When the Night Calls

by Rashad Freeman

  “I would’ve told you sooner, but I wanted it to be a surprise. You’ve been so supportive,” Monica said and gripped his hand.

  Daniel grinned, trying to hide his true feelings. He was surprised and skeptical at the same time. Monica’s book hadn’t sold enough to recover the costs of gas to drive to the book store. And now, somehow she was a bestselling author.

  “I guess dinner’s on you then,” Daniel declared with a hint of sarcasm.

  Daniel spent the night drinking wine and forcing himself to laugh at Sandra’s jokes. He also made every effort to avoid Sandra’s advances. Monica seemed oblivious to them, but Sandra wasn't very subtle.

  “So, Daniel…how’s the practice going?” Sandra asked and placed her hand on Daniel's upper thigh.

  Daniel jumped, banging his knee on the table and spilling his drink. “Fine...it’s, it’s going fine,” he stuttered and tried to clean up the mess.

  “What’s gotten into you?” Monica eyed him.

  Daniel simply smiled back and did his best to make it through the night. He was ecstatic when dinner finally ended and he was driving Monica back home, far from Sandra's reach.

  “So, I guess you really are an author now,” he turned to her as they drove down the cobbled road.

  “You don’t mind do you, next week?”

  “Of course not,” Daniel replied. “I would've liked a little more notice, but I’m looking forward to an early retirement.”

  Monica smiled then turned and stared out of the window. The sun had long since disappeared and the moon glistened brightly in the starless sky. The city lights vanished behind them like dimming candles. Something in Monica longed for those lights, longed for the thrill of the city night.

  "It really is a good thing," Monica mumbled under her breath.

  Daniel pulled up to the side of their house and Monica stepped out of the car. She walked around to Daniel’s window as he stuck his head out.

  “Have fun at work, and tell Victor to keep it in his pants,” Monica said, half joking.

  Daniel grinned and gave her a kiss. If she only knew, Daniel thought.

  He watched her walk into the house then slowly pulled off and headed to the office. The drive into work was slow and hampered by an accident on the freeway. It was stop and go traffic the entire ride, but Daniel tried to stay upbeat.

  He couldn’t wait to get in, so he could to tease Victor. He was sure he had disappeared last night with Sherri. He was hypocritical that way, whining one minute about her advances and then blowing off work for a quickie.

  Traffic finally cleared up and Daniel made it down to the office. As he rolled into the parking garage he was abruptly stopped by an officer who almost ran into his car. He was a tall, gangly man with black hair and an upturned nose. Daniel hadn’t seen him before, but he seemed like someone he wouldn’t get along with.

  “What’s your business here sir?” the officer announced, still standing firmly in front of the car.

  “I work here,” Daniel said. He tried to remain polite, but he didn’t like being questioned, especially at his own office.

  “Dr. Montague? The sheriff is waiting for you,” the officer replied then stepped aside and waved Daniel through.

  DEAD TO RIGHTS

  “What the hell is going on?” Daniel mumbled to himself.

  He slowly drove around the corner heading to his parking spot and was shocked to see what looked like a crime scene in the middle of the garage. There were at least thirteen patrol cars and officers scurrying about like rats. Sheriff Lawson circled the area nervously and headed straight to Daniel’s car as soon as he saw it. Before Daniel could fully open his door, Lawson was already yelling to him.

  “Where the fuck is that weasel friend of yours? He’s a dead man!” The sheriff screamed, shaking his hand at Daniel.

  Daniel sighed as he tried to prepare himself for a long night. He rubbed his face and slowly opened the door.

  “What did he do now, Lawson?”

  “Sherri’s gone and I know he’s done something with her,” Lawson’s voice echoed through the garage. “That little horny fucker has crossed the line for the last time.”

  Daniel grumbled as his mind began to race. Knowing Victor, he was likely to show up with Sherri wrapped around his arm at any minute. Not to mention the fact that she’d been up there last night stalking him. If the sheriff found out he’d have both of their asses.

  “Can’t say I know what you’re talking about, sheriff. Victor should be here in a few though. I’m sure he has nothing to do with your ex-wife,” Daniel said, making sure to emphasize ex.

  “Yeah, you get that bastard here and I’ll be the judge of what he knows. I’m sure you two are in cahoots anyway.”

  Daniel shook his head and sighed. Lawson was in one hell of a mood, but Daniel wasn’t going to take too many more of his accusations.

  “Lawson have the fumes in the garage been getting to you?” Daniel asked. "I mean, listen to what you're saying. Victor has now abducted your ex-wife? Maybe the stress is getting to you."

  “Nah doc, but you tell me. That is Sherri’s car over there in the corner ain't it?

  Daniels heart skipped a beat. His eyes rested on the red Volkswagen and an eerie feeling crept up his back. What the hell is that doing here?

  “Sheriff I have no clue why her car’s here, but you’re welcome to come up stairs. You can wait for Victor up there. And maybe clear out this garage so my actual patients have a place to park.”

  Daniel stepped into the elevator and was followed by Lawson and a couple of other officers. They rode the few floors to his office then piled into the dark lobby one after the other.

  “Give me a sec, let me get the lights,” Daniel told them.

  He walked across the lobby and flipped the switch on the wall. There was a low humming and then the office lit up. Lawson took a seat in the lobby and pulled off his hat. He rubbed his balding head and sighed.

  “Shitty business doc…shitty business,” he mumbled. "Maybe it is the stress."

  Exhausted, Daniel headed into the reception area. He turned back to offer the sheriff some coffee, but his eyes caught something that stopped him dead in his tracks.

  Slumped over behind the counter was Sherri’s naked body. It looked like it had been buried and then dug back up. Her skin was bruised and smeared with dirt. Her face covered in scrapes and blood.

  Daniel froze, unsure of what to do. His entire life he’d been trained to deal with the most stressful situations, but now he was totally unprepared. He just stood there in shock, his jaw dangling above the floor like a yo-yo.

  “Daniel, everything okay?” Sheriff Lawson asked as he looked up from his seat on the other side of the counter. “Daniel!” the sheriff called again.

  Daniel slowly turned to face the sheriff and stepped back. His mouth moved, but no words were formed. Frowning, he looked back into the corner and pointed a shaky hand.

  He knew this was it, Lawson’s ex-wife dead in his office. The sheriff would kill him and Victor both.

  For some reason Daniel couldn’t peel his eyes away from Sherri’s body. For a moment it seemed like no one else was there. The room, the other officers, they all started to fade away and Daniel felt his reality blur into something else.

  Suddenly, Daniel was standing in the shadows of a tiny apartment. A woman’s pleading eyes gazed up at him. She was begging, begging him for help.

  Daniel couldn’t move. He was in shock, fear turning him to a statue. Everything had happened so fast and now he was in the middle of it all.

  “Don’t…don’t let him do this,” the woman cried. “Help me!”

  “There is no help,” a cold voice called from behind her.

  Daniel knew what he needed to do. He knew that even being there was wrong, but he was unable to act. He was unable to force himself to move.

  A man was pressing his weight against the woman, his hand sliding forcefully over her mouth. She tried to resist, tried to fight him off
. Then there was a scuffle. They rolled back and forth like kids on a playground and bashed into a table.

  The man screamed out and fell to the side. Suddenly the woman was on her feet. She glanced at Daniel and then rushed towards him.

  “Daniel!” the sheriff yelled as he stood up and began to walk towards the back.

  He passed the counter and grabbed Daniels shoulder. He shook him and called his name again.

  Daniel looked up at the sheriff with a blank stare. He blinked and tried to clear his head. The woman's screams for help were still with him, but now he could see Sherri again.

  "It's...it's Sherri," he muttered.

  Lawson looked at Daniel with a puzzled face. Then he followed his trembling hand until his eyes met his ex-wife’s dead body crammed in between two chairs.

  “No! No!” Lawson repeated over and over.

  His hands shook like tremors as he yelled out and rushed toward Sherri. Her throat was cut. Her body was so twisted and broken that he was certain all the life had left her some time ago.

  The sheriff dropped to his knees at her side. Lowering his head, he pulled at the few strands of hair left in it. Daniel could hear the faint sound of sniffles as he stood in silence looking down on Lawson. Here was a man that only a few minutes ago was ready to haul him off to jail and now here he was crying in the middle of his lobby.

  A few officers walked through the front door and stopped short. Sherri's crumpled body and Lawson's hysterics were enough to give anyone pause. The officers lingered in the doorway momentarily and then walked back into the hallway.

  Daniel just stared on in confusion. He felt like he was in another dream. Sherri’s dead body was crammed in the corner, Lawson crying like a school girl and Victor surely on the run for his life. He wasn’t sure how the night could get any worse.

  Daniel glanced back at the officers near the door. They were all standing around whispering to one another, but didn’t dare approach the sheriff.

  "No way!" Daniel suddenly snapped.

  With a clang, the door swung open and to Daniel’s bewilderment Victor nervously strode in, stuffing a donut into his mouth.

  RUN FAT BOY RUN

  “Danny, there’s cops all over the fucking place,” Victor yelled.

  He waddled into the office and suddenly stopped. His eyes locked onto the officers standing in the lobby and the panic he'd barely escaped last night returned.

  Daniel didn’t have a chance to respond or a chance to warn him. At the sound of his voice, Lawson came to life. He jumped to his feet and in less than two strides he was on top of Victor beating him like a raging silverback.

  "You murdering bastard!" he roared.

  The officers at the door stared in shock, or perhaps fear, scared to come between the sheriff and his prey. None of them dared to intervene, instead they formed a semi-circle around the sheriff and Victor. It was like a bunch of high school kids watching a brawl in the cafeteria.

  Daniel gasped and snapped out of his trance. He darted after Lawson and flung himself into the fray. Grabbing Lawson's shoulders, he pulled him backwards.

  “Do something you assholes!” he screamed to the other officers.

  “I’ll fucking kill you! I’ll rip your fucking head off!” Lawson screamed as he swung wildly, lunging and clawing at Victor.

  The sound of the commotion carried to the elevators where more officers were just getting off. They rushed through the front door into the lobby, stumbling upon what they took as their sheriff in a life or death struggle with Victor and Daniel. One of them withdrew a small black weapon from his waistband and instinctively squeezed the trigger.

  The sharp prongs of the taser dug deeply into Daniel’s back and over ten thousand volts of electricity surged through him. He collapsed to the floor, but almost immediately began to stand again. The pain would’ve normally been enough to incapacitate a man, but it proved to be nothing more than an inconvenience to Daniel.

  He tore the connectors from his back and staggered to his feet, his eyes red with rage. Daniel glared at the officer, he still clutched the taser in his trembling hands. Dropping his jaw, he stumbled back just as Daniel charged him and slung him face first into the wall.

  Another officer grabbed Daniel’s arm and twisted it behind his back. "Now that's enough, buddy," he shouted.

  Daniel whipped around and swept the officer’s legs from under him, burying his heavy fist into the man's face at the same time. The officer dropped to the floor and clenched his nose. He rolled over and let out a muffled groan.

  Daniel turned back around and grabbed Lawson. The sheriff struggled and Daniel yanked him backwards with all his might. They both tumbled back slid across the floor.

  The sheriff tried to get back up, but Daniel grabbed him and pushed him back to the ground.

  “Lawson, calm down!” Daniel yelled at him.

  Lawson grunted and took a deep breath. He tensed up, but didn’t move again. It seemed like everything was starting to settle when another officer burst through the door. He was a short, stocky man with black hair, gripping a metal club in his right hand. He took one look at Daniel holding the sheriff and charged forward. He swung the club like a baseball bat and bashed it into Daniel’s right shoulder.

  Daniel groaned and released Lawson as he clumsily lurched into the wall. Grabbing his arm, he winced in pain.

  The officer surged forward again, this time aiming for Daniel’s head. Daniel ducked and dove at the officer. He tackled him around the waist and they both fell to the floor.

  Jumping on top of him, Daniel ripped the baton from his hands. He raised it into the air with an evil leer etched across his face.

  “Dr. Montague!” Sheriff Lawson’s voice rung out from behind him.

  Daniel froze. His chest heaved up and down as he stared at the officer. An oddly familiar urge had taken over him. An urge he hadn’t experienced in a long time, the urge to destroy, the urge to kill.

  “Daniel!” the sheriff screamed again.

  Daniel slowly turned his head towards the sheriff. He had his gun trained on him, standing less than five feet away.

  “Put the club down, Daniel! It all got carried away, no harm no foul.”

  “Screw that, he broke my nose sheriff!” one of the officers hollered as he slowly got up from the floor, blood pouring down his face.

  “Shut your damn mouth, Henson!” Lawson spat, his eyes unwavering from Daniel.

  Daniel clenched his jaw. He stared at Lawson angrily then dropped the baton and stood up. Lawson put his gun back into his holster and sighed. “Alright Daniel…alright.”

  “So what now?” Daniel asked in an annoyed tone.

  “Henson, get this piece of shit out of here,” he demanded as he motioned at Victor, who still lay in the fetal position on the ground. Blood covered his face and his arms were already starting to bruise.

  “What the fuck, Lawson. You can’t really think he did this?” Daniel asked as he started towards the sheriff.

  “That asshole has had something in common with everyone that’s died. He’s going down Daniel, so it’s best you just stay clear. We’ll take it from here on out.”

  Daniel scowled at Lawson, but he knew this was a fight he couldn’t win. He’d need to be tactical, he knew all too well that the scalpel worked better than the butcher’s knife.

  Lawson ushered the other officers out and down into the parking garage. Daniel followed closely behind him. He stepped into the garage where Henson was already roughly escorting Victor into the back of a patrol car.

  Daniel stood near the elevator shaking his head in anger. Everything had gotten carried away and now Victor was being carted off to jail for a crime Daniel knew he couldn’t have done.

  “I’ll be in touch, Lawson,” Daniel screamed after the sheriff, making sure he was loud enough for Victor to hear him.

  “You’re gonna have to leave the office, Dr. Montague,” an officer stuttered from behind him.

  Daniel slowly turned around an
d faced the scraggly deputy that was standing between him and the elevator doors. He eyed him scathingly for a moment and then cleared his throat.

  “Why should I leave here…Officer Simpson?” Daniel said in an aggressive tone as he read the gold nameplate on the man’s shirt.

  The officer took a step back. He’d just seen Daniel swiftly decommission several of his fellow officers, and he was wary of evoking his rage once again.

  “I’m sorry doctor…this is a crime scene now. You can grab what you need from your office, but we’ve gotta rope this off.”

  Daniel raised his eyebrows then stepped to the side, so the officer could get off the elevator. He shot a look back then stepped on the cart and pressed the floor for his office.

  “Marty, go with the Doctor and give him a hand.”

  “I don’t need a fucking hand,” Daniel snapped.

  Marty paused and looked to Simpson. Simpson nodded his head and Marty turned and walked off.

  “I’ll be just down here,” Simpson said, trying to look polite.

  “Yeah you do that,” Daniel shot back.

  With a ding the doors on the elevator closed and the cart started to rise. Once it got to his floor Daniel strode into the lobby and kicked one of the chairs over. The officers still waiting in the lobby stared at him, but didn’t say a word.

  “Fuck!” he yelled and then stormed off.

  Marching down the hallway, he tried to make sense of what had just occurred. He couldn’t comprehend how Sherri’s dead body had gotten there or that she’d been killed in the first place. He’d known Victor almost all his life and this wasn’t him.

  Daniel stopped in front of his office and rolled his shoulders. He pushed the door open and turned on the light. His desk was cluttered with papers and file folders. Pushing them aside, he sat down in the reclining leather chair and took a deep breath.

  “Damn it, Victor,” Daniel whispered.

  He banged his fists on the desk. His mind was swarming with questions. How soon could Victor get out? How long would the office need to be closed? What was he going to tell Monica?