by Lance Murphy
As Chief Daniels went to his desk, Shine spotted me sitting on the bench. He paused for a moment then turned to Baxter, who was eagerly reading the morning newspaper. The tip of his paper slightly brushed the top of a glazed chocolate donut that rested beside his stern coffee cup.
“Baxter, why do your witnesses get younger and younger?”
Before Det. Baxter could answer Shine glanced over at me, “Hey there big guy.”
I didn’t reply of course and luckily the awkward silence was broken when Baxter answered the Shine’s question. “He’s not a witness, Tanner dropped him off. The agency hasn’t come to transport him yet.”
Baxter didn’t take his eyes off the newspaper. He just made some tilting motions with his head as he kept squinting at the tiny letters in front of him. With disappointment Shine asked,
“Oh, how long has he been here? Aren’t they supposed to be here by seven thirty?”
“Yep…. seven thirty.”
It made me feel a bit uneasy to see how insensitive and relaxed Baxter was. He didn’t seem interested in solving any crime, even less to find the murderers of my family. This was made even more evident by his next inquiry, “Would you like some donuts kid?”
What I’d like for him to do is get off his donut-eating ass and find out who killed my family. That’s what I’d like. I shook my head, “no”. He then said to Shine,
“Well you know social services move as fast as molasses and how handy they are with their paperwork”, said Baxter. “Our graveyard shift will be over long before anyone even realize that the kid is here”
All of a sudden Chief Daniel looked at Baxter with a curious expression, revealing that an idea just came to mind. “Um….Baxter…..I need a favor.”
Shine instinctively recognized the curious expression and without even thinking about it he immediately left the office and Baxter replied, “Oh no, not this time Chief. I know that look.…….”
Baxter was still trying to talk his way out of doing any favors when Daniels cut him off, “Come on Baxter, just for a little while. We all gotta get out of here. I promise, if the social worker is not here in a couple of hours when you get back with the kid, I will take care of it myself”. I could see Det. Baxter was hesitant, but he finally gave in to the suggestion,
“A couple of hours…….hey where’s Shine?”. He looked around dumbfounded and grabbed the keys from his desk and said, “Wish I could just dash off home to The Hills anytime I felt like it”. He added, “Only a couple of hours Chief, you know Shine won’t be too happy about this. He’s not the biggest cheerleader of this new program.”
He licks the chocolate from his fingers then looks down at me, “Come on kid, we’ll catch up with Shine later.”
As we walked down the long hallway, he asked, “Ever been on a ride-a-long?” I shook my head, “no”. We walked briskly through the parking lot, and that’s when I noticed her. She was beautiful. Her lean body was the darkest blue I had ever seen and as I moved closer, I realized that my fantasy was becoming a reality. I was finally going to ride inside of a real police cruiser. The bitterness and frustration that had been fueling the past few hours seemed to slip right out of my body as I reached the passenger side of the blue crime stopping machine.
Baxter used his keyless remote to unlock the car just as I spotted a shiny pair of silver handcuffs on the front passenger seat. He grabbed them as I moved to enter the car and as my foot touched the carpet, it was clear that it was a bit damp and before a thought crossed my mind, Baxter shoved a nudie magazine under my seat.
“That…..that is none of your business. That’s for older cops,”
Baxter stumbled through his embarrassment and as much as it should have amused me, it did not. I wanted to continue taking in the moment that had taken over so many of my dreams. As I looked around like it was my very first time being in the outside world, I took note of the fact that the entire interior of the car was black, everything. The leather seats, the steering wheel, the dash and even the damp carpet under my feet. The backseat was separated from us because of the darkened glass that was rimmed with a very clean metal. That has to make a person feel like they are already in jail sitting back there. I wondered if that was part of their technique to get a suspect to confess.
As my eyes made their way back to the front of the car, I spotted Shine’s notepad. It was opened and I just barely made out a few of his notes; and they were just as neat as the cruiser. Baxter had taken it upon himself to interrupt my visual journey with his decision to demonstrate how the blue and red lights on top of the car worked. I am guessing that this Shine shadow dweller figured that since I am a kid I would want to know that and not how real cops operate. Score zero for the want to be hero.
“Well Cody…….it is Cody right? Are you ready to hit the road?”
I nodded my head in a way that I could hide my excitement. I wanted to bounce around in my seat and shoot off every cop question I have ever had, but I was not impressed with Baxter and I still wasn’t ready to begin holding conversations with people. The very last conversation that I had opened the door to the nightmare that is now my life. My family is gone and the donut-stuffing idiot in charge of their case will never make progress.
Baxter mumbled a frustration under his breath as we pulled out from between the row of squad cars into traffic. I guess he was less than happy to be playing chauffeur for my ride-along as Shine apparently went home to check up on his darling wife. Within what seemed like seconds, Baxter was merging onto a nearby highway, and I knew this was not a part of the patrol.
“I know that Daniels said I should take you around my normal patrol, but I thought we could grab some hot breakfast and I could tell you all about what a real cop does. I mean, there is no one better to explain it to you than me. Shine may get a lot of praise, but I know what the trenches are like. Are you hungry?”
I turned and faced the window and began to wonder exactly when he gained such a high level of jealousy for his decorated partner. I never answered him, but that did not stop him from filling up the car with his noise about being one of the greatest cops to ever wear the badge in Blairsville. He did manage to suck in oxygen as we passed a hitchhiker along the highway. She was tall and slender and looked like the younger sister of the woman on the cover of the magazine Baxter tucked under my seat. Her hair was a bit matted and dry, but that didn’t matter, because her eyes and face told the tale.
“We should stop and get her”, I said, “Isn’t that what real cops do?”
That got to him. He stopped the car slightly ahead of the girl. He took a peek at himself in the rearview mirror, tapped me on the knee and said, “Watch this real cop in action. Let me go rescue this girl.”
If douche had a last name, it would certainly be Baxter. If he only knew what I knew, this blonde hitchhiker was a gruesome femme fatale. She had just killed her boyfriend. No rhyme, no reason. She shot him point blank in the head plastering his blood on the walls as if she was redecorating with it. Shortly after his body clunked onto the floor, the crazed daughter of evil carved him up like a Thanksgiving turkey and stored his parts in a deep freezer in her basement like Sunday’s leftovers.
As I watched Baxter puff out his chest as he walked towards the murderous woman with a devious grin planted on his face, my heart began to beat as fast as a cheetah sprinting across the jungle when she pulled a gun from the back of her pants and planted a bullet square into the chest of the self-proclaimed super cop. My head hit the roof of the car as I jumped in fear and shock. As the sweet faced criminal ran off into the brush that bordered the highway, I slid over into the driver’s seat, placed the cruiser into drive and began to speed off down the road. What was the way to Shine’s house? I needed to focus. I began to swerve in and out of my lane. Why was no one else on the road?
The last thing that I could remember was the girl saying that she just needed a ride to her sister’s house. Her lie is what caused his grin. Baxter probably thought he was going to impre
ss me with his ability to save a damsel in distress. Now he is freaking me out with his ability to die on the side of the road. Oh GOD! How do I call 9-1-1? Once I get to Shine, I will send him back to save his partner.
Just as the tension of keeping the car within a single lane was beginning to form a boulder in my neck, I saw the sign for Shine’s neighborhood. Never before had I been so happy to see the “Welcome to The Hills” sign ever in my life. As nervous as I was, I couldn’t help but notice the energy of what surrounded me. The neighborhood was covered by a countless array of huge swaying trees, beautifully landscaped yards; everything was meticulously well kept, like royalty. Most of the people in the neighborhood were out in their driveways fetching their daily newspapers and some were trotting with small fluffy dogs. The community was absolutely stunning and the homeowners made it their business to ensure that it remained that way.
There it is! A mailbox that read SHINE in big bold letters. Shine’s house unquestionably blended in with the rest of the neighborhood décor. I didn’t want to chance wrecking the cruiser so I simply stopped near the curb, put the car in park and removed the keys. My hands were as wet as a pool and blister red from how tightly I had held the steering wheel. The most beautiful set of aqua blue pond waters surrounded by cocoa chiseled marble greeted me as I ran up the winding driveway. I could barely see the corner of the house, peeking from behind a large tree that extended onto the porch. There were two pearl colored Range Rovers and a huge red truck positioned at the top of the hill as if they were exhibitions on the showroom floor.
As I approached the front door, a waterfall of sweat began to run down my face. I rang the doorbell a frantic three times in a row, as I pressed forward for the fourth time, Shine was standing in the doorway staring at me with a blank look on his face. He was already on the phone with the Chief.
“Yes, he’s right here, I’ll take care of it Chief….I’m on my way”. He pulled the phone away from his ear, leaned down and said,
“You know you could have killed someone, or you could have hurt yourself really bad. Hand me those keys”.
Four
As I stepped across the threshold of the house, I quickly noticed that his boys were facing a large, movie theater quality TV screen. Tommy, the more forward of the two, immediately walked up to me as if they had been awaiting my arrival.
“You play Madden?”
I still clung to my vow of silence and as Shine went into the kitchen I noticed all the sentimental family photos spread out across the living room, including all of Shine’s prestigious awards. There was one picture of Shine and his family framed in what looks to be solid gold. His wife was pregnant and there was a little boy clinging to her leg. I couldn’t help but to become transported back in time, to the moments that I shared with my own family. I remember my Grammie telling us the story of how my Momma kept her pregnancy hidden when she carried me. No one really knew about me until I actually arrived into this world. Stories of how she left my sister and me home alone to move on with her life, literally. To this day I’m still unsure on how true that is. Regardless of how dysfunctional it may have been at times, they made me feel safe and comfortable. Now all I can do is envy those who still have family. Those that know that they are safe because of the love that surrounds them every minute of every day.
My silence did not phase Tommy in the least. He was determined to have fresh competition.
“Here, you wanna play?” He asked as he handed me a game controller. Tommy’s brother Danny was confused and slightly irritated by my silence. As I continue to stand before them completely mute, the boy yelled in the direction of the kitchen,
“Dad! Why isn’t he talking?”
Shine summoned Danny into the kitchen. Alongside his wife, Morgan, Shine attempted to explain my situation to him. He attempted to keep his voice down, but I could hear him. He fumbled his words as he tried to explain to a child that my family was massacred without saying so. Shine had barely explained to Morgan why I was in their home and now he had to calm the nervous inquisitions of a child.
He leaned down to talk to Danny, not wanting to talk too loud,
“This kid has been through a terrible, terrible ordeal with his family and now with my partner so let’s not put any pressure on him by making him talk. When he feels like talking, he’ll talk. Got it?”
Morgan reinforced her husband’s advice by giving Danny an assuring smile.
“Yes dad.”
As she emerged from the kitchen, I could not help but notice just how strikingly beautiful Morgan was. Her draping black robe did a poor job of camouflaging her supremely toned body. The only truly surprising thing about Morgan, was just how much she towered above her husband. Since my first impression on the family had caused some discomfort, I took the controller from Tommy and sat on the floor in front of the colossal screen. I had no idea what to do or the object of the game. The only thing that I did knew, was that I needed a mental escape.
After a few minutes, Morgan and Shine were back in the kitchen continuing their “Cody briefing”.
“Honey, are you sure you’ll be okay with the boys this morning? You know I can call Nikki to come over from next door for a few hours if you need more rest, we got a big night tonight.”
Morgan waved her perfectly manicured right hand in the air as if she were erasing his words from existence, “Don’t do such a thing. I’m fine. It was just stomach cramps or something honey, you just go check on Baxter…I’m fine, now go. No teenage girl wants to keep being called to care for rambunctious boys.”
From the amorous display this model caliber couple displayed, the love was evident. Or should I say, it was evidently a fraud on one end. There was something awkward about this scene. Shine smiled at his wife, but it didn’t seem completely genuine. My gift was not giving me a clear read on this. So I chose to accept that they loved and admired each other equally.
“Here Cody, let me show you the secret to mastering this play,” as Shine took the controller from me his hand slightly connected with mine, and it was more than enough to bring on a vision. The vision entailed Shine placing something into his pocket. Shortly after my vision completed itself, Morgan was beside Shine, whispering into his ear.
“Don’t you think it’s time we went on vacation, just you and me. Your job requires so much, we have people practically staking out the house every other day, orphans that don’t talk and to be honest it makes me a little paranoid.”
“Yeah, honey we will. I don’t take vacation for another six months you know that.”
“Can’t you request it early?”
Shine pulled away from their secret discussion and replied in the most understanding tone he could muster.
“No babe, there’s no one staking out the house and the kid will be gone in a couple of hours…I hope. We have the awards ceremony tonight, so at least we get to dress up and hang out for a couple of hours, hmm?”
Shine kissing her on the forehead pretty much meant he was finished discussing the subject, but the disappointment on Morgan’s face was evident. Shine then turned his attention back to the video game.
“See, that’s how it’s done?” He handed the controller back to me.
“Super cool dad, how’d you do that?” Shine let out a bit of a giggle, “I’ll show you one day, but for now I have to go”.
As he got ready to walk out the door, Tommy yelled, “Dad don’t forget about my birthday!”
“Of course not buddy. I’m out of here, gotta check on my partner.” As I was still trying to figure out the vision I had, he kissed Morgan on the cheek and swiftly disappeared out the front door.
Irritated and still disappointed, Morgan said, “Boys only a few more minutes on the game okay. I’ll grab you guys a snack, something healthy… and no arguments about what I bring.”
She noticed Danny delivering a disappointing look and said, “Oh, what the hell, how about some chocolates?”
Tommy smiled and Morgan went back into the kitch
en and as she reached in the cabinet she felt something running down her leg. As she followed the warm and ticklish sensation she noticed drips of blood coming from underneath her robe. In a panic she quickly moved into the living room, hoping to stop the boys and me from seeing anything suspicious on the kitchen floor. If she were to clean up without anybody seeing, she would have to buy some time.
“All right guys that’s it, put the game away. It’s time to do your chores.”
This suggestion didn’t sit well with the boys and their automatic response was to protest.
“No mom…no, what about the chocolates!”
“You can have chocolates later, now go!”
As the boys hesitated to walk up the stairs I remained silent in my seat, but this reaction clearly frustrated Morgan.
“Cody, didn’t you hear me. I said it’s time to do chores, now I want you to….”
Before she could finish her sentence Danny chimed in, but spoke through his teeth hoping I wouldn’t hear,
“Mom, come on, remember what dad said.” This only enraged Morgan more.
“No, I’m not going to walk on eggshells in my own home.”
She grabbed me tightly by the shoulders. “Look kid, I don’t know who you are, but you just can’t waltz up into people’s homes and not open your mouth. Who do you think you are?”
While she is screaming at me and shaking me back and forth, all I could hear was my family screaming, my sister yelling for my dad and the horrible monstrous sound of the men that came into our house. It seemed like only a few moments ago. I held back tears as I tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with this lady. As she stood there still frantically holding me by the shoulders, jolting me back and forth, screamed at the top of her lungs, “Say something damn it!”
I was afraid to speak a word to anyone. The last time I talked to someone it ended in tragedy, but there was clearly something stranger happening. I thought in my heart I had to say something. After all, she was just about to give me a hand full of chocolates. Then suddenly, without giving it any more thought, those seven dreadful words poured from my lips. With my heart pounding in my throat I no longer had control over my own mouth. “Your husband is trying to kill you.”
