Murderer's Row

by Rashad Freeman

  “I’m not even officially back yet Harper. And at no point will I ever be relieving you. Now go get me a cup of coffee and a copy of the paper,” Eve said, patting him on the shoulder as she passed.

  Harper laughed and shook his head.

  “I’m serious,” Eve snapped her fingers.

  “Oh, yes…yes ma’am. Right away,” Harper stuttered and shuffled down the hall.

  “Harper, its Detective, or Rosario, or Eve if you must. But I’m no ma’am.”

  Harper’s face turned beet red. He nodded then disappeared down another hall. Eve stared after him grinning.

  She pushed the door open to Sal’s room and slowly stepped inside. Sal was lying on his back, his face turned to the window. He had wires and tubes poked and taped to him, hooked up to monitors and IV’s. The epitome of “death’s bed” in Eve’s mind.

  “You look like shit,” Eve said, announcing her presence.

  Sal made a moaning sound and slowly turned his head. His eyes were dull and bloodshot. His face was covered with salt and pepper stubble and a row of black stitches ran down his forehead and across his cheek.

  Eve frowned, her eyes welling with tears at the sight of the man she thought of as a father. Sal looked back at her and opened his mouth. A harsh, croaking voice muffled from his throat.

  “It’s not so good kid,” he moaned. “Lot of internal damage, they don’t think I have much longer.”

  “What!” Eve exclaimed, almost jumping out of her skin. “No…no you’re fine. They said you’d be fine. You can’t do this to me Sal…not you.” Tears started to cascade down her cheeks and splash onto the white tile floors.

  The door opened again and Harper walked in carrying a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

  “Get the fuck out!” Eve turned and yelled.

  Harper blushed again. “Um…uh sorry,” he muttered and scampered backwards.

  “Wait,” Sal called with his scratchy voice. He held is hands out and motioned towards the cup of coffee.

  Harper gave Eve a weary look and then cautiously gave the cup of coffee to Sal. He sat the paper down on the nightstand then quickly shot out of the room.

  Sal gripped the cup with both hands and sipped it slowly. He lowered the cup from his lips and loudly cleared his throat.

  “Damn that was good,” he projected in a clear forceful tone.

  Eve watched him with an odd stare as she wiped tears from her face. Sal looked back at her with a thoughtful grin. He reached across the bed and grabbed the newspaper from the tabletop.

  “So what’s new kid?” he asked as he unfolded the paper and started to look through it.

  Eve still hadn’t said a word. She was looking at him with a befuddled face, trying to figure out what had just occurred.

  “I’m fine Rosario,” Sal grumbled. “Missed every major organ, I should be outta here in a day or so. I’m the luckiest son of a bitch on the East coast.”

  Eve blinked and swallowed hard. “You’re…you’re fine?” she stuttered. “You asshole! Why Sal, why the hell would you do that?”

  Sal let out a heavy laugh and shrugged his shoulders. “Figured I’d lighten the mood.”

  “Well you really do look like shit.” Eve let out a deep breath. “I almost had a heart attack.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So what’s new in the real world? You catch this asshole yet?”

  “Well if you haven’t heard, Henry’s dead,” Eve replied casually.

  “You finally had enough of dealing with that clown?”

  “I’m serious Sal. We pulled him out of the river like an hour ago.”

  “No shit? Sooner or later I knew he’d get his nose cut off if he kept sticking it into other folks business.”

  “His ears,” Eve shot back.

  “What?”

  “The killer, they took his ears and his eyes. Pretty gruesome stuff. Not even sure if it was the same guy.”

  “Had to be,” Sal said as he grunted and sat up. “We we’re so close. We almost had that bastard.”

  “Next time,” Eve said confidently.

  She took a seat at the foot of the bed and just then her phone started to ring. She groaned and reached into her pocket to pull it out. “Sometimes I just wanna toss this thing out of the window. Hello?” she answered it.

  “We just found another body about a hundred yards down the river from Henry,” Tony rattled off in a panic.

  “Are you serious?” Eve asked in a weary tone.

  “Yeah, and Eve it’s the M.E.”

  “What?”

  “The medical examiner, the body we found…it’s Kathy and she’s even worse than Henry was.”

  Eve was at a loss for words. Her mouth dangled open as her mind tried to process what Tony had just told her. Then, like the pieces of a puzzle, everything just fell into place.

  “Were Kathy and Henry in a relationship?”

  “Were they what?” Tony sounded shocked. “She’s married to his brother.”

  “I don’t care, look into it and see what you find out. Both of them being down there is no coincidence and he had to use her as a source. Jesus I’m so fucking stupid.” Eve banged her palm against her forehead.

  “What?”

  “How else could he have found out about the mayor’s brother? It had to be Kathy. I gotta run Tony. I’ll call you in a few hours.”

  Eve hung up the phone and stood up. Sal was staring at her with an eager look on his face.

  “I don’t like that glare in your eyes kid,” Sal said.

  “What glare?” Eve asked and rolled her eyes.

  “That, I’m about to do something real stupid glare.”

  “I’ll be back Sal. I just need to check on something,” Eve turned and started to walk out of the room.

  “Eve,” Sal called.

  She stopped and turned around.

  “Be careful out there, this guy doesn’t play nice.”

  “What makes you think it’s a guy?” Eve asked then walked out of the room.

  Half an hour later she pulled into her driveway and rushed into the house. She ran into her room and grabbed a flashlight from her nightstand and tucked it into her pocket.

  “Bullets, bullets, bullets,” she mumbled.

  Eve reached behind her back and pulled her out her handgun. She racked the slide then shoved it back into her holster. As she stepped into her closet and cut on the light she paused and grabbed her cell phone.

  After dialing the numbers blindly she put the phone to her ear and listened to it ring over and over. A generic voicemail greeting played and then a loud beep sounded.

  “Hey Agnes, this is Eve. I was looking to meet up with you. Give me a call when you get this,” Eve said then hung up the phone.

  Standing on her tippy toes, Eve reached for the top shelf and pulled down a small black bag. She opened the zipper and looked at the bundle of fully loaded magazines. She took one out and shoved it into her pocket then closed the bag.

  Eve rushed into the living room and grabbed her keys then her cell phone rang. Rolling her eyes she brought it to her ear and sighed. “Hello Agnes,” she said.

  “Who?” Sal’s voice exploded from the other end.

  “Oh, sorry Sal was expecting someone else.”

  “That’s why I called. I just talked to Tony. Henry’s girlfriend is Agnes.”

  “Yeah, he told me.”

  “But that means she’s the crazy ass lady that was there when we found Benny. She’s nuts Rosario. Tell me you’re not going after her, you need to call for backup. I’ll put a call into Harper.”

  “I can handle myself Sal. You just worry about not dying on me,” Eve laughed and blew him off.

  “Going somewhere?” a familiar voice called from behind her.

  Startled, Eve jumped and made to turn around, but felt a sharp prick on the back of her neck. The phone tumbled from her hand, her entire body went limp and she collapsed to the floor. Her legs buckled and hands fell idly at her sides.

  Agnes stepped in
to her field of vision. She was standing over her, gazing down with an awkward smirk drawn across her face.

  “You really are a persistent little bitch, you know that?” Agnes said flatly.

  Eve was sprawled on the floor, her face pressed flat against the cold hardwood. Agnes was kneeling over her, she was so close Eve could smell the wine on her breath. She looked tired, not physically, but mentally exhausted.

  “Don’t you see how much I’ve done for you?” Agnes asked. “Don’t you appreciate what kind of friend I’ve been?”

  Eve wanted to kick, she wanted to fight. But her muscles wouldn’t’ obey. She lay there as still as if she’d been dead.

  “Look at you now. Free, free from a man’s rules and expectations. I did that for you Eve, I freed you to live your own life.”

  Eve couldn’t believe what she was hearing. An anger boiled inside of her that she was certain would melt her skin.

  “And how do you repay me? Try to stop me at every turn. Try to kill me, try to help him,” Agnes fumed.

  Her face suddenly went blank and she straightened up. She began to pace back and forth across the floor, mumbling to herself.

  “You have to see. That’s the only way, that’s the only way you’ll understand. We’re so much alike you and I,” Agnes said passionately. “Eve I want to help you, I want to show you how powerful you can be. I want to show you how to make yourself invincible so no one can ever hurt you again. But first, you have to be cleansed.”

  Agnes stormed towards Eve and stuck her in the neck again. Eve felt a shock surge through her body. She felt a wave of nausea and her vision started to blur.

  “Don’t fight it,” Agnes whispered.

  That was the last thing Eve heard and then everything went black.

  CHAPTER 28

  GAME OVER

  “She has to learn, she just has to.”

  Agnes’ voice sounded like a far off whisper in Eve’s ears. She slowly opened her eyes, her head swimming in a rough sea of pain.

  She was in a small, dark place. A hazy red glow blinked over her head. A faint smell of gasoline lingered in the air.

  As Eve’s senses slowly started to return, she realized she was moving. Her body slowly rocked and swayed like she was on a sailboat. Her vision cleared and she could make out tail lights and hear the humming of tires.

  “What would you do with her?” Agnes said angrily.

  Her voice sounded muffled as it filtered through the backseats into the trunk. Eve took a deep breath and rolled onto her side. She was shocked to find out she hadn’t been restrained.

  Instinctively she looked for the cable that would open the trunk from the inside, but it had been removed. She reached around in the dark, feeling blindly across the carpeted floor for anything she could use as a weapon. There was nothing there. She grunted in frustration and rubbed her face.

  Taking a deep breath Eve composed herself and did her best to stretch out her limbs. She brought her knees as close to her chest as she could and then slammed her feet into the left tail light.

  “Damn it! Why did you do that?” Agnes shouted as the car abruptly began to swerve.

  With a high-pitched screech the car stopped and Eve heard the door open. She spun herself around in a position to strike, praying that Agnes didn’t simply shoot into the trunk.

  “I told you…I told you didn’t I,” Agnes continued.

  Eve’s body shook with fearful anticipation. She braced herself, knowing in a few short moments her life would depend solely on her ability to fight back.

  The sound of footsteps clicking against pavement got closer and closer. Then the rattling of a key clanking against metal made her heart nearly leap from her chest. With unwavering determination, Eve balled her hands into fists and clenched her jaw.

  Suddenly, the trunk lid popped open. The first thing Eve noticed was just how dark and foggy it was. The next thing she noticed was the wrathful face and nefarious eyes that glared back at her.

  “You bitch!” Agnes growled.

  Eve surged from the trunk feet first, her heel smashing into Agnes’ face. She flew backwards like a ragdoll and slid across the ground. Her nose exploded in a swell of red splatter.

  Eve barreled out of the trunk and dove on top of her. Before she could recover, Eve grabbed a handful of her hair and banged her head into the pavement.

  Agnes bucked and Eve flew over her head. Scrambling onto all fours, Agnes leapt forward and latched onto Eve’s leg. She kicked and scampered, but Agnes held on tighter then clamped down onto her calf with her teeth.

  Eve hollered in pain and smacked Agnes in the side of the head with an open hand. Agnes rolled onto her side and grabbed her face. Her skin burned from the impact and she moaned like a dying seal.

  Eve jumped back on top of her. She pinned her hands to the ground with her knees then begin to pound her face while screaming wildly. Eve looked like a wild animal, like an enraged silverback fueled by some primal instinct.

  “Don’t move!” someone suddenly yelled.

  Eve only partially heard them, consumed with inflicting as much pain on Agnes as possible.

  “I said freeze!” the voice screamed even louder.

  Eve stopped and slowly looked up into a shining flashlight. She raised her hand to shield her eyes. Her face had speckles of Agnes’ blood on it, accenting her tanned skin like war paint. She looked down at her hands, bloody and covered in scrapes. She sniffled and tears started to trickle from her eyes.

  The flashlight slowly lowered and Eve gasped and cringed. “Oh thank God,” she sighed in relief as a familiar face looked back at her.

  “Harper,” she whispered. “Harper it’s her…it’s the riverside killer.”

  Eve looked down at Agnes’ blood-stained face. Her nose was broken. Her lip was split in two. She glared back at Eve through swollen eyes still full of vile and contempt.

  Harper grinned and slowly lowered his gun. “Damn, Detective, I hardly recognized you.”

  “Let me borrow your cuffs,” Eve moaned.

  Harper reached to his belt then suddenly moved his hands forward and two bullets exploded from the end of his gun. Eve saw the flash and heard the thunderous clatter. Then she felt an odd sensation in her stomach and collapsed onto the side.

  Blood gushed from her and spilled onto the dark road. Shock and fear seized her voice as she gasped for air.

  “Mother!” Harper called and ran to Agnes.

  Eve couldn’t process what was happening. She put her hands over her stomach trying to stop the bleeding. The pain intensified like someone was ripping her stomach open with the bare hands.

  “You did well…you did well,” Agnes stuttered as Harper pulled her to her feet.

  “What about her?” Harper asked.

  “Finish it,” Agnes replied coldly.

  Harper helped Agnes into the car then returned to deal Eve. With every ounce of strength Eve had, she scampered backwards. She groaned with every movement, her stomach felt like it was tearing apart.

  Harper charged at her and grabbed her by the hair. He pulled her to her feet and slapped her hard across the face. “You stupid bitch,” he spat and hit her again.

  As Eve recovered from the blow, she tried to get a look at where she was. She could see a green sign dangling over her head that read “Hudson River Bridge.” That was all she saw before Harper’s massive hands smacked into her head one more time.

  Cursing loudly, Harper pulled Eve to the side of the bridge. She fell forward and gripped the rails. As she looked down into the fog she couldn’t even see the water below.

  “Goodbye Eve,” Harper said, then grabbed her legs and flipped her over the side.

  CHAPTER 29

  REBORN

  Weightless, absence of stress and strain resulting from externally applied forces, forces like gravity. For one single, solitary moment, this was Eve.

  Her feet had left the ground and her body catapulted over the thick, iron guard rail. Fog and a watery grave op
ened their arms from below, eager to welcome her.

  But Eve didn’t fall. She was suspended in the air for what seemed like an eternity. Time was something that had become wildly incomprehensible to her, but to the rest of the world only fractions of a split second passed before Eve began to plummet downward.

  The puffy gray wisps of vapor streaked by her in blurs. The gurgling, murky water sped towards her like a train. And then with a resounding plunk, Eve sank into the river.

  Her will to fight was washed away with the water. Death seemed like a welcome escape from the pain surging throughout her body. She vanished into the depths like a magician, the river swallowing any trace that she ever was.

  Up on the bridge a silver Honda slid sideways as rubber evaporated into smoke from the squealing tires. Harper pulled off with Agnes groaning in the passenger seat, just missing the arrival of the other car.

  With a whoosh, the vehicle ground to a halt and the door swung open. A man dressed in all black stepped out of the car and watched as tail lights disappeared into the thick mist. He fumed for a moment then quickly ran to the side of the bridge. He looked over into the foggy depths and without hesitation, he jumped.

  He hit the water hard, the fog made it difficult for him to orientate himself. He recovered quickly however, straightening up and beginning to tread water. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and dove into the river like a seal.

  Eve slowly succumbed to the cold, dark water. It crawled up her arm like an icy spider, dragging her further and further into the depths.

  Her last breath of air escaped from her lungs and bubbled to the surface. The river had claimed her, gripped her in its frigid clutches and marked her for death. Darkness rushed over Eve, squeezing out her life like a smoldering flame.

  Then, just as she slipped away, she felt a sudden tug at her wrists. A surge of air swelled in her chest and her heart rumbled to life like an angry drum. She was on the surface. Someone was pulling her along, pulling her to the safety of the shore.