by PJ Fernor
“Thank you, Detective,” he said. “I was doing what you would have done.”
“Take the credit for yourself.”
“Detective, I can’t do that. I’m being honest with you. There was a case two years ago where I felt something was wrong with a traffic stop. I was assisting on it. I kept my mouth shut. The guy was let go. He drove to a bar two counties over and stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend seven times. He killed the man. Over nothing. Just because he was jealous. And that’s all I think about. I see myself standing at the passenger window of the car, flashlight in hand, feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was way off about the guy. What could I have done at that time? I’m not sure. What I did do was keep my mouth shut. I ignored my gut feeling and it cost someone their life.”
“Don’t put that on yourself, Muldavey,” I said. “We all have those moments…”
There were two girls in the basement! I’m telling you! There was a second girl down there! You have to believe me…
I blinked away the screaming memory.
“When you arrived, I knew about your reputation,” Muldavey said. “But as I watched you work, I realized you were just trusting yourself. That’s always been hard for me to do. Mostly because nobody else ever put trust into me. I told myself nobody but me needed to trust me.”
“Never stop then, Muldavey,” I said. “Always trust yourself. And believe me, there will be times when you’re wrong. And when those times come, you take your hits, apologize, nod, and forget about it. Don’t let it change you.”
“Billy Henderson,” Muldavey said.
“What?”
“That’s the name of the guy who was stabbed to death. I still have the newspaper article in my nightstand at home. I look at it from time to time.”
I swallowed hard.
Even a young cop like Muldavey carried ghosts that nobody could ever see.
We all did.
That was just part of the job.
Making split second decisions that could change the path of so many lives.
“Trust me, Muldavey, you’re a good cop,” I said. “You saved Lori’s life. You saved other lives too. Trust in that.”
“I will.”
“And, hey, I believe in you,” I said. “I trust you. If I was going into an active scene and you were at my side, I would feel safe.”
“Thank you, Detective.”
Muldavey walked away.
Some days the job took your emotions in all kinds of directions.
I went back to my office to find a folder on my desk.
There was pencil scribbled in the top left corner.
PREENS
I slowly sat down and flipped the folder open.
A handwritten note from Preens waited.
You found this yourself. Leave me out of everything. I’d like to enjoy the rest of my life in peace, if possible. Forget you know me. Forget we talked. And good luck if you decide to go down this road.
I read the note a few times and crumbled it up and threw it away.
I stared down at a police report of a dead body found under the bridge on Gorm Street.
Where I had found Wendy.
It wasn’t just one police report either.
It was several.
All the reports filled out by Preens.
A pattern of violence that had an eerie feeling to it.
I knew right away whatever the truth was in these reports, it wasn’t on paper.
There was a report of a young woman with a massive gash in her head. Her initial claim of being attacked was changed to her falling off a bicycle and hitting her head. When I saw the picture of her head, I looked away.
No bicycle fall would have caused the wound I saw.
I shut the folder right away and collected myself.
Preens was dirty. And this folder was going to go deep.
The small town of Sandemor had secrets to tell.
“Hey, Allie Down, are you okay?”
I snapped out of my trance and saw Ben standing at my door again.
“Yeah,” I said.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”
“Nope,” I said.
I casually moved the envelope from the top of my desk to a drawer.
“It’s getting late,” he said. “You’ve been here how long now? Time to close up shop?”
“Getting there,” I said. “The quietness sometimes gets to me. After a case.”
“I get that,” he said. “How about I take you out then? A nice dinner. No interruptions.”
“I might be able to swing that,” I said.
“Well, swing on over here and let’s swing out of here and swing…” Ben stopped.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I lost my train of thought. That was starting to sound too much like Johnny Barby, wasn’t it?”
“Big time,” I said.
“That makes me want to cringe,” Ben said.
“Just be Ben,” I said with a smile.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Ben said. “We’ve both had long days of paperwork and we both deserve a break.”
“I talked to Laura about Muldavey,” I said as I approached him. “And she told me Timothy is awake. And he’s claiming he doesn’t know anything about The One.”
“Typical,” Ben said. “Let that play out on its own, okay? Come on.”
Ben offered his hand and I took it.
We made it four steps out of my office when Garrison came charging toward us.
“Great,” Ben said. “We almost made it out of here…”
“Sorry to bother you love birds,” Garrison said.
I quickly took my hand from Ben’s.
“What do you want, Garrison?” I asked.
“Just overhead an emergency call come in,” he said.
“Now what?” I asked.
Garrison sighed. “Allie, it came from your apartment building.”
Chapter Eighty-One
My heart dropped to the floor and bounced back up.
“What happened?” Ben asked.
He practically lunged at Garrison and grabbed his shirt.
“I don’t know,” Garrison said. “I caught the tail end of the call and recognized the address and building.”
“I have to call Lo,” I said.
Panic set in as I turned to go back into my office.
Ben grabbed my arm. “Allie, we have to get over there right now.”
I looked at him. “Lo…”
“Focus,” he said.
“I’ll follow you two,” Garrison said.
Next thing I knew we were charging through the station at a full run.
I fumbled to find my phone.
All I could think about was Lo.
And the worst.
The worst would be…
I dropped my phone to the floor.
And I kicked it.
I watched it slide like a hockey puck on ice.
It bounced off the leg of a desk and I ran to get it.
Ben and Garrison kept going toward the door.
I picked my phone up and it was still intact and working.
I ran and looked at my phone, my gaze switching back and forth.
I found Lo’s name and sent a text.
Where are you?
Then I ran faster to catch up to Ben.
He and Garrison were outside.
Ben had the car started and in drive as I got into the passenger seat.
He started to drive before I could shut the door.
“Lo hasn’t texted me back,” I said.
“Call her!” Ben yelled. “Right now, Allie!”
The sound of Ben’s voice crackling sent chills throughout my body.
Hearing him scared did not help me one bit.
He sped. The car engine roared.
My fingers shook as I touched the screen to call Lo.
I shut my eyes and put the phone to my ear.
It rang. And r
ang.
And rang.
And… rang…
Lo’s voice picked up but it was the voicemail.
“No,” I whispered.
“Call her again,” he said. “Keep calling until we get there…”
Garrison said the call was from my building. Not my apartment.
Meaning it could have been anything or anyone.
I called Lo a second time.
Still no answer.
I sent three more texts, telling her there was an emergency.
No response.
My teeth began to chatter, and I felt like the inside of Ben’s car was getting smaller by the second.
I opened the window for fresh air to try and keep my breathing normal.
My eyes started to fill with tears when my phone rang.
“It’s Lo!” I yelled.
At least I hope it is. What if someone has her phone…
“Lo,” I said as I answered the call.
“Allie?” her voice asked.
I wanted to scream with relief.
“Where are you? What’s happening there?”
“What… what do you mean…”
“Lo, what’s happening in the building?”
“I don’t… what…”
“Lo,” I said. “We got an emergency call that something was happening in the building. Are you okay? Are you safe?”
“Allie, I’m not there,” Lo said.
“What?”
“I went out for a walk with Trevor. Miss Kesslier said it was okay to do. I swear. I didn’t sneak out. It’s just me and Trevor. We’re two blocks away. I heard sirens and stuff… what’s going on?”
My heart started to sink again. “Lo, listen to me. Stay with Trevor. Find somewhere with plenty of light. A store or something. And just stay there until I tell you.”
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ll call you when I can.”
I didn’t want to end the call, but I had to.
“Is she okay?” Ben asked.
“She’s with Trevor. Walking around. She’s not even home.”
“What?”
“Ben, just drive faster.”
He could only drive so fast through the streets.
The second he pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building, I saw the flashing emergency lights.
An ambulance.
A firetruck.
Two police cars.
Before Ben could stop, I opened the door to the car and tried to step out.
He slammed on the brakes and I managed to get out of the car without getting hurt.
I ran toward the building and a police officer started to put his hands out to stop me.
“I live here!” I yelled. “I’m a detective here!”
The officer backed right off.
I ripped open the door and wasn’t sure which way to go.
The door above me opened and a paramedic came out, her hand over her mouth.
No… no…
I took the stairs two at a time.
Behind me, I heard the door open and Ben call my name.
I ran up to the next landing and opened the door.
My apartment was the first door on the left.
My apartment was fine.
The apartment next to mine…
The door was propped open.
There was a body. Face down.
Blood on the floor and the walls.
Right hand stretched out with one finger pointing.
One.
The One.
“Allie, I told you to…” Ben stopped talking.
I turned my head and looked up at him.
He looked down at me and quickly grabbed for me as my knees gave out.
I fell into his arms and looked at the body on the floor again.
My mouth began to move but I had no words. No air. Nothing.
I just wanted to know one thing…
What did Miss Kesslier do to deserve this?
Keep Reading
Hey there Reader
It’s time for the biggest showdown in Detective Allie Down’s career…
The One has gone too far this time.
Detective Allie Down can no longer just sit back and wait…
It’s time to finish this.
Once and for all.
No matter the consequences.
FREE PREVIEW BELOW:
Prologue
THE ONE
“It’s done.”
The words hit him gently, like a warm breeze on a warmer beach.
That’s where he planned on being sooner than later.
Of course in his life and line of work, sooner than later was just a useless expression. He’s been wanting to get on that beach for over a year now, but the work has been non-stop.
For both good reasons and bad.
“Did you hear me?” the voices asks through the phone.
He nods, which is also useless since nobody can see him nodding.
The phone is on the desk, the speakerphone setting in use.
“I hear you,” he says. “It’s done. How bad?”
“Bad enough.”
“Will the message be sent?”
“Has to be.”
“I don’t like that tone.”
“It’s an honest tone. That’s what you’ve always asked of me. Right?”
He nods some more. “That’s correct. Glad to know you’ve been listening.”
His eyes look around the old, dusty room. The smell of rusting metal hangs heavy in the air like an unwanted blanket.
“What now?” the voice asks.
“We prepare.”
“For…?”
“For the end of this.”
“I thought you said-”
“The message was sent,” he growls into the phone. “The war is still on. You don’t think she’ll actually stop, do you? There’s no chance of it. This will only fuel that fire.”
“Then why…”
The voice trails off.
Nobody questions The One.
“You have your reasons,” the voice says. “I’m sorry.”
“It will all come together soon,” he says. “I’m sure you’ve heard stories of small men fighting giants, right?”
“Sure.”
“Face to face, the small man can’t beat the giant. But let’s say the small man can attack the giant’s eyes. The giant can’t see. The small man now can take the giant apart.”
“Are you suggesting we’re the small man?”
“No,” he says. “This is more of the other way around…”
“We’re the giant.”
“That’s right. And I know she will come for our eyes. And instead of chasing her around and tiring myself out, I chose another route. The giant is big enough to attack everything. Everyone. She picked the fight. I just made it bigger. I can fit here. She can’t. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“We will talk of our other plans soon.”
“Okay.”
“Say it.”
“We’re all his… yours. The One.”
He quickly breaks the phone in half and stands up.
Outside the door, two men dressed in all black are waiting.
He hands each a piece of the phone.
“Get rid of this,” he says.
Both men nod.
He takes a few steps and then pauses.
He slowly smiles.
It’s all coming to end… very soon.
THE OTHER ONE
I sip the warm coffee and my eyes feel like they’re going to shut.
There’s a single paper on the small table in the corner.
Hanging above me is a single bulb light with a frayed cord that’s stapled to the old wallpapered wall and down to an outlet.
How in the world hasn’t this place burned to the ground… I’ll never actually know.
My focus can’t be on the structural integrity or the electrical integ
rity of this house.
It has to be about what’s in front of me.
More murder.
More death.
More revenge.
More messages.
But at the end, The One says there is the true end.
I sit on a metal chair and my lower back instantly tightens up and aches.
I try to stretch but just end up standing and walking to the kitchen.
I open the first right drawer next to the sink.
Knives.
Old knives that still have use.
I pick the biggest and slash at the air a few times.
I smile.
It would be the most fun that way.
But this situation is about time.
I didn’t have time stab and wait for someone to die.
This needs to be done right. Once. Quick. In and out. And preferably without much bloodshed either.
Murder is a skill.
Those who perfect it, continue to keep going.
Those who take it for granted… they sit behind bars.
I know I can’t use the knife in this case.
It’s just not smart.
And the last thing I want to do is let down The One.
I put the knife away and walk back to the table.
I look at the paper and nod.
Everything on that paper is now engrained in my mind. My heart. My soul.
I am part of this. Just like I’ve always been.
Except now I’m part of the end.
And all of this will become nothing more than a long breath.
Like living through a bad winter. The snow, wind, ice, and treacherous days that are more dark than light.
What happens then?
Suddenly a little green head pokes up from the freshly unfrozen ground.
Then another. And another.
The sun stays out longer.
The air gets warmer.
And it’s a new life… a new season…
That’s what I’m going for here.
I fold the paper and tuck it into my back pocket.
And I grab the gun off the table.
Murder is a skill, and I’m about to become a master.
I’m inviting you to get your copy of DOWN FOR THE COUNT right now. Use the following link: PJ FERNOR BOOK PAGE!
