Chapter 2:534Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQZ43CYudN
Rider on the Storm (pt. 2)
Michaels shut the door behind me and retrieved a tan folder from a four foot metal drawer and tossed it on his desk. I was surprised to see Roy Welch in the office with us. With his arms across his chest and a half-assed smirk I could've sworn a grade school kid was sitting before me awaiting punishment from the prinicpal.
"Christ, this world's falling to hell Cole" he said, ignoring the fact that Roy and I had exchanged acrimonious glances.
He motioned for me to take a seat and I did. The sound of the folder slamming against his desk earned my attention. I had never seen my captain on this much edge since the Murdock case with put my career on hiatus a few years back. Lucky for me we're back on good terms, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a small part of him that made me wish the case had ended differently so I never would have taken up the badge again. That's the funny thing about life, sometimes if you're lucky enough, you're given a second chance to make things right.
"I never got a chance to properly welcome you back to the force, and seeing as you've just got your first taste of being back on the field, I'd say now is as good a time as any."
"Thank you Sir but that's not necessary."
"Sure it is Cole. You're a good detective." He shook my hand from across the table before awkwardly clearing his throat. "Well good, now that that's out of the way... we have a more shall we say, sour subject to discuss. The young women you and Detective Welch found, Laura..." he shot Roy a confused stare "Is that right?"
Roy silently affirmed.
"Ahem, good..well it turns out she's not the only victim in this case."
"Wait, you mean there's been reports of this nature before?" I asked.
"Yes, the last one was about two weeks ago, just before you got back to the states. But unlike Ms. Wells, this girl was found dead alongside the highway in the back seat of a '99 pickup with marks around her neck and a ragdoll laying across her chest." He slid the file to me from across the desk.
"Sounds like we've got a serial killer on our hands" I said as I reached for the file.
"Look at this guy," Roy remarked, "not even back a week and he's already jumping to conclusions. Keep it up and you might have a shot at douchebag of the month."
I glared at Roy, and our exchanges met.
After a brief pause, Captain Michaels continued. "Now, whoever this killer may be, he's not the one who killed the girl."
Before I could grab the folder, Michaels flipped through it's thin contents in front of me and began showcasing a series of black and white images from a crime scene, most of which were badly bruised and disfigured women, and potential evidence, before switching to a similar picture of twenty-something young male.
"Ryan Sterling, he's a local hotshot, a punk high school quarterback to be more specific. His body was found not too far from the truck where our Jane Doe was being kept. His pants were down around his ankles with his dick cut clean off, just like the kid from last night. Christ it was like he was out for display or some shit. So, just for kicks we ran a test on the girl and found traces of semen in her vagina. Forensics matched the DNA to you guessed it...Mr. Sterling."
I examined the pictures for a moment, in plain disgust not sure how to process everything.
"So what, we've got a killer out there targeting sexual deviants?"
"It's too early too tell. This guy might be targeting kids at random" he said, placing the pictures back in the folder "but I'd bet whoever it is, is just getting started."
I don't know why I was so shocked, it's not like I was expecting anything less. I guess in my gut I was holding out for something else, praying that it was an isolated incident. In this line of work, that'd be far too easy.
"Now, I'd assume since this is your first day back that you're up for a challenge...not that you have much of a choice...and maybe when this is closed and you're nice and warmed up, you can trade in that drunken ass of yours for an actual reputation." Michaels pushed the tan folder closer to my chest.
"Thank you Sir."
We exchanged a quick glance of understanding once I grabbed the folder, which Roy stole out of my hands.
"Oh, and uh, one more thing, I'm sticking you with Detective Welch for the time being. Seeing as all my other officers have already taken their assignments, Roy's the only body here left without one...well for the sake of honesty he requested the case alone, but seeing as I enjoy seeing the two of you work so well together, I think I'll just make you partners. I trust that won't be an issue for you."
Fuck...
"Of course not." A simple lie and Michaels knew it. In fact he probably got off on it. Not in a homosexual kind of way, God I hoped not, more in the way of a bully forcing his hand and knowing you won't do anything to stop it.
"You hear that?" Roy began, "we're gonna be spending a lot of time together, just the two of us, and just so you know, mano e mono. So you'd better find whatever you've got shoved up your ass and wash it good before I pull it out myself. And trust me Cole, you won't like how I do it."
"Anywhere special you want it after I'm done?"
"I'll mark the tally on the board, one for you." Roy even made the finger gesture in the air. Much to my distaste, it wasn't his index finger.
I smirked.
"There will be a time for shit talking later, but right now the two of you have a job to do. So you'd better find a way to get over whatever the fuck you have against each other and catch this bastard before he kills more of these scumbags. Close it fast, or it's going to be your ass."
The eye contact made after that statement was more damaging than any vocal assault could do. Roy and I both left our seats and made our way to the door without saying another word, although our exchange was far from professional. If our Captain wasn't present, we'd have a throw down before we left the office. One thing was for sure, I didn't know what was more plausible; finding the killer, or Roy and I solving the case without becoming killers ourselves.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
