold. I take off my tie and place it one the ragged La-Z boy I found on the street corner and take a seat. I pulled out my gun and placed it on the arm rest and sat back deep into the broken in pillows. The first sip always stings as the heat races down my chest. Shaw is loyal to a fault. He seems to refuse to see the devil on our shoulders. Little does he know they are real. The devils that rule our minds. Every dark thought we are compelled to act on. Every regret we have from the mistakes we make. The heathens are responsible. They make you do things you would never do. Hurt those you love. That man tonight. He was yet another victim. Pushed to act without thought. Only to come to after the pain has set in. They probably feed off of us somehow. The darker the deed the more they push. But this man. When did he come too? After the death of his son? After his meal? Maybe it wasn¡¯t only until he pulled the trigger. Every night I put the barrel to my head. Feel the cold steel against my temple and a finger on the trigger. Anyone can see why this man would take his life after ripping everything away from himself. Why can¡¯t I?

 Pace

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    Woke up again. Maybe someday I can get lucky and let the whisky take me out. Guess I¡¯ll have to give it another go some other time. Waking up is trickier than usual today. Feels like I got kicked in the head from the inside. Not to mention the smell of dried booze is starting to stink up the place. Alright, let¡¯s get up.

    Feels like the sun knows I¡¯m not it¡¯s biggest fan right now as I walk down to the gas station. Like every year, I try her favorite. Some latte shit with a ton of sugar that I promised that I would give a shot once a year. Still hate it though. Guess I¡¯ll have to get myself a real coffee when I get to the station. Fuck I¡¯m tired today. Feels like I forgot my legs at home.

    ¡°Hey Hanes.¡± Shaw yells from the window of his car. Bastard is always so damn chipper in the morning. It¡¯s a real pain in the ass.

    ¡°Hope you didn¡¯t have too rough of a night.¡±  As if he doesn¡¯t see the bags in my eyes.

    ¡°Nah it was alright. Just didn¡¯t feel like socializing.¡±

    ¡°Well get in. Captain wants to see us.¡±

    The feeling of bending to get in this car makes all the blood rush to my head like a boxer is using it for sparring practice. Shaw is weirdly quiet today. Usually I can¡¯t get him to shut up in the morning but he hasn¡¯t said anything in 5 minutes. Not to mention he¡¯s white knuckling that steering wheel.

    ¡°Alright.. Out with it.¡± I say so he cuts the bullshit.

    He drops his shoulders and let¡¯s out a sigh.

    ¡°Listen Scott¡­¡± Why is he using my first name? ¡°...I¡¯m going to be gone for a while. Me and Shannon are going to go visit her mom out of town.¡±

    ¡°Ok so you¡¯re taking a week off. What¡¯s the big deal.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s going to be longer than that. These cases are starting to weigh on me. I¡­ I need to get away from it for a while. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    I know it¡¯s good for him. He needs it.

    ¡°I just want to be sure that you are going to be ok while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°Me? Why the fuck would I not be?¡± I told him. What the fuck does he mean by that. He¡¯s the one taking the break.

    ¡°I know you haven¡¯t been the same since Amanda died and I just want you to know that I¡¯m worried about you. You¡¯ve worn the same shirt for the past week for god sake¡¯s.¡±

    Where is this coming from? Since when does he talk to me like this?

    ¡°Scott¡­ I told the captain to find you another partner while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck Aaron!¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t alright Scott! All you do is work and drink. I can¡¯t get you to spend time with me anymore and I know you haven¡¯t even tried dating.¡±

    I¡¯m at a loss of words. Aaron never lashes out like that. Guess he really does need the vacation. I always knew he was too soft for this job. But I¡¯m not looking to drag anyone along the hell hole they keep sending me too.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go Hanes. Captain¡¯s gonna introduce you to your new partner.¡±

    I don¡¯t need anyone but I guess I don¡¯t really have a choice if the captain is on board.

    Waiting for the elevator is the worst part of this station. So damn slow and the light is out so you never know if it¡¯s coming. You just stand around looking like an idiot. And that damn belle when you get to the floor. Everyone knows when you get there. Feels like when you¡¯re 5 minutes late in school.

    ¡°Hanes, Shaw. Let¡¯s go.¡± Captain screams across the office. Always hated when he does that. Everyone just snickering like a bunch of kids gossiping about why we are in trouble. Doesn¡¯t help that every time I close the captain¡¯s door it slams behind me.

    ¡°Fuck! Every damn time!¡± I said as it slams.

    ¡°Come on Hanes, can¡¯t you watch the language for ten minutes?¡±

    ¡°Sorry Captain. Just hate that fu¡­ that door.¡±

    ¡°Just sit down. Shaw¡­ did you tell him yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± He said like a dog with a tail between his legs.

    ¡°Good. At least I don¡¯t have to do that part. Alright Hanes. While Shaw is gone I¡¯m going to assign to one of our newly promoted detectives. Detective Ashe, top of her class, promoted three weeks ago.¡±

    ¡°Captain with all due respect. I don¡¯t need a partner. Let alone some kid who¡¯s still wet behind the ears.¡±

    ¡°With all due respect detective. I don¡¯t give a damn. We are short staffed as it is and it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve been doing your job properly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some of the most arrests this year.¡± I answered. He knows full well.

    ¡°Your whole job Hanes! I know you haven¡¯t filled out a form in at least two years from what I can see. You think I don¡¯t notice that you and Shaw have the exact same handwriting?¡±

    Got me there. But who gives a shit about a piece of paper. I¡¯m here to find the ones responsible. Even if they are only a vessel for the real culprits. But until I find a way to prove it I¡¯ll just grin and bear it. After all. They¡¯ll put me away for life if I told them how I knew.

    ¡°Besides. You don¡¯t even drive. How else are you going to get to crime scenes?¡±

    Damn. Got me there too. Fine I guess I¡¯ll play along.

    ¡°Alright. But if she starts losing her composure I will leave her there.¡±

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t care. If you do some stupid shit. That¡¯s on you. Now get out of here before you are late for your appointment.¡±

    You really can¡¯t get things past the captain. I was really hoping to skip out today. I just know Doc is going to want to know how I¡¯m doing on the anniversary.

    ¡°How are you doing today. I know this is always a hard day for you.¡±

    Fucking called it. Every damn year is the third degree. I could lie and tell her I had a great day but she always calls me out on my bullshit. In some ways she makes me think of a detective.

    ¡°Same as last year. Sat alone at home, ate some leftover Thai food and went to bed.¡±

    ¡°Was this Thai food paired with a bottle of alcohol? At least that¡¯s what my nose is telling me.¡±

    ¡°I was celebrating wasn¡¯t I? Four years single. No wife no¡­ kids.¡±

    Why did I say that? Idiot!

    ¡°You haven¡¯t brought up your son since our first session. What brings it up today?¡±

    Shit. What do I say?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just had a thought last night that he would be starting school.¡±

    Every damn time. We should get her for interrogations. Better than Bill on his best day.

    ¡°That can be a very hard thing to process. Every potential milestone can bring back hard memories.¡± She said in her best shrink voice.

    ¡°Ya but Doc, that kid barely lived a month. It¡¯s not like I got to know the thing.¡±

    ¡°Your son. He wasn¡¯t a thing. Many parents love their child the moment they see them. You¡¯re telling me that after a month you felt nothing to lose him?¡±

    Damn. Doc came out swinging today.

    ¡°Of course I did. But I¡¯ve lost a lot of people I loved that I knew for a much longer time. What¡¯s another one?¡±

    ¡°You tell me.¡± She said leaning back into her chair with the notes at hand and the slightest amount of pride from having put me in my place.

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    ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡±

    I¡¯m not sad or anything. Doc is just trying to make herself seem right. Guess I can¡¯t blame her. I do the same thing on a crime scene. Question every part until the story unfolds itself.

    ¡°Fine. How about we talk about your partner taking a leave. It¡¯s my understanding that you have been with the same partner for a little over nine years now.¡±

    ¡°Shaw? What about him leaving?¡± I said, darting my eyes away to look at the beating sunlight coming from the huge window next to me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have curtains or something?¡±

    ¡°So I ask you about your partner and you immediately change the subject. And yet it doesn¡¯t bother you at...all.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t like people. I don¡¯t trust them. So why would I want to meet another?¡±

    I mean it too. When you¡¯ve seen the worst side of people, it can be really hard to see the best.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about detective Shaw.¡±

    ¡°Shaw¡­ What is there to say. We met on serving. Quiet kid who didn¡¯t really stand out much. He was always a good soldier. Listen to commands, never complained, never talked back. But he was never a killer. Sure he took people down. We all did. The ones who got out at least. But he did it differently. He always had this face on him. Like¡­ he was hurting every time he pulled the trigger. Sometimes I wondered if he would ever miss on purpose just to make it look like he was one of us.¡± I started while thinking back. ¡°He¡­ he never lost it you know¡­ that thing that made him who he is. I mean¡­ you see many people go in green and come out dripping red. Thousand yard stare and the whole nine yards. But not Aaron. He left as if he never went in the first place. Maybe it never clicked that we were taking as many lives as we were losing. I never understood how he got out. Really got out.¡±

    There she goes again. Doc making me say more than I do in a week.

    ¡°Have you ever considered that he¡¯s been your salvation since you came back?¡±

    ¡°What the fuck does that mean? He¡¯s followed me around like a lost dog since we were in the trenches. Why would I need him?¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­ in some way his ability not to lose himself in the war is something you admire. Maybe you even envy him.¡±

    ¡°No, no Doc now I know you are talking out of your ass. Why the fuck would I envy him?¡±

    ¡°He knows who he is. You saying he kept himself says to me that you feel like you lost yourself.¡±

    Bitch. The audacity to come up with these wild accusations on the fly.

    ¡°You know Doc. You¡¯re pretty smart and I respect you. But you are way off on this one. I know exactly who I am.¡± I tell her getting riled up.

    ¡°And who is that?¡± She says to me keeping the same professional tone...Bitch.

    ¡°I¡¯m a man who left for war when he was seventeen and came back to think he could just go back to real life. I even thought it was going to happen until¡­ well you know.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say it?¡±

    I look back at the window to look outside. Trying to see if there was any beauty left in the world.

    ¡°Before they were killed.¡± I said, dropping my tone to a hushed whisper.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been coming here for four years now. It¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve been able to say it. I know it¡¯s hard but I consider this progress.¡±

    I guess she¡¯s right. The paper on the walls say I should trust her but I know they can get to anyone. If you let yourself slip for a moment anyone can do awful things. But I almost want to believe her. Can she resist their call? That whisper in your ears that makes your desires seem so damn tempting.

    ¡°Doc¡­ Have you ever hurt anyone? I mean really hurt. Left them a scar in some way.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t here for me Scott.¡±

    ¡°Humor me. How about break a heart... or push a kid of the swing?¡±

    She pauses. Obvious doesn¡¯t know where I¡¯m getting at.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had break ups like anyone else. Why?¡±

    ¡°Did it ever feel good? You know, causing their pain. Doing something you deeply wanted to do.¡±

    ¡°I think we are getting off topic.¡±

    ¡°Not at all Doc. You see¡­ I¡¯ve hurt a lot of people. Many who aren¡¯t with us anymore. And I¡¯ve never met a single person who has hurt someone who didn¡¯t in a small way like it. It¡¯s fun to break things. I¡¯m just making sure I know who you really are seeing as I¡¯m making all this progress.¡± I said looking deep into her eyes. ¡°Have you ever stolen anything? You just take something you really wanted and said fuck the consequences. Only to regret it later?¡±

    ¡° Who hasn¡¯t? Humans are impulsive people with very real and strong emotions.¡±

    Spoken like a shrink. But I can see in her eyes that I¡¯m getting to her.

    ¡°I only hated that phrase: You¡¯re only human. Seems like a cop out to me. Maybe¡­ we aren¡¯t in control.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel out of control?¡±

    ¡°Stop with the shrink shit for a moment and talk to me like a goddamn human being!¡± I said in a deep and serious tone. Things went silent. I could hear the fly that¡¯s been buzzing around the window tapping at the glass trying to get out.

    ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve made a lot of good progress today. I¡¯m going to ask you to leave.¡±

    Shit. Right when I thought she was going to get real with me. Always work first.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll see you next week.¡± I say standing up and making my way to the door.

    ¡°Sorry Doc. I¡­ I just thought I could trust you.¡±

    ¡°Have I ever given you a reason not to?¡± She snaps back at me. Losing that composure ever so slightly.

    ¡°No Doc. you haven¡¯t. Hey¡­ thanks for today. Really sobered me up.¡±

    She slowly drops her notepad on her lap.

    ¡°See you next week Scott.¡±

    Didn¡¯t think today was going to start off like this. Get the third degree from my shrink now I¡¯m on babysitting duty. Worst part is coming out of the office. Always get blinded coming out to the door from the sun perfectly placed to burn my retina.

    When I regain sight I see it. A Brand new cop car. Not a damn scratch on the thing.

    ¡°Detective Hanes!¡± I hear come from the slightly cracked window on the passenger side.

    Out comes this blond with her hair pulled back so tight it gives me a headache just looking at it. Posture straight as an arrow and making a bee line right to my feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m detective Haley Ashe. Nice to meet you.¡± she says, thrusting her open hand to me.

    ¡°Hey kid.¡± I answer and make my way to the passenger seat.

    She follows close behind like a dog waiting for their bowl to be put down.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got to go check out a scene. 10 blocks down south and to the left.¡± I tell her as she scampers in the driver''s seat.

    ¡°I¡¯m excited to be working with you detective Hanes. I¡¯ve heard so much about you and your accomplishments.¡± She says with an ear to ear grin.

    ¡°What exactly have you heard?¡± I ask. More curious than anything.

    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve heard that you made detective in just two years. That you have caught over a dozen serial killers and have made the most arrests in the last four years.¡±

    ¡°You know those are just numbers. I only got the most arrests because I

    Haven¡¯t been on vacation in all that time. Listen kid. If you want to make it out here you are going to have to learn fast. There¡¯s a lot they can¡¯t teach you in school.¡± I warn her as we get to the scene.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take this one. Once I see you aren¡¯t white as a ghost I¡¯ll let you join in. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± She replies so damn eager.

    I walk up to the foot step of the house. Judging by the lax demeanor or the crew around, this case is done with. Good first go for a rookie.

    ¡°Hey Bill, What do we have?¡±

    ¡°Hanes¡­ we have uh let¡¯s see.¡± he rustles through his notes. ¡° One dead and another badly injured. No signs of a struggle. Maybe a crime of passion.¡±

    He needed his notes to tell me that? Useless.

    ¡°Badly injured? What makes you say it¡¯s a crime of passion?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ there was a note. He explained why he did it.¡±

    ¡°Ok. usual notes mean it was premeditated. And if this is so cut and dry, why did you call for backup?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Come on man just say it already.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best that you come inside.¡±

    Bill. useless as always. I can feel the moment I walk through the door that the rookie was about to get a trial by fire. The place was clean. Far too clean. Whatever happened it was quick.

    ¡°Stay close to me. If you need to leave, just do it. Ok?¡±

    She replies with a nod. I follow the noise leading us into the kitchen. There¡¯s a body, female, with what seems to be a good 15 stab wounds in her chest. Eyes wide open and a slash on her forearm. Doesn¡¯t look like she stood a chance.  There¡¯s the phone unhooked on the ground. Must have tried calling for help. Blood soaks the floor. Dripping all the way down to the stairs leading to the backyard. It¡¯s very fresh. Most of it hasn¡¯t even started to clot. I follow the drops of blood leading me to the living room. Something seems off by the pace of the drips. They are very close together for the amount on the carpet. He must have been walking really slow. Almost like in a daze. Which is not completely abnormal given the circumstances but something seems off. Upon the living room I find him. A man with blood elbow deep on his forearms sitting in a chair placed in the middle of the living room with his head hung low. There seems to me some dripping coming from his face. I get in front of him to get a better view. Why didn¡¯t the medics take him to the hospital?

    ¡°So¡­ where do we start?¡± I ask him hoping to get any reaction.

    The man is silent.

    ¡°Listen...  I¡¯m just here to find out what happened so I can get out of your face.¡±

    Poor choice of words. The man raises his head to look up at me. Half of the right side of his face is shredded. The charring around the wound makes me think it¡¯s a gunshot that gave him that shiner. His eye barely in it¡¯s socket and some searing up the forehead. Clearly some shattered bone along his brow.

    ¡°I bet I can guess what happened to her. But I¡¯d like to know what you did right after. I have trouble believing that someone could shoot at you here and you take them to the kitchen to stab them multiple times. Why don¡¯t you start talking so someone can take a look at that.¡±

    The man looks at me. Lights are on but nobody seems home.

    ¡°You hear me?¡±

    ¡°Detective.¡± He says.

    ¡°So you can talk. Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know what happened. She was¡­¡±

    He takes a breath and begins opening and closing his fists.

    ¡°She was going to leave me.¡±

    ¡°Hardly seems like an appropriate response.¡±

    ¡°I did everything for her. Every minute I spent at that shithole was to build our life together.¡±

    He¡¯s telling the truth so far but I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m going to get much out of him right now. I turn to Ashe to find a sweaty mess. That tightly pulled hair becoming undone on it¡¯s own.

    ¡°Hey kid. Go to the car. We are almost done here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± She answers.

    ¡°Kid. I¡¯m not asking you here.¡±

    She huffs for a moment then runs off. It¡¯s better this way.

    ¡° Listen, I know you don¡¯t want to talk about it. So I¡¯m just going to ask you one thing. When did you come too?¡±

    His eyes open wide and he freezes for a moment.

    ¡°When after you did it. When did you regain control?¡±

    He stares at me and begins to tremble.

    ¡°When I heard the click.¡±

 Combination

    ¡°Hey kid. How are you doing?¡± I ask leaning off the car hood.

    ¡°How dare you tell me to wait in the car? I may be new but I can make my own damn decisions.¡±  She snapped back.

    Damn. A lot more spunk than Shaw that¡¯s for sure. Maybe she will make it in this world. I sit in the passenger seat and stare into her tear filled blue eyes.

    ¡°Listen. I told you to leave because he needed to be alone with me to talk.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Ok well I¡¯m sorry.¡± She answers in a sorry tone.

    ¡°Ashe¡­ Are you ok?¡±

    She takes a big shallow trembling breath while clutching the steering wheel.

    ¡°Ya. I just don¡¯t know what could drive someone to do that.¡±

    ¡°One of the best things I¡¯ve ever been told was by my first partner. Old bastard who should''ve retired years before. He said that every person is like a combination lock. Sure some are shitty, others and nearly impossible to crack but the truth is. Every lock can be opened. Every marking event in our lives is just another attempt at picking it open. And when that combination is pulled. There¡¯s no way of knowing what¡¯ll happen. We have to be extra careful. Most people experience these moments only a couple times in their lives. We live it almost every day. So you need to look out for yourself. Got it?¡±

    There¡¯s this moment of silence. I can¡¯t tell if she about to thank me or tell me to fuck off. She turns to me with this toothless smile.

    ¡°Here the captain told me you were mean and rough around the edges. Do they know you¡¯re a big softy?¡± She says, stifling a laugh.

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    Softy? I¡¯m just trying to comfort the damn girl. She¡¯ll never admit it but I could tell she was about to lose it. That wavering stance in the room was making even me dizzy.

    She lets out a full laugh and begins driving the car. The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly. A couple investigations here and there but nothing worth remembering tomorrow.

    We are pretty deep into the night when we decide to call it quits. It¡¯s starting to drizzle outside and the fall winds are getting sharp.

    ¡°Hey kid I¡¯m going to get going. Good job today.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re walking home?¡± She asks,concerned.

    ¡°Ya.¡± I say as I make my way into the cold of night.

    ¡°Sir!¡± She yells.

    ¡°Seriously? Enough of this Sir shit. I¡¯m not your boss.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I just wanted to see if I could buy you a drink. You know. Thank you for having me as a partner.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t my choice. Probably should ask the captain.¡± I replied while continuing to walk away.

    ¡°I know a good whisky bar just down the road.¡±

    Damn she¡¯s good. Guess I¡¯m all out at home. I let out a big sigh and turn around.

    ¡°Fine. But you better be top shape tomorrow. We¡¯ve got an interrogation to do.¡±

    The bar she picks is pretty good. Some hole in the wall I¡¯ve seen a couple of times but never really thought of going into. Got this look of an old time prohibition bar with bartenders in bowties. A little new age for me but I¡¯ll give it a shot. I make my way to the bar and order a tincan on the rocks. She takes the same. Funny. I¡¯d take her for a daiquiri kind of girl.

    ¡°Quite a hard drink for you don¡¯t you think.¡±

    She looks down at the glass, holding it in two hands and shrugs her shoulders forward.

    ¡°My dad got me into drinking whisky. We used to have this bar in the basement that he built. It was poorly stained and would give you a splinter just by looking at it. But he loved it. He would dream about opening his own bar someday. A lot like this one.¡±

    ¡°Well you¡¯re pretty young. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s not too old to try. ¡°

    She continues to look at the glass deeply observing every wrinkle in the drink.

    ¡°He passed away about six years ago now.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Looks like I¡¯m an asshole.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± She says lifting her head up high.

    ¡°How did he die?¡±

    ¡°He was doing a liquor run. For the bar¡­ and some guys just threw him in some alley a couple blocks from the store. They killed him for three bottles of whisky.¡±

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    Bet that¡¯s why she joined the force. Protect other people from having that experience.

    ¡°That sucks kid.¡± I say giving her a pat on the back.

    She takes a moment to regroup herself and says.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. That¡¯s not why we are here. I just wanted to thank you for our first day.¡±

    She raises the glass at eye level looking me dead in the eye. I can see how she¡¯s hiding the pain. A pain I¡¯m far too familiar with. The pain of the victims family when you have to tell them there¡¯s nothing more you can do. Sure you can maybe find the son of a bitch who did it. But that doesn¡¯t bring them back.

    ¡°Cheers kid.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me kid by the way. I may be new but I¡¯m not a child.¡±

    ¡°Ya I know. Too bad you don¡¯t get a say in it.¡±

    There we go. That stupid ear to ear smile from when she introduced herself. She whips her body up towards me.

    ¡°So Detective.¡±

    ¡°Hanes¡­ Come on, are you trying to put a target on my back?¡±

    ¡°Sorry! Hanes. Why did you join the force?¡±

    ¡°Is this a fucking job interview? I thought we were just grabbing a drink.¡±

    She laughs loud enough that some people start to turn their heads.

    ¡°Come on! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you what your 5 year goal is.¡±

    I can help but grin for a sec. Been a while since I was able to talk to someone and they weren¡¯t intimidated.

    ¡°Fine. After the war I found it hard to work in a factory so I figured I¡¯d get guns pointed at my face again.¡±

    ¡°You? In a factory? That I¡¯d like to see.¡±

    ¡°Ya well loud engine noises made me uneasy.¡±

    I down my drink in one shot. The burn down my chest wakes me up a little.

    ¡°Another!¡± I yell across the room to the barkeep.

    ¡°And gunshots don¡¯t scare you?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? They scare the hell out of me. I just get to shoot back in this job.¡±

    The barkeep comes by with the bottle. Ashe grabs her glass that she was only sipping at this point and downs it before he makes it to us. Dad taught her well.

    ¡°So¡­¡± She takes a moment to sip her drink. ¡°Everyone told me that you are an asshole.¡±

    ¡°Is that all they said?¡±

    ¡°Well no. But I don¡¯t think I can repeat the rest.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. They¡¯re right.¡±

    Who am I to argue? It¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve been out for a drink. They stopped inviting me to the Christmas party, how much I tell people no.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Give it a week.

    ¡°Feel free not to answer, but is it because of your wife?¡±

    Someone is sticking their nose in pretty deep.

    ¡°What about her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a secret. I was told you used to smile occasionally. Not to mention the one decoration in your office is the newspaper from that day.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen my office?¡±

    ¡°It was part of the tour. It¡¯s disgusting by the way.¡±

    I let out a little chuckle. Not sure how to act to that. Let alone how fucking bold she is.

    ¡°Ya I think I sleep there more than at home. I just love the couch.¡±

    She gets serious for a moment.

    ¡°Too many memories at home?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t been back. I moved out the next day.¡±

    ¡°Ya I hear running from your problems is very healthy.¡±

    ¡°You should talk to my fucking shrink. You¡¯d get along.¡±

    I finish my drink and stand up. I pull a ten out and throw it on the table.

    ¡°That should cover it. Thanks kid. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±

    She stands up to follow.

    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry. I...I¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re a good kid and you work hard. But I gotta go.¡±

    Walking home is shit. Wind¡¯s picked up and the rain has become jagged and cold.

    Guess part of me feels bad for leaving. But that was enough talking about myself for today. As I make my way home I can¡¯t help but think about today.

    ¡°When I heard the click.¡±

    The moment the trigger was pulled he came to. Just missing himself. Maybe they can only push to the limit. But it¡¯s up to you to pull the trigger. How the fuck am I going to do this? I¡¯ve been looking into this for four years and all I¡¯ve got is people tearing each other apart and a closet full of bad memories. It¡¯s the perfect crime. No fingerprints and no witnesses. Just this burning in your skull while your body overheats. All conscious thought gets locked in the back of your mind. It¡¯s a living hell. Some people call it seeing red. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll ever go away for me. It¡¯s always a little bit there. Ready to explode if the button is pushed.

    I kick off my boots and tear away at my skin tight soaked socks. I leave my gun and holster on the coat hook. Not going to need it tonight. As I take off my rain weighted coat I hear the phone ring. It¡¯s too late to be a telemarketer and Shaw has called me once since I¡¯ve known him.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Detective Hanes.¡± the voice answers in a soft tone.

    ¡°Do I know you?¡±

    There¡¯s a long pause before he talks.

    ¡°No. But you will.¡±

    I can¡¯t seem to place the voice. Gotta get him to keep talking.

    ¡°Ya well I¡¯m not exactly the most social person so why don¡¯t you tell me who the fuck this is so I will know you when I meet you.¡±

    ¡°Detective Hanes. I hear you are pretty good at what you do. I look forward to seeing you first hand again.¡±

    From tonight?

    ¡°Again huh? You know if you wanted to buy me a drink you could¡¯ve just asked.¡±

    ¡°You are a smart man Detective Hanes. I think we both know when we saw you.¡±

    We? Could he be talking about¡­

    ¡°You¡¯ll get to see more of our work first hand.¡±

    The line goes dead.

 Omen

    Sun hits me right in the eyes this morning. Piercing right through my eyelids to make sure I¡¯m not late. Today the kid gets to do her first interview. Let¡¯s see how that goes. Just like yesterday she¡¯s a real go-getter in the morning. Probably been up two hours before the start of shift to do her hair and shit. She greets me with a cup of coffee and while clasping tightly to a brand new note pad which has writing smudged as the title. Interview notes. Looks like someone came prepared today. Guess I can let her talk to the witnesses while they get our perp to the station for questioning.

    ¡°Good morning Hanes.¡± She starts off my day with. At least she dropped the whole ¡°Sir¡± shit.

    ¡°Hey Kid. Ready to do some interviews?¡± I asked knowing full well that she¡¯s been up all night just thinking about it.

    ¡°Absolutely. In fact I have the sister of the perp in room 3.¡±

    ¡°Good. Go talk to her.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Don¡¯t you want to come with?¡± I tell her while taking a sip of my lukewarm coffee.

    I see her clutching that notebook even tighter.

    ¡°Nah I figure you already know how to talk to people.¡±

    I could tell she was disappointed but I¡¯m not there to babysit her. Besides, I have to try and look up the call I got last night. Someone¡¯s been watching me and I need to find out since when.

    Thirty minutes go by and I still don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for. Someone in the force? Someone who seems like a bystander? Maybe there¡¯s a link in the recent cases. Couple gangbangers, some family homicides, and an occasional corner street hold up gone wrong. Nothing has seemed all that out of the ordinary. If anything it¡¯s been a little quiet for this time of year. I don¡¯t know how I can miss someone tailing me.  Why would they even bother? I must be one of the most boring pieces of shit there is out there. Maybe it¡¯s a prank call. Some kid who found my number in the yellow pages and thought it would be funny to mess with me. All I know for now is that whatever this is. It¡¯s not over.

    I hear a very gentle knock on the door.

    ¡°Hi Hanes. The perp just arrived.¡± Ashe tells me in a soft tone.

    Something bothering her?

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go do this. I¡¯ll let you start but I¡¯m cutting in if it gets to be too much for you.¡± I tell her while making my way around the desk.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    Sir? I thought we got past that. Maybe something really is bothering her.

    When we get to the door I feel a tension in the air. Almost like we are back in the house. Something heavy presses on my shoulders and I hear Ashe take a deep breath for composure.

    ¡°Hey Kid¡­¡± I turn to look at her with one hand on the handle. ¡°You can do this.¡±

    She gives me a subtle nod and we come in the room. There¡¯s the man all patched up on the side of his face with a couple of drops of blood seeping through the cloth. His eye looks glazed over like there isn¡¯t a soul left in his body.

    ¡°Mr. Cassidy. I¡¯m detective Haley Ashe and this is my partner detective Scott Hanes.¡± She states while stiffening up her back.

    The man doesn¡¯t move. Just stares blankly straight ahead and slightly down.

    ¡°Mr. Cassidy, do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He answers in an impatient tone.

    ¡°We are here to talk to you about the events that transpired yesterday at approximately 10:15 in the morning.¡± She says trying to sound like an authority.

    ¡°Ok.¡± He answers. Body still not having moved an inch.

    ¡°Do you recall the events to which I¡¯m referring?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°We would like to hear your side of the story.¡± She says while sitting down in front of him.

    There¡¯s a silence as the man continues to stare in the distance.

    ¡°Mr. Cassidy. Are you willing to give us your side because based on the evidence we have here this case seems pretty clear.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± He answers, finally lifting his eyes to stare at Ashe. You can feel her discomfort in the air.

    ¡°What is Mr. Cassidy?¡± She says trying to keep her focus.

    ¡°It is clear. I killed them.¡±

    ¡°Why did you kill them?¡±

    Another silence comes as he looks back into the distance lower to the ground.

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    ¡°Because¡­ she failed us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr. Cassidy I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°She¡­ She killed our child.¡±

    ¡°She killed your daughter?¡±

    He begins clutching his right fist over and over.

    ¡°Our other child.¡± He answers.

    Ashe looks puzzled.

    ¡°There was only one child in the house. Which other child are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Our second. She killed it. I didn¡¯t even get a say.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean an unborn child Mr. Cassidy?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Did your wife have an abortion Mr. Cassidy.¡±

    ¡°She might as well have!¡± He snaps at her, making her jump out of her skin.

    You can see her heart racing through her shirt but she keeps cool.

    ¡°Did Mrs. Cassidy have a misscariage?¡± She asked, trying to hide the tremble in her voice.

    ¡°She failed us.¡± He says in a quiet tone again.

    ¡°So Mrs. Cassidy had a misscariage and you killed her for it?¡± She asks while starting to get heated.

    ¡°What would you know. You¡¯re nothing but some stupid dumb bitch who¡¯s probably been busted for years!¡±

    And that¡¯s my queue.

    ¡°Listen here you piece of shit!¡± I say while placing myself close enough to smell his breath.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare talk to my partner like or I¡¯ll make sure you never get the chair an you have to live the rest of your miserable waste of a life in cell so we can relive yesterday every fucking day of your life until you¡¯re lucky enough to go burn in hell!¡±

    The man stared at me with his one good at a loss. He begins to settle down. This piece of shit never deserved the freedom of that bullet in his skull.

    ¡°Now¡­ Are you going to let my partner do her job or am I going to have to get investigated for police brutality?¡±

    Haven¡¯t snapped like that in years. Fuck. Haven¡¯t felt that strongly about something since before I can remember.

    I move my way back to the room and tap Ashe on the shoulder.

    ¡°You¡¯re in charge here. Control him.¡±

    She looks up at me fighting back some anger. She drops her shoulders then continues.

    ¡°Mr. Cassidy. I would like to apologize if I seemed like I was being judgmental. I just want to understand what happened.¡±

    The piece of shit finally looks like he¡¯s ready to talk.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know all the details. My wife was in the kitchen. Cleaning some dishes I think. And I think my daughter was outside playing. My wife was about six months pregnant and working hard as an ox to get dinner ready for the week. I told her that she should take a break. The doctor said she had some condition that made it risky to have another child. But there she was. Working hard as ever. Making sure every inch of the place was spotless. I was working in the garage trying to fix a wobbly chair from the dining room when I just got this feeling. Like this weight was sitting on my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack. I really wish I was. I called my wife over and told her there was something wrong. I just couldn¡¯t quite place it. I just had this anxiety building up in my head. She told me I was just being paranoid but I knew something was wrong. I didn¡¯t want to go to the hospital so I just sat down by the tv hoping it would all go away. I noticed that my wife wasn¡¯t singing. She always sings when she¡¯s in the kitchen. That¡¯s when I noticed it. Her stomach looked wrong. It got smaller somehow. That¡¯s when I added things up. There was no baby anymore. I¡­¡± He stops for a moment to take in a deep breath. ¡° I asked her about it. She lied obviously but I knew it was true. She lost it. I don¡¯t know how long ago but my kid is dead. And that¡¯s when I felt it. This anger. It took over me. It¡¯s like I couldn¡¯t control myself. All I remember was staying over top of her lifeless body. The warmth of her blood dripping off of me and cooling as it hit the ground. Then¡­ my daughter came in. She heard the screams and in the panic ran to her mom. I couldn¡¯t let her live through that.¡±

    He stops and grips the bandaged side of his face while shedding a tear.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let her grow up after seeing what she did. That¡¯s why I had to slit her throat.¡±

    I could tell that the story was getting to Ashe but held back judgement like a pro.

    ¡°What did you do next?¡± She asked

    ¡°I finished the chair. Then I grabbed my gun and tried to take off my head.¡±

    He looks at me. ¡°But I moved out of the way just before I could do it.¡±

    The rest of the interview went pretty smoothly. Kid got a signed confession so that makes things easier. We didn¡¯t even need to get a lawyer involved. The rest of the day goes by without a hitch. As we pull up to my apartment she looks like something is on her mind.

    ¡°You gonna spit it out?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You always tense up on the steering wheel before you are going to ask me something.¡±

    ¡°Ok¡­ the interrogation this morning.¡±

    ¡°Ya?¡±

    ¡°Well. Why did he finish the chair?¡±

    ¡°In a lot of cases where a person plans to take their life they finish what they had to complete before doing it. I had a friend back in the day. Just before I got deployed. He finished his exam before hanging himself in the basement. Personally I would have skipped it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±  She says with those glistening eyes. She always cares so damn much.

    ¡°Lost a lot more than that in my life, Kid.¡±

    ¡°Ok I have another question. Was it just me or did he look at you when he talked about killing himself?¡±

    Kid is clever. But she¡¯s not ready for that yet.

    ¡°Well I did tell the guy that he was going to hell.¡±

    She chuckled.

    ¡°Ya I guess you make a good point there.¡±

    Just as I step out of the car I turn to her.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Hey I want to say good job on the questioning. But next time try and approach it a little less like a cop. You get me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind. And I¡¯m guessing going for a drink to mark this momentous occasion is off the table?¡±

    The girl is funny.

    ¡°Not tonight.¡±  I answer, closing the door.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do tomorrow. I just want to be alone right now.¡±

    She lets out this ear to ear smile.

    ¡°Looking forward to it.¡± She says while driving away.

    Kid means well. Figured I¡¯d throw her a bone. She did pretty good keeping it together and I didn¡¯t have to do any paperwork today. That piece of shit is going to rot in hell but I can help feel for him. That anger just takes over.  It¡¯s scary how much I can relate to him. All the way down to not being able to pull the trigger when it counts. Looks like the voice can come before the point of anger. Seems they can almost speak to you. Give you that bad feeling before something happens. That feeling of a bad omen.

 Languages

    As a couple weeks pass the kid is starting to get pretty good. Every day there''s another full page of questions waiting for me next to my coffee. You¡¯d think that she¡¯d have run out by now or at least get sick of asking me. That keen spirit sure is hard to kill. No matter how many tough days we had and late nights chasing down leads she¡¯d come back the next day chipper as ever. Hope she can keep it up. The weight of this life isn¡¯t easy. It can be taxing not only to you but your loved ones. As far as I can tell she doesn¡¯t have a man in her life but if she did he probably feels pretty neglected. Not to mention being stuck with an old fart like me must make it even harder to meet someone. This morning around lunch time we sat by the pier to grab a bite. She made some kind of deli meat sandwich for me since she thinks ¡°I don¡¯t take care of myself.¡±. She¡¯s even got me drinking water here and there.

    ¡°So Hanes. When you¡¯re interrogating someone, you¡¯ve always seemed to just know when people are lying. How do you do it?¡± She asked.

    Yet another pow wow just as every day.

    ¡°You just have to look at people. Their eyes can tell you most things. The rest is mostly in body language.¡±

    ¡°Body language? Can¡¯t people just hide that?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes. But everyone has a tell. It¡¯s just like playing poker. You gotta learn when to tell that they are bluffing. Some people avoid eye contact. Some people make more. The more you get to know someone the easier it is.¡±

    ¡°Ok. But these are usually people you barely know.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You just have to know where to look.¡±

    She sticks her head in her notebook to jot down every last word. As if I even said anything.

    ¡°Where do I look?¡± She asks, keeping her pen firmly against the page.

    ¡°Turn around and let''s look on the street.¡±

    We flip our legs over the stone barrier by the water and take a look at the dozens of people walking.

    ¡°What do you see?¡± I ask her.

    She scans the area looking at every individual trying to find any morsel of information she can.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a lot of people.¡± she says sarcastically.

    ¡°No shit wise guy! Don¡¯t look at all of them. Just pick one.¡±

    She continues to scan left and right looking for the perfect candidate.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± she says, throwing her hands in the air.

    ¡°Alright here.¡± I point out a man walking by. ¡°How do you think his day is going?¡±

    She inspects him head to toe.

    ¡°Bad?¡± She answers with uncertainty.

    ¡°Care to explain?¡± I ask condescendingly.

    She pauses and continues to stare at the man.

    ¡°...No.¡± She says with a toothless grin.

    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll explain. First his pace. He¡¯s walking pretty fast compared to everyone else. You could say he¡¯s just a fast walker but there¡¯s a couple things that make me think otherwise. First: It¡¯s twelve twenty five which means it¡¯s likely the end of his break and based on his suit, he¡¯s some corporate slob. Closest office near here is a ten minute walk away so I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s late. Next is his shoes. The lasses are on the verge of untying themselves so it stands to reason that he¡¯s going at an unusual pace for him. You could argue that maybe he just keeps his laces tied all the time but judging by the heel, he takes the time to put on his shoe properly. Plus he likely polishes them every day based on how clean they are compared to how worn the bottom is. Oh ya and he¡¯s tensing his left hand on the watch side. Barely taking enough time to actually look at the time. Just wants to know how many minutes are left.¡±

    ¡°First off wow. Second, I got none of that. He just looked worried.¡± She answers as she begins to scribble faster in her notes.

    ¡°You want to try again?¡± I ask her.

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    ¡°Sure. uh¡­ How about that guy? He''s also walking and has nice shoes. Seems pretty happy so maybe he is going on a date?¡± She says.

    ¡°Ya not bad. You can see he isn¡¯t really dressed in any kind of uniform so a date is possible. I¡¯d say the fact that he¡¯s really taking the time to look at the scenery would indicate that he¡¯s in no rush at all. What do you think he does for a job?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ he is in sales. He has a nice watch that you would usually see some vendors wear.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a theory. I think he¡¯s a line cook.¡±

    ¡°A cook? But he¡¯s all well dressed and neat.¡±

    ¡°The burns on his hands. Little spots all the way up his wrist that you usually see from oil splatter.¡±

    ¡°Good catch Hanes!¡± She says waving her pen in the air. ¡°How do you spot that so quick?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just always looking for it.¡±

    ¡°That sounds exhausting.¡± She says as she folds the top corner of the page she¡¯s writing before closing her book.

    ¡°Wait a second! That means you did it for me didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± I answer jokingly.

    ¡°I¡¯m just always looking for it!¡± She says mockingly.

    I can¡¯t help but grin at her shenanigans. Total goofball.

    ¡°Come on! Tell me what you saw about me.¡± She says nudging at my elbow.

    ¡°Not happening kid.¡± I say as I stand up and stretch out my back leaning as far backwards as my body can handle.

    ¡°Come on! That¡¯s not fair!¡±

    ¡°Too bad. Come on, we¡¯re going for a walk.¡±

    She gets up in a hurried step.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asks

    ¡°Part 2.¡±

    We make our way towards the path that most of the pedestrians are walking.

    ¡°Clothes isn¡¯t enough. It¡¯s more of a way to get an idea of who the person is but at the end of the day it¡¯s never fool proof. This is where the body language starts to kick in.¡±

    ¡°Ok what do I have to look for?¡±

    ¡°Start with the overall posture. Are they slouched over? Are they dragging their feet? Take a look at people right now. What do you see?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ Well a lot of people don¡¯t seem very happy to be here.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Well most just look kind of sad.¡±

    ¡°Why would they be sad? It¡¯s a warm day despite it being November. It¡¯s a Friday so most people are likely just looking forward to the weekend.¡±

    ¡°Ya¡­ but it¡¯s something about their faces. Some of them looked concerned.¡±

    ¡°And what makes you say that? Come on, go into detail about it.¡±

    ¡°Ok¡­ uh¡­ that woman over there. The one pushing the carriage. Her face seems neutral but her shoulders are very tense. Oh and there¡¯s a slight thinning of her lips as if she¡¯s uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s a nice way to start things. Is the person comfortable or not? Unfortunately most people we end up talking to aren¡¯t so it¡¯s not always helpful.¡±

    ¡°So start with that then go head to toe?¡±

    ¡°If you want to get methodical about it, sure. I just go with what I notice first. Sometimes the first thing you see doesn¡¯t mean shit. But if you saw it you know you didn¡¯t miss it.¡±

    We make a round and do a couple more people while making our way to the squad car.

    ¡°You know this just makes me even more curious as to how you profiled me when we met?¡± She said with this smug look on her face.

    ¡°You know I¡¯m even less inclined to tell you the more you ask?¡±

    ¡°Oh so there¡¯s a possibility?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up kid.¡± I say as I nudge her shoulder to shoulder.

    Once we are within earshot of the car we can hear over the radio they¡¯re calling us.

    ¡°Detectives Hanes and Ashe, do you copy?¡± We hear.

    Ashe runs to the car to answer. Ever so keen to be a goodie two shoes.

    ¡°This is Detective Ashe we copy.¡±

    ¡°Captain wants you in the office ASAP.¡± It answers.

    ¡°Copy¡±  She turns to me. ¡°What do you think it¡¯s about?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I¡¯m probably in trouble again.¡±

    The drive to the station is a good forty minutes from our location so there must be a good reason he¡¯s calling us over.  The kid asked questions along the way. I barely got time to think. But the last five minutes she went quiet. She seemed worried and I¡¯ll be honest I had a bitter taste in my mouth. Something was wrong. Is it an omen like that guy said? If it is, what the hell could it be? The ascent up that piece of shit elevator never helps break the tension. The door is barely open before the receptionist Barb leads me to the captain''s office. We get to his door and you can see through the glass that he¡¯s looking by the window with a smoke in his hand. He quit two years ago. This must be bad.

    ¡°Detective Hanes, you can go in.¡±

    Just me huh?

    ¡°Thanks Barb.¡±

    I make sure to close the door slowly behind me. Last thing I want to do is piss him off right now.

    ¡°Hey Captain. You wanted to see me?¡±

    He turns to see me and puts his smoke leaning up on the ashtray.

    ¡°Hey Scott. You should sit down.¡±

    Scott? Fuck is this about my wife? Do they know? I can¡¯t tell them the truth yet or they¡¯ll lock me up in some loonie bin for the rest of my life.

    He takes a deep breath and leans against his desk.

    ¡°Listen there¡¯s really no other way to say this¡­¡±

    He stops and looks me dead in the eyes.

    ¡°Shaw is dead.¡±

 Unravel

    My heart stops. This ringing starts blasting in my ears and my vision starts to tunnel. Did I hear that right? No way! He¡¯s out of town just taking a vacation. How could that bastard be gone? He should be here, not me. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s a waste of oxygen.

    ¡°Captain I¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    The captain sighs and picks up his cigarette. He taps off the ashes onto the carpeted floor and looks out at the window.

    ¡°He was sick, Scott.¡± he tells me.

    ¡°Sick? What do you mean?¡± I answer on baited breath.

    He looks down to the ash charred carpet.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t want anyone to know. But¡­¡± There¡¯s a long pause before he looks me in the eye. ¡°He had cancer, Scott.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be some kind of mistake. Aaron is in top shape. The guy never took a sick day.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t want anyone to know. He¡­ he was refusing treatment. It was all a matter of time.¡±

    Why the fuck didn¡¯t he tell me? Sure we never talked all that much but this is different. The amount of friends we¡¯ve lost together. I never thought he¡¯d beat me to the end. And fucking cancer of all things.

    ¡°What kind?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Lungs.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be. The guy never smoked. He fucking hated it more than drinking.¡±

    ¡°Some things just don¡¯t make sense Scott. I know you two had history. And I know this¡¯ll be hard to handle. So why don¡¯t you take the week off? Maybe go see his family or just take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. The kid is finally getting her ears wet. I can¡¯t leave on her now.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking Hanes. I know you¡¯ll get through this. But his family needs you right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the last person Shannon wants to see right now. She never really liked me.¡±

    ¡°In a time like this. I don¡¯t think that matters. Take the week. That¡¯s an order.¡±

    What the fuck will I do for a whole week? I¡¯m not exactly the sulking type. He¡¯s just another soldier who went down after all. Leave him on the field and keep moving forward right?

    Right?

    As I walk out I can see everyone''s faces making a lot more sense. Looking at me like I¡¯m some dog at the pound about to be put down. I¡¯m the last one to find out by the looks of it. I can see the glissen in Ashe¡¯s eyes. She¡¯s trying to keep it together for me.

    ¡°You ok?¡± She asks in a broken voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go. The fucking kids around here not to start their gossiping.¡±

    She doesn¡¯t say a word on the way down to the car. As we reach the gray light blanketing the sky she turns to me.

    ¡°I know you two were close. I just want you to know I¡¯m here for you if you need to talk.¡±

    ¡°Fucking hell not you too. I said I¡¯m fucking fine. I don¡¯t need to be treated like a kid who just learned that Santa isn¡¯t real. I¡¯ve lost friends before. I¡¯ve lost everyone. So I¡¯m fucking used to it.¡±

    I see the tears building in her eyes and her entire body stiffen up.

    ¡°It may not be much. But you still have me.¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck cares! You don¡¯t even know me. You just see me as this great detective that can help you avenge your dad¡¯s death by becoming this super cop. You don¡¯t know shit about me. You don¡¯t know the shit I¡¯ve had to do to survive. Or that I stick a barrel to my head every night but I¡¯m too chicken shit to pull the fucking trigger. You don¡¯t know shit Kid. You are living in a fantasy world if you think that I¡¯m worth more than a pile of dog shit someone steps on by accident.¡±

    She stiffens even tighter than explodes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever talk to me like that again! I¡¯m not some child that you think you need to take care of. I got here all on my own and I will be fine without you. You are just too much of a self-absorbed asshole to think that some people aren¡¯t out to get you. You call me kid all the time but you are the one who needs to grow the fuck up!¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    With a big stomp she turns around and storms off.

    ¡°Kid!¡± I call, but she doesn¡¯t look back.

    Shit. Guess I¡¯m just an asshole again. Whatever. She¡¯s better off without me anyways.

    I start walking home. It¡¯s a good hour from the station so I¡¯ll have a little time to cool off. Maybe I lashed out a little. She¡¯s a good kid after all. I just don¡¯t need that shit from her too. I¡¯m not some wounded bird needing to be healed back to life. Midway through I feel a small trickle of water falling from the sky made colder by the fall winds.

    ¡°Of course.¡± I say to myself.

    Shaw huh? I really thought he was going to be one of us to make it out alive. The guy was even able to sleep without nightmares most nights. He was strangely one of the strongest guys I ever knew. Nothing but a good soldier who never questioned the chain of command. Why the fuck wouldn¡¯t he tell me. I thought we were close. I may not go to his place for Christmas or anything but come on. This is a little bigger than getting the last turkey leg. Was he suffering? I know he let me take most cases over the last couple of years but is that why? Who the fuck knows now. All that matters is that I¡¯m the last one. Just here to be tortured by my ghosts. The rain really starts to pour. The kind that you can barely see two feet in front of you. My head is spinning. My chest is getting heavy. My lungs sting as I take in smaller and smaller breaths. I¡¯m used to long walks home but this one is hard. I almost feel like I¡¯m back in the forest with the enemy coming in close. Your legs are trying to give out every step but the man next to you keeps you going. We pushed each other so some of us could make it out. So few did. Some who did would have had a better fate being burnt to a crisp or impaled at the spike. I can still smell the burning flesh to this day. And the dried blood draped over the leaves. I don¡¯t get it. The weather is nothing like those days. Why are they coming back to me now? Why am I afraid? Like every step might be my last. Every sound of a passing car makes me flinch. And how am I burning up in this freezing weather?

    Finally, made it into my shithole. Every step up the creaking stairs brings back the memories of a trap being sprung. A door shuts on one of the higher floors which echoes down to my spine. You¡¯d almost think it¡¯s cannon fire. My breathing hasn¡¯t settled once I¡¯m in. My head is spinning faster and faster until I spill my bowels all over the carpet. My body begins to ache. I¡¯m so heavy and I¡¯m soaked. Feels like vapor is coming off my body with how hot I am. I finally crawl my way through the vomit spilled floor over to the bathroom. What the fuck am I so scared about? It¡¯s like I¡¯m seventeen again. I was so ready to take on the world. We go in guns blazing like wild horses only to be met by these sneaky fucks who made our life a living hell. The longer we were there the more I knew why some offed themselves. At least that way we don¡¯t give them the satisfaction. It¡¯s on our terms. The longer I lie on the steel cold tile floor the more I start to shake. ¡°I just want to die.¡± I tell myself.

    Why after all these years, after losing so much again and again, why Shaw? Why can¡¯t I get the lucky way out. I¡¯m as dead as the rest of them. But I¡¯m still here. Then I hear it.

    ¡°Today.¡±

    A whisper in my ear. Like a warm kiss beckoning me. Today I can do it. I can end this. Finally go back to her. I can rest. Today. It rings in my head louder and louder until it¡¯s a blaring siren. Today. Peace. I get some power back in my legs driven by this goal. My gun is in the living room. If I make it there that¡¯s all I need. Every foot I get closer is grueling. Finally. The smooth wooden handle in the palm of my hand for the last time. I bring it straight to my forehead. The feeling of the cold metal barrel is so soothing. My breathing has stabilized as well as my hands. I can do this. The trigger has no weight to it. My eyes begin to close. As they are on the verge of darkness I see a light in the corner of my eye. Something about it was distracting. It¡¯s my answering machine. I haven¡¯t checked it in a couple weeks. I¡¯m not sure why but something was telling me to listen to them. Three messages.

    First is some garbage about the apartment. Second is Shaw.

    ¡°Hey Scott. Guess you still don¡¯t answer the phone. Just wanted to check in and make sure you haven¡¯t made the rookies'' life too difficult. Anyways. Call me when you get the chance. I have something to talk to you about.¡±

    Fuck. I guess he was trying to reach out. I¡¯m such a total piece of shit. Couldn¡¯t even see that my friend was dying in front of me all this time. Third message.

    ¡°Hi Hanes¡­It¡¯s Ashe. Listen, I''m sorry for what I said. I should have given you your space and I pushed too much. I was thinking about what you were saying and I¡¯m really worried about you. Just¡­ just let me know you¡¯re ok. Ok bye.¡±

    All of a sudden the gun gets heavy again. I can barely hold anymore. It drops to the floor and I fall to my knees. As I grip tightly to the carpet I begin to falter. Guess there¡¯s always tomorrow. I cock my head back and stick my nose to the sky and take a deep breath. Just because I have nothing left doesn''t mean I get out easy. Besides I don¡¯t think Haley would ever forgive me if I left things the way they were.

    The phone rings. She¡¯s got to be checking up on me again. The girl really does care too much.

    It rings again. I should answer it. Can¡¯t make the kid worry.

    ¡°Listen Haley¡­I didn¡¯t mean that shit I said earlier.¡±

    There¡¯s nothing from the other end of the line.

    ¡°Hello Detective.¡±

    It''s that voice.

    ¡°So sorry to hear about Shaw.¡± He says. It almost sounds sincere.

    ¡°Ok who the fuck is this?¡± I reply, snapping back at him.

    ¡°Now now Detective. We are just trying to extend an olive branch in your time of mourning.¡±

    ¡°Fuck your branch. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°We are growing tired Detective. It¡¯s been weeks that we¡¯ve left out the breadcrumbs and you haven¡¯t even tried to find us.¡±

    ¡°And why the hell should I care who you are?¡±

    ¡°For a man who prides himself on catching every clue, I¡¯m sorry to tell you that you¡¯ve lost your touch.¡±

    ¡°Oh ya and what makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°We know you know about the urge.¡±

    The urge? They can¡¯t mean.

    ¡°Do any of your recent cases remind you of anyone Detective?¡±

    The murders? Just some domestic stuff. Right?

    ¡°The urge gets us all some day, Detective. But not everyone can sweep it under the rug.¡±

    The line goes dead.

    Looks like it won¡¯t be tomorrow either.

 Demons

    I feel like total shit this morning. I probably slept somewhere along the lines of two hours. The day breaking between the drapes is enough to get me off the couch and onto my study. I haven¡¯t sat in this rickety chair since I moved into the place.  I spent the whole night replaying the phone call. Either someone knows way too much about my life. Or these bastards trying to off me are starting to taunt me. Either way the only thing that matters is that I¡¯m going to find these fuckers. I heard them last night. Not just a feeling but an actual voice. Maybe they¡¯re even getting nervous. Even if these things are real. Even if I can prove it. What do I do then? Do we need a priest? An exorcist. Maybe we can kill them ourselves. Seems like the voice on the phone knows something about it. Maybe they took someone as some kind of vessel. But why call me? Millions of people in the city and they call me. Hmm¡­ Based on what they were saying, it seems like they know about me and Amanda.  So it probably has to do with the domestic murders lately. Let¡¯s see. There¡¯s the one with the two faced man. And the one just before Shaw left. They both had some similarity. Double murder suicide and done as an act of passion. We know from Two Face that he doesn¡¯t remember actually doing it. Just standing over his wife¡¯s corpse. But I don¡¯t get it. How could an act of passion have anything to do with this voice? Unless there¡¯s something I missed. The houses were strangely clean. Like they had a maid clean the place just before. But I doubt they could afford it. Just two lower-middle class households wouldn¡¯t spend that much money. I think the first place to look is at those cases and make sure I didn¡¯t miss anything. I¡¯m going to have to do what I can here so that the captain doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m doing work.

    I¡¯m starting to feel my stomach ache. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had anything other than that sandwich since yesterday. Looks like I¡¯ll have to join the land of the living to go grab a slice down the road. The weather is much nicer today. Putting on my coat was rather unnecessary with the beating sun warming my back. I can smell the melted cheese in the air as I turn the corner.

    ¡°Hanes! Haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Figured you were dead.¡± Says Hank from the pizzeria.

    ¡°You wish Hank. You¡¯d go out of business without me.¡± I reply, trying to faint any excitement.

    He¡¯s a good guy. Works fifteen hour shifts seven days a week just to feed his wife and three kids.

    ¡°The usual?¡± He asks while already throwing the slices into the steaming hot oven.

    ¡°Ordered the same thing every time I¡¯ve come in. Two slices of cheese and a bottle of coke.¡±

    ¡°A man who knows what he likes! I get it!¡±

    Sometimes I feel like Hank and Ashe are cut from the same overly amused cloth.

    ¡°Listen Hanes, I¡¯ve been having some trouble with some vandals lately. I made a police report but they keep messing up my sign and throwing bricks through the window. Now I know you''re some hot shot who only deals with these big important cases. But any chance you can do a little digging? You know, maybe scare them a little?¡±

    I grab the piping hot slices on a paper plate which has become translucent from the grease and look at him. Guess I¡¯m off work for a week. I could look into it.

    ¡°What do you know?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It usually happens at night but I know those Antony brothers have something to do with it. They come every single day. Screaming and cursing and talking about doing no good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it.¡±

    ¡°I knew I could count on you.¡± He says waving that finger at me.

    Antony brothers huh? Ya I¡¯ve noticed them marking up the apartment a couple times. Does seem to be a likely suspect. After dark I¡¯ll go take a look at their usual hiding spots.

    The rest of the day yields very little. All I know for sure is that I¡¯m going to have to play this one close to the chest. The fact that they knew about Shaw on the same day as me is really messing with my head. How many of these things are there? The sun starts to go down and I decide to grab a drink. Luckily I bought a couple bottles of whisky last week so I don¡¯t have to get out of the house. Fridge is broken again so I guess I¡¯m drinking neat tonight. Despite the first couple dry sip, the drink is going down smooth tonight. Next thing I know I was half a bottle in and taking a leak on the quarter hour.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    I forgot about those kids! I got so distracted by actually having a night in that I didn¡¯t go look for the kids. Maybe I¡¯ll just go for a walk. It¡¯s not too late after all. It¡¯s getting a little chill out so I decided to grab my coat on the way out and made sure to take a glass for the road. Those kids live a couple blocks down so I¡¯ll start there. It¡¯s pretty quiet tonight. I can hear my footsteps echoing throughout the street. Seemed like the calm before the storm. Low and behold the kids are sitting on their porch of a shithole worse than my apartment.

    ¡°Hey old man. What are you doing out late? You lost?¡± Says the oldest.

    So much for keeping a low profile.

    ¡°Huh¡­ me?¡± I ask, trying to seem surprised.

    ¡°Are you fucking stupid. Who else would I be talking to?¡±  He says getting up and making his way towards me.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not lost. Just going for a little walk is all.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in the wrong neighborhood for that old man.¡±

    I can see the youngest get up to back up his brother. Some other kid is still sitting there smoking a joint.

    ¡°Well I live here so I don¡¯t know where else I¡¯d take a walk.¡±

    ¡°I think you need to learn that it''s dangerous to go out at night.¡±  He says inching that little bit closer. At this point I can smell the cheap beer off his breath. The kid can¡¯t be much older than eighteen from the looks of it. Just trying to act tough in front of his friends.

    ¡°Listen. I¡¯m just passing by. I¡¯d prefer not to make something of this.¡±

    First warning.

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty nice glass you¡¯ve got there. Looks like you need some decent cash to get one of those.¡± He says not slowly bringing his hand to his right pocket.

    His posture is very compared to the other two. The back one seems indifferent and his brother has shortened his steps every couple of feet.

    ¡°Wait a second. I think I''ve seen you before.¡± I say. ¡°You are those kids who always do damage to that poor guy who owns the pizzeria a couple blocks up the street! You, I''ve seen you before. I¡¯m glad I got a better look at you.¡±

    Second warning.

    ¡°You can prove anything old man. Who the fuck are you anyways.¡± He says starting to get defensive.

    ¡°Listen kid. Just admit you did it and I¡¯ll let this slide.¡±

    Last warning.

    He starts posturing back a little and takes a look at his brother who now is looking pretty damn scared.

    ¡°Ya. We did. And now we are going to rob an old man.¡± He says finally taking a knife out of his pocket.

    I take a step back to stay out of range of a quick swipe and throw my hands in the air.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I yell. ¡°Just let me put my glass down and I¡¯ll grab my wallet.¡±

    I don¡¯t want it to get broken. I put it down and square up with him again. There¡¯s a little change in his posture. His shoulders are cocked forward. Any lunge from there will be pretty easy to read. Knife is in the right hand and his elbow is in towards the middle of the chest. Stabbing motion is highly probable.  I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet. I unfold the flap with the opening facing them so they can see my empty wallet.

    Enraged he takes a stutter step and lunges forward at me. I take a step to my right so that I can deflect the blade to the left using the leather of the wallet as a shield. I¡¯m bleeding for this piece of shit. As he overextends his weight is unbalanced so I grab his right arm and swing my right leg behind his forward leg. At this point he¡¯s fucked. A quick sweep of the leg and he¡¯s on his back. That¡¯s when I feel it. The urge. He¡¯s done. The moment he hits the ground once he has the wind knocked out of him. But I want more. As he falls I feel my right arm reach for his neck. Something telling me to push down. I have to crush him against the concrete slab so deep that I crush his windpipe. I want to do it. More than anything at the moment. I know better. He¡¯s just a kid who drew the short straw in life and got stuck in this hell hole like the rest of us. But I want to hurt him. Just the thought is making my blood course. That old adrenaline I was so used to in the past. That for just a moment. There is no pain. I feel his spine hit the ground first with a bone shattering crunch. He gasps as his lungs squeeze out what oxygen is left in them. I feel his throat compress in my hand. My fingertips digging into the side of his neck. For that moment. I felt good. Better than I have in years.

    Until.

    Until I saw the fear in his eyes. A glistening ember of hope fading away as I continue to push. This feeling is wrong. Am I ready to kill a child for a couple broken windows? Are these creatures even the villains here? Or are they here to watch us at our worst like some zoo animal? My hand gives way. The bloodcurdling scream of his younger brother echoes through the empty streets. As I remove my hand I can see the indent I made on his neck. I stand over him and watch him fear the sight of me. A sheer terror that I¡¯ve seen just before death.

    And I walk away. Grabbing my glass on the way I just left. His gasps continue as I continue to walk back to my apartment. I feel my hand tingling. My heart races all the way to my fingertips. I try to shake it off but it remains all the way up to my room. I sit at my desk and stare at my hand, twitching with excitement. Am I the creature? Last time I couldn''t even remember it. But this time¡­I knew exactly what I was doing. I need to find that voice. I need answers. I need to know what these creatures are.

    I need to know what¡¯s happening to me.

 Light

    I can¡¯t stop my hands from shaking. I wasn¡¯t out there to hurt the kid. Just needed to get an answer out of him. Just like a wild animal, I started salivating at the prospect of a warm meal. I don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s alright. Should I have done the humane thing and taken the wounded pup out of his misery? It¡¯s not like a little less blood on my hands is going to give me a one way ticket to the big guy. I¡¯m stained. Drenched deeper in the shit than anyone I know left alive. Back in the war it made sense. Kill them before they kill you. Pull the trigger the moment you spot a glimpse of the bastards. But it¡¯s different here. You don¡¯t just see the whites of their eyes. You see the skin damage on their forehead, the tethering in their clothes. Sometimes it¡¯s easier just to consider them the enemy. If everyone is an enemy then I don¡¯t get to see them up close. I just take my shot and head home. But what the fuck was that? This kid isn¡¯t anything to me. A chihuahua chasing a German shepherd. I can still see the small spurts of blood squirting from the corner of his mouth. You don¡¯t have to know shit about people to know that kid was terrified. I¡¯m pretty sure he pissed his pants before he hit the ground. Fucking brat should have ignored me. I would have just walked by had he given me the chance. Piece of shit was asking for it.

    The last thing I want to hear. The doorbell. Who the fuck could that be?

    Do I ignore it? I should. I might have just killed a kid after all. Who knows, maybe I deserve what is waiting for me downstairs. I used to think that I had a guardian angel by my side. Didn¡¯t realize it was some demon just pulling my strings like a puppet.  Against all thoughts of self preservation I head down to the lobby. Don¡¯t want to bother using the buzzer. The least I can do is save them the trip up. Fuck it better not be Bill. Anyone else taking me in would be my last request.

    Through the translucent window I can see a female figure standing by the door. Guess it¡¯s better that Ashe knows me for who I really am.  A small beam of light cracks seeps through the opening of the door.

    ¡°Shannon?¡± I asked, surprised.

    Why is Shaw¡¯s wife here?

    ¡°Hi Scott. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m here so early¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m handling a couple things for the funeral and I wanted to hand you this.¡± She tells me as she extends her hand out holding an envelope.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a letter from Aaron. I wanted to give it to you at the funeral but Aaron said that you might not come.¡±

    Does he think I¡¯m that heartless?

    ¡°Thanks. How are you holding up?¡±

    She takes a deep breath.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a really hard time. But my mom has been staying over and it¡¯s been helping a lot.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. How¡¯s Eli with all of this?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s being a good little trooper but I know she really misses him.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always been a tough kid.¡±

    ¡°Ya¡­¡± She says, dropping her head to the floor. ¡°Sometimes I think she¡¯s handling this better than I am.¡±

    ¡°Hey Shannon¡­ I know we never really got along. But¡­ I¡¯m happy you were in his life.¡±

    Her eyes begin to glisten as she looks back up at me.

    ¡°We never got along because you never made time to get to know me, Scott. But that¡¯s all in the past.¡±

    ¡°If you ever need anything. I¡­ I¡¯m here ok?¡±

    ¡°Thanks Scott. But we are ok.¡±

    As she walks away I feel my heart sink.  Somehow the piece of paper she gave me felt like it weighed twenty pounds. I can¡¯t believe she came all the way here. I doubt I¡¯ve seen her in the last three years.  I can see the handwritten Scott on the rippled envelope. Looks like he opened it a couple times. Shaw did always review his notes an annoying amount. You¡¯d think that he''d remember some of this shit after all these years. Once I get into the room I finally get the courage to tear the envelope apart. A couple pages of scribbled words to make a couple paragraphs and his notebook. Shaw was never really all that clean.

    ¡°Dear Hanes, Scott

    I want to start by saying that I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you about my condition. I was diagnosed a little under a year ago. I just didn¡¯t want to be another thing that makes your life harder. You know how hard it can be  I know you¡¯ve been through so much in the last couple of years. I just didn¡¯t want to be another one.  Ever since Amanda died I felt like we grew further and further apart. Ever since being overseas you have always been so damn strong. Every hard day seemed like water off a duck''s back. But Amanda was different. I¡¯ve never seen you so  Broken.

    I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there for you more. And I¡¯m sorry I kept this a secret. When I was diagnosed  I didn¡¯t know what to do. I just lost so much hope. Seeing Eli grow up. Maybe even being a grandparent someday. All those last couple of hopes to having what other people call a normal life was gone. I was so angry you know? We sacrificed so much to let everyone here have the perfect life but we end up coming home and treated worse than stray dogs. I didn¡¯t get treatment. I think a part of me wanted it to hurt. A part of me felt that I deserved this. Scott  What was it all for? No one told us that the coming home was going to be worse. I wake up in a cold sweat most nights from the sound of flamethrowers and children¡¯s screams. How could I bring life into this awful world?

    Anyways. Enough about that. I wanted to write you a letter because I never got to tell you¡­ well everything. Scott.  You have always been my best friend. From the first day of basic I knew you were. You may be a stubborn son of a bitch but you have always been loyal to a fault. A man I could really depend on. And through thick and thin you were there. No matter how much shit was thrown our way you always had an answer. I have always respected you. I¡¯m only sorry that this is something I have to say to a piece of paper over in person over a couple of drinks.  Life has beaten you harder than anyone I know but just like in the middle of the shit you pushed on. You gave me the strength to fight, to not show fear, and that sometimes living on can be harder than being dead. I worry I¡¯m taking the easy way out not going for treatment but I just can¡¯t drag this on. I¡¯ve seen what watching someone you love die slowly in front of you is like and I can¡¯t put my girls through that. They are acting strong but I hear Shannon breakdown on the other side of the door. Their cries hurt far worse than anything this bullshit disease could do. I¡¯m out of time Scott. I wish we could¡¯ve finished Amanda''s case together. I wish we could find the bastard who took her from you. But this next part is on you. I¡¯m tapping out here. You can¡¯t give up. I know we were getting close.

    One night a couple weeks ago I got a call. Some guy''s voice I didn¡¯t recognize. He knew who I was. He knew about Eli, Shannon and even that I was sick. He kept calling me, Detective. I think it¡¯s a lead. He said something like ¡°Sometimes the person you are looking for is the one looking over your shoulder.¡± I think.

    I leave that to you. And Scott. Don¡¯t give up. You are so much stronger than this.¡±

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Shaw really knows how to pull on the heart strings. For a guy who never really speaks out much he sure knows how to wear his emotions out on his sleeves. You think you know a guy. He was hurting all these years and like a self absorbed piece of shit I didn¡¯t even notice. I can¡¯t believe that he would bear all of that weight. Poor guy.

    Looking over your shoulder huh? This fucker is really starting to get on my nerves. It¡¯s one thing to come for me but Shaw has nothing to do with this. Antagonizing a dying man. Talk about a useless piece of shit. I¡¯m going to get this guy. And I¡¯m going to find out that these fucking things are and I¡¯m going to kill them.

    A couple hours after looking through Shaw''s notebook I hear the phone ring.

    I don¡¯t remember ever being this popular.

    ¡°Ya?¡±

    ¡°Hi Hanes, It¡¯s Ashe.  I¡¯ll be honest I thought this was going to go straight to voicemail like all the other calls. I just wanted to do my daily check-in and once again apologize for our last conversation.¡±

    ¡°Oh ya. Hey kid. Sorry, what are you calling for again?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Well we kind of ended things pretty harshly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got nothing to apologize for, kid. I¡¯m sorry about that. My head wasn¡¯t screwed on right.¡±

    ¡°You were hurting. I should have realized that.¡±

    ¡°Ok.Ok. What are you fucking canadian or something?¡±

    I hear a little chuckle over the phone.

    ¡°Where I come from we get over it over a drink.¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Detective Scott Hanes? Are you trying to spend time with a coworker outside of scheduled hours? Careful, I think your heart will grow three sizes in one day.¡±

    ¡°Ya ya¡­ So you in?  I¡¯m feeling all that guilt and it¡¯s making me itch.¡±

    There''s a small pause.

    ¡°I¡¯m in. Anything to get away from Bill.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they put you with Bill!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the worst! It¡¯s like everything he does is in slow motion and he just repeats the same questions over and over. I honestly miss my grumpy smart ass partner.¡±

    ¡°Ya well you seem like the only person who¡¯ll tolerate me so if you want the slot it¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°Wait! Really?¡±

    ¡°Well ya. I don¡¯t want to be stuck with some other rookie who I have to answer fifty questions a day. I know you will run out of them some day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already on volume two of the Scott Hanes detective handbook. I¡¯m thinking I can publish it.¡±

    ¡°Probably a good idea if you want to somehow make even less money.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done at eight tonight. Same place as usual?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve only been to one place.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. You know. I thought you were smarter than this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you at eight, kid.¡±

    She hangs up.

    The day goes by slowly. Only two more days of this forced holiday before I can get back on the street. Snow starts falling outside throughout the day. Makes the trip to the bar pretty nice. Christmas trees in houses and a couple decorations as I get close fill the sky. I don¡¯t remember Christmas having so many damn colors. It used to be just green, red and white right? Maybe gold and silver.

    ¡°Hanes!¡± I hear from behind me.

    Ashe towards me with her hair down and a black coat that goes down to the thighs.

    ¡°Hey Kid. Ready?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve just finished a shift with Bill. I need a double stat.¡±

    We go in. There¡¯s no one in the bar.

    ¡°Looks like the storm scared everyone away.¡±

    ¡°Looks so. Faster service.¡± She says darting off to the bar.

    ¡°Hey James. I''d like a double. ¡±She says, dropping herself heavily on the stool.

    ¡°Sure thing Haley. And your¡­ Dad?¡±

    Fucking prick.

    ¡°Not funny. This is my partner, Hanes.¡±

    ¡°Oh my bad! Excuse me sir. I thought your partner didn¡¯t go out.¡±

    ¡°Just get me the same.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    He turns around to grab the bottle.

    ¡°This one is on the house.¡± He says running off into the back room.

    ¡°Your partner doesn¡¯t go out huh?¡±

    ¡°Well you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that part that I¡¯m talking about.¡± I say with a grin.

    She takes the glass and shoots it back slamming it back to the counter.

    ¡°So¡­ I may have gone on a little tiny rant about you last time I was here. I didn¡¯t feel like explaining the whole story so it was easier to just call you my partner then my mentor.¡±

    ¡°Mentor? My god you really do think the world of me.¡±

    ¡°You shut your mouth!¡± She says pointing a finger in my face.

    I start to laugh and take a sip.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t realize that you were such a light drinker.¡± She taunts, while nudging me with her elbow.

    ¡°Hey I¡¯m not the one who just worked three full days with Bill. I think I¡¯ll enjoy a drink or two before it all tastes like water.¡±

    She signals to James for another round.

    ¡°Hanes. Am I a good detective?¡±

    ¡°You''re a little wet behind the ears but you¡¯ve got chops.¡±

    ¡°You know talking like that makes you sound old.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you!¡±

    He laughs hard enough to nearly fall off her stool.

    ¡°Ya kid. You''re a good one.¡±

    I see her cheeks start to blush.

    ¡°Thanks Hanes. You¡¯re not too bad yourself. I¡¯d say just give it a couple more years.¡± She says sipping the newly filled glass.

    ¡°Listen. I may not be all rainbows and shit but I do really care about this job.¡±

    ¡°I know. Under the grumpy Scrooge stuff I know you have a good heart. The first interview I did. You got in that guy''s face faster than I could even think.¡±

    ¡°He was an asshole. He deserved to be put in his place.¡±

    ¡°Ya but you still did it. The moment I lost control you stepped in. Pretty cool if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°Ya well overseas you didn¡¯t really get a chance to think. The longer you waited the more chance you had to have your head blown off.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how hard that must have been.¡±

    ¡°Ya well other than my shrink and Amanda you¡¯re the only other person I¡¯ve said anything to.¡±

    She stops to stare at me.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Amanda?¡±

    I take the rest of my drink.

    ¡°My wife. Well she was anyway.¡±

    ¡°What was she like?¡± She asks.

    ¡°She was the best. I met her about three months after coming back home. I was at some dive bar on the other side of town and it was karaoke night. She sang her heart out the whole night. I was scared to talk to her. But then she sang New York State of Mind by Billy Joel, one of my favorite songs. I had to take the chance. And that was it. I couldn¡¯t get enough of her. She was so full of life and always had a bad joke ready to go. She helped me get back to civilian life. With her it always felt like nothing else mattered. She was innocent. She nagged me almost as much as you do.¡±

    ¡°She sounds incredible. I¡¯m sorry she¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Ya me too. Tell you the truth¡­ I don¡¯t know if I remember her voice anymore. Everyday she feels like she¡¯s farther and farther away.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember my dad¡¯s face. Sure I know his eyes were brown and he had one tooth a little brighter than the others before it was fake. But I don¡¯t see him anymore. I only remember moments with him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s watching over you.¡±

    ¡°Did you ever catch him? You know the guy who killed your wife?¡±

    ¡°I wish it was that easy. Some cases are more complicated than just a who done it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain.¡±

    ¡°James!¡± She calls out in the distance. ¡°We¡¯ll take the bottle.¡±

    She looks back at me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±

    ¡°Listen Scott.¡± She says in a serious tone. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be your partner we are going to work on this together. Now you can tell me where you are so far or I can start from scratch but I am not letting this go.¡±

    Fuck. Guess she doesn¡¯t leave me much of an option. I¡¯ve got to be careful of what I say. Got to make sure that she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m some nut job. I think I should just give her the summary.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to let this go are you?¡±

    She pours us both a full glass of whisky and looks intently at me.

    ¡°Not a chance.¡±

    I let out a sigh.

    ¡°Fine¡­¡± I grab my glass close to my chest.

    ¡°So over the past couple of weeks I¡¯ve been getting these calls¡­¡±

 Ghost

    ¡°What do you mean phone calls?¡± She asks, inching her head forward.

    ¡°Some guy. He¡¯s been calling me and taunting me or something. Said something about how I¡¯m missing something really obvious in our recent cases.¡±

    ¡°Missing something? You sure it¡¯s not someone doing some practical joke?¡±

    ¡°Doubt it. They knew about Shaw on the same day as I did.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ How? Almost nobody knew about Shaw.¡±

    ¡°Beats me kid.¡± I say, taking another sip.

    ¡°Ok. Ignoring the fact that I¡¯m mad that you didn¡¯t tell me this. What does it have to do with your wife?¡±

    I feel a chill come up my spine. I¡¯ve got to play this one right.

    ¡°You remember to face?¡±

    ¡°Two¡­? Oh the guy who missed his shot?¡±

    ¡°Ya well he was saying that me and that guy have a lot in common. You know murdered wife and all.¡±

    ¡°Well he sounds like he sucks. So he¡¯s our lead?¡±

    ¡°Problem is I don¡¯t know where to start looking. Plus I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just one person.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°He kept saying we.  We know this. We know that.¡±

    ¡°Hanes¡­¡± She looks around the empty bar and leans in closer. ¡°Are you being tracked by some secret organization? Are you a spy?¡± She whispers while giggling through her teeth.

    ¡°Shut up Kid.¡±

    She begins to chuckle.

    ¡°Are you sure you want in on this?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely! Don¡¯t you dare take me off this case!¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine. Fuck where was I?¡±

    I can feel the drink getting to me. Lost count of how many fill ups we¡¯ve had. Impressive that she¡¯s keeping up.

    ¡°You being a spy.¡±

    ¡°Ya, ya.¡±

    ¡°How about you tell me about what happened to Amanda?¡±

    Shit. I knew I couldn¡¯t avoid this part but I was kinda hoping that she¡¯d focus on the other guy.

    ¡°It¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t remember much. Just seeing her on the floor¡­ six knife wounds along her chest. Face intact. This stare out into the distance. She was shocked. All I remember is being covered in her blood.¡±

    Silence.

    ¡°Must have been so hard walking in on that.¡± She says in a serious tone.

    She places her hand on the bar on top of mine. I don¡¯t remember the last time I felt someone''s skin that wasn¡¯t cold and dead. It¡¯s very soft. I pull my hand away.

    ¡°In that moment. I was just so angry. I lost control.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ok.¡± she says reassuringly not knowing the monster I am. ¡°Do you know why someone would want to hurt her?¡±

    ¡°No. She was amazing. Even my mom liked her and she hates me.¡±

    ¡°Could they have been trying to get to you? I¡¯m sure you made a couple enemies over the years. Is there anyone you locked up who maybe got out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just some guy who just did what he was told. A good detective. A good soldier. Nothing more.¡±

    She grabs the bottle and pours the last drops into my glass.

    ¡°Well. You may be a good detective but you sure are dumb.¡±

    ¡°Beg your pardon?¡±

    ¡°If this girl was as perfect as you say, then why the hell would she pick you if you were nothing more?¡± She says getting on her feet.

    ¡°You¡¯re a good man Scott. Better than many. You may be rough around the edges¡­very rough. But you are always looking out for people. Cut yourself a little more slack.¡±

    Amanda would always say some inspirational crap like that.

    ¡°Fine. Can we just move on?¡±

    She giggles and drips the last few drops in our glasses.

    ¡°Well. If I¡¯m going to be of any use tomorrow I need to get going.¡±

    In one shot she throws back the last of her drink and smacks both hands against the bar. You can see the wavering knees as she puts most of her weight in the palms of her hands.

    ¡°You good kid?¡±

    ¡°Fine. I just need to go sleep it off.¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    As she moves off in the distance I hear the fumbling of her keys.

    ¡°You driving?¡± I ask, turning to get up. Feeling a wave of heat emanating to the tips of my ears.

    ¡°Ya. I don¡¯t live too far.¡±

    ¡°My ass you don¡¯t. It took you 45 minutes to get here. Not a chance I¡¯m letting you drive.¡±

    ¡°How did¡­ Ok spill it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Come on! You did the body language thing.¡±

    ¡°No clue what you¡¯re talking about kid.¡± I say turning to the last of my drink.

    ¡°No no no. Not today. Come on. How did you do it?¡±

    I look at the last of my drink before savoring the last of it.

    ¡°Fine.¡± I turn to her glossy eyes with a smirk of childlike wonder.

    ¡°You are on Bill¡¯s shift and it''s a Thursday. That means that Bill wants to get out early because he does his bowling night with some of his friends from school. That means you would have left at the latest around five thirty. Bill is a stickler and always leaves the office after saying bye to every single person who works there. Meaning you were with him at that time because he always insists on driving because of that one time he met Jackie Stewart in 73¡¯ and got some driving lessons from it. I bet he even told you about it even though he already has four times. That''s when you called me from my office. I know because I can always hear the damn ventilator in the background. You like about fifteen minutes from the office because of the time you forgot your badge at home and it took you thirty seven minutes to go there and come back. So from here that gives me a window between thirty minutes to an hour. Now I know you went home because you don¡¯t wear anything that could seem unprofessional at work and you did your hair but didn¡¯t take a shower because the last six inches of your hair is notched from using an elastic band which you always do at work. That one gets more to guessing the time frame but I assumed it would take close to an hour and judging by the fact that you stopped to eat and you are the slowest eater I have ever met. I assumed that the longest amount of time for you to eat two pepperoni pizza slices and a doctor pepper took thirty minutes. So that leaves you with about forty five minutes max to make your way here.¡±

    Her jaw drops to the floor.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± She yells out flailing her arms in the air. ¡°You don¡¯t even need me.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re this super cop and I am apparently so predictable that you know which drink I took. How the hell did you know what I ate?¡±

    ¡°Well I can smell it on your breath honestly.¡± I say with a slight chuckle.

    ¡°I¡¯m useless to you.¡±

    ¡°Listen kid. You don¡¯t want to be like me.¡±

    ¡°But you are right. The hair, the food, even Bill telling that damn story!¡±

    She looks off in the distance before darting back at me.

    ¡°If you couldn¡¯t figure out your wifes murder than how the hell am I going to help?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Some cases are just harder to solve.¡±

    ¡°But this is for you!¡± She exclaims.

    I see the tears on the verge of bursting out of her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me kid. Let¡¯s get you to bed ok?¡±

    We make our way to my apartment. It''s just too far to go to hers as the snow stabs at us. Poor kid cares so damn much. Can¡¯t even see a lost cause when it¡¯s right in front of her.

    ¡°Listen kid. I¡¯m really sorry about the place. I haven¡¯t exactly had anyone over in a couple of years.¡±

    ¡°You worry so much. I think you care what I think.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want you getting eaten by one of the rats.¡±

    ¡°No. You care what I think. And I think you are very impressive.¡±

    ¡°Sure kid.¡±

    What does she know? The echoing footsteps mark our arrival to my home.

    ¡°Alright kid let¡¯s get you to bed.¡± I say as I try directing her to the mattress.

    She scans the room.

    ¡°Wow! This really is a shithole.¡± She says in awe.

    ¡°Tried to tell you.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ why? You have three working lightbulbs in the whole place.¡±

    ¡°Will you just go to bed already?¡±

    ¡°Ya, ok.¡±

    She finally makes her way onto the bed.

    ¡°Why do you treat yourself this way?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about kid?¡±

    ¡°I think. You like living in the dark cloud you built yourself.¡± She says digging herself into the blankets.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I think¡­ That you think that you like treating yourself like crap. Almost like you are one of the criminals you lock up.¡±

    ¡°Very intuitive of you.¡±

    ¡°Sorry! That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    ¡°Forget it! You¡¯re probably right.¡±

    A silence falls in the room.

    ¡°Hanes¡­ can you tell me what the war was like?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to know that?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ so many people say such awful things about the soldiers. Calling them losers and failures. But they all seemed so broken.¡±

    ¡°Getting the info from the source huh.¡±

    ¡°Well you¡¯re the only one who seems to really want to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re making me open up way too much tonight. I hope you¡¯ll forget most of this tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°Well what is there to say. It fucking sucked. We went over and I don¡¯t even remember what we were fighting for. The jungle was so thick that you felt suffocated just standing there. You could drink the air how humid it was. You know we trained to come out guns blazing like wild horses but that¡¯s not how it went. It was more like this horror movie. Every step you took you didn¡¯t know if it would be your last. They didn¡¯t kill you by putting a bullet in your head. You could only be so lucky. No, you would do it by falling onto sharpened sticks covered in shit or being burnt alive with incendiaries. It may have been called a war. But we were really just lambs to the slaughter.¡±

    ¡°How did you get out alive?¡±

    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. Many better men should have made it home instead of me. But I guess life wasn¡¯t done punishing me for some reason.¡±

    ¡° Cut yourself some slack Scott. You brought Shaw home.¡±

    ¡°Some good that did. He still kicked the bucket before me.¡±

    ¡°But he had a life. He had a family. You helped him get that.¡±

    ¡°Ya maybe.¡± I look at her as she stares at me with this undeserved admiration. ¡°Get some rest kid.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight Scott.¡± She says rolling over to her side.

    Misguided. But a good kid. Despite the bedroom door trying its hardest to wake her I manage to make my way in the living room to my chair. My eyes are heavy and my body aching all over. I start to fade off. At the edge of slumber I hear it. The downstairs buzzer which snaps me back awake. Who the fuck is buzzing me at this time.

    ¡°Gotta fix that fucking speaker.¡±

    I try futilely to make my way down without a peep to see nothing at the entrance. Just the poorly closed door slamming against the frame by the howling wind. When I go to close it I notice one drop of blood. It¡¯s fresh. The splatter indicates that it''s leaving the building. Something¡¯s wrong about it.  Why is there only one drop? Nothing on the door or anything close by. If you were to cut yourself just outside a building you had access to. Wouldn¡¯t you go inside? I make my way outside to see if I can find any other drops or anything. The drop size must have been big enough to that at least one other somewhere. Just around the corner of the building I see it. I bloody trail leading towards the dumpster. Signs of bloody fingers dragged along the asphalt.

    That''s when I felt the warm breath against the back of my neck.

    ¡°Hello Detective.¡±

    That¡¯s the last thing I remember.

 Ruin

    Well isn¡¯t this a cliche. Tied to a chair in some poorly lit room with a pounding headache coming from the back of my skull. What do they do while you¡¯re out? Do they just sit there and wait? Grab a coffee and check in here and there? Seems like a waste of time to me. What if I didn¡¯t wake up? Just killed with one hit and it¡¯s all over. Bet that would ruin their plans.

    ¡°Why are you smiling Detective?¡± Says the voice from the phone across the room from me. I can only make out the outline of a person.

    ¡°Just thinking about this joke I heard the other day. Wanna hear it?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for jokes, Detective.¡±

    ¡°Ya? Well I don¡¯t really feel like working tomorrow so take all the time you need.¡±

    ¡°Humor¡­ We thought you might use that as a defense mechanism.¡±

    ¡°What exactly am I defending from here? Some guy living in his mom''s basement?¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid Detective?¡±

    ¡°The scariest thing in here is the smell of the garbage that needs to be thrown out.¡±

    The room goes silent. Can¡¯t seem to see any windows so I think my basement guess is looking pretty good. Still don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been out.

    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re my secret admirer? I¡¯ve gotta say that I¡¯m flattered.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly Detective. You are more just¡­an unfinished task.¡±

    ¡°Task huh? Sounds like a pretty daunting one if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°A man who is so duty bound, yet so full of rage is exactly what we need.¡± He says with this lust in his voice.

    ¡°Ya I gave up driving because of the road rage but I¡¯m getting better at it.¡±

    ¡°We both know that¡¯s not the rage we are talking about Detective.¡±

    ¡°If you care to enlighten me I¡¯d appreciate it because I have no fucking clue what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Foul language will get you nowhere here Detective.¡±

    ¡°Fine. What in the sugar plums are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°This defiance that you are showing. Do you think it comes from a place of strength?¡±

    ¡°Strength? No. I¡¯m just cranky when you talk to me before I¡¯ve had my coffee.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think you are here Detective?¡±

    ¡°Umm.. is it a surprise birthday party?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve had enough Detective!¡± The voice spits out, stomping a foot to the ground which echoes through the room.

    ¡°Looks like we have something in common. That¡¯s quite the anger built up in you guys.¡±

    ¡°We are simply tired of your childish behavior Detective.¡±

    ¡°Tough shit.¡±

    The room becomes quiet for a moment. The sound of crickets seep through the cracked window to my right.

    ¡°So¡­ What the fuck am I doing here?¡±

    ¡°Patience, Detective.¡±

    ¡°You know if you are going to kill me I¡¯d prefer to get it done soon because I have plans with my mom which I¡¯d love an excuse to miss.¡±

    A quick breath shoots out from his nostrils. I think I actually made him laugh.

    ¡°No. That¡¯s not the point of this visit. Consider this more of a¡­ check-up.¡±

    ¡°Ok well I think my cholesterol is high so I¡¯ll stay away from fatty foods. See you next year Doc.¡±

    ¡°We see there¡¯s no talking to you when you get like this. Maybe we should come back when you¡¯ve¡­ had your coffee.¡±

    ¡°Holy fuck was that a joke?¡±

    The shadow brings both arms to his knees to get up and starts making his way away from me.

    ¡°We will be back Detective¡±

    ¡°Bring the rest of you. I¡¯d love to meet the rest of the Brady bunch. Who or whatever they are.¡±

    The footsteps stop.

    ¡°Seems that you are ready to talk.¡± The voice says turning back towards me.

    As he makes his way closer to me in a lightly paced step he grabs the chair and drags it to the threshold of the beam of light. He swivels the chair over and sits just at the edge of visibility. All I can see is the tip of his left dress shoe. The closer he gets I can feel this uneasy chill crawl up my spine. There''s like this¡­ insatiable lust. It¡¯s like a predator staring at their prey.

    ¡°You must be frustrated. You can¡¯t tell anyone can you?¡±

    ¡°Tell them what exactly.¡±

    The air gets thick.

    ¡°About us.¡±

    ¡°What is there to tell. Just another psychopath for me to put behind bars.¡±

    ¡°Bars can¡¯t contain us, Detective. We are¡­ more.¡±

    ¡°You sure don¡¯t look it. Just some asshole with a god complex.¡±

    ¡°Yet you believe.¡±

    Fuck these games.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°Just assholes with a god complex.¡±

    ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°You are unfinished.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck does that mean?¡± I blurt out.

    Shit. Gotta calm down. I just feel his eyes digging through my skull.

    ¡°Your rage. It¡¯s beautiful.¡± He says in a savoring tonne.

    ¡°Untie me and I¡¯ll show you all the rage you can handle.¡±

    ¡°You could kill me. But that doesn¡¯t stop us.¡±

    ¡°Ya? And how can I kill the rest of you?¡±

    ¡°That would be too easy.¡±

    ¡°Worth a shot.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think you are here Detective?¡±

    ¡°A task or whatever the fuck that means.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. But you intrigue us.¡±

    ¡°Glad I could be your entertainment.¡±

    ¡°Tell us about the first time.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I was seventeen and was about to deploy overseas. She didn¡¯t want me dying a virgin.¡±

    ¡°You are a funny man Detective. But I think you know which time we are referring to.¡±

    ¡°Oh you mean that time you fucks burrowed into my brain and made me kill my wife? That one?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t make people do things, Detective. We simply¡­ remove your inhibition.¡±

    ¡°Sure didn¡¯t feel that way.¡±

    ¡°I know it can be hard to face, Detective. But it wasn¡¯t us holding the knife. It wasn¡¯t us who made you thrust into her chest. Again¡­ and again. As her lifeless body drains a river of red.¡±

    ¡°You shut your fucking mouth right now! I may not be able to kill all of you but I sure as fuck want to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Some wounds stay open longer than others. A man like you. One who killed countless enemies.  You¡¯d think that she would be another one lost in the depths of your dreams.¡±

    ¡°So what you bring me here to piss me off then kill me to make an example of me?¡±

    ¡°Your life is not in danger today. Not by our hands.¡±

    ¡°So you want to watch me kill myself.¡±

    ¡°We want to know why you haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Good fucking question.¡±

    ¡°So much pain. You¡¯ve lost everything. There¡¯s nothing left in this world remaining for you. Why don¡¯t you kill yourself? Wouldn¡¯t that be easier?¡±

    ¡°Clearly you¡¯re a fucking idiot. Like fuck I¡¯m giving you that satisfaction.¡±

    ¡°You may try to be strong on the outside. But we know you are shattered. Defiance is not your only motivation.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your motivation?¡± I yell.

    ¡°Tell us!¡± he booms thrusting his upper body forward.

    ¡°Tell me you stupid fuck!¡±

    ¡°You are not in a position to make demands.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m exactly in a position to make demands. Keeping me alive is the only way you¡¯ll get anything out of me.¡±

    The storm settles. Both our bloods coursing red. My heart, beating out of my ears.

    ¡°You are trying our patience Detective.¡±

    ¡°Good. You fucking try to put on this whole mysterious image of yourself when we know that you are just some scared little bitch who¡¯s too scared to get their hands dirty so you force other people to do it for you. You¡­ all of you are pathetic pieces of shit.¡±

    ¡°Dirty hands?¡± He says under his breath.

    The shadow stands back up. Now more than ever I can feel the blood lust. Such a sickening desire. He begins circling, always staying at the edge of the light. Smart fuck. Once he makes it just behind my left should I start feeling it. This beckoning desire to burst out in anger. Thought of slitting his throat and bleeding him out like a pig race through my mind. It excites me to want his cold body lifeless on the floor.

    ¡°We can get our hands dirty. But it¡¯s not our objective.¡±

    In the corner of my eye I can see the reflection of steel. Some three, maybe four inch knife meets the side of my cheek. His hand is steady. A decisive hand lowers the blade to my jugular. As he rotates the sharp edge I feel it dig into my skin.

    ¡°You better do it or I will.¡±

    The pressure of the blade starts piercing through the skin and I start bleeding. Whispers start invading my thoughts. Voices of the past. So much suffering. It¡¯s deafening. I''m starting to get drenched in anticipation. I close my eyes and smile. Finally this is over.

    The blade pulls away. A moment of respite soothed the voices momentarily.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you pull away?¡±

    ¡°Sorry to tell you. But you¡¯ve played all your cards.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°I may have no fucking clue who or what you are. But it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯ve told me everything I need to know.¡±

    ¡°This is getting sad, Detective.¡±

    ¡°You could say that. Sure you can kill me. But that doesn¡¯t help you. You need me to do it. Couldn¡¯t tell you why but for some reason you need us to do it. Like you said. You only inhibit restraint. You¡¯re nothing more than a couple too many drinks in a night. Sure you can get your hands dirty but what good would that do. You can¡¯t pull the trigger for us.¡±

    ¡°What makes you so confident?¡± The voice says as he backs deep into the darkness of the room.

    ¡°Families.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You aim for families. Like me¡­ and two face. Something about us interests you. You probably just watch us lose everything we¡¯ve ever loved. Wife¡­ kids. Bring us to a hopeless depth and the moment we are to take our lives. You let go. Because you can¡¯t do it can you? We have to make that decision.¡±

    ¡°You are making tales.¡±

    ¡°Like I said. Nothing but a psychopath with a god complex.¡±

    ¡°You are making us angry Detective.¡±

    ¡°Tough shit! You either kill me now or you''re going to have to find business elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°You truly think that it¡¯s the answer to all this don¡¯t you? You are the first person ever to solve the riddle. That nothing can ever break your stone resolve. But you still have more to lose, Detective. When your life is in ruin and you beg for us to let you die. Only then will we give you the means.¡±

    ¡°Looks like you are going to have to quit your day job. Because when I find you. I will get my hands dirty¡±

    ¡°We will enjoy watching you die. You and Detective Ashe.¡±

    ¡°If you involve her. I will make sure you die very painfully.¡±

    ¡°Everyone is involved now, Detective.¡±

    Departing footsteps fade from behind me. As the door slams behind me a burst of light burns into my eyes. Fucking asshole. As the blinding light fades I start to get a view of the place. We seem to be in the basement of some crackhouse. Some shit hole that smells strangely familiar.

    ¡°Wait.¡± I say under my breath.

    That¡¯s dried blood. I almost didn''t notice it with how disgusting it is down here. Is it the blood from the dumpster? Suddenly I hear footsteps from overhead with a quick pace.

    ¡°Hanes?¡± I hear, coming from upstairs.

    ¡°Down here!¡± I call out.

    A door swings open and races down the stairs, gun in hand.

    ¡°Ashe?¡±

    ¡°Scott! Are you ok? Who did this?¡±

    ¡°Wish I could tell you, kid. But I think they left somewhere behind me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out.¡±

    She makes her way to the door behind me and takes a deep breath. She kicks the door open to be met by some dark storage room with a door just ahead wide open leading into the dawn.

    ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± She turns back to me to come untie me. ¡°Hanes, who did this?¡±

    ¡°Never mind that. How did you find me?¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t there in the morning so I assumed that you went to work. I found a note on my car saying you were here. I thought it was from you because of the location.¡±

    ¡°Location? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°We are just a couple of blocks away from your place.¡± She says.

    ¡°Why does ¡­¡±

    I cut myself off. It can¡¯t be.

    ¡°We need to find that smell.¡±

    Like a bloodhound I zero in on the location. A few drops of blood head towards a back room.

    It can¡¯t be. Right?

    The trail ends. A boy on the floor, dead. Dried blood dripping down from the corner of his lips pooling underneath. The hair. Long blond curls on the abandoned body.

    It¡¯s him.

 Control

    His petrified eyes staring blankly to the ceiling. The cold porcelain pale skin frozen solid from the bite of the winter cold. A drunken haze causes the world to spiral out of control.

    Did I do this?

    A muffled voice comes into focus.

    ¡°Hanes!¡±

    I snap back into focus.

    ¡°Ya¡­¡± I answer half-heartedly.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± She asks, inching her head forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m good. It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s some kid I kinda know.¡±

    She looks down at the lifeless eyes and drops to her knees to better examine the body.

    ¡°Looks like his throat was crushed.¡±

    ¡°Ya. It¡¯s pretty bruised up. What else you got?¡±

    She continues to scan the body.

    ¡°Looks like he has a skull fracture judging by the bruising in the back of the ears. And¡­ looks like he¡¯s missing a finger.¡±

    What? A finger?

    ¡°Looks like I came in just in time. Or else you might have been next.¡±

    ¡°Ya maybe. Hey Kid. My head is killing me. Can we just call this one in and get back to it later.¡±

    ¡°Ya sure.¡± She answers, coming back to her feet.

    The kid is getting pretty good at spotting things right off the bat. Still gotta learn to look for what¡¯s not there though. She didn¡¯t see that if any of that was done like me then he''d have bruising on the wrist. I¡¯ll let it slide this time.

    We make our way to the car being careful not to move anything. After Ashe makes the call and back up arrives, we make our way out.

    ¡°Where to?¡± She asks, speaking over the hood of the car.

    ¡°Home. I need some sleep.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± She answers abruptly.

    She¡¯s really grown some balls on her.

    ¡°Kid. I¡¯m hungover. I¡¯ve got a bump the size of a golf ball on the back of my head and I spent the whole morning talking to some psychopath. I need a nap.¡±

    ¡°You were also just abducted by a psychopath in the exact place you want me to drop you off. Not happening.¡±

    Fuck, Kids got a point.

    ¡°You¡¯re coming to my place.¡± She says, jumping into the car.

    Not sure I like how much she¡¯s starting to be like me.

    ¡°Do I have a choice?¡±

    ¡°My place or a safe house. And don¡¯t think I won¡¯t ask Bill to be your security detail.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I would. We got close on your little vacation.¡±

    ¡°You asshole. Fine, let''s go.¡±

    ¡°Great! Now get in. You aren¡¯t the only one who¡¯s hungover.¡±

    The twists and turns of the ride were brutal. Every motion caused my vision to blur. We come to a stop in front of this small duplex just on the outskirts of the city. Some cute little home that could benefit from some trimming and pruning in the front yard.

    ¡°My doors in the back.¡± She says pointing with her nose.

    Down a flight of stairs and into a small bachelor where you could spit to the other side of the room.

    ¡°And you gave me shit.¡±

    ¡°At least my place has working lights and doesn¡¯t smell like mold.¡±

    ¡°Got me there.¡±

    The place may be small but everything has its place down to the worn out teddy bear.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cute. Not exactly welcoming food guests though.¡±

    ¡°You have to have spare time for guests. Besides, I don¡¯t really have anyone to invite.¡±

    ¡°No high school friend you want to rehash the good old days with?¡±

    She lets out a small chuckle.

    ¡°No. I wasn¡¯t really what you would call a social person.¡±

    ¡°Could¡¯ve fooled me.¡±

    ¡°I may be awesome now. But I was always a shy kid. My usual Saturday night was spent reading.¡±

    ¡°My god. My partner is a nerd.¡±

    ¡°Well mine is kind of a jerk. Do you always criticize people''s homes when you visit?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Haven¡¯t been to someone¡¯s place in years.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m shocked. Get some sleep. We have a lot of nerd stuff to do when you wake up.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna sleep too?¡±

    ¡°No, I''m ok.¡± She says with some doubt in her voice.

    You could tell something was bothering her everytime she would cross her arms and ever so lightly shrug her shoulders.

    ¡°You going to spit it out or do I have to interrogate you?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit Kid, I know when somethings on your mind.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I was just scared ok.¡±

    ¡°Shit happens Kid. If he was still there I¡¯m sure you would have handled it.¡±

    ¡°No you idiot. I was scared I was going to lose you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I was fine.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t know that. I wake up in this stale whisky shithole all alone and you were nowhere to be found. You could¡¯ve been dead.¡±

    ¡°Kid¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t know that!¡± She says interrupting. ¡°I could have come down those stairs and that guy dead on the floor was you.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    I¡¯m at a loss for words. I just look at her glossy eyes and watch her heart breaking in front of me.

    ¡°What do you want me to say? It¡¯s not like I planned for this.¡±

    ¡°I know. I just can¡¯t stop thinking that it could¡¯ve been you. Why is this guy after you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But for some reason he¡¯s decided to target me. And that means he might target you too.¡±

    She pauses to regain her composure and holds back the last of the tears.

    ¡°That¡¯s ok. I¡¯m not scared of him.¡±  She says straightening herself out.

    Kid¡¯s got guts. I''ll give her that. Heart¡¯s a little too big though.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being scared. I¡¯ve been scared a shit ton of times. But it¡¯s about how you deal with it.¡±

    She starts to drop her guard a little.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take the first shift. You get some shut eye and I¡¯ll take the next one.¡±

    ¡°At your age you need all the sleep you can get.¡±

    ¡°Shut up and go to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± She says making her way onto the bed. ¡°Thanks Scott.¡±

    The kid is out cold the moment her head touches the pillow. Looks like all that adrenal finally wore off. I know she tried to stay cool under pressure but her hands have been shaking since the moment we got in the car. She takes a couple hours then I take my shift. Somewhere a little after noon I¡¯m woken by a salty smell in the air. A delicacy I haven¡¯t treated myself to in years. I turn over to my side to look into the half sized kitchen to see Ashe making some bacon and eggs.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to go buy groceries.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to even ask why you know that.¡± She says over her shoulder.

    ¡°Kind of a guess. The chain was on when I went to sleep so I just assumed.¡±

    She brings two plates to a circular table in the middle of the kitchen floor.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it get tiring? You know, Always looking for all the small details.¡±

    I ignore the stomping in my head and make my way to my feet.

    ¡°Kept me alive this long. Seems like the price is worth the reward.¡±

    ¡°You know most people can go through an entire day without talking about being alive.¡±

    ¡°Most people haven¡¯t nearly died on most days.¡±

    She looks at me with this shit eating grin with her bacon wrapped from inches from her mouth.

    ¡°Fair point.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d think that after all these brushes with death that you¡¯d be less bitter.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes dying doesn¡¯t sound all that bad.¡±

    ¡°My god Scott, are you always this chipper in the morning? I¡¯m starting to be happy you weren¡¯t at home when I woke up.¡±

    ¡°I just didn¡¯t realize you wake up even more hyper than when you get to work.¡±

    ¡°Hyper and ready to get to work!¡± She says shoveling eggs down her throat. ¡°So¡­ tell me everything.¡±

    She¡¯s relentless. I think I¡¯m starting to miss Shaw and his talking about his marital problems.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to let this go until later are you?¡±

    ¡°Guess.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Where do you want me to start?¡±

    ¡°How about how we ended up sleeping in what I can only assume was a crack house?¡±

    ¡°Real funny Kid. Well¡­ We had split a bottle pretty damn fast and you could barely stand on two legs. Seemed rather ungentlemanly of me to leave you on your own.¡±

    ¡°Ok. So why do you live in such a shithole? I mean I know my place is small but I¡¯m pretty sure they pay people to live where you are just to control the rat population.¡±

    ¡°Alright smartass. You are fucking roaring to go today!¡± I say snapping a little. ¡°After Amanda, I just couldn¡¯t stay at the house anymore. That place¡­ no matter how much of a shithole it is, kinda felt like it was deserved. Plus two places get pricey.¡±

    ¡°Hold the phone! Are you telling me¡­ that you still have the other house?¡±

    ¡°Well ya. I never got around to selling the place and all the payments were automatic so I just never really got around to it.¡±

    ¡°Aside from that being the stupidest thing I have ever heard. You had me over to a crack house apartment when you had an entire empty home available. Is it on the other side of town or something?¡±

    I¡¯m in trouble.

    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ like the same distance going the other way.¡±

    ¡°You are officially the biggest asshole I¡¯ve ever met.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it. I haven¡¯t been in years.¡±

    ¡°We are going to move on because I am trying really hard not to shoot you right now.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer being shot after I eat.¡±

    ¡°Ok next. How did you end up tied in a basement?¡±

    ¡°A little after you passed out I got a buzz on the door. I remember something about a trail of blood but after that I don¡¯t know. Just kinda woke up on the chair.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea who took you?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think?¡±

    ¡°Phone guy?¡±

    ¡°Bingo.¡±

    ¡°What did he want? You must have talked to him at least a little before I got there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not completely sure. Hey Kid, I know you¡¯re all revved up but I think you¡¯re going to have to sit this one out.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! Stop all that high and mighty bullshit with me right now!¡± She says flailing the greasy fork in my face.

    ¡°Kid. This guy¡­ He¡¯s no joke. He¡¯s cold, calculated. He made sure I had no way of finding out who he was.¡±

    ¡°Ya but I¡¯ve got you. We can take him down together.¡±

    ¡°Kid. If he wanted to kill me last night he would have. I may not know exactly why he¡¯s doing what he¡¯s doing but what I do know is that I¡¯m his target. And if he¡¯s after me that means he might be after you.¡±

    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m still some rookie but I can help you with this. I know I can help you catch this guy. I¡­¡±

    ¡°Haley!¡± I shout smashing the table with a closed fist. ¡°This has nothing to do with how good of a detective you are. This guy has had me at every turn and you know what I¡¯ve got on him? Nothing. Fucking nothing whatsoever. That means I might lose this. And I¡¯m not taking you down with me. I¡¯m not losing you.¡±

    Silence fills the room aside from a light panting from getting riled up.

    ¡°You are the only person who might lose something, Scott.¡± She says in an eerily calm tone. ¡°When are you going to get it through your thick head that I have something to lose too. You may think you are already dead but some people are still here. You know the people who still worry about you every damn day as you sulk and live life stuck in the past. Life may have beaten you down and taken things you cared about away from you but you''re not the only one. Life fucking sucks. But it sucks less when we can make it a little better for others. You may be too lost to notice it anymore but you make a difference Scott. You find people closure. Sometimes even hope. Just let me help you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a speech. Practice that one in the mirror.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    ¡°Careful kid. That bitterness is starting to rub off on you.¡±

    ¡°Now that we have that settled. Talk. What do you know?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say. It kind of felt like he was just there to grind me down a little.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well for once thing he¡¯s done his homework. He knew more about my past than some of the shit I can remember.¡±

    ¡°Well you do have a pretty bad memory. After all, you forget that you agreed that I was going to help you every second day.¡±

    ¡°We done with the guilt trip?¡±

    ¡°I may have one or two more stabs at in later but for now I¡¯ll give it a rest.¡±

    There¡¯s that shit eating grin again.

    ¡°Ok. Where was I? Ya so he was giving me a rundown of all the shittiest things that happened in my life. For some reason¡­¡±

    How do I say this without coming off fucking crazy?

    ¡°He was trying to get me to off myself.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s trying to make it look like a suicide or something.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why I think he¡¯s grinding me down. He¡¯s trying to just break me. For some reason he needs that.¡±

    ¡°There has to be some reason.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s going to let me know sooner or later.¡±

    We hold this lingering stare. It¡¯s not happy or sad. We just freeze in time knowing that this is the calm before the storm.

    ¡°We should get to the office. I bet Captain has been sizzling like a teapot to rip me a new asshole.¡±

    She lets out a small smile and brings our plates to the sink.

    ¡°Ya we should.¡±

    ¡°Hey kid.¡±

    ¡°Ya?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t tell anyone about this. Not yet.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    She stiffens up her back and we make our way to the car. The cold of the impending winter burns the lungs on the first step out. No snow quite yet. Just a little frost on the grass from the morning which had mostly melted. On the windshield lies a jaggedly torn piece of paper squeezed under the wipers. Ashe grabs it and takes a glance at the worn paper.

    ¡°Hanes?¡± she says, concerned.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It''s a list.¡±

    ¡°Of what?¡±

    ¡°Some people''s names.¡±

    ¡°Are any of them important?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    I reach over the hood of the car and tear the paper out of her hands. As I look at the few words scribbled I feel my heart sink to the floor.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Ya.¡±

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Alan Shaw</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shannon Shaw</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Eli Shaw</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Haley Ashe</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Dr. Linda Reid</li>

    </ul>

 Whisper

    ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°We wait for his next move.¡±

    ¡°Scott, there''s Shaw¡¯s family on this list.¡±

    ¡°You think this guy put cancer in Shaw¡¯s lungs? This isn¡¯t a to-do list.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it?¡±

    I take a deep breath and regain my composure. I¡¯ve got to keep it together for the kid.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. A warning. Just wants me to know that he knows the people in my life.¡±

    He¡¯s going to break me down huh? Here I thought I might have started to get the upper hand but it looks like this was all part of the plan. He must have known I wouldn¡¯t just off myself. But I still don¡¯t get it. Why is he so focused on me? Can¡¯t say I like the fact that someone is watching my every step. Demon or not, this guy is starting to really piss me off. Is he some old case just out to get revenge? Or maybe it really is something else. I¡¯m losing my fucking mind.I¡¯ve got to be sure not to bring Haley with me.

    The drive down to the station was a quiet one. Us both deep in thought didn¡¯t make for very good chit chat.

    ¡°Hey Kid.¡± I say while we make our way into the escalator. ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot right now¡­ but don¡¯t let it consume you. Just take it day by day like any other case. Got it?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t reply. Just bows her head and wanders even deeper in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after our shift.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± She says in a hollowed breath.

    I don¡¯t even bother talking to Barb and make my way straight to the captain''s office. I swear sometimes he scares me more than a gun to my face.

    ¡°Come in.¡± I hear through the translucent door.

    For once I remember to open that fucking door slowly. Not a bad start.

    ¡°Detective Ashe. Please wait outside. I will speak to you shortly.¡± Captain says reaching in his chest pocket for his pack of smokes. He places one between his lips and waits for the door to close before he speaks.

    ¡°Want to tell me about your night?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to say?¡±

    ¡°How about the fact that you spent the night in the same room as a homicide?¡±

    Fuck. This one might be a little tricky to get out of.

    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, Captain. I just woke up there.¡±

    ¡°Cut the shit Scott. What the fuck is going on?¡±

    ¡°Captain, I really don¡¯t know. All I remember was going over a case with Ashe last night. After that it¡¯s pretty foggy.¡±

    He leans back in his chair and finally lights the smoke.

    ¡°Are you in trouble?¡± He asks very seriously.

    ¡°You''re going to have to trust me on this one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that before.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve delivered every time. Well almost.¡±

    He gets up and starts pacing the floor behind his desk.

    ¡°You know Hanes. You¡¯re good at this. You catch the bad guys and you''re pretty good at keeping the casualties low. But I need you to work with me here.¡±

    ¡°I promise you. I¡¯ve got this one.¡±

    ¡°The cards are stacking against you again Scott. And I don¡¯t think I can protect you again.¡±

    ¡°This is different.¡±

    ¡°I sure as shit hope so. I took your word in the past due to your service record. Four years and what have you come up with? Jack shit.¡±

    ¡°Captain. I don¡¯t know how yet. But it¡¯s connected to this.¡±

    ¡°Hanes there¡¯s a seventeen year old body that was found in the exact same room as we found you this morning.¡±

    ¡°You forgot the part where I was strapped to a chair.¡±

    ¡°With barely a scratch on you! Now I have two theories. One, you annoy the hell out of someone until they rather leave then slit your throat and maybe the other body is pure coincidence. Or two, you are connected to this kid, and there¡¯s something you aren¡¯t telling me. So how off the mark am I here?¡±

    ¡°I guess somewhere in the middle.¡±

    ¡°Care to enlighten me?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I did seem to annoy him. But he wasn¡¯t planning to kill me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s seeming really hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°Captain, whatever this guy is after. He¡¯s targeted me. It¡¯s too dangerous to bring anyone else on.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say that, for now, I¡¯m going to believe everything you say. Get talking.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t know yet. But this guy¡­ he¡¯s after me. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s some vendetta or something but he knows who I am. All the way down to Amanda. He wants something to do with me. I think he¡¯s connected with the attempt to frame me.¡±

    Captain sits back down and blows out a large puff of smoke.

    ¡°What¡¯s this kid got to do with it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Some kid from the neighborhood. Pretty sure it¡¯s where he lived.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t looking good Hanes. I¡¯m going to need some results and fast. But if anymore bodies show up with even the slightest hint of you comes up. I will lock you up myself.¡±

    What else can I say at this point. He was one of the few people who trusted me to find the truth about Amanda¡¯s death. I can¡¯t let him down again. I¡¯ve got to settle this. Before anyone else gets hurt.

    ¡°Forensics should be just about done with their preliminary findings. Head over and see what you can dig up.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing Captain.¡±

    ¡°Oh and Hanes. Don¡¯t tell the wife I¡¯m smoking again. Cause I¡¯ll kill ya.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dare. More scared of her than I am of you.¡±

    A silhouette of Ashe bleeds through the door. You can see the ball of anxiety of getting ready to talk to Luke. She¡¯ll be fine.

    ¡°Your turn, kid.¡±

    She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

    ¡°Ok. after we go to forensics?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to make a stop first. I¡¯ll be back in a couple hours.¡±

    ¡°Need a ride?¡±

    ¡°Nah it¡¯s not that far.¡±

    ¡°Is it about the case?¡±

    ¡°Ya but don¡¯t worry I¡¯m not leaving you out of it. I¡¯ll fill you in when I get back.¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Ok.¡±

    This lead I need to go check on myself. I¡¯ve got to see what the doc has to do with all of this.

    The bitter cold may bite at your cheeks but I gotta say I needed the walk and fresh air to straighten out my thoughts. The taxing on my body from the lack of sleep hits me a lot harder than when I was overseas. Once I finally make it to the shrinks office, I see her secretary waiting by the door as usual. Jenny I think. For some reason I can¡¯t seem to remember.

    ¡°Hey, is the Doc in?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°Hi mister Hanes. Doctor Reid is actually out the rest of the day. Can I take a message?¡±

    ¡°You know where she is? It¡¯s kind of important.¡±

    ¡°Well you just missed her but I can let her know you were looking for her. Did you want to schedule an appointment?¡±

    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t really have time for this. I need to talk to her now. It¡¯s about a case.¡±

    ¡°Oh ok. Well I can try calling her home number. Maybe she¡¯s there by now.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    The phone rings over and over for forty seconds or so before reaching her answering machine.

    ¡°Looks like she¡¯s not home yet. I can leave her a message to call you when she¡¯s back tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Uh. ya I guess.¡±

    I¡¯m getting a bad feeling about this. My stomach is churning like butter. Then again that may just be the whiskey. She jots down a couple notes on a legal pad and rips out the page.

    ¡°Ok I¡¯ll just put it on her desk. Can I help you with anything else?¡±

    ¡°Just let her know I need to talk to her as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Will do mister Hanes.¡± She says using her customer service smile.

    She starts to make her way to the Docs office across the hall. So I make my way to the elevator.

    ¡°Fuck this thing is always slow.¡± I say to myself under my breath.

    Finally it shows up. Waiting for the door to close after closing the button I hear the phone ring. Jenny is too far to reach it. Might be the doc returning the call. I¡¯m just able to get my fingers in the door before it fully closes. With a skipped step I catch the third ring?

    ¡°Doctor Reid¡¯s office.¡± I answer, trying to sound chipper.

    ¡°We are surprised Detective.¡±

    You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me. Doesn¡¯t this guy have a day job?

    ¡°We thought you would go check in on the Shaw family first. Not Doctor Reid.¡±

    ¡°Well clearly you suck at geography because this one is much closer. So do you just have a yellow pages hanging out and you call me wherever I go?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t wait for that quick wit of yours to be dulled.¡±

    ¡°Getting sick of me already? Don¡¯t tell me you''re calling it quits.¡±

    ¡°That would be no fun. We simply look forward to breaking you down piece by piece.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m looking forward to putting a bullet in your head. Why not save the time and tell me where you are?¡±

    ¡°Patiences Detective. We want to savor this.¡±

    ¡°Savor what exactly?¡±

    ¡°Watching you scramble like a chicken without its head.¡±

    ¡°That''s cute.¡±

    ¡°This game hasn¡¯t been all that fair up until this point. So we bought you a little time.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You will see soon.¡±

    The line goes dead.

    This asshole never has the decency to say goodbye. So he seems to always know where I am. I wonder if there¡¯s ever any time he doesn¡¯t track me. If I can do that, maybe I can start getting on his trail.This guy really is good. I don¡¯t even have the chance to make a move before he¡¯s nipping at my heels. There¡¯s got to be something I¡¯m missing. I feel like I¡¯m up against omnipotence. It¡¯s suffocating. But human or demon, he¡¯s got to have a weakness. I just wish I knew a damn thing about him.

    Finally make my way to forensics. Ashe is waiting patiently by the door.

    ¡°Been waiting long?¡±I ask sarcastically.

    ¡°No longer than usual.¡± She answers, opening the door.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s get this over with.¡± I say shrugging my shoulders forward before making my way into the darkened hallway.

    ¡°Hey Hanes¡­ Can I take the lead on this one?¡± She asks in a coy tone right at the end of the hallway.

    ¡°I guess so. Why?¡± I answered.

    ¡°Well¡­ not to complain but you¡¯ve been kind of taking over the last little while and I¡¯d still like to get some practice.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ ya, sure thing Kid.¡±

    Looks like someone is back to her keen self again.

    ¡°Um¡­hello. I¡¯m detective Ashe and I¡¯m here to see a body.¡± She announces to an emptied room with chatter rustling in the back room.

    ¡°Good but you should try hitting the buzzer so you can say that to someone who is here.¡± I say to rile her up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get tired of being funny?¡± She answered with a snarky lip.

    ¡°You know, you¡¯re starting to sound a lot like that secret admirer of mine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you old man.¡± She spats out aggressively hitting the buzzer.

    Some young guy comes out from the back a few seconds later wearing a squeaky clean lab coat and glass you could light a fire with.

    ¡°Hello sir, I¡¯m here to see the case, Foxtrot Alpha Nine Three Zero Five.¡±

    The guy goes through a tossed pile of folders just at the edge of the counter.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Oh the Barton case?¡±

    ¡°Not sure, didn¡¯t get a name.¡± I blurt out.

    Ashe takes a quick hack at my shin with the ax that is her shoes.

    ¡°My bad.¡± I whisper under my breath.

    ¡°I believe that¡¯s the one.¡± She says fainting authority.

    We get taken a couple rooms back. The deeping into the building you get, the more the frigid air crawls up your spine. I¡¯ve never been a big fan of these places. The idea of someone digging around in a dead guy isn¡¯t really something I¡¯d like to relive. We finally arrive at a bright operating room. Just like you¡¯d expect in those movies where the doctor does those big open heart surgeries. The only difference is there¡¯s no question as to if the guy¡¯s gonna make it.  First thing I notice is some pale body with his chest flailed open. So much for keeping their dignity. I can see the kid is trying to hide her discomfort.

    ¡°So¡­ What do you have for us?¡± She asks with a slight shake in her breath.

    ¡°Let''s see¡­¡±   he says looking through his charts. ¡°The boy is named Ben Barton, 17 years old, dead approximately 48 to 72 hours ago, killed by airway asphyxiation and has a basal skull fracture, a hairline fracture to the C3 and C4 vertebrae and a missing left ring finger which was removed post-mortem.¡±

    Fuck.

    ¡°Do we have a mechanism of injury?¡± Ashe asks scribbling in her notebook.

    ¡°Judging by the bruising along the neck, Mr. Barton was strangled to death by a right hand and was pushed hard into a solid object to cause the injury to the back of his head.¡±

    ¡°Did you find anything in his blood? His stool?¡±

    ¡°He found trace amounts of both alcohol and ecstasy in his blood. Had a couple hot dogs that he really should have chewed better. But that¡¯s about it.¡±

    I can see Ashe try to keep it together at the vivid image this guy was giving us. Makes my stomach a little queasy if I¡¯m honest.

    ¡°Ok. and what makes you say the finger was taken off post-mortem?¡±

    ¡°There was no bruising around the site of the cut indicating that the person wasn¡¯t bleeding at the time of the amputation.¡±

    She turns to me with her brows firmly pressed against each other.

    ¡°Why would someone cut off a particular finger after killing someone? Wouldn¡¯t you want to do it when they are alive if you were torturing someone?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t figured that one out myself. But I have a feeling that question will solve itself.¡± I answer, trying to keep out of the conversation. ¡°Keep going kid. You¡¯ve got some more questions to ask.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes!¡± She says darting her body back towards the corpse digger. ¡°Do we have any leads? Like fingerprints?¡±

    The man ruffles deeper into his folder.

    ¡°Actually¡­no. We have nothing.¡± He says with a strange pep in his step.

    ¡°Nothing?¡± I blurt out.

    This time she doesn¡¯t turn. I just feel her cold shoulder radiating on my face.

    ¡°What do you mean nothing?¡±

    ¡°I mean. There¡¯s nothing. There isn''t a single fingerprint we were able to obtain on the body. It¡¯s almost amazing.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± She turns to ask me.

    ¡°You usually find at least something. A hair, a smudged print. Something.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Whoever did this. They were extremely thorough. The only DNA we found on the body was his own. Which is almost impossible.¡±

    ¡°Probably lead with that one next time.¡± I say trying to keep a reasonable tone.

    The room has gone glacial at this point. I really need to shut my trap.

    ¡°Can we get a copy of the forensics please?¡± She asks in a pleasant tone. Far out of character for the vibe in the room.

    Not a word was spoken between us until we crossed the threshold back to the land of the living. Once in the car she turns to me with a surprisingly stare.

    ¡°Thanks Scott.¡± She says with an eerie smile.

    ¡°Sorry kid.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. I will be sure to tell the captain all about the paperwork you¡¯ve asked me to complete for you. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll just love that.¡± She says with a sinister grin.

    ¡°I did pretty good.¡± I contested.

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to be your teacher in manners.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that I could use a crash course.¡± I say looking down at the dash.

    We both sit in the moment and look at each other trying to keep our composure before letting out a chuckle.

    ¡° I don¡¯t know what we should do here, Hane''s.¡± she says exasperated.

    ¡°Nothing. Not yet. This guy has been ahead of us every step. It¡¯s only expected that he¡¯s got more in store.¡±

    ¡°So what? We play dead?¡±

    ¡°Kinda. You know what makes a good hunter? Patience. As soon as the predator loses their patience they start making mistakes.¡±

    ¡°So we have to patiently wait to be hunted?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. We have a list. Let¡¯s try and find some kind of connection to all that. But as for the day to day. We wait.¡±

    ¡°How do you know he won¡¯t just kill us in the street like a stray?¡±

    ¡°Because he would¡¯ve done it already. This guy isn¡¯t just after the kill. He wants to make an example. If we don¡¯t play, he has to come to us.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± She says taking a controlled breath.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here and start again tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± She exhales. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to go for a drink?¡±

    ¡°Are you the one trying to kill me?¡±

    She lets out a chuckle and starts to drive off. Tomorrow we start fresh.

 Riddle

    Another bitter morning my lungs as I make my way from the door to the car. The monotoned sky symbolizes the bleak state of my mind.

    ¡°Good morning!¡± She spurts out in a spry tone.

    ¡°Morning Kid.¡±

    ¡°Great mood as always.¡±

    ¡°How are you just so fucking happy in the morning?¡±

    ¡°My dad used to tell me that if you start off your day the right way the rest will fall into place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡±

    ¡°Better than waking up like you just ate a lemon.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t look like that.¡±

    ¡°Morning kid.¡± She says mockingly while squinting her eyes.

    ¡°Alright now that I¡¯ve had my morning spoiled as usual can we get going?¡±

    ¡°Yup. But you should really try not being such a sour puss all the time. It makes more people like you.¡±

    ¡°Who says that I want people to like me?¡±

    ¡°Because despite your bitter demeanor there''s a sweet guy screaming to come out.¡±

    ¡°Can we go already?¡±

    ¡°Sure. But we should go for brunch some day.¡±

    ¡°I would rather be dead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can arrange something.¡± She says with her nose held high.

    We make our way over to the Doc¡¯s office. The streets seem so quiet and lifeless which is strange for the holiday season. Usually by this time people are killing each other over the latest doll or some shit.

    ¡°Hey Kid. I¡¯ve got to go in alone on this one. You know, patient confidentiality and all that.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. I¡¯ll make myself scarce.¡±

    She drives off and I make my way into the office.

    ¡°Doctor Reid please.¡± I asked the receptionist.

    ¡°She¡¯s just finishing up with a patient. Have a seat and she¡¯ll be right with you.¡±

    As I wait I can¡¯t help but notice this flickering of the fluorescent light above my head. The flashes made me think of the dreams clouding my mind last night. A cluttered room filled with so much shit that I couldn¡¯t move. Ghosts of my past screaming in my head. I woke up in a cold sweat like a junky on remission. Since the night with the kid that I¡­ I can¡¯t get that voice to go away. Even the small banter makes me so angry sometimes. The worst part is that I don¡¯t feel guilty at all. It¡¯s just another kill on the list. Another face to meet me in hell when this is all over.

    ¡°Thank you Doctor¡± I hear from a voice leaving the Doc¡¯s office.

    There is something that strikes me about it. The man makes his way through the hall past me. I don¡¯t know why but my instincts are screaming at me. My stifled breath stops me from moving from my position. That¡¯s where I notice it. The shoes. Could it really be him? Would he be that bold? No. Can¡¯t be. No one is that sadistic. Psychotic. He takes a glance over at me as he walks by.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sir. The doctor is very good.¡± He says never having slowed his pace.

    It takes everything in me not to act on impulse. I want to scream, claw and kill him. Fuck I want to kill him. The next thing I notice, I have my hand on the holster. All my vision tunnels until all I can see is his silhouette disappearing into the distance. The red of the carpet starts to bleed through until it¡¯s all I can see.

    ¡°Scott.¡± I hear muffled in the distance.

    ¡°Scott!¡± She exclaims, grabbing my arm.

    I hear the Doc¡¯s voice come into focus.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± She asks, concerned.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like I¡¯m losing my mind these days.¡±

    ¡°Good thing you came. Let¡¯s go to my office.¡±

    With a tight clutch of my sleeve, she drags me in a hurried pace and leads me to the couch.

    ¡°Want to tell me what that was all about?¡± She asks in an accusatory tone.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I replied, confused.

    ¡°Don¡¯t play games Scott. I saw the way you looked at that guy.¡±

    ¡°I just thought I recognized him. That¡¯s all.¡± I say shrugging both shoulders.

    ¡°Did you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure of many things right now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on Scott?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just this one case I¡¯ve been working on. This guy just gets under my skin.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty substantial seeing how thick your skin is. What is causing this?¡±

    ¡°The thing is that he hasn¡¯t really done all that much yet. A taunt here and a threat there. But no action.¡±

    ¡°What kind of threats?¡±

    ¡°You see Doc, he¡¯s after me. Personally. I just can¡¯t figure out why.¡±

    ¡°Why do you feel he¡¯s targeting you?¡± She asks, opening up her big black book of notes.

    ¡°Without saying too much, he¡¯s told me himself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve had direct contact?¡±

    ¡°Sort of, I was tied to a chair and things were all fuzzy.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You were abducted?¡±

    ¡°Ya I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Well no wonder you are feeling this way. That must have been a very difficult situation.¡±

    ¡°Nah. He was just fucking annoying.¡±

    She lets out an exasperated sigh and leans back into her chair.

    ¡°Ok. So why do you think he annoyed you so much?¡±

    ¡°He was just this proper talking asshole who seemed to have a stick logged pretty far up his ass.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a reason, Scott. What did he say that rubbed you the wrong way?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not so much what he said. He just keeps leaving these bread crumbs everywhere I go with some extremely vague threats.¡±

    ¡°What kind of threats?¡±

    ¡°After he has me tied to this chair, holding a knife to my throat, he says something about ruining my life and the people close to me. Then later that day he leaves this piece of paper on my partner''s car with some names written down.¡±

    ¡°Names?¡±

    ¡°Ya like Shaw¡¯s family, you and my partner.¡±

    ¡°Me? What do you mean, me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here Doc. I can¡¯t piece that part together.¡±

    The Doc is silent. The blood from her face starts to fade.

    ¡°Scott. I need you to be less nonchalant about this.¡±

    I lean forward on to the couch and stare into her trembling eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m very serious about this.¡± I say, trying to reassure her.

    ¡°Ok¡­¡± She says before taking a deep breath in. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°I need you to tell me who the guy who left when I came in was.¡±

    ¡°Him? No he¡¯s just a client.¡±

    ¡°Since when?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ let¡¯s see¡­¡± She says while going through her book. Her fidgeting hands clumsy going through the pages.

    ¡°Doc.¡± I say assertively. ¡°I may be a failure at most things in my life. But I¡¯m good at this. I¡¯m here to protect you. I just need everything you can give me on this guy.¡±

    Her hands steady a little.

    ¡°Eric Jackson, he has been a client for about one year and eight months now.¡±

    Jackson? Are you fucking kidding me?

    ¡°What¡¯s he in for?¡±

    ¡°He started coming here after he was in a car accident and lost his wife and daughter.¡±

    ¡°Did he have any particularities? Way of speaking?¡±

    ¡°Not that I can think of. He was always very polite, never had a temper no matter how difficult the conversations got.¡±

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Well he would often relive the crash in his dreams. He would talk about how they would have family dinners where they would go out for food every friday. Nothing abnormal.¡±

    Starting to sound an awful lot like our guy.

    ¡°Did he speak in the third person?¡±

    ¡°Actually kind of. Not all the time but every time he would talk about the past he would say we. Even when the story didn¡¯t quite line up.¡±

    Doc I¡¯m going to need a copy of everything you have on this guy. Names, dates, everything.

    ¡°Ok.¡± She replies in a hushed tone.

    Suddenly three hard knocks hit the door behind me. I watch the soul leave her body for a moment before answering.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± She asks reluctantly.

    ¡°Hanes! I need you right now.¡± I hear muffled through the door.

    ¡°Kid? Ya ok I¡¯m on my way.¡±

    Something in her tone seemed hurried.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to go Doc, send me those files to my office will you?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    As my hand makes it to the brass handle of the door I hear her say.

    ¡°Is something going to happen to me?¡±

    I turn to look at a childlike figure clutching tightly to her book causing the pages to ripple.

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise that nothing will happen. But whatever happens. I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    A subtle nod and a bitten lower lip reassures me. She¡¯s not used to being so close to the line of fire. I get it. You don¡¯t exactly take that kind of job expecting to be a target.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong kid?¡± I ask Ashe as I close the door behind me.

    ¡°Just got a call. There¡¯s a hostage situation four blocks away. They want us there.¡±

 Trade

    We show up to a shit show. Blockade with people running all over the damn place.

    ¡°Plenty of people here. Why the hell did they call for us?¡± I say to myself probably a little too loud.

    That¡¯s when I see it. The waste of space that somehow made it all the way to detective through sheer luck itself.

    ¡°Hanes!¡± He cries, clumsily making his way through the sea of officers.

    ¡°Hey Bill. What am I doing here?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ uh¡­ we have a hostage situation in the bank and we need all hands on deck.¡±

    Figures he would call for the entire city''s worth of resources.

    ¡°Fine. What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°Well uh¡­¡± He answers, darting his eyes back and forth at the scene.

    ¡°How about you tell me what the demands are.¡±

    ¡°You see I don¡¯t know what they are yet.¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck is the negotiator.¡±

    ¡°Well. I don¡¯t have one yet. I was hoping you could help.¡±

    ¡°Why is there no negotiator Bill?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I just didn¡¯t assign one.¡±

    ¡°Fucking hell. Fine! What do you have so far?¡±

    ¡°Ok. So it seems like three suspects came into the bank at 0900 hours armed. Silent alarm was triggered at 9:03.¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me that they¡¯ve been in there for almost an hour and you haven¡¯t assigned someone to be their point of contact?¡±

    ¡°Uh.. Ya.¡±

    Told you. Waste of space.

    ¡°Get me a vest.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you want to go in?¡± Ashe asks concerned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t really have much of a choice. Our top negotiator retired a couple months ago.¡±

    ¡°Ya but you aren¡¯t exactly the most mild mannered person.¡±

    ¡°Kid. I¡¯ve got this.¡± I say looking at her deep in the eyes.

    ¡°Ok.¡± She says assuredly.

    I get myself strapped up in a vest and make my way to the door. A quiet air follows at my back as I step slowly close to the barricaded doors.

    ¡°Anyone home?¡±

    All of a sudden two heads pop up from the sides of the doors and I have barrels aimed at my face.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Screams the masked gun on the right.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you. But I¡¯ve done a couple of these before. And they don¡¯t usually involve some negotiations.¡±

    ¡°Then why did they send an asshole like you?¡±

    ¡°They just wanted to have someone who could relate to you.¡±

    The prick on the left takes a shot a couple feet in front of me. The bullet ricochets into the side of a building at my back. No one seems to have been hit. I hear the commotion start behind me as all officers I can see take aim.

    ¡°Gun¡¯s down everyone.¡± I say waving my arms to them. ¡° We¡¯re just talking.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t some joke asshole!¡± He yells over the echo bullets sound.

    ¡°No shit. You just fired at a detective. You know you could get in trouble for that?¡±

    ¡°Keep talking and it won''t be a warning shot.

    ¡°Keep shooting and you won¡¯t get to spend any of that cash you¡¯re trying to walk out with. How about we calm down. I come in and we talk this out?¡±

    The two idiots look at each other for approval before a voice comes from deeper in the room.

    ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°Boss?¡± The right idiot asks with his tail between his legs.

    No question as to who wears the pants in that relationship. They move the bench they used to block the door just enough so I can squeeze through. The moment I cross the threshold I feel the idiot on the right press the barrel right up against my ear. On the floor I can see 6 people all tied together up against the service counter bound and gagged. One kid, one woman and 4 men.  I don¡¯t see any of the bank staff. Maybe they are locked up in the back.

    ¡°Search him.¡± Says the big man calling the shots.

    I can tell by the way they clumsily fondle me that these guys are in way over their head.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Says the idiot to the left.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The big man says with authority.

    ¡°The negotiator.¡±

    ¡°Not why you are here. Your name.¡±

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s Hanes.¡±

    ¡°Hanes what?¡±

    ¡°Hanes is actually a last name. You see, in the army we used to use last names so we kind of do that at the department too.¡±

    ¡°You are here to hear our demands, mister Hanes?¡±

    ¡°Technically detective but ya. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°We want food. Pizza . and an armored vehicle with safe passage out of the city.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Not really the order I would¡¯ve put it in but I can see what I can do.¡±

    ¡°If you do not get these within the next thirty minutes we will start killing hostages.¡±

    This guy is really down to business.

    ¡°Ok. Well an armored car might take some time but I know a great pizza place that I can probably get them to deliver in about 45 minutes.¡±

    ¡°30 minutes. Or people will die.¡±

    ¡°Listen. Your trigger happy idiot of a partner here already shot at a detective. Do you really think you¡¯re going to get those demands?¡±

    The dumbasses take a glance at each other.

    ¡°Can we just shoot this asshole?¡± Says dummy on the right pressing his barrel in my ear.

    ¡°Mind sticking that thing in my temple? Kind of hard to talk to your boss when you are blocking my ear.¡± I turned to the boss. ¡° Anyone can see here that shit went sideways on a small job and you guys are in way over your head. Now you can make demands and I can try and negotiate them down or I can help you out of this.¡±

    After a brief pause, the three stooges looking at each other. Moe looks back at me and says.

    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±

    ¡°First off you have way too many hostages. I¡¯m not seeing any staff so you have at least 3 of them hiding somewhere. No wonder the silent alarm got tripped.¡±

    ¡°Nice try detective, but we are not giving up our hostages.¡±

    ¡°Not all. Just bring it down to a more manageable amount. One goes through the registers, One keeps lookout and one keeps an eye on the hostages. Problem is that you¡¯ve got hostages in more than one spot doing who knows what.¡±

    ¡°Go get the others.¡± Moes says to Larry.

    All the while Curley bruising the side of my face with with stupid barrel shaking.

    ¡°We are willing to give up some hostages.¡±

    ¡°Ok that¡¯s a good start. I¡¯d say to get rid of the wild cards. Kids, women. Anyone who might get in the way.¡±

    ¡°This seems fishy boss.¡± Curly says yet again pushing his gun deeper in my skull.

    ¡°Look if you want to get out of here you''re probably going to want to listen.¡± I say from the corner of my eye. ¡°Kids and women cause disturbances. They cry, they scream, the little ones shit themselves. Trust me you don¡¯t want them.¡±

    ¡°Ok. we will let them go. But if we don¡¯t get a vehicle in 30 minutes we kill someone.¡±

    Larry comes back with 2 men tied together at the hands to join them to the other hostages.

    There¡¯s a pretty bad gash on the right cheek of what I can assume is the manager.

    ¡°Cool. Which one are you killing?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Well you haven¡¯t taken anyone out yet and you want to make sure they know who¡¯s serious. So who¡¯s it going to be?¡±

    They bob their heads back and forth trying to find an answer in each other''s eyes.

    ¡°If you guys want to get out of this you¡¯ve got to start thinking a couple steps ahead. You off some low life like that guy in the back, no wedding ring, poorly dressed, sure they¡¯ll know you mean business but that doesn¡¯t exactly send a message.¡±

    ¡°Well maybe we should keep the kid then boss.¡± Says Curly to the big guy.

    ¡°Listen. You kill a kid or a woman. You won¡¯t get out of this building alive. They will sacrifice anything to bring you down after that.¡±

    An air of thought fills the room. Moe looks me up and down trying to size me up.

    ¡°You really a cop?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Ya. but I¡¯ve probably done worse shit than all of you combined.¡±

    ¡°They let anyone in.¡± He says with a small smirk coming from the left of his mouth.

    ¡°You have an army history. They don¡¯t ask questions.¡±

    ¡°So detective¡­ Hanes I believe it was. What would you do in this situation?¡±

    ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t think I would have fucked up this bad but seeing as though we are here, I¡¯d simplify.¡±

    ¡°Simplify?¡±

    ¡°Ya you know, work your way down to one or two key hostages and plan a distraction so you can get out scot free going the other way.¡±

    ¡°And why would we reduce our hostages so much.¡±

    ¡°Because they aren¡¯t breaking down that door if there¡¯s even one person left in here. These cops are all about collateral damage and PR bullshit. They fucking comb their hair before making their way over here.¡±

    ¡°You are one of them are you not?¡±

    ¡°Me? No. I¡¯m that luckily dying breed who kicks your teeth in for information. These assholes outside don¡¯t know shit about how dark the real world gets.¡±

    ¡°What do you know about the real world?¡±

    ¡°I know I wish I wasn¡¯t in it. Every night I think about taking myself out. I just like the pizza too much.¡±

    Almost a full smile there. Looks like they have a sense of humor. Even curly has pulled back a little from bruising the side of my face with his unsteady hands.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to trust me and honestly I don¡¯t look like the friendliest guy you¡¯ll meet on the street but how about I throw this idea your way. You guys let go of everyone except the manager.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fooling you boss!¡± Yells curly once again pressing that fucking barrel so far in my skull I can taste it.

    ¡°That hardly seems like a good plan, Detective. Why would we do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Before jackass number one over here interrupted me I was going to say. Keep the manager. And me. What¡¯s better leverage than a cop?¡±

    ¡°An interesting proposition.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s how I¡¯m thinking we do it. I escort the hostages back to the barricade. That way they don¡¯t open fire on you. Same time I will let them know your demands. After I do, I come back and we prepare the escape plan.¡±

    ¡°And how will I know that you aren¡¯t going to leave with them?¡±

    ¡°How about this? I cross that mark that your trigger happy nut job made on the ground, You kill me.¡±

    A smile cracks at the side of his mouth.

    ¡°You really do want to die don¡¯t you?¡± He asks, cocking his chin up into the air.

    ¡°Do we have a deal?¡±

    The unease in the room is palpable. The quickened shallow breaths of the hostages beat like a ticking clock.

    ¡°Ok. But one step passed the mark. I kill him.¡± He says pointing to the bank manager.

    The man starts to shake and stares at me with an abandoned puppy''s eyes. I try to give a subtle comforting nod for reassurance.

    ¡°Deal. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    The stooges clumsily strap the hostages in a single file and lead them to the barricaded doors.

    I follow closely behind as we inch our way into the piercing midday sun.

    ¡°Coming out!¡± I call out hoping Bill won¡¯t jump the gun.

    The glimmer of a dozen barrels pointing at us causes heavy unrest within the hostages. Not a word is said on either end. The marching of a half dozen footsteps echo through the streets.

    ¡°Just keep your hands up and walk slowly.¡± I say reassuringly.

    ¡°Hanes!¡± Bill screams out making some of the hostages nearly shit themselves.

    ¡°Yes Bill?¡± I answer fighting desperately not to roll my eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bringing out hostages.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Is that all of them?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think the bank robbers would just give up all of their bargaining chips?¡±

    Fucking genius.

    ¡°Ya I guess not.¡±

    We make it to my threshold. I plant my feet firmly on the ice-slicked pavement and take a look at Ashe.  The change in her eyes from relief to despair the moment I stop nearly makes my heart beat again.

    ¡°What are the demands?¡± She cries out with a worried tone.

    ¡°They want an armored truck within thirty minutes or they will start killing hostages.¡±

    ¡°Ok come back and we can work out a plan.¡± She says with an ever breaking tone.

    Never understood how she could read me so well.

    ¡°Can¡¯t kid. I¡¯m one of the hostages now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She spits out ever so desperately.

    ¡°It was a trade. Them for me.¡±

    ¡°Stop kidding Scott. Just come over right now.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t. I take one more step and the hostage inside dies.¡±

    Her glossed eyes freezing at the corners bring out her sharp blue stare.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m ok with this.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not!¡± She screams slamming her palm against the hood.

    ¡°Haley!¡± I explode. My voice rings through the bitter cold air which snaps the commotion brewing. She stiffens her lower lip trying to hide the trembling. ¡°You are the only one left who has my back.¡±

    I turn away so that I can feel the warm embrace of the sun peering through the frigid day.

    Every step I make back to the armored doors I feel her slip away. I just have one thought.

    ¡°Please figure it out.¡±

 Bleed

    The wind whistles past me as I cross back into the makeshift fortress. The contrasting darkness momentarily blinds me as I walk in.

    ¡°Tie him up.¡± Says Moe barking orders at thing 1 and thing 2.

    Curly comes right up to me and gives me the butt end of his rifle just below my right eye. Little uncalled for if you ask me.Clipped me pretty good too. I can feel the slow drip down my cheek as they tie me against the cowering manager.

    ¡°Looks like we match.¡± I joke trying to lighten the mood.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He says in a hushed tone.

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°For coming back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that. Sorry I couldn¡¯t get you out with the rest of them but I¡¯ve got a plan.¡±

    He lets out a whimpering sigh and looks up to the heavens hoping for his nightmare to end. All the while, the idiots are frantically pacing the floor awaiting their ride to salvation.

    ¡°You really think you can just drive right out?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Do you ever stop talking?¡± Asks Moe fiddling with his rifle.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that I¡¯m quite the angel when I¡¯m asleep.¡±

    ¡°Will you just shut up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to give you guys a few pointers. You are clearly wet behind the ears when it comes to this stuff.¡±

    ¡°Has it been 30 minutes? I really want to kill him now.¡± Asks Curly whining like a little bitch.

    That guy wouldn¡¯t have lasted 10 minutes overseas.

    ¡°Relax.¡± Says Moe, waving a hand and turning to me. ¡°What is it that you believe we are doing wrong?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan? Try to escape by car from the middle of the city? They¡¯ll take out your tires within a couple blocks leaving you stranded.¡±

    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± He asks, leaning in close.

    ¡°A distraction. You¡¯ve got hostages. Lead them out one way and escape the other.¡±

    ¡°You expect me to believe that if we send out a decoy that we can just walk out the other way?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. With my help that is.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°I call them. Make them follow the bait.¡±

    ¡°Why would you do that?¡±

    ¡°My goal was to limit casualties. I don¡¯t give a shit if you get away.¡±

    A sinister grin creeps onto his face.

    ¡°I like you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I think you are all pieces of shit. I¡¯ve just got other priorities.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do first?¡±

    ¡°Get me a phone.¡±

    They untie me and take me into a ravaged back office. Every drawer was torn out and spread throughout the floor.

    ¡°I need you to shut up while I make this call.¡±

    Curly and Larry look at themselves for guidance before making a decision. A shoulder shrug and a nudge was all the response I got. I pick up the phone and dial the most dreaded number I know off hand. The first ring is interrupted by a fumbling phone on the other end.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hey Bill.¡± I answer in a rushed whisper.

    ¡°Hanes? What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Bill, I need you to listen to me very carefully.¡±

    ¡°Uh ok. Aren¡¯t you in the bank?¡±

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m in the f¡­¡±

    Gotta keep my cool.

    ¡°Yes Bill. Now are you listening?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When the truck gets here I need you to park it in the south side entryway as close to the building as you can. I can confirm that they are taking myself and the other hostage and won¡¯t release us until we are all the way out of town. I¡¯ve spotted some explosives. My guess is that they are going to rig the truck to blow if anything happens. You are going to have to wait until they are on the outskirts of the city so that we don¡¯t risk collateral damage. Got that?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°I need you to be sure not to engage until after they leave the outskirts.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    ¡°I think I hear them coming¡­¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    I cut the line to make it all that more convincing.

    They drag me back to hogtie me against the manager again.

    ¡°Did they buy it?¡± Moe asks the henchmen.

    ¡°It was quite the performance boss.¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± He turns back to me. ¡°What''s the next step?¡±

    ¡°Now we¡¯ve got to sell it. When the truck comes, me and the manager take it going west. Once the coast is clear you guys make your way east.¡±

    ¡°You should have gone for a different line of work, Detective.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d put you out of business.¡± I say with a shit eating grin.

    Thirty minutes pass. No truck. Just an unsettling calm. The manager has gotten very quiet. Looks like the hit he took early really rang his bell.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the truck Detective?¡± Asks Moe, impatiently.

    ¡°You do know that thirty minutes is more of a ballpark. Armored trucks don¡¯t exactly grow on trees.¡±

    I know they¡¯ll be here soon but they¡¯ve got to hurry. If my plan is going to work I need Bill to follow exactly what I said.

    ¡°Five minutes. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be here.¡±

    ¡°It better be.¡±

    Moe¡¯s calm demeanor seems to fade away as the minutes tick by. If I can¡¯t keep him under wraps this is going to get ugly real fast.

    ¡°Fuck this!¡± Burst out Curly, lifting the barrel between my eyes.

    It¡¯s funny. I used to get this full body tingle when I had a loaded gun pointed at me. Kind of a warm feeling now.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°What does it look like? It¡¯s been thirty minutes. I¡¯m shooting him.¡±

    ¡°Put that thing down.¡±

    ¡°Come on Boss. We told them thirty minutes. If we don¡¯t off one of these guys then we look bad.¡±

    ¡°I said put it down.¡±

    Looks like he¡¯s gotten his cool back. Suddenly, the rev of an engine breaks through the silence. It¡¯s here.

    ¡°Alright load them in.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. You guys have got to think. Hey dirty harry. Grab that stack of cash and some tape from one of the kiosks.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Just grab it will you.¡±

    Moe gives him an approving nod and he brings it all to me.

    ¡°Now what you want to do is tape a bunch of those bills together and then in the truck you¡¯ll be able to cover up the windows. That way they can¡¯t ID anyone.¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    Watching the fumble about trying to tape the bills together made me assume they were the kids who ate paste.

    ¡°Alright. Decoy is ready, we will head west and once the force follows us you¡¯ll head east.¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Moe says, taking the safety off and pressing the chilling metal to the back of my head.  ¡°He¡¯s going. You''re coming with us.¡±

    Guess I don¡¯t really have a choice. The last hostage looks like a deer in the headlights. It¡¯s the only way we can get everyone out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys but I can¡¯t join your little A-team.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, Detective. You simply pose too much of a threat if we just left you unsupervised.¡±

    ¡°Fair point. You know I take back all the things I¡¯ve thought about you.¡±

    ¡°We will see if you make jokes when you¡¯re begging for your life.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if you piss your pants when that barrel is pointed at you.¡±

    The atmosphere got a lot darker as the truck drives away. Curly is the most fidgety, constantly readjusting his grip. He¡¯s most likely to act on instinct and make a mistake. Larry has steady hands but his eyes keep veering off of me. Probably the best to catch off guard. Moe is focused. Always looking for the slightest danger. Won¡¯t be catching him off guard. They cuff me and make our way to the west exit. Not a soul in sight. The plan seems to have gone perfectly. Now let¡¯s just hope my investment pays off. If I¡¯m going to get out of this alive I¡¯ve only got one shot at this. We make our way through the alley carefully examining the surroundings. Larry to my left, Curly to my right and Moe at point.

    Come on Kid. Where are you?

    Their heavy steps crunching through the fresh snow give off a lot of cover. If I¡¯m going to act I¡¯ve got to get out of these cuffs. I¡¯m left handed so I guess I¡¯ll have to sacrifice the right one. Cuffs are too tight to slip out so I¡¯ll have to break my thumb. Haven¡¯t done that since I was a POW and that hurt like hell. Don¡¯t really have a choice now. I¡¯ve just got to wait for the right moment.

    Come on Kid.

    I squeeze my right thumb tightly in the palm of its hand and place my other thumb firmly against the back of it.

    I need you soon Kid.

    I catch myself looking for her in every alleyway, but it¡¯s dead quiet. Seems like a storm brewed while we were inside. Looks like I¡¯m alone. OK I can¡¯t just slip out of it with them all on such high alert. I know¡­I¡¯ll fall and slip towards Larry. That¡¯ll be my chance. Never really cared much for the sneaky tricks but when push comes to shove. A small rock up ahead. Perfect, I''ll use that. In a stern step I smash my foot against the rock causing me to twist my ankle. As I fall I make sure to twist my body so that I land on my back hitting Larry to the ground with me. The impact is the worse part. A spine chilling crack as I land on my placed hands. Did a fucking good job. The thumb is completely out of its socket. The pain is teeth gritting. Not to mention the landing knocked the wind out of me.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I try to scream out as my lungs seize from inside of my body.

    I¡¯m successful. There should be enough space to get out now.

    ¡°Get the fuck up!¡± Curly yells, whipping his gun at me.

    Not yet regained my breath, I gasp like a fish out of water trying desperately to get up.

    ¡°Are you listening? Get the fuck up!¡± He yells again.

    All the while Larry behind me starts brushing the snow off.

    ¡°Freeze!¡±

    A voice that echoes through the blinding snow. Curly whips over to find Ashe fifteen yards away. This is it.

    In a violent tug, I tear the cuffs off my crooked hand and grab at Larry¡¯s rifle slapping it out of his unaware hands. As he scrambles to retrieve it I manage to get hands on it first causing him to fall flat on his face. Right in front of the barrel. As I pull the trigger the bullet flies clean from one temple blasting a bloody confetti along the pure white snow. As I hear two shots fired I take aim at Moe. In an instinctive moment, I fire the next shot at his knee causing it to buckle. I continue my rotation to Curly to be met by a sprinkling of blood and snow as his body falls to my right. Shot straight through the chest. Nice one kid. I turn my aim back to Moe as I struggle to make it up to my feet.

    ¡°Hands behind your head!¡± I command.

    I¡¯ve seen a face like his before. A broken man. In an instant his whole life¡­ devastated. I make my way to him placing myself at his back as his body slowly loses its will to live. Every step closer to him makes my blood rush. My fingers etching grooves into the grip of the rifle.

    Fuck. It¡¯s here again.

    Like a taunting succubus I can hear its call.

    Kill him.

    My mouth salivating at the thought.

    Kill him.

    I make it to the shadow of the man who commanded so much loyalty just a moment ago.

    Kill him.

    Why not? Who knows how many lives he¡¯s taken. I¡¯m ridding the world of just another piece of shit.

    I take the shot. His head opens from the front creating a beautiful Jackson Pollock along the brick wall.

    ¡°Scott?¡± a faint voice nips at my ear.

    Haley? Fuck. What did I just do? I lost it. They fucking took over again. I can¡¯t lose her too.

    ¡°Kid! Look¡­¡±

    I¡¯m interrupted by a haunted sight. In the snow bleached sky, blood soaks the ground.

    Ashe is down.

 Breath

    ¡°This is Detective Scott Hanes in the east entrance of the national bank. I need medical here STAT. WE have a man down.¡±

    Words that echo through the halls.

    Her body leaned up against the bloodstained wall. The melted snow inching its way to the drain a couple feet away.

    ¡°She can¡¯t be¡­¡± I whisper to myself.

    The crimson snow sticks to my pant legs as I rush over to her.

    ¡°Ashe! Are you ok? Were you hit?¡± I blurt directly into her face.

    Her eyes slightly open and she cracks a smile.

    ¡°We got them.¡± She answers in a weak, cheerful tone.

    Even sniffing the ass of the grim reaper she¡¯s got her eye on the prize.

    ¡°Ya kid. We did. Now let¡¯s focus on you.¡±

    I start patting her down starting from the neck. There''s a small abrasion on the back of her head. Nothing that could put her in this state. No deformities on the neck. No distention of the jugular veins. The moment I reach her coat I notice it. Her right clavicle is unstable.

    ¡°I need to open up your coat and see the damage.¡±

    She lets off a little nod. I place my hand along her clavicle and slide it slowly over to her shoulder. There it is. Bullet hole right near the joint of the shoulder. Could be worse.

    ¡°Listen. You¡¯re hit. I need to look at your back for an exit wound.¡±

    At this point she¡¯s slipping in and out of consciousness. I¡¯m pretty much just talking to myself here. I place her to her side wound side down. There''s a clear exit showing in the back of her coat. Glad to see it¡¯s an in and out but something isn¡¯t adding up. She¡¯s not bleeding enough to be in this stage of shock already. I¡¯ve got to get a better look.

    ¡°I hope this coat isn''t expensive because I am not buying you a new one.¡± I say trying to keep her awake.

    At this point her breathing is getting faster and seems really shallow.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to talk to me but I need you to stay with me, got it?¡±

    I need to see what I¡¯m dealing with but I¡¯ve got to try and keep her warm. I¡¯ve got to do it.

    I grab the collar of her cotton coat with my left hand and try to wrap my mangled right along the fabric near the seam. I grit my teeth and start tearing away at the coat to split in down the middle. My thumb is completely useless at this point. Every pull hurts like hell.

    I finally expose her back. There¡¯s a clear exit wound on her left shoulder. Fucking AR caliber tore out some of her shoulder plate. A couple breaths seeing the exposed wound and I can see little bubbles slipping out.

    Fuck. Her lungs.

    As her breaths get shallow I see the energy draining rapidly.

    I need to cover this up fast. Her lungs are going to collapse if I don¡¯t do anything. What did we used to do for sucking chest wounds again? Been so long since I¡¯ve seen a sight like this.

    Wait, that''s it. I remember him saying something about this.  I¡¯ve got to close it up. Stop the air from coming in.

    I slide my coat off of my shoulders and take grip of the sleeve. A hard tug doesn¡¯t do the job. My hand is completely useless at this point. I¡¯ve got no torque anymore. Maybe I¡¯ll get more luck with the pockets. I throw the coat in the blood stained ground and stomp a foot against the leather. With my one good hand I give my best lawn mower pull. One quick rip and I¡¯ve got a square to work with.

    ¡°This is going to hurt, Kid.¡± I warn her knowing fully that she won¡¯t give a shit.

    Pressing my thumb deep in the wound makes her gasp and moan and throw her claws back at me, her nails embedded into my leg.

    ¡°Fuck kid! Never realized you had such a grip.¡±

    The bleeding seems to have stopped for now.

    I repeat the procedure with the other pocket and fill in the front just in case and drape what''s left of my coat over her to try and keep her warm.

    Her pulse is still going strong so that¡¯s good. But the bitter cold has crept to her fingertips. I should check the pulse of her left if there¡¯s any difference. Same rate but seems a little weaker. Poor circulation is not a good sign.

    My heart skips a beat as sirens begin to echo from a distance.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°You hear that kid? They¡¯re coming to get you. Just hold on a little longer.¡± I tell her, almost hopeful.

    Her breathing slows and she grabs me by the hand with her ice cold clutch.

    ¡°Hanes.¡± She manages to squeeze out under her breath.

    ¡°Ya Kid? What do you need?¡±

    Her lightly crystallized eyes open ever so slightly.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Her body goes limp. Deader than a sack of potatoes.

    ¡°Kid!¡± I cry out checking for a pulse.

    I can¡¯t feel my fucking fingers. Fuck.

    ¡°Kid!¡±

    My heart starts beating sirens in my head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking give up on me.¡±

    I press my head tightly against her chest to try and hear.

    There¡¯s still a heartbeat. She¡¯s just unconscious. Thank god.

    Blue and red lights begin bouncing throughout the corridor as the blaring sirens become deafening.

    ¡°They¡¯re here, Kid.¡±

    I take her in my arms and race my way over to the ambulance. The ground is slippery so every step risks a fall.

    The ambulance doors swing open and I¡¯m met by some young looking kid in a clean pressed uniform.

    ¡°In here!¡± He shouts. ¡°Put her on the bed.¡±

    I place her down on the blanket covered stretcher and help strap in the seatbelts.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got it from here.¡± Says the medic.

    ¡°I¡¯m not fucking leaving and we¡¯ve got to go. So let¡¯s close the door and get fucking going.¡±

    I¡¯m not taking no for an answer. I got her into this whole mess. I¡¯m sure as fuck not abandoning her.

    The boy stutters a little but proceeds to let me stay.

    The tires squeal on the frosty pavement as we make our way out.

    ¡°What happened?¡± The boy asks.

    ¡°Gunfight. She got hit in the chest. I didn¡¯t see it happen.¡±

    ¡°Did she hit her head?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it happen. She got an in and out wound in her left chest, unstable clavicle and a weaker pulse on her left.¡±

    ¡°When did she lose consciousness?¡±

    ¡°A couple minutes before you guys got here.¡±

    ¡°Her Sat¡¯s are low. She needs oxygen.¡±

    ¡°How can I help?¡±

    ¡°You ever bag before?¡± He asks me while doing a quick head to toe on her.

    ¡°Ya a couple times back in the war.¡±

    ¡°Ok good. Take the O2 Bag and give her ventilations. I¡¯ve got to get a better look at her injuries¡±

    The medic takes out a pair of shears from one of his thirty pockets and surgically cuts through all clothing and exposes the wound in her chest.

    ¡°You plug these up?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Ya she was bleeding like a stuffed pig.¡±

    ¡°Were there any bubbles coming out of her chest before you did?¡±

    ¡°Ya a couple.¡±

    The guy digs into yet another pocket and pulls out a stethoscope. He spends a good ten seconds on each lung. Every shallow breath seems to be that much more desperate then the next.

    ¡°Stop bagging her.¡± He commands. ¡°Switch it for a mask and come help me.¡±

    ¡°What are we doing?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a hyperresonance in her left lung and her BP has been dropping.¡±

    ¡°Gonna need some English here Doc.¡±

    ¡°She has air in her lungs. So much that it¡¯s making it hard for her heart to beat.¡±

    ¡°Fuck¡­ what do we do?¡±

    ¡°I need to do a chest decompression. If we don¡¯t do it now she might go into cardiac arrest.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what you need.¡±

    ¡°First thing is that I need you to keep her chest clear. There¡¯s a lot of blood making it hard for me to find the right spot for the treatment.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± I say frantically trying to stand in this mental bouncy castle.

    After a couple seconds of being tossed around like a ragdoll, I manage to get some supplies to clean up.

    ¡°Ok good. Now I need you to let my partner know when we can make a 5 second stop so that I can put in this needle.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    I stick my head through the microwave sized whole and see some old geezer with two hands firmly clutched to the steering wheel.

    ¡°We need to make a 5 second stop for a needle.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing!¡± The geezer yells, never taking his eyes off the road.

    Using his fingers as some sort of measuring tool, the young one lines up a needle against Ashe¡¯s chest. A small clearing on the road appears and he breaks harder than a Kit Kat bar.

    ¡°Now!¡± Yells the geezer through the window.

    In a decisive prick, he thrust the needle into her chest and air starts to seep out like a dad after thanksgiving.

    ¡°Go!¡± The young one replies.

    With a banshee''s shriek we get back on the road.

    ¡°Ok, that solves the breathing for now.¡±

    She may still be out but her face looks somehow a little more relaxed.

    ¡°What next Doc.¡±

    ¡°Let me handle my patient and how about you patch up that hand before I have two patients?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°I know I phrased that as a question but I¡¯m not actually asking. You did a pretty good job patching her up so right now there¡¯s not too much more we can do.¡±

    I begrudgingly dig into the bag once again and pull out a couple gauzes and rolls. Did a pretty good patch job if I say so myself. It¡¯s barely bleeding through.

    ¡°How is she?¡± I ask putting on the finishing touches.

    ¡°Her Sat¡¯s aren¡¯t great and she¡¯s lost a lot of blood but she¡¯s not giving up.¡±

    ¡°Ya that sounds like her. Can¡¯t bring her down if you try.¡±

    Like a prayer answered we come to a halt. The doors swing open with a blinding radiant light.

    ¡°We need to take it from here. Good job keeping her stable until we got there.¡± He says as they fade away into the hopeful light.

    Maybe she¡¯ll be ok. Maybe she won¡¯t remember the things I did. Maybe she won¡¯t see me as the monster I really am.

    Just Maybe.

 Strain

    The migraine-inducing flicker of hospital lights are starting to take their toll. My back cracks every time I have to adjust myself from a chair that I¡¯m pretty sure was invented by someone without an ass. The anxiety building beeps filling the air. I honestly prefer my apartment.

    Everytime a nurse walks by, even remotely near me, I become a dog waiting for their owner.

    She has to make it.

    A gust of wind rips through and the light of a new day peers its head.

    ¡°Fuck! How long has it been?¡± I ask myself, placing my face in my hands.

    From the entrance, I hear somber footsteps making their way to me. I can barely bring myself to lift my head. A pair of brown dress shoes stop and point themselves in front of me.

    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± The voice asks in a gentle tone.

    My neck strains itself just trying to lift myself.

    ¡°Hi Captain.¡± I replied.

    He gives out an exasperated sigh and sits next to me.

    ¡°Want to tell me what happened?¡±

    ¡°You here to yell at me?¡±

    ¡°Not today. That will be for a less private place.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. I made a call and it went south.¡±

    ¡°No questions there. Care to tell me why you lied to the Officer in command.¡±

    ¡°You know Bill would have never agreed to it.¡±

    ¡°We have a chain of command for a reason, Hanes.¡±

    ¡°The only reason he was in charge is because he got there first. That''s not how a leader is picked.¡±

    ¡°Regardless of how he got in charge, you are supposed to follow his orders.¡±

    ¡°You really think Bill would have handled that any better? We¡¯d probably still be there.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we would. But we likely wouldn¡¯t have three dead and an officer in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°How many civilians were harmed?¡±

    ¡°Hanes, that''s not the point.¡±

    ¡°How many? One guy with a bump on his head.¡±

    ¡°You were supposed to follow orders.¡±He said in a slightly raised tone. ¡°We have a way of doing things and I can¡¯t have you going around sending a whole platoon to the wrong place just because you want to feel like a hero again.¡±

    I hate when he¡¯s got a point.

    ¡°I was just trying to limit casualties.¡±

    ¡°You were trying to be one. Instead your partner might not even make it because of what you did.¡±

    He sticks his hand in his pocket and starts fiddling around.

    ¡°Thought you quit smoking.¡±

    ¡°I did. But I have this pain in the ass detective who keeps making me want to pull my hair out.¡± He says with a grin. ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡±

    ¡°Last I heard she had a collapsed lung, shit ton of blood loss and a broken clavicle. Oh and she¡¯s in a medically induced coma.¡±

    ¡°Shit. Any idea when she might recover.¡±

    ¡°Hard to tell. It was spotty for a while but at least she¡¯s stable for now.¡±

    He takes the carton out and pulls a cigarette out. He beats it against the box not in debate with himself.

    ¡°What about you? How¡¯s the hand?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll heal.¡±

    ¡°Ya? Too bad. I would have loved to put you on desk duty for the rest of your life.¡±

    I can¡¯t help but smile at that one. Pretty good.

    ¡°But when I¡¯m gone you¡¯ll have way too much time on your hands. What will you do?¡±

    ¡°Probably retire. Considering that you¡¯ve probably taken ten years off my life expectancy I should really spend some time with my family.¡±

    ¡°Why wait for me to go?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stand my family. The kids just want money and the wife wants quality time. I just want to be alone with my thoughts here and there.¡±

    ¡°You know captain, I would trade everything to be in your shoes.¡±

    ¡°I know Kid. But that doesn¡¯t mean you have to be so damn rushed to see them.¡±

    ¡°Some days it¡¯s all I can think about.¡±

    ¡°The way I see it. They¡¯ve got all the time in the world. The only one really waiting is you. So there''s no rush.¡± He says while getting up to his feet.

    As he walks back to the main entrance he slows for a moment.

    ¡°Hey Scott.¡±

    ¡°Ya?¡±

    ¡°You know I¡¯ve got to suspend you right?¡±

    ¡°Ya I figured. Another week?¡±

    ¡°Make it three. Go out of town or something.¡± He says as he continues to walk away waving his cigarette in the air. ¡°And take a shower. You smell like shit!¡±

    ¡°Fuck.¡± I say under my breath.

    I was actually thinking about taking a little trip. I make my way to the counter of the reception.

    ¡°Hey. I wanted to know if you had any updates on Haley Ashe.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry mr. Hanes. These things take a while.¡± One of the nurses reply

    ¡°You got a phone I can use?¡±

    ¡°Just down the hall and to your right.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Once at the dusty phone book I rummage through the J¡¯s

    ¡°Where are you Jackson?¡± I whisper to myself.

    Got it! Looks like about four maybe four and a half hours away. I better make my way. As I make it to the edge of the exit I¡¯m met by a less than pleasant face.

    ¡°Hi Hanes! How¡¯s the hand?¡± He says in an overly chipper voice.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Hey Bill. It¡¯s fine. Just some partial degloving and a fractured thumb.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound fine to me.¡±

    ¡°Thumb still works so it could be worse.¡±

    ¡°Well you sure are a tough cookie. Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do to help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good. Why are you even here?¡±

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m just here to bring Haley some brownies that the wife made.¡±

    ¡°You know she¡¯s in a coma right?¡±

    ¡°Oh ya right¡­ Well it doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t wake up to the sweet smell of chocolate.¡±

    Burdened by the knowledge of the stupidity I just heard, I decide to let this one go.

    ¡°See you later Bill.¡±

    ¡°Where you going?¡±

    ¡°St-Louis.¡±

    ¡°What you going there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some questions for someone.¡±

    ¡°All the way in St-Louis? Seems like a long way just for some questions.¡±

    ¡°Sure does.¡± I say as I promptly make my way out.

    The bus station smells like piss. Just a cesspool of garbage and human waste. Weirdly smells like the apartment. The bus ride over isn¡¯t so bad. Sure it took a little longer due to a snowstorm but it was frankly rather peaceful. Alone with my thoughts for about four hours just trying to plan on what to say.  Straight from the station I take a cab to a small farmhouse. A beaten down piece of shit where the snow hasn¡¯t been plowed since the start of the season. Just a set of deeply sunk in footprints leading to a dimly lit home. As I knock, I feel the house creak against my fingers.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± I hear yelling from the other end of the house.

    ¡°Hanes.¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck is Hanes?¡±

    I seigh and shrug my shoulders.

    ¡°Captain Scott Hanes.¡±

    There¡¯s a long pause. The wind blows sending a chill along my neck.

    ¡°Can you let me in it¡¯s fucking freezing out here?¡±

    ¡°Ya one sec.¡± The voice answers.

    The sound of chains and locks rusle against the door. It opens ever so slightly so that all I can see is a largely dilated pupil which shrinks in the sunlight.

    ¡°Holy shit it is you!¡± The voice exclaims as he whips the door open. A man with a large smile and wide open arms appears. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡±

    ¡°Do you know how many people start their conversations like that?¡±

    ¡°Can you blame them?¡±

    ¡°I guess not.¡± I answer begrudgingly.

    ¡°Come in! Come in!¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    We make our way to the living room. Just a couple couches next to a fireplace and a couple family photos on the mantle.

    ¡°What brings you to my neck of the woods?¡±

    ¡°I actually have to talk to you about something Jackson.¡±

    ¡°You came all the way here just to talk to me?¡±

    ¡°Ya¡­ It¡¯s important.¡±

    ¡°Ok well before that why don¡¯t you tell me how you¡¯ve been. I haven¡¯t seen you since¡­ well you know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Still alive somehow. How¡¯s everything for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing just¡­ just awful honestly. Ever since my dad croaked I¡¯ve been trying to run his farm. I know nothing about farming.¡±

    ¡°Good thing it¡¯s winter and you get a vacation.¡±

    ¡°Ya that¡¯s a good break. But I didn¡¯t make enough to fix anything in here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll get there. You never were really one to give up on anything.¡±

    ¡°Ya I suppose you have a point. So enough about me. Tell me about you. You still working with Shaw?¡±

    I grit my teeth.

    ¡°Shaw actually died a couple months ago. Cancer.¡±

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Better gone huh?¡±

    ¡°Better Gone.¡±

    An old saying from the platoon. The days where we would take severe losses and morale would start to take a toll on us. What we used to say was ¡°Better gone than in this hell¡±.

    ¡°How about that girl of yours? Amanda right?¡±

    ¡°Gone too. Killed¡±

    He takes a more distant position.

    ¡°Fuck. I see you have also had quite the last couple of years.¡±

    ¡°Ever feel like it was easier over there?¡±

    He lets out a smirk.

    ¡°Tell me about it. Just shoot at all your problems.¡± He rises from the comfort of his chair. ¡°Drink?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He makes it over to the dark corner of the room next to his study and pulls a bottle.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been saving this one for a happy occasion¡­ but those seem pretty hard to come by these days.¡±

    Makes his way over to me and drops the crystal glass in my hand.

    ¡°Besides. This is a happy occasion. I get to see an old friend.¡± He says raising his glass.

    He extends his arms along the top of the couch.

    ¡°Listen, Jackson. I¡¯m not here just to visit.¡±

    ¡°I figured as much. That would have happened years ago if you were.¡±

    He lets out a big sigh and breaks eye contact. His hand clutching the glass that little bit tighter.

    ¡°So why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Amanda.¡±

    ¡°What? Do you think I did it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    I lean it a bit.

    ¡°But your name came up in a new lead. I can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°What are you accusing me of?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just hoping that you would know why your name would come up.¡±

    I raise my arms against my chair to mirror him. He breaks eye contact once again and bites his lower lip.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t left St-Louis in 8 years, Hanes. I don¡¯t exactly talk to anyone for the good ol¡¯ days¡±

    ¡°I need something. Listen¡­ I¡¯m after this guy¡­ and he¡¯s not afraid to make things personal. I need you to think. Because you might be a target.¡±

    He brings his arms back into his center and clutches his glass with both hands.

    ¡°Target? Why would I be a target?¡±

    Something is not sitting right. He''s looking more and more like a dog with his tail between his legs. Very unlike the man I remember.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I received a note the other day with names of the few people left in my life. One is dead, the other in the ICU.¡±

    A small twitch on the right side of his lip.

    ¡°So¡­ you are playing for keeps.¡±

    ¡°Just like the good ol¡¯ days.¡±

    I take my first drink. It¡¯s very smooth with a sharp smoky aftertaste.

    ¡°Two questions. One, can you think of anyone who would want you dead? Two¡­ What kind of scotch is this?¡±

    He left out a small laugh exhaling quickly through his nose and relaxing his shoulders.

    ¡°I see you have the same priorities. It¡¯s Oban. My dad¡¯s favorite. Well it was.¡±

    ¡°I like it. And for the other questions.¡±

    He continues to glance away every time we make eye contact.

    ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m hiding something?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯ve played poker¡­ and you suck at it.¡±

    ¡°Well. I don¡¯t have as many enemies as you do over here.¡± He says darting his eyebrows to the sky and takes half his glass in one shot.

    ¡°You remember that squad that joined us the night mission where we were sent to rescue those POW¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Sure a little.¡±

    ¡°Well one of them came to visit a couple years ago. Lucas I think.¡±

    ¡°What did he come here for?¡±

    ¡°Well he was coming through the city on some road trip with his family and just wanted to pass by. I didn¡¯t think anything of it.¡±

    ¡°Lucas huh? Not sure it rings any bells. Was there anything suspicious about him?¡±

    ¡°Other than his wife being way out of his league, not much.¡±

    ¡°Did he say where he was going? Or where he came from?¡±

    ¡°I think he said Oklahoma. His wife was from there or something.¡±

    ¡°Did he tell you anything that might help?¡±

    ¡°Not that I can think of. They were going there to visit family and introduce their son.¡±

    ¡°Son?¡±

    ¡°Ya he was like 2 or 3 and had never met his grandparents.¡±

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    He goes off to a far away land to find anything that could help.

    ¡°Um¡­ we talked a little bit about overseas and how he found out that he lost his dad while he was over there.¡±

    ¡°And how did that come about?¡±

    ¡°Well I was telling him about how I inherited this place from my old man and I guess it brought back old memories.¡±

    He is becoming jittery. He really was shit at poker. Not to mention a bad storyteller. I get up and finish my glass simultaneously.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± He asks in a worried tone.

    ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s been a long ride to get here. My legs are still pretty stiff.¡± I say while beginning to pace against the heat of the fireplace.

    ¡°Anything else? Any mention of me? Shaw?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want from me Hanes. It¡¯s a small conversation I had years ago.¡±

    ¡°You see that¡¯s exactly it. You didn¡¯t want to tell me at first which leads me to believe there¡¯s more to it than that.¡±

    ¡°So what? You think we schemed on how to kill our old captain¡¯s wife to get back at him?¡± He says getting more agitated.

    ¡°Did you? Maybe. Sounds like a stupid plan to me. No real motive. We weren¡¯t even that close with this Lucas guy. It was one mission. I know I rub people the wrong way but that would be a record for me.¡±

    ¡°Just tell me what you¡¯re getting at or get the fuck out.¡± He says, reaching his arms far back against the couch.

    ¡°You just take the fun out of this don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Fun out of what?¡±

    He¡¯s getting short tempered. He bites his lip between every sentence and he is holding back a frown.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me your dad died this year?¡±