“You came all the way down here to tell me that? I think you came for something else.”
Henry started to pry her hands from around his neck. “I came to tell you this is over.”
Kathy giggled more and nibbled at his ear. She ran her tongue down his neck and started to unbutton his shirt.
Henry shoved her off and onto the bed. She crawled backwards, glaring at him with hungry eyes.
“I’ve gotta go. Don’t do this anymore.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Kathy snapped. Her entire demeanor had changed as she sat up and pulled her dress down.
“Sorry,” Henry replied.
Kathy ripped one of her heels off and chucked it across the room. Henry ducked and it smashed into the wall and rattled to the ground.
“Jesus Kathy!” Henry exclaimed as he reached for the doorknob.
“Fuck you Henry. Get the hell out!
He looked at her for a second longer, unsure of what to say. As she grabbed her other shoe he rushed through the door and down the hall towards the elevator. He could hear Kathy yelling even as the doors closed and he headed downstairs.
Henry ran out of the hotel and gave the valet his ticket. After tipping him five dollars, he took his keys and sped off.
Cursing under his breath, Henry weaved through traffic, annoyed with his own stupidity. He was angry with himself, furious for allowing Kathy to handle him. He knew what type of woman she was, a conniving man eater.
“Fucking bitch,” he mumbled as he whipped the Honda around a corner.
He pulled up to the curb outside of his apartment and put his car in park. He reached into the glove compartment and grabbed a cigarette. Sighing, he lit it up and took a long drag, blowing smoke through the cracked window.
His nerves started to calm and he reclined the seat and stared up at the headliner. With three drags the cigarette was already down to the butt, but Henry was feeling better.
Out of nowhere a shadow passed over him and he jumped up frantically. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was just a police officer walking past him. He was tall with ginger red hair and an “all business” strut. Henry stared after him as he vanished down the dim street.
Five minutes later after finishing his third cigarette, Henry crept through the front door and stepped into a sea of darkness. Memory led him into the kitchen where he dropped his keys and reached for the light on the wall. Before he could switch it on Agnes called from across the room.
“Have fun tonight?” she asked.
Agnes was sitting in a chair in the living room. She flipped open a lighter as she spoke, illuminating her face that was drowned in disapproval.
“Agnes,” Henry said in an uncertain voice. “What are you doing? What’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff?” He moved towards her and flipped on the living room light.
“Oh, I don’t know, seems right for the occasion,” she replied nonchalantly.
Henry frowned at her and took the lighter from her hands. “You’re gonna burn the damn house down.”
Agnes grinned. “You get all of your paperwork done?”
“Actually, about that…I didn’t exactly have paperwork to do.”
Agnes stood up and took a step towards Henry. “You didn’t,” she repeated, mustering a look of surprise.
“I…I was down at the Midtown Hilton.”
“Goddamn it Daniel!” Agnes suddenly charged forward and shoved him in the chest.
“Who the hell is Daniel?” Henry asked.
“Who?”
“You called me Daniel. Who the hell is Daniel?”
For a moment everything faded and Agnes was no longer standing in her apartment. She was hanging around a college campus talking to some pimple faced kid that she’d just made out with the other night.
“So who’s the guy over there?” she asked and nodded at two men enwrapped in their own conversation.
“Who, Victor? He’s just an asshole. A fat little slacker,” the boy responded.
“No, his friend.”
“Oh…that’s Daniel. I don’t know much about him, except his dads some big important judge.”
“He’s cute,” she said.
“Agnes,” Henry’s voice suddenly brought her back to the apartment. “Who is Daniel?”
“No, I called you Henry. And why the fuck were you at a hotel?”
“I was working! I had to meet a source there with information about the murders.”
“Bullshit Henry! Who is she, who is the bitch you’re fucking?” Agnes was on him again, gripping a handful of his shirt in her clutches.
“Agnes, the latest victim is the mayor’s brother. That’s what I was doing tonight, getting information about that.”
Agnes suddenly let him go and stepped away with a worried look on her face. She stumbled a bit and sat back into the chair.
“What…what’s wrong? Do you know him?” Henry asked in confusion.
“No, I just, I just feel stupid. I lost it, I shouldn’t have been so rude. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Henry said and rubbed her shoulders. “Let’s just get to bed.”
Agnes nodded and followed Henry into the bedroom.
When they finally laid down to bed, Henry fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Agnes lay awake for hours tossing and turning. Visions of faces floated through her mind, taunting her, reminding her of a dark past and an even darker future.
Staring at nothing, Agnes finally gave into her exhaustion and fell asleep. As she drifted deeper and deeper into recesses of her mind she found herself standing on a muddy embankment. A cool wind swept across her face, blowing her hair into twisted knots. The glow of the moon illuminated the reeds and other bushes that whipped about in frantic dance.
Agnes could hear someone coming up ahead. Stealthily, she moved into the bushes and knelt down. The thick reeds covered her well, shielding her like a wall.
“Daniel…Daniel,” a man called in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Tom,” Agnes growled under her breath.
A tall, lean, muscled man was carefully heading towards the river. The stranger moved with a purpose and a power that was undeniable. Agnes knew him simply as Tom, her husband’s dearest friend.
He had most certainly come down to that desolate river bank to warn Daniel, to tell him all about Agnes and her plans of revenge. Agnes knew she couldn’t let that happen. Nothing and no one could stand between her and the destiny she had plotted for decades.
In her sweaty hands she clenched a large hunting knife. It was silver with a wooden hilt and a blade sharp enough to cut through wind.
Tom slowly backed down the embankment with his back to Agnes. He was looking towards the road, his eyes scanning the trees in front of him like a hawk.
Agnes snaked forward, her head ducked low, her fingers grasping the knife tightly. She watched Tom with desperate anticipation, waiting for him to move close enough.
Suddenly his head whipped around and Agnes dropped to the ground.
“Daniel, Daniel you there buddy?” Tom mumbled.
He turned away from the river and that’s when Agnes seized the opportunity. She leapt from the bushes landing on Tom’s back. Before he could even react, she sliced the knife across his throat and a bucket of blood gushed out.
Tom crumpled to his knees then collapsed into the mud. His life poured from the wound in his neck, mixing into the filthy sand.
He rolled over onto his back and looked up as he grabbed his neck. His eyes found Agnes and shock dawned across his face. Her blurry image was the last thing he saw before he slipped away.
Agnes snickered and started to pull Tom’s lifeless corpse into the bushes. Her work wasn’t finished yet.
“Just you Daniel, just you and it’s all over,” she mumbled.
Suddenly there was a loud beep and Agnes jumped up. She looked around and shielded her eyes from the blinding sun, beaming in through the windows. Henry was sitting on the bed next to her wit
h a strange look on his face.
“Everything okay?” he asked. “You were having some kind of nightmare.”
“I…what? Everything is fine,” Agnes declared.
“You said that name again, you screamed it.”
“What name?”
“Daniel. You said you had to kill him.”
CHAPTER 8
BACK TO WORK
Eve had been home for three days and she was already getting restless. The captain ordered her stay home for another two, but as she pulled on her coat and shoes to head to the office his words became a distant memory.
“Tony’s on the phone,” her husband Marc called from the other room. He’d spent the last few days home with her. And while she claimed to be fine, Marc wasn’t convinced.
“On the way,” Eve responded.
She stood up and headed into the living room. Marc was lounging on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table. He pointed at the flashing receiver and Eve picked it up.
“Tony?”
“Detective, I got news for you. It’s…well, it’s not as conclusive as I’d hoped.”
“What do you mean Tony?” Eve scratched her head.
“We didn’t find any drugs, but we found something else, metabolites.”
“Metabo what’s?”
“Metabolites, like little clues left after the body breaks down something, like drugs. Wish I could tell you more, but we don’t know what we’re looking at or what we’re looking for. There were needle marks on his arm, the type that come from an IV. But we’re gonna need to consult some experts to find out anything beyond that.”
“So what’s your theory Tony? I know you have one.”
“Well drowning was the cause of death, just like the others. No sign of struggle and no sign of physical damage...well besides his you know what.”
“Yeah Tony I remember,” Eve sighed.
“But this time we at least have something to work with. You’re the detective Rosario, but I think your killer is drugging people before dumping them in the river.”
Eve was silent for a moment, her mind working through the sparse bits of information. Like pieces of a puzzle, the case was starting to align. “The sewer!” she mumbled.
“The what?”
“They have to be hiding in the sewers, it’s perfect. No one would hear a thing down there and half of those systems dump into the Hudson,” Eve spattered out her revelation. “Tony, keep following up on the drug end and let Sal know I’m on the way down.”
“I uh…yeah I’ll let him know,” Tony agreed and hung up.
Eve set the phone back onto the table and clapped her hands together. She felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of her chest.
“I take you got some good news?” Marc asked.
“Sure did,” Eve said and plopped onto the couch beside him. “I might finally make some headway with this case.”
“So what did he say?” Marc asked impatiently.
“A bunch of science talk that I didn’t understand. Do you know if there is any drug out there that would allow you to cut someone’s dick off without them struggling?” Eve asked curtly.
“Eve!” Marc exclaimed. “Jesus!”
“Well it’s what happened?”
“I know we don’t really talk about your cases, but you’re telling me there’s someone out there cutting off peoples penises?”
“Pretty much Marc,” Eve bit her lower lip and nodded. She rubbed his leg and leaned into his chest.
Marc furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin. “Eve I already don’t like this case. Why couldn’t you have been a teacher or something?”
“Because I obviously don’t know shit!” Eve snapped then stood up. “I’ll see you later tonight,” she grabbed her keys and stormed towards the door.
“Wait!” Marc darted after her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I…I just worry about you.” Marc sighed and grabbed Eve’s hand. He looked her in the eyes and tilted his head. “There are several drugs that could be used but almost all of them would require a full staff to make it work.
I can ask around if you want. The head of the anesthesiology department should have some ideas.”
“That would help so much Marc,” Eve said and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Don’t mention it,” Marc whispered in her ear.
Eve gave him a kiss and stepped away. “Sorry about the attitude. This case has me a little stressed.”
“I can tell.” Marc moved forward and kissed her again. Grabbing her by the waist he pulled her close. “Are you sure you have to go back today? We could use a little make-up time,” he said with a devilish grin.
“There’s a maniac on the loose, cutting off penises remember.”
“Well I still have mine. You better put it to use before it ends up in a pickle jar,” Marc said as he pulled at her buckle.
“Just a pickle jar, huh?” Eve laughed.
Marc frowned and rolled his eyes. Eve kissed him again and patted him on the butt. Laughing she turned around and opened the door. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“You better. And make sure you take Sal next time you go digging around in a sewer.”
Eve nodded then stepped outside and closed the door. She wasted no time getting into her car and squealing off down the road.
Once Eve made it down to the police station she stopped by the lab and had a few words with Tony. Or her way back to her desk Harper stopped her in the hall.
“Rosario you’re back,” he said in shock.
“Yeah, I’m back.”
“Gotta be careful out there Eve. Dark places are never safe,” Harper declared and then headed off down the hall.
Eve shook her head. “Damn weirdo,” she mumbled.
Ignoring Harper’s strange advice, she walked back to her desk and found Sal. He was sitting behind a large computer screen making his way through a box of donuts. Eve wasted no time filling Sal in on her plans. He was less than eager to help.
“You want me to go into that damn sewer with you?” Sal asked in shock. “I love you kid, I do. You’re like a daughter to me, but I aint getting in the slop of shit with you.”
“Ah Sal, come on. It’ll be like old times. Me and you out there in the field, fighting bad guys just like Batman and Robin.”
“I hate to disappoint ya Robin, but that just ain’t gonna happen.”
“I’m Batman,” Eve retorted.
“Sal!” the captain suddenly yelled as he stepped out of his office. His tie was loosened and his sleeves rolled up. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead even though it was a cool seventy-two degrees. “You’re with Rosario on the river case. Where she goes you go and she’s the lead on this, so if she’s knee deep in shit I want you drinking it. Understand?”
“Sure thing cap,” Sal responded and shot Eve a pissy look to which she smiled happily.
“Rosario, get your ass in here!” the captain roared.
Eve’s smile suddenly evaporated and she shyly made her way to the captain’s office. He closed the door behind her and took a seat at his desk. His eyes were bloodshot and a bit of peppered stubble covered his chin.
Eve looked at him with concern. She’d never seen the captain in such a state and it was obvious he was under a great deal of stress.
“Everything okay Steve?” she asked in a soft voice.
The captain looked up at her and rubbed his face. He sighed and cleared his throat. “Damn mayor’s office is up my ass. We got problems Eve, real problems.”
“It’s only been a few days captain. What the hell are they expecting from us?” Eve asked in a confused tone.
“A lot,” the captain said swiftly. “Tony call you?”
“Yeah, right before I came in.”
“He tell you the name of the last victim?”
“No, we didn’t quite get to that,” Eve said. “Captain are you sure you’re okay?”
“Adam Greenberg,” the captain mumbled.
“What?”
&
nbsp; “Adam Greenberg,” he said more clearly.
“That womanizing asshole. What about him? Is he in his brother’s ear again?”
“He’s your John Doe.”
CHAPTER 9
THE SUCK
“Agnes McCall, this is detective Eve Rosario, my wife,” Marc said.
The two smiled at each other and shook hands.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you. Marc has told me so much about you.” Agnes reached forward and hugged Eve.
“It’s great to meet you too. Thank you so much for taking the time to see me.” Eve hesitantly hugged her back and shot Mark an uncomfortable glance.
“This way ladies and gentleman,” a slick-haired waiter interrupted. “Your table is ready.”
They followed him through a two story dining area surrounded in floor to ceiling windows. Smiling, he ushered them outside onto a wooden deck overlooking the Hudson River.
“Your table,” the waiter said and stepped to the side. “My name is Hector and I’ll be your waiter today.”
Marc nodded and pulled out a chair for Eve as Hector did the same for Agnes. It was a little after ten in the morning. The air outside was cool with a mild breeze that warranted a light jacket. Marc had chosen the Hudson River Café as a meeting place, his way of forcing Eve to meet him for an early lunch. It was a ritzy restaurant with a flair for the extravagant, but Eve didn’t mind being treated every now and then.
“This is nice,” Agnes said as she sat her purse on an empty chair.
Marc and Eve nodded in agreement.
“You have picked the perfect time of year to dine with us,” Hector declared as he handed them menus and went over the specials.
In the open area behind their table, a group of middle aged men started unpacking instruments and plugging up cables. One of the men pulled out a shiny, brass saxophone and another started to tune a guitar.
“Excuse me,” Agnes said. “What are those men doing?”
“Oh, I take it none of you have experienced our jazz brunch?” Hector asked smiling.
A trio of blank faces stared back at him.
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