No Remorse No Regret

by Ian Worrall

  Her target is still sitting at the bar as she walks up to sit beside him. She starts rubbing his leg and asks the bartender for the same beer he’s drinking.

  “You new in town?” he asks her.

  “Yeah. And you?”

  “I got a cottage up here. Spend as much free time here as I can.”

  She continues rubbing his leg, stopping her hand a hair away from his groin. “Want to head up there now?”

  “Finish your beer, then we’ll go.”

  The bartender puts down two bottles of Bud Light.

  “Want to have a beer race?” she winks at him.

  “As long as it won’t cause you to pass out.”

  “You’d be surprised what this girl can do.”

  They both up their beers and try to drink as fast as possible. The race ends in a tie. Torres puts a fifty-dollar bill on the bar.

  Melissa and Torres get up from the bar stools and head towards the exit. “So, what’s your name?” she asks him.

  “Jack Quincey. And you?”

  “Jennifer Creaser.”

  Twenty minutes later they are entering the cottage and walk to the fridge. There is still beer left despite all that was drank the previous night. Torres takes two bottles out and opens them, handing one to her.

  “I gotta visit the head. Be back in a minute.”

  “Take all the time you need.”

  When she sees the door to the bathroom close, she opens her purse and takes out a bottle of pills. She crushes one between her fingers and puts it in his beer. She runs her fingers under the water in the sink and dries off her hands as she hears the flushing of the toilet.

  Torres sees her smiling and sipping on her beer as he leaves the bathroom. She hands him his as he walks up to the counter. He takes a long swig and then bends over to kiss her on the lips.

  “We’ve both eaten. Want to have some fun?” he asks.

  “After our beer, then maybe dance a little. You got tunes here, right?”

  “Sure do.”

  He turns on his phone and hooks it up to a stereo. Some soft music starts playing. Melissa walks up to Torres and stands on her toes to put her arms around his shoulders. He bends down and they kiss.

  After the first song ends they stop dancing and finish their beer, Torres starts shaking his head.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Feeling a little dizzy.”

  “How many beers did you have earlier?” She motions to the coffee table where the empty beer bottles still sit.

  “Those were last night. Today, before getting back here, I had six.”

  “Let’s get to bed, so we can have dessert,” she says.

  Torres’s knees start buckling and Melissa bends down as he passes out over her shoulder. She carries him to the bedroom, puts him down on the bed, then undresses him down to his underwear.

  She leaves the bedroom and checks the mobile phone plugged into the stereo. The phone number is different from the one Danil gave her. She gets her own phone from her purse and uploads the spy app to this phone.

  Once the spy app has completed uploading on the phone, she dials the phone number Danil gave her. There is no ringing. Smart. Don’t want a second phone ringing in a meeting with fellow cops.

  She finds the phone among the beer bottles. Turning it on she uploads the spy app to that phone as well. Now to let him think he had the time of his life. Unzipping the back of her skirt, she lets it fall to the floor outside the door. Removing her blouse, she sets it down on the island counter in the kitchen.

  In the bedroom, she takes off her bra and panties throwing them down on the floor. She climbs on top of Torres, pulls the comforter over the two of them, and in no time, she is asleep.

  Chapter 45

  T orres wakes up to a wonderful aroma wafting in from the kitchen, the smell of bacon and eggs and brewing coffee. His mouth is already watering as he takes a five-second inhale before sitting up in bed. Great way to lose the cobwebs, he thinks shaking his head. He smiles when he sees the panties and bra on the floor. He walks out of the bedroom to see Melissa with his shirt on at the stove cooking breakfast. He walks up behind her, puts his arms around her, and kisses her.

  “More fun after breakfast?” he asks.

  “Sorry, but I’ve got to be on my way home today.”

  “Too bad. Guess I must have had a lot to drink.”

  “Don’t worry, you were great. I didn’t have to fake it.” She turns and kisses him back. “Care to be the gentleman and serve the lady her food?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Torres takes out two sets of plates and cutlery and places them on the breakfast island. He then dishes out the food for Melissa and himself.

  “You do look familiar,” he says. “Can’t place it though.”

  “Usually that’s the line you give before a one-night stand,” she says.

  “Fair enough,” Torres agrees with a smile.

  Melissa smiles back and eats her food. Once finished, she gets up from the stool. “Anyway, I must get going.”

  “Too bad.” I would love to take you anyway, but I would never rape a woman, it would get me on the vigilante’s hit list.

  Thirty minutes later, Melissa is back in her motel room messaging Danil. Waiting for a reply, she changes into her riding clothes.

  Danil messages her back relatively quickly this time, within ten minutes.

  So, the night went good?

  I roofied him, so we didn’t have sex.

  Good girl.

  Yeah, where were you?

  Business meeting.

  OK.

  So, what did you get on him?

  The only cop that was there.

  Good.

  I will get you the information on the phone hacks when I get home in three days.

  She turns off her computer and packs it back into her bag. Drive straight for ten hours and I’ll get home with two days to spare. Check what he’s been up to in his home.

  She puts on her biker jacket and steps outside to pack her stuff into the bike’s cargo holds. He doesn’t know I have a bike now so I can get home in secret.

  * * *

  Back at the cottage, Torres is cleaning the mess he made. He sees no used condoms in the garbage cans. With all the garbage in one bag, he opens the safe and takes out the money that was left for him. All thirty thousand is there. After leaving the cottage, he puts the garbage in the garbage bin. The dockhand sees Torres walking down to his boat and unties the mooring lines. As Torres jumps into his boat, the dockhand throws the lines to him and Torres hands him a one-hundred-dollar bill in return.

  “Have a good trip back home.”

  Torres revs the boat engine and speeds off, anticipating a relaxing trip home. He’ll put the thirty grand in the safety deposit box when he gets back. As he pulls away from the dock he wonders what the other cops are doing. Probably enjoying family time.

  * * *

  Still sitting in his chair with the case files spread out on a table and the floor, Zach wakes up to the sound of the TV news. Instinctively he grabs his gun, a small revolver he bought used. It was the only gun he could afford after losing his job with the FBI when he had to surrender his agency issued Glock 23.

  “Today’s breaking news. Tixeon International owner Mike Blauer’s body has been found in the back of his Porsche Cayenne in the parking lot of a Chicago shopping mall. Local police responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle. There is no word yet on the cause of death. Police are reportedly searching his home.”

  Too bad, Zach thinks as he takes a box of cereal and a bowl off the desk by the TV and a carton of milk from the mini fridge. Seeing all the files spread out over the room, tears start to well up in his eyes.

  That detective girl is right. I am a failure. Every case I was on, never solved. This was the one that ended my career. I failed those girls and their families. He breaks down and tears flow unchecked down his face.

  * * *

  Jackie wakes
up in her bedroom with her head is resting on Ron’s chest. They have an understanding that when they both don’t have a special someone, their friendship comes with benefits. He wakes up as she climbs on top of him. They kiss as Ron runs his hands through her hair then down her back, caressing her until he gets to her buttocks where he squeezes.

  “Still as good as I remember you’ve always been,” Jackie says smiling at him. “Shall we go again before breakfast?”

  “Of course, we should.”

  Jackie reaches over to the box of condoms on the bedside table and takes one out, ripping the package open with her teeth.

  “Mind if I dress you?”

  “That would be great. Haven’t had a woman dress me since I was a kid.”

  She slides the condom down onto Ron. “I’m on top this time.”

  Ron grabs her hips and guides her down onto him. They start making love with Jackie controlling the action. Feeling his chest, she runs her fingers over his abs outlining his six pack. Continuing to gyrate, she bends over and kisses him on the forehead as he licks her breasts. The bed is shaking as they continue making love.

  * * *

  Mitchell, his wife, and their two children are eating breakfast in the local Denny’s restaurant. The kids are humming as they chow down on their French Toast Slams, his wife is eating a Belgian Waffle Slam and Mitchell has a Lumberjack Slam. Other customers are also with their families and soft music is playing in the background.

  “When do you go back to work?” his wife asks.

  “After breakfast. I’ll bring you and the kids home and go in.”

  “Even on a Sunday?”

  “Unfortunately, criminals don’t recognize the Sabbath,” he says.

  She nods as she takes a sip of coffee.

  “Remember after this is over.”

  “Yeah, the cruise to Alaska,” she says.

  “Then the kids…”

  She puts her finger on his lips. “Don’t get them excited yet. Make it a surprise.”

  “Of course.”

  The family continues eating in silence. Their waitress comes to the table gesturing with the coffee pot. Mitchell and his wife reach up with their cups.

  * * *

  Rolling a dolly into the police boardroom, Zach has the remainder of his boxes. He lifts them onto the table and takes a sip from the coffee he bought at the gas station two blocks up the street. He grimaces as he tastes it. He forgot that the only thing worse than cop shop coffee is gas station coffee. Or was the only thing that made coffee at police stations taste slightly better the fact that it was free?

  He was the only one in the place with the rest all out enjoying themselves. I will have no joy in this life until The Drowner is caught. He has no tenure at the university, so he could get axed any time. Where is everybody else? I thought we were only having one day off.

  He dials the number for Jackie and gets her voicemail. He then calls Mitchell.

  * * *

  Inside the university print shop, Colton has completed his fake police ID. He looks it over, ensuring that all the rough edges are smoothed over, no cracks in the lamination. You’re pretty hot stuff, detective. Someone who has never seen a real police ID wouldn’t know the difference. His job has not started yet. Lucky for him he was the only one willing to work this weekend.

  He turns off the print shop equipment and starts his wax job. Just outside the door on a flatbed dolly is a stack of eight sports gear bags. They are used ones thrown out by the football team, a free supply for his murder kit.

  * * *

  Mitchell answers his phone as he and his family finish their breakfast.

  “Where are you?”

  “Hello to you too, Zach,” Mitchell says.

  “I’m at the boardroom with all of my files. Your partner’s not answering her phone.”

  “We’ll be in within the hour,” Mitchell says.

  “OK.”

  Mitchell ends the call and puts the phone back in his pocket.

  “The boss?” his wife asks.

  “No. The former FBI agent on the case.”

  “Oh, him.”

  Mitchell pays the bill at the cash register.

  * * *

  Jackie and Ron are washing each other in the shower when they hear the phone ring.

  “Going to answer that?” Ron asks.

  “Probably my partner.”

  She leaves Ron in the shower and answers her phone.

  “Hey kid, I’m downstairs,” Mitchell says.

  “Be down in ten. Just getting out of the shower.”

  She hangs up the phone and goes back to the shower. “Got to go into work.”

  Ron kisses her wet hair. “When can we get together again?”

  “I’ll call you when I’m free.”

  “Good.”

  Ron turns off the water and they dry each other off. Twenty minutes later, Jackie is in Mitchell’s car.

  “Have a good day?”

  “Yeah, I caught a movie,” she winks at him.

  Twenty-three minutes later, they walk into the conference room where Zach is going through his files. He looks up at them and then back at his files.

  “I’m going to go make coffee,” Mitchell announces as he leaves the conference room.

  “Try as I might, I’ve gone through these files. Can’t find anything,” Zach says.

  “Wow,” Jackie says seeing the twenty boxes of files. “You’ve amassed all this?”

  “Yeah, I have,” Zach says as he continues staring at the table.

  “There’s got to be something in here. Maybe as you said the other day, a fresh pair of eyes will get us closer to the killer.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I hope you didn’t spend the whole weekend on this,” Jackie says. “Did you do something fun?”

  “I want this bastard.”

  “We all do. But you do need to make time for yourself. You’ll do nobody any good burning yourself out.”

  “Trying to make me feel better?” he asks.

  “Trying to.”

  “I’ll smile for real again when I get the bastard in handcuffs.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Can you do me a favor? When we do get him, let me put the restraints on him?”

  “We will,” Jackie says.

  Mitchell enters the conference room again with the coffee pot, a stack of paper cups, and a supply of milk and sugar.

  “I’ve put in the call for the others on the task force. They’re talking with friends and family of previous victims. Everyone should be here in an hour or two.”

  “Great,” Zach says.

  Mitchell pours three coffees, preparing them as each one likes it then handing the beverages to their owners.

  “You said the suspect was probably already interviewed,” Jackie says.

  “True,” Zach says.

  “Let’s check the list of people interviewed back then,” Jackie says.

  Zach opens the file.

  “And since he had a ten-year hiatus, would he have been in the prison system?” she asks.

  “Possibly.”

  “So, check the list against recent parolees?”

  “Definitely,” Zach says, his face brightening.

  As Jackie smiles, Zach pulls out twenty-six files of people he’s interviewed on the case. Her smile fades.

  “You’ve been meticulous,” she says.

  “That I have.”

  “Well,” she says grabbing a file, “start digging in. Was there any video or audio recordings of the interviews?”

  Zach points to the box underneath the one with the interviewees’ files. “In there.”

  Mitchell opens the box and sees it’s full of Hi-8 and mini digital videocassettes, the recording medium before digital became cost effective.

  “Get these to the tech department for digitizing.”

  * * *

  The penthouse suite of the Hotel Czarina is complete with a king-sized bed, full bar, and Jacuzzi. Insid
e the Jacuzzi, Danil is holding and kissing Karissa as she straddles him.

  “What do you do that allows you to afford this hotel?” she asks.

  “Lots of things.”

  With his darling little Melissa away, he can partake of so many other women without her knowing. And the more practice he gets with other women, the better he can pleasure her. Men were never meant to be monogamous anyway.

  He stands up with the woman wrapping her legs around his waist. He steps out of the Jacuzzi and walks over to the wall, pinning her against it where they have sex standing up.

  * * *

  As Colton milks his last little bit of overtime, he is on the steps outside drinking his coffee and smoking a cigarette, taking in the sights of all the hot women doing summer courses. Cars pull up to the front door, drop students off with the clunk of the doors closing, and drive off.

  I never should have left Florida. Summer’s year-round here, unlike New York where women are half naked for only about four months a year. Every single one of these girls would look great tied up and naked in the dungeon room. And carried over my shoulder. Oh, how I love doing that. But don’t dump where you eat. That would put the cops right on campus questioning every man who works or attends classes here.

  * * *

  In the police conference room, Jackie and Zach are listing in alphabetical order on a separate piece of paper the names of all twenty-six men who were questioned in the initial Drowner investigation. Mitchell has taken the box of videotapes to the tech guys to have them digitized.

  Doug Alberts

  Richard Davison

  Craig Dussault

  Lawrence Eghan

  Robert Errington

  Alex Facey

  Chris Girard

  Don Harmon

  John Harris

  Mike Hebb

  John Hensen

  Darren Hill

  Joe Ingram

  Steve Jollimore

  Charlie Kerr

  Jordan Lawrence

  Andrew Lefave