by Aaron Riley
“Any insignia on it?”
Jennifer shook her head. “I didn't see what was on it.”
“What did he look like?”
“I don't know.” Jennifer opened her eyes. “I can only see his shadow. I'm sorry but that's all I remember”
Christopher wrote it all down. Every word. “You did very good, Jennifer. Better than most eye witnesses.” He stood up and Jennifer opened the front door.
“I hope you catch this fucker.”
“Don't worry, I'll get him.”
Christopher finally found the break in the case he was looking for. He was finally on the trail of the killer now. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter Eight
Christopher parked at the Jimstown sheriff's office. Randall Higsby came running out of the small building, his holstered pistol knocking against his hip. He knocked on his car window. Christopher couldn't find the controls to lower the window and finally opened the door instead.
“You told me it was urgent. Is everything all right?” Hisby asked.
Randall held a cup of coffee in one hand. The smell itself woke Christopher up a little bit.
“Yes. Everything is fine. I need every file on the motorcycle clubs in town and in the surrounding areas.”
“Every club?”
“Yes every club. And get me a cup of coffee.”
Christopher sat down at a desk in an interrogation room. It was the only place quiet enough to get some work done. He blew on the hot coffee and took a sip. It was no Starbucks but it was better than nothing.
Randall brought in stacks of files on a cart. “Here is everything we got on motorcycle clubs.”
Christopher stood up as he unloaded stack after stack onto the desk. “This might take a long time.”
“Tell me what we're looking for and I could help.”
Christopher flipped open the first file labeled: Dog Soldiers MC “I'm not sure exactly. I questioned Jennifer Skyler and she may have heard a motorcycle flee the scene.”
Higsby sat down at the table and opened another file. “And you think it was someone in one of these motorcycle clubs? Because I can tell you that there are a lot of people that ride motorcycles in this town and not all of them are apart of a club.”
“It's just a hunch I have.” Christopher knew it was a long shot but he had to try.
He combed through the files on the Dog Soldiers MC and came across Joshua Kent's file. He almost spit out his coffee when he recognized him as the man he made out with at the bar.
“Did you find something?” Higsby asked.
“Nothing yet.” Christopher tried to hide his face as best he could. He had worked on his cold expression while at Quantico to help with interrogations but he was never able to fully master it.
Higsby returned to his work and Christopher delved deeper into the file. Joshua Kent was twenty-six years old and had a rap sheet longer than most. The list of misdemeanors was almost impressive. The one that got him was armed robbery of a liquor store. He did five years in the state penitentiary for that one.
Christopher always believed he was a good judge of character. A quality he thought would benefit him at the FBI. But here he was sticking his tongue down a convicted criminal's throat. Good thing he was able to resist him.
But he couldn't help thinking about what could've happened if he went home with him. Christopher feeling Joshua's hard muscles over his tight white shirt jumped into his head. He imagined taking off his shirt to reveal a canvas of tattoos. Hsi heart skipped a beat.
“You all right, Christopher? You're just staring off into space.”
Higsby pulled Christopher out of his fantasy. Christopher rubbed his eyes and pretended he was tired. He took another sip of coffee. “Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night.”
“I'm not finding much here.” Higsby closed the last file in his stack. “We know who the major players are but we don't have anything beyond that.”
“That's not unusual for such a small town. You need a lot of money and manpower to put on big investigations.”
“How are you going to spot a serial killer among all these?” Higsby waved his hand across the files.
Christopher shuffled papers. “I'm not. We don't have enough information here to even get a list of suspects. I'm going to have to go straight to the source.”
“You think the serial killer is just going to make himself known to you?”
“Of course not,” Christopher said. “But some of these rival clubs might just have an idea who's behind these killings.”
Higsby stood up. “You're going to need my help. These guys are dangerous.”
“I can take care of myself. Besides, I need you here combing through files. There may be a diamond in there.”
Higsby deflated back into his chair. Christopher knew that this small town cop would only slow him down. And he didn't want him to know that he'd already been in contact with one of the members of the Dog Soldiers MC.
–
Christopher pulled up the Eight of Spades. The parking lot was devoid of the mass of trucks and motorcycles. In the light of day, the bar looked even worse than the last time he saw it. Almost like it had been abandoned for years. Vultures circled overhead looking for their next meal.
Christopher hoped he wouldn't be it.
He stepped up to the front of the bar and the rotted wood porch creaked under his feet. He tried to open the door but it was locked. He rapped on it lightly and waited in the summer heat.
Footsteps were audible from inside. A latch was undone and the door opened. Christopher recognized him immediately. The man from that night. The man from the files.
Joshua Scott.
“We're closed. Come back tonight.”
The door snapped closed in Christopher's face before he even had a chance to say a word.
Joshua didn't even remember him.
Chapter Nine
Christopher bit his bottom lip and took in a deep breath. Joshua was just like any other man he'd ever been with. One night was good enough and they were done.
He slammed his fist onto the door. “Open up.”
The door opened wider this time and Joshua appeared again. Christopher shoved his FBI right in his face. “I need to ask you a few questions, Joshua Scott.”
Joshua smiled. The appearance of a badge did nothing to change his swagger. “Well come on in Agent...”
“Taylor. Agent Taylor,” Christopher replied. He brushed past him and caught a scent of his cologne. But he was too angry at the fact Joshua didn't remember him to enjoy the smell.
The bar was empty and silent. Wooden chairs were turned upside down onto the tables. The pool cues were laid down on the green velvet. Everything looked neat and organized. He wanted to go outside and check the sign again to make sure that he was in the right place.
But the sight of Joshua took away that doubt.
Joshua closed the door and leaned against it with his arms folded. “And what do I owe the pleasure?”
Christopher wasn't used to ex-cons acting this way. Most of them were too scared of being sent back to prison to even speak a word to him.
“I need some information on some motorcycle clubs.”
Joshua walked behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses. He set them down and poured two shots. “Care for a drink?”
Christopher rolled his eyes. “It's barely the afternoon.”
“Suit yourself.” Joshua grabbed a shot and downed it. He didn't waste a second, drinking the shot that was meant for Christopher.
Christopher looked away, unimpressed. Men were always trying to portray this macho image that they believed made other men go weak in the knees. Like being a drunk was ever sexy.
As Joshua wiped whiskey from his drooling mouth, Christopher wondered what ever attracted him to Joshua in the first place.
“So what can I do for you?” Joshua asked, leaning an elbow on the bar.
Christopher took out a photo from
his breast pocket and threw it in front of Joshua. He looked down and saw the dead body of Teresa Cullen: the first victim.
Joshua let out a laugh. “Are you really trying to pin this murder on me? I've never even seen this girl before.”
Christopher knew this man wasn't the killer. Didn't fit the profile. He was too much like typical biker. They may be criminals but they didn't kill young women for the fun of it. “No I don't think you killed her but you might know who did.”
“Listen, I don't rat out my brothers. Just like I assume you don't rat out your corrupt FBI agents.”
He had a point. Christopher had met many FBI agents who did questionable things. He would never in a million years go to the higher ups and rat them out. It would be career suicide. In Joshua's case, it could mean his death.
Christopher pulled out three more photos of the victims and placed them one by one in front of Joshua. This was something he'd do in an interrogation room to make the suspect feel guilty and maybe tell him something he didn't want to before.
“What makes you think that it was my club that did this to these girls?”
“It could be your club or any of the others. I don't know.” Christopher debated whether to tell him what the eyewitness had said . “All I do know is that a motorcycle was heard fleeing one of the murder scenes.”
Christopher examined his reaction but Joshua was stone cold.
“Will you help me catch this guy?”
Joshua looked closely at each picture on the bar and pushed them back to Christopher. “Sorry I can't help you.”
Christopher wasn't in the mood to take no for an answer. “These are only the beginning. These aren't just random killings. This man hunts women. It's all he thinks about. He's got a taste for it now and he won't stop. We have four victims already and that number will only get higher.”
Joshua could see the determination in Christopher's eyes. He wasn't going to let this go. “Have we met before?” Joshua asked.
A low guttural growl came from deep down in Christopher. The holstered gun on his hip was itching to be fired. He looked around for any witnesses. He could fire a couple shots into his chest and just walk away. Nobody would be the wiser. Hell, they'd probably call in Christopher to investigate it.
“Yes we met the other night. Do you remember out front?”
Realization hit Joshua but their was no sense of embarrassment in his face. Christopher had melted in his arms that night and he almost had him. “I remember now. That was really nice.” Joshua leaned over the bar, getting closer to Christopher's face. He stared deep into Christopher's eyes, searching for something.
Christopher's first instinct was to close his eyes and surrender to Joshua's lips. That's what a normal man would do when faced with such a man. But Christopher was unlike most men. It's what got him into the club that is the FBI. He was good at resisting temptation. Christopher took a step back and left Joshua hanging.
Joshua knew it wouldn't be that easy. He loved the chase. Easy guys weren't his cup of tea. He stood up straight and smiled. “I think I'm going to help you.”
Chapter Ten
Christopher brought the files from his car and into the bar. Joshua sat at one of the tables with a half bottle of whiskey and shot glass. Christopher was turned off by the drinking but was fascinated by his physical build. He'd never really cared about that aspect before but now with this perfect specimen in front of him, Christopher couldn't help but admire it.
“Let me see what you got.” Joshua poured himself another shot and spilled whiskey all over the table.
Christopher had to lift the files until Joshua wiped up his mess. “These are all the files I was able to obtain from the local police.”
Joshua quickly thumbed through them until he found the one marked with his own name. He flipped through it and let out a chuckle. “Pretty much what I thought. The dumb cops over there have nothing on me.”
Christopher snatched the file from his hands. “That's not what we're here for. I need you to go through these and help me fill in the blanks.” Christopher found the one marked Devil Hearts MC and handed it to Joshua. “What can you tell me about them?”
“They've been our rivals for years. If I had the chance, I'd kill everyone of them.”
Christopher couldn't believe how frank he was being in the presence of an FBI agent. He didn't give two shits.
“What else can you tell me? Specifically about each member. Is there anyone you think that would be capable of...”
“Being a serial killer?” Joshua interrupted.
“I was more going to say capable of killing young women.”
Joshua returned his attention to the file and closed it. “Aiden is their president and he's one ugly son of a bitch. But he's no serial killer. Fallon is the vice president. Hair red as fire. Constantly cracking jokes.”
Christopher leaned in. “And do you think he would make a good suspect?”
Joshua folded his hands. “What am I going to get out of helping you?”
“You mean other than saving the lives of women?”
Joshua nodded. “Yes, other than that.”
Christopher couldn't believe how much of an asshole this guy was. A serial killer was on the loose and he only cared about himself.
“I don't know what to offer you. What do you want?”
His eyes narrowed and focused on Christopher. “A date with you,” he replied.
Christopher laughed then felt a little nauseous. “You can't be serious.” The thought of this poor excuse for a human being touching him again made him want to vomit.
Joshua downed another shot of whiskey and wiped his mouth. “I'm dead serious, baby.”
Christopher sighed. There was no way he was going to solve this case without Joshua's help. “Fine. A date after we solve this case.”
Joshua shook his head. “No way. I'll help you for now but I want a date tonight.”
Christopher stared into his eyes, searching for any signs of weakness. But there was none. This guy wasn't going to back down. “A date tonight then.”
Joshua leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head. “Perfect.”
“Now can we get back to the members of the Devil Hearts. What about this Fallon guy you were talking about?”
“He's the guy you're looking for.” Joshua said it so plainly that Christopher didn't think he was serious.
“You know that Fallon is the killer?”
Joshua poured another shot of whiskey and knocked it back. He cleared his throat. “I don't have any hard evidence but out of all these bikers, he's the one that's not like the others.”
“What makes him different?”
Joshua thought about it for a moment. “It's his eyes. Even when he makes a joke, there's nothing behind those eyes.”
Christopher was shocked by his comment. Not because he described a quality of a serial killer, but how deep it was. He never expected an ex-con like him to be so perceptive.
“We should put him at the top of our list then,” Christopher said.
“Good now that we have that out of the way, how about that date?”
“I think we should go question this Fallon first.”
“That can wait. You promised me a date. And how will you even get a meeting with him without my help?”
Joshua had him over a barrel. Christopher hated the idea of going out with him but it was the only way. “Where are we going tonight?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“Heard of a place called Thomson's?”
Christopher shrugged. It sounded like another biker bar. How many of those had sprung up since he left Jimstown? “Never heard of it.”
Joshua smiled. “Perfect. I'll pick you up at 7:00.”
Christopher wanted this biker nowhere near his mother. Joshua sitting down on his mom's nice couch and the two of them chatting was not going to happen.
“I'll meet you there at 7:00.”
Joshua cracked his knuckles and stood up. �
��I'll see you then.”
Christopher collected his files and left the bar. The sun beamed down on him and he couldn't believe what had just happened. He seemed closer than ever to catching this killer but he also had a date tonight.
Things were looking up for Christopher Taylor.
Chapter Eleven