"Sunshine, wake up babe," I tried again, a little louder this time. I trailed my finger softly down her spine as she stirred, fighting the urge to wake up.
"It's early, Matt. Why are you waking me up?" she managed to say, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's almost ten, babe. I have to go. Dade and I need to be at the police station in fifteen minutes." She turned to look at me through sleepy eyes. "This bed is comfy. I can't believe I slept this long." She turned all the way over, stretching her body causing her hair to fall to the sides, revealing the breasts that make my dick twitch all the time. Not now. Can't fuck her right now.
"You're beautiful in the morning. Have I ever told you that?"
"Yes, handsome, you have. Thank you though. Now go, I'll be fine here." Her smile told me she was okay, her eyes told me she was most likely not moving from this bed for a while.
"Okay, you stay here and relax. I'm going to go catch a bad guy. Will you still be right there, just like that when I get back?" I asked and hoped she’d say yes. Instead, she shrugged coyly. "Don't know. I actually think Trish, Ronin and I were going to go to breakfast, maybe do a little shopping if there is anywhere to shop here. How long do you think you'll be?"
"I don't know. We might be late. Have a good time today, just stay on alert and don't go anywhere alone okay?"
"I know, I got it."
"I love you." I leaned down and kissed her head before kissing each of her nipples. "I wish I could stay right here and play with your tits all day," I groaned. She giggled and swatted me away.
"Go find the bad guy, Officer Everly, then come back and play with these tits." She pushed me away and I reluctantly let her. I grabbed my stuff, the entire time sulking that I couldn’t enjoy her body just a little while longer while the sound of her laughter filled my soul with happiness.
"No masturbating while I'm gone," I warned just as I was at the door and slipped out, closing it, just before a pillow came flying at me.
"Whoa, bro, what did you do to piss her off today?" Dade asked, standing outside my room with a steaming cup of coffee. The only thing I wanted in my mouth more than Sunshine's tits was coffee.
"You don't wanna know, bro."
"You're right, I don't. Come on, don't wanna be late to our new job," he said, half-jokingly, walking past me.
Slipping my jacket on, I jog to catch up. "Where did you get that coffee, bro?"
"Across the street. Don't worry I got you one," he said as he slid into the passenger seat. I slipped behind the wheel and sure enough, there it was, my cup of coffee.
"Thanks, man."
"I gotcha, bro."
"Ready to catch a killer?"
"Yes, let's get the fucker and get outta of this fucking po-dunk town."
"Couldn't have said it better." Turning the key, the vehicle roared to life. Dade and I made small talk on the way to the station, mostly about the different ways we’d both like to make Nick suffer when we got our hands on him. With both of us being officers of the law, we were well aware that when the time comes, we had to let the law handle him. Didn’t mean the man in me didn’t wish I could rip his dick off myself.
The parking lot was full of squad cars when we pulled in, but not one officer was in sight. "Who the fuck is protecting the town if they're all here?" Dade questioned as we pulled in. "Good question, let's go see what the fuck is going on."
We walked into the department and into a cacophony of voices ringing out in celebration. The chief spots us and leaves his celebratory toast to come over to us.
"Gentlemen," he greets, his hand outstretched. His face pinkened by what I assumed was excitement.
"Chief White. What's going on here?" I glanced over at Dade who's standing with his arms crossed, distress on his face.
"We caught the son of a bitch, boys!" the pink faced officer exclaimed. Dade and I glance at each other, and I can see he thinks it's a crock of shit just as much as I do.
"Really? How?" I questioned, with my arms now folded in the same defensive stance as Dade. There is no way in hell that Nick was sloppy. Not yet.
"Found the body in an abandoned car just outside of town. Single bullet to his head, note in the car claiming responsibility for the murders. It's a happy day, gentlemen, celebrate with us."
"Do you know the man's identity? Was he a known criminal? How can you be sure this wasn't set up to get you and us off the scent of the real killer?" The questions came pouring out of Dade like rapid fire. The chief's face fell from celebratory to confusion. He took the cigar he'd been puffing on out of his mouth, crushing it in the closest ashtray.
"Follow me." He didn't give us a chance to respond, instead walked away towards what I guessed was his office. Once inside, just before the chief pulled the blinds closed, I caught someone watching me. My eyes locked with his. He looked different. His hair was longer and a different color, his face covered with a beard, and he wore an officer’s uniform. The exchange was brief, less than two seconds before he looked away and the blinds closed. I glanced at Dade, hoping he saw it too. He didn't seem to. I peeked out the blind one last time, but he was gone. It was almost like seeing a ghost. I could run after him, chase the ghost, but what if I'm wrong? What if my eyes are playing tricks on me? The last thing I need is for this department to laugh us out of town. I had to be smart, smarter than my old pal Nick, and I had to play the game better than him.
"Now, look here. I know you two are fancy ass officers from up north, but we got this covered. We don’t need your help anymore, and I sure as hell don't need you coming in here questioning my team." He wasn't quite yelling, but there was no mistaking that he was pissed off. I didn't care.
"Look here, asshole. Have you ever dealt with a serial killer before?" I slammed my fist on his desk, my own anger matching his. He didn't answer, instead met my gaze with a furious one of his own. "Didn't think so. We never claimed to be fancy big shot cops, and I don't appreciate you portraying us that way. We come from a small town too. But what we do know that you don't is a little about a killer. How do we know? Because we've dealt with one, and I am telling you right now, sir, you have the wrong guy."
"Get out of my office right now. Nobody talks to me like that, son." His breath reeked of cigarettes and coffee. His face was blood red.
"I am not your, son, but if we leave, you will have another dead girl on your hands, mark my words."
"Matt, come on bro. Let's get the hell out of here." Dade grabbed my arm, attempting to pull me away from the chief. "Let go, Dade. We're not leaving until I see a list of officers at this precinct."
"I don't have to show you any such thing." He leaned away from me, appalled that I would request such a thing.
"Show me, and if I'm wrong my partner and I will walk out of here and never come back. If I'm right, you have to listen to us. Every fucking word we say has to be followed and obeyed." I met his forceful tone, hoping to hell that he'd take me seriously. I've never disrespected an officer of higher ranking than myself, that's not how I was trained or raised, but I saw Nick. I just had to prove it.
"If I show you the list will you get the fuck out of my town?"
"If I'm wrong, yes. You have my word, sir." I backed away from the desk, being the first to call a temporary truce to our spat. The chief backed down the second I did and sat down at his desk, starting up his computer. Dade looked at me like I'd lost my mind. He'd understand soon enough. Minutes later, the chief turned the monitor towards us and scrolled down his list of officers, one by one until I saw him. "Stop, right there. Take a fucking look at that, Dade. He look familiar?" I looked at my partner, best friend and the only man in that whole fucking building that knew who that prick was.
Dade leaned in to get a better look and mumbled the name Nathan Miller as he studied the photograph of the man we'd known our entire lives. The man who tried to kill my wife. The man who took lessons from The Bleach Killer. "Motherfucker, he's a cop!" Dade mumbled before looking back to me. "It's Nick. How did you know?" He tu
rned his back to the chief who looked confused and pissed.
"I saw him, just before the chief shut the blinds. He was standing out there celebrating with the rest of them, but he saw me and he fucking knows I saw him."
"Why didn't you say something, man? We could have gotten him?" Dade asked seriously.
"I had to be sure. He looks different and when I looked back he was gone. Clearly, these men have respect for us, if I was wrong, they'd laugh us out of town. I had to be sure."
Dade nodded his head in understanding before turning back to the chief. "We need everything you've got on Nathan Miller. Where he lives, if he's married, has children, when he came here and how the fuck you hired a convicted felon to be a goddamn cop!" Dade's tone left no room for argument, if anything, it was meant to be taken seriously and to let this shitty fucking Chief White know exactly what we think of him, he's a God fucking idiot.
"Are you boys saying the man you came here suspecting to be the Luna Tick murderer is one of my officers?" He says in disbelief. The red that flashed across his face earlier as anger has now turned to embarrassment when the reality sets in that he hired a felon as a police officer.
"Yes, that's exactly what we're saying. Now, please, get us what we asked for because Nathan Miller is, in fact, Nick. He's from Lincoln, Oregon was married to his high school girlfriend, Shannon. She had an affair with The Bleach Killer, who later killed her. Nick lost his mind. He's your Luna Tick, now we had a deal, sir. You have to listen to us now." The chief leaned back in his chair, sighing loudly. "Fuck," he mumbled. "I always thought that guy was off. Sit down, I'll tell you everything you need to know."
The chief quickly gave us what we needed to know. Time was not on our side now that Nick had seen me. We had to act quickly before he tried to skip town. "Is he supposed to be on patrol today?"
"Yeah, he patrols every shift. Prefers it that way. His buddy Lonnie, who’s not really cop material, prefers to be here doing paperwork so Nate, I mean Nick takes his patrol days. I force Lonnie to get out there every now and then for the sake of keeping him with a badge. It's worked for both of them."
"Of course it has. What time does his patrol shift start?"
"An hour ago actually. Everyone stayed a little longer to celebrate, but I'm sure he's out now."
"Open the blinds, sir." I needed to see if he was still out there. Something told me he wouldn't run. This was a game to him and Dade and I were the ultimate competition. His days were numbered. He knew that. It wouldn't stop him from playing the game all the same. Light flooded the room as the blinds rose. There was no sign of Nick. I was sure he'd gone out to do his normal route.
"Bring Lonnie in, please. Let's have a chat with him." The chief didn't question, instead called the man into the office as requested.
"What's going on, Chief White?" he asked. This was the same guy we met the day before that gave us all the details. He may not be the tough guy that wants to be out on the streets, but he was smart, that much was obvious.
"Have a seat, Lonnie. Matt and Dade have some questions for you." The chief stood to the side so Lonnie could come all the way into the small office.
"Everything okay?" He was oblivious, still riding the high of thinking they'd figured out the killer.
"No, actually everything isn't okay. Tell us what you know about Nate Miller," Dade began, straight to the point.
"Like what?" He fidgeted slightly in his chair, the excitement wearing off being replaced by nerves.
"Anything. Everything. Let’s start with your relationship. Are you and he friends outside of work?" I started the questioning with specifics. I had a feeling this guy wasn’t going to volunteer any information, yet he didn’t seem like a liar.
"Uh, yeah. Our wives are best friends. We have a game night a few times a month. Do summer cookouts, that sort of thing. Why? Is he okay?"
"Do you know much about his past? Where he came from? What he did before he came here?"
"Nah, he doesn't like to talk about his past. Said his wife passed away about seven years ago and the memories were too hard so he left town to start over, nothing more than that."
"So, he takes your patrol shifts so you can stay here and do paperwork, is that right?" I questioned.
"Yeah," he began, uncomfortable. "I'm more the academic type. I thought I wanted to be a detective, until my first night patrolling. Figured out real quick that shit wasn’t for me. Nate and I started around the same time and he could tell I was nervous as hell, so he offered to take my shifts. It worked out well, he hates paperwork, and I hate confrontation. Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"In time, yes. Is your shift in a less desirable part of town or is his?" Dade asked, leaning closer to Lonnie, making him shift uncomfortably.
"Yes. I was assigned to the downtown district and not the nice touristy area, but the area where the drug dealers and whores hang out."
"I fucking knew it," Dade exclaimed, looking at me. I nodded in agreement. That's where he was finding his victims. That's how he gained their trust. People trust cops, even whores and crackheads. I pulled out my phone and pulled up Nick's mug shot. He was younger, thinner, less hair and clean shaven, but there was no mistaking his identity.
"Look familiar?" I asked, holding my phone in front of him. Realization washed over the man's gentle face. "Holy fuck! That's Nate!"
"No, his name is Nick. This is the man we came here to find. The man we told you was our number one suspect."
"But we caught the killer," Lonnie tried.
"No, you didn't catch anyone. You found a dead dude and a note. There is no proof that he is the Luna Tick murderer."
"So you think he was murdered to cover tracks for the real killer?" Yep, Lonnie was catching on quickly.
"First, tell us this … who found this supposed confessed, suicidal murderer?"
The chief cleared his throat as Lonnie barely whispered the words, "Nate did."
"Of fucking course he did! That cock sucker gave you all what you wanted, a killer! And you fell for it, at least you would have if we weren't here. I'm not trying to be a dick, just stating the facts. You need our help. He's going to kill again. We can help stop him, but we need your full attention and cooperation. Nobody, and I fucking mean nobody can know about this. He saw me looking at him, but he doesn't know for sure that we've figured it out. We need the element of surprise. This conversation doesn't leave this room."
"Agreed," came out simultaneously from Chief White and Lonnie.
"We need to go to his house. Do we have your permission, sir?" I asked firmly, daring him to challenge me. The chief wasn't stupid and he wanted this killer caught, but his pride was wounded. I understood. It's a dude thing. We rained on his fucked up parade. We just told him one of his own is the killer they've been trying to catch. That's a shitty and bitter pill to swallow.
"Of course, yes go! Lonnie, you go back to doing what you do, okay?"
"Yes, sir." We watched as the man stood and hurried back to his desk. The news that his best friend is a killer obviously was a kick in the groin for him. The fear was evident in his face as he walked away.
"Hey, chief?"
"Yeah?"
"Might be a good idea to get that guy's wife and children to a safe hiding place until this is over. If he finds out Lonnie talked there's no telling what Nick might do. Might help Mr. Nerves feel a little less worried. Last thing we need is him slipping up because he's scared."
"Yeah, I'll take care of it. Just keep me informed, gentlemen."
"Will do, sir." With that, Dade and I turned to leave, both smiling like we shared everyone's excitement. Once we got to the car Dade and I both let out a huge sigh. "Mother fucker, it's him, Matt. It's that cock sucking dickhead! I mean, we suspected, bro, but now we know! We gotta stop him."
"I have never agreed with you more."
***
We knocked on the door of the quaint little white house. Several minutes passed and we were just about to leave when the door
finally opened. Standing there was a pretty little blonde with a kid standing beside her. "Look, if you're selling shit I'm not interested," she began and Dade quickly cut her off. "No, ma’am, we're not salesmen. We're…" he tried, but she cut him off. "I don't need God either, now if you'd be so kind as to get the hell off of my doorstep." Fire simmered behind her eyes. She knew exactly who we were. One thing she wasn't, an actress.
"No, ma’am, we're not with a church. I'm Officer Matt Everly," I flashed her my badge, "and this is my partner Dade. We have some questions about your husband Nate."
"Do you have a warrant to be here?"
"We just have some questions."
"Do you have a warrant?"
"No, but it won't be a problem to get one. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated."
"Fuck off. Don't come back here without a warrant." She slammed the door in our face. I heard Dade chuckling beside me. "She's a spitfire isn't she? Good match for the dickhead. I hope she puts the burn on him."
"Yeah, she's not what I was expecting." I walked back to the car, Dade following behind me. "Let's go check out the crime scenes then go check on the others. Maybe grab some lunch."
"Sounds like a plan."
We spent the next few hours combing the crime scenes, taking notes and photos. He was good, didn't leave anything behind. The only thing that was obvious was that he killed in a different location then dropped somewhere else. We had to figure out where he was committing the actual crimes.
"I think we got enough, let's go back to the room then maybe go to dinner," Dade suggested. We'd worked through lunch, not saying much to each other, just searching for clues or any sign of Nick.
"Good idea." We gathered our things and drove back to the hotel. "Dinner in an hour?"
Luna Tick: A Sunshine Novel Page 7
