McKinley Park

Ben pulled his car back onto their street and drove past his driveway to pull into Rachel’s driveway.

“Wait, I’m not ready to go home. My sister is staying over and I know if I walk in now, it will be chaos. She is having her house painted. She has her kids and my kids tonight. They were at Super Dawg when you showed up.”

Ben laughed.

“Okay, how about mine then?”

“Good choice, I don’t think we are in any shape to go out anywhere public.” Rachel picked at the skirt of her wet dress.

Ben pulled the car around the block and came back around parking the car in his driveway.

“Will your sister notice the car here?”

“I doubt it. She doesn’t know exactly where you live.”

He unlocked the front door and let her in first as he switched on the light next to him. His house was very similar to hers, just much smaller. There was a staircase in front of her, and the living room was off to the left, with the kitchen behind it. His house did not have a dining room and was more open than hers.

“I’ve always wondered what the inside of this house looked like.”

“Would you like to see it?”

“Sure if you don’t mind. I don’t want to be nosey.”

“You’re not. Hold on.”

Ben walked back towards the kitchen as Rachel took a step into the living room to watch him. The room had a couch, coffee table and television in it but not much else. The place needed a woman’s touch. There was a painting on the wall of a river. She walked over to look at it. As she looked at it, she felt something fuzzy on her leg. She looked down to see Felix wrapping around her leg, his back up against her as he purred. She bent down to pet the orange striped cat.

“Ah, that’s Felix. He’s normally pretty skittish.”

Rachel looked up and smiled.

“He’s sweet.”

“It’s an act.” Ben laughed as he handed Rachel a fluffy white towel.

She began to dry her hair.

“You don’t strike me as a cat person.”

“More of a dog person?”

“Not a pet person.”

“Good call. I’m really not but I brought this guy home one night as somewhere temporary and he stayed.”

“That sounds like a fun story, maybe?”

“Um.”

“Okay?” Rachel laughed.

“No, it isn’t so bad. I found him left behind at a crime scene. It was late and he was friendly. I couldn’t just leave him there. I had planned to take him to the shelter in the morning but every shelter I tried was full, so he just stayed here with me. We get along alright.”

“Well, he looks very happy here.”

Rachel took off his suit jacket and laid it over the couch. Her dress had dried mostly, once again hiding her body underneath.

“Would you like something to drink or a change of clothes?”

“I’ll have a cup of coffee if it’s not too much trouble?”

“Not at all.”

She followed Ben into the kitchen. It had tall ceilings and was larger than her kitchen. There were two massive windows at the back. He set the coffee pot to brew.

“Would you like to see the house?”

“Sure.”

Ben showed her the downstairs, powder room, laundry room, kitchen and living room on the ground floor before they headed upstairs. He took her upstairs to his home office at the back of the house, over the kitchen. She was mesmerized by the large built-in bookcases filled with books.

“You read a lot?”

“I do.”

“Me too. I would have loved to have had shelves like this in my house.”

She turned and looked at him. There was something in the way she looked at him, that he knew she wanted to be kissed. He didn’t want to miss the signal but he didn’t want to frighten her either. He took a step towards her and she did not retreat. He closed the gap between them as he wrapped his arms around her small waist.

“Is that a record player?” She pointed to the corner.

He turned to look.

“Yeah, I am kind of a vinyl nut.”

“Really? What album is your favorite?

Her question intrigued him. He pulled out of her embrace and went over to the large closet. He opened the door and turned on the light from the pull cord that hung above. The small closet was lined with vinyl albums. She could see him searching his collection.

“Don’t look. Can you guess the artist?” He said as he pulled the record out of the sleeve.

She liked seeing his playful side. He lifted the lid on the record player and set it onto the turntable. He put the needle down and she listened to that familiar popping noise, one only heard on a vinyl record. The music started to fill the room. It had a gospel sound to it, and a blues sound to it at the same time. A woman’s voice sang out,” I’m loving you more..” Rachel listened, she knew the voice but couldn’t place it.

“Um, is it..?”She stopped afraid she might get it wrong.

“Go ahead, take a guess.” Ben coaxed.

“Is it,” she paused again, Is it Etta James?”

“Bingo! Well done. This is an original pressing. They just don’t make singers like this.”

She crossed the room and reached her hand out.

“Well then, let’s do Ms. James the honor she deserves.”

Ben took Rachel into his arms again as the two of them began to dance in the middle of the office. Both of them were still damp and the smell of the coffee downstairs wafted up through the house. Rachel put her head on Ben’s chest. They felt like they were the only two people in the world, dancing up in his office. She looked up at him and Ben couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and kissed her. He had to have that soft full, bottom lip on his. She kissed him back, as her tongue caressed his, Ben was nervous that she would feel his arousal through his pants. They swayed to the music and kissed. Their kisses became needier, Ben hoped this would happen, he wanted her naked in his arms. He wanted to hold her. Soon they were breathless, as the record played on in the background.

“Ben.”

He kissed down her neck. She leaned her head back.

“Ben.”

He stopped.

“Do we need to stop?”

“I just need a minute to freshen up.”

He kissed her again, the taste of her mouth was addictive. She pulled away gently, remembering that the bathroom was at the top of the stairs. She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Ben walked quickly into his bedroom, pulling the blankets back over the bed. He never made his bed before work. He shooed Felix off of the end as he straightened the pillows and made sure the nightstands were clean. As he finished picking up the few pieces of dirty laundry, he realized that Rachel was taking a long time. He wasn’t sure if he should check on her, he didn’t want to seem overly eager. He stood in the middle of his bedroom, unsure of what to do. He turned at the noise of the bathroom door opening. Rachel walked into his bedroom.

“Ben,” she took a deep breath, “I’m nervous.”

He crossed the room.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to. I.. It’s…Can we please turn the lights out? I think that will make it easier.”

“We can do whatever you like. Rachel we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do want to. I am just a little nervous.”

“It’s okay to be nervous. If I am being honest, I am a little nervous myself.”

“Really?”

Ben smiled and walked over to her. She reached out for him, the noise of the record still playing in the background. He wrapped one arm around her and switched off the light on the switch on the wall. She wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you.” She said softly.

“Why don’t we lay down, we can lay next to each other?”

“Ben, I want to do more than lay next to you.” He could hear the playful tone in her voice.

He led her to the bed and he climbed on first holding his hands out for her. She climbed on top of the bed. Both of them still on their knees on top of the bed, grabbed on to each other. Ben pulled her close with one hand and ran his other hand through her hair. It was softer than silk and had a slight wave to it from drying from the rain. Rachel laid down with her back on the bed and pulled Ben on top of her. She opened her legs and Ben laid his body between them as his mouth found her’s in the dark. There was something that told him, he needed to take it slow with her, he could feel it, even though his body was saying the opposite.

Rachel reached between them and undid the buttons that opened the dress across her chest. Ben reached down with one hand, the skin of his hand caressing over her bra. He wanted to desperately for her to remove it but he was trying to be restrained.

“You are so beautiful.” He whispered in her ear.

He kissed her ear and then her neck, as she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. She ran her fingers through is thick dark hair. He kissed her collarbone and slowly kissed his way down her chest. He found the mound of her nipple through the simple silk fabric of the bra and took it into his mouth. He heard her moan in pleasure as his tongue swirled over it.

“Hold on.” She said breathless.

She reached down and opened the clasp that sat between her breasts, the two cups falling to the sides and her beautiful breasts slipped forth. Ben took one into his hand as he cupped the other and took the nipple back into his mouth. She moaned again, this time deeper, her thigh rose up at his side. He moved his other hand from her breast to her leg that was moving. He cupped it at the back of the leg and proceeded to run his hand up the outside of her thigh.  Her body tensed, not in a good way. She pulled his hand away from her leg. He stopped right away.

“What’s wrong? Do we need to stop?”

“I don’t like to be touched there.”

“Okay.”

“I.. I have poison ivy in a few patches from the boys.” She said.

Ben had been a detective long enough to spot a lame lie when he heard one. He didn’t call her out on it. He knew she had a reason, and whatever it was was good enough for him.

“Okay.” He leaned down and kissed her again, getting lost with the movement of her tongue.

Her body was still tense, he knew something was off, something wasn’t right.

“Rachel?” His voice was soft. “Do you want to stop?”

“No.” Her voice said no but her body disagreed.

He reached his hands back up near her face and took it into his hands as he kissed her again. She pulled away from his mouth.

“Ben, actually, I think…Can we stop?”

“Of course.”

Ben stopped kissing her and looked her in the eye, the whites of them shining in the dark room. He could see the glisten of tears in her eyes from the streetlamp light that came in through the window. As long as he lived he didn’t want to be the one to put tears there. He rolled off of her and laid down next to her. He felt her start to get up.

“Rachel, honey wait.”

She stopped.

“Just lay here with me. I promise I am not asking for anything more. I just want to hold you, if it is okay with you?”

She paused and then laid down next to him.

“I need to stay on my back.” She said.

“Whatever is most comfortable for you. You don’t have to lay here either if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s been a long time since I have been held.”

“Now that is a crime, a woman as beautiful as you. Trust me I am a detective.”

He felt her laugh as he wrapped his arm around her, the other tucked under his head. She smelled incredible as he snuggled up close. She wrapped her arms around his, as she laid looking up at the ceiling. She tilted her heard towards Ben as he kissed the side of it, inhaling her scent as he did. Together they fell asleep in his bed.

Ben woke to movement in his bed, he heard whimpering. He had forgotten Rachel was in his bed, still in his arms. He could feel her body shake. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. Her face was twisted in fear, still asleep, but still so full of fear. He looked at it and wondered who could hurt such a beautiful woman. He wanted to rip open that report in his desk drawer. What had that son of a bitch done to her, he wondered. She whimpered, the noise was like a stab to his heart. He kissed the top of her forehead to wake her. Her body tensed instantly, and he regretted that choice of action to wake her.

“Rachel, honey, wake up. You’re safe.” Ben said gently.

She didn’t wake, her body still filled with the chemical reaction terror produced.

“Rachel, wake up, you’re safe.”

Her eyes shot open and she pushed his arm away from her in a violent motion.

“Rachel it’s okay, you are safe,” Ben said as he sat up.

She sat up as well, trying to make sense of where she was. He watched her gain recognition and remember. She reached out for him and hugged him, hard.

“Honey are you okay? I think you were having a nightmare.”

She didn’t say anything but still clung to him.

After a minute she let go slowly.

“I’m sorry. That happens sometimes. I’m embarrassed. I feel like one of my kids.”

“Don’t be. I get them too, it’s the nature of the job.”

“I bet. Thank you for being so kind. What time is it?”

Ben looked over at the clock on his nightstand.

“It’s 2:46”

“Oh my God, my sister has to be worried sick. I should go.”

“You are more than welcome to stay.”

“That’s sweet but I should go. I want to be home when the boys wake up.”

“Okay. I’ll walk you.”

“It’s only across the street.”

“There are a lot of sickos out there.” He regretted bringing that up.

“You’re right about that.”

She got up out of the bed, the room still dark with just enough room to see where she was going. Ben was grateful for the darkness as his cock was ready to burst through his pants. It seemed just being in the same room with her this evening did that to him. The darkness let him hide it. They made their way out of his house and across the street. He walked her up the stairs to her front door. She turned and wrapped her hands around his neck.

“Thank you for tonight.” She leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was sweet and sensual at the same time. It was almost painful to let her out of his arms as she pulled away and turned towards the door.

“Rachel, his voice low, “let’s do this again.”

“Okay,” she said, he could hear the smile in her voice. She kissed his cheek and then went inside, closing the door quietly behind her. Ben seemed to float off of her front porch.

By the time they got Jim in an interrogation room, his lawyer sat next to him.

“Look, Jim, I just want to know who asked you to record Ashley Jensen.”

“My client can’t answer that. He doesn’t know. He has told you that multiple times. Now, why are we really here? Are you charging my client?”

“Why don’t you let your client answer his own questions? Jim if the tapes weren’t for you, then who were they for?”

Both men across the table stayed silent, waiting each other out.

“Are you charging him or not?” The layer asked finally breaking the silence.

“Well, we found enough drugs in the office packaged to sell it. So yeah, we are charging him. Possession, and intent to sell for now, but I am certain there are more charges coming. Like illegal gambling.”

“You have no proof for any of that. Furthermore, did you have a warrant to enter my client’s place of business?”

“We were invited in by Rae Lynn. My partner found the drugs on her desk. Sitting out in the open.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?”

“Yeah, how do we know you didn’t plant the drugs yourself, Detective?” Jim interjected.

The attorney put his arm up to shut Jim up. Jim turned and looked at the man, who stared hard back at him. Jim sulked down in the chair.

“You have no proof of illegal gambling. Videotapes, audio recordings, surveillance of any kind, sworn testimony, other than from a convicted felon, whose word is garbage anyway. You’ve got nothing detective.

“ You don’t know who I have talked to.  I do have a player who sat in one of these games, and this player is credible, Ben bluffed. He knew Stephen Duke wasn’t what a jury would consider a credible witness, but he pressed on anyway. The woman your client had recorded is dead. If she wasn’t recording someone against their knowledge and consent is against the law. If it wasn’t your client, it was someone at that game or associated with it.  Jim, who was at the game then? Who  asked you to record Ashley?”

Before the attorney could respond, he heard a knock on the door. Ben got up and answered it. Chief Signari signaled for Ben to step out of the interrogation room. There were two men in suits in the hallway. Ben knew by the look of them, who they were.

“Ben, this is Agent Larger and Agent Yee from the FBI. Gentlemen, this is Detective Carter.”

“Hi.”

“We aren’t charging Jim Danwood. He is free to go.” The Chief Signai said.

“He’s under investigation for a whole slew of federal charges Detective Carter. We need him.”

“ What? This guy knows more than he is telling us about a serial killer who is brutally raping and killing women in this city. Right now he is our only solid lead.”

“Can you prove it?” Agent Yee asked.

Ben grew angry, his face grew red as his fingernails dug into his palms from clenching his fists so tightly.

“I know this guy is the key to this case. I just need more time with him. I am sick and tired of picking up his victims who have been discarded like trash on the side of the highway. Look we won’t charge him, but we can still question him.”

“No, if his lawyer learns you aren’t charging him, they’re going to walk. Can we charge him with something small, just to slow him down, buy us some more time without jeopardizing your investigation?” Marty asked.

“I am sorry, no. You need to cut them loose, the both of them.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ben asked, the annoyance thick in his voice. “We have been searching for this maniac for three months now, this is the first bit of evidence that we have, and you are telling me that I can’t question the guy connected with it? You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Ben calm down.” The Chief said. “You know this is how this works.”

“Look we tried to get down here as soon as we could once we heard you’d picked him up. There is more at stake here than a trumped up drug charge.”

“Hell yes, there is, the lives of the women of this city. Drug charges aside, I just need this guy to talk about who asked him to record one of my victims. I am betting our guy was at this poker game Danwood runs.”

“Sorry man, you can’t go digging into the gaming. We have been building a case for more than two years around this game. You have to walk away.”

“This is bullshit!”

“Ben! Take a walk, go cool down.” The Chief said.

Ben knew the chief wasn’t asking.  Ben walked out of the hallway where the five men in the conversation had stood, he had to get out of there. He turned around and walked back in.

“What about Rae? Is she off limits too?”

“Yes. Walk away from this Carter. We aren’t asking. You are going to blow two years worth of work here.”

“You tell that to the families of these women! Danwood knows more than he’s saying. We can make a connection from Danwood to the last victim.”

“I am sorry, I really am but you are going to have to leave Danwood and Rae alone, period.”

“This is Bullshit!”

Ben walked out of the station,  he had to cool down, he had to walk away from the first solid lead he had at that ate at who he was as a person.  He needed to think, there had to be another way to get this information. He paced down the sidewalk thinking.  Stephen Duke, he needed to talk to Duke. He pulled out his phone and dialed his number. The phone rang and went to voicemail. He tried again.

The phone rang as he drove down Halstead towards Pilsen where Duke lived. Ben expected it to be Marty wondering where the hell Ben had gone. He looked at the number but did not immediately recognize it. He answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hello.”

He recognized the voice and started to speak when the car next to him veered into his lane.

“Shit!” He yelled as he veered my car over into the other lane, dropping his phone.

“Hello? It’s Rachel. I am sorry did I catch you at a bad time? Hello Ben? Are you there?”

He pulled his car back into my lane and picked his phone up off of the seat.

“Hello, Ben? Are you okay?”

“Hi, Rachel. Sorry.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I am glad you called.”

She let out a deep breath, “why is this so hard?”

There was an award pause.

“Would you like to go to a movie and maybe dinner sometime?”

“I would love to. When would you like to go?”

“Do you have plans on Tuesday?”

“Tuesday would be perfect. How about 7 pm?”

“Okay. I’ve been thinking  about this and I really want to give this another try, if you are want to?”

“I would like that very much.”

“Okay, Tuesday then. I will see you then.”

“Hey, Rachel?

“What?”

“I am really glad you called.”

“Me too. Bye Ben.”

“Bye.”

Ben hung up his phone and set it on the seat next to him. He loved the sound of his name spoken by her.  He wondered what prompted her to call as he parked his car on the street, a block away from Duke’s house.

He got out of the car and checking out his surroundings this part of Pilsen was still rough. It was after dark now. He walked to Duke’s place, walking up the set of cement steps. He rang the bell twice before an older Hispanic came over and opened the door.

“Can I help you?” She asked, her accent thick.

“Hello, I am looking for Stephen Duke, is he in?”

She eyed me, wondering who I was.

“He’s not here.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“Are you a cop? Why do you want to know?”

“Actually I am, I am a detective. It is really important that I speak with Stephen.”

“He isn’t here. He has not been here in three days. His officer was here earlier looking for him too.”

“His Parole officer?”

“Yes.”

“My partner dropped him off last night, here.”

“I was home all night and didn’t see Stephen.”

“Are you saying he did not come home last night?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Do you have any idea where he might be? Where I might be able to find him?”

“No. He rents a room from me. It’s not like him not come home.”

“Look he isn’t in trouble, I just really need to speak to him. If you hear from him, will you please give him my card. It is very important.”

“I don’t think he is okay.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s not like him to not come home. He missed his check in with his Officer too. Stephen wouldn’t do that. He is working hard to be a good man, get his life right. And.. “ she paused.

“What?”

“Well it’s strange that’s all.”

“What is strange?”

“Everyone seems to be looking for him, worried about him, except for work. They haven’t called her once looking for Stephen. That just seems, odd to me.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Wednesday morning. Before he left for work he said, he’d be back in time for dinner and church. He always walks me to church on Wednesday nights.”

“Has there been anyone else that has come by to look for him?”

“Some guys came by yesterday afternoon, they said they were his friends, but I’ve never seen them before. Do you think something happened to him? I pray that he is okay.” She grabbed the silver cross on her necklace around her neck.

“I am sure he’s fine,” Ben said. “Please have him call me when he comes back.”

He knew Stephen wasn’t fine, it was no coincidence that his only link to the killer and his connection to taking down James Danwood was now missing. The lady closed the door and he turned back for the car. He pulled out his phone and called Marty, who picked up the phone almost instantly.

“Hey, where did you go?” Marty asked.

“To question Duke again. You dropped him off last night, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you see him go inside?”

“I didn’t stay and watch, why?”

“His landlady said he didn’t come home last night. I have tried to call him a couple of times today too, no answer. The landlady said his P.O. is looking for him too.”

“That’s not good.”

“No. How much do you want to bet Danwood knew Duke was talking to us and that’s why we can’t find him?”

“I’m not taking that bet. But I do have some good news, we’ve got a good looking list of players. While we can’t investigate the game or Danwood, this is a pretty nice list. As long as we are quiet about it, the Chief is going to look the other way.”

“That is good at least.”

“Hey while I am thinking about it can you run a check on a name for me?”

“Whatcha got?”

“Rhett Lawson.”

“Got a D.O.B?”

“No, but he was married to a Rachel Lawson. Previous address is 4458 Lilac Drive.”

“Lilac Drive as in your Lilac Drive? I take it this is off the record? What am I looking for here?”

“Assault, anything domestic.”

“Okay. Is this the girl you are dating? Rachel Lawson.”

“Yeah, the way she talks about her ex, it makes me wonder.”

“Shouldn’t you wait for her to tell you the story?”

Ben knew his partner was right, but his gut told him there was something dark to Rachel’s story.

McKinley Park

By Jacqueline Thomas

Chapter 6

 

They had the tapes and a rough list of who was at the poker game Duke played with. Duke was right, some of the men at the table were real movers and shakers in Chicago. He was right to wonder why they were playing cards in Jim Danwood’s garage. The whole thing reeked of organized crime. The killer had to be involved somehow, and Ben and Marty knew it. They just had to put the pieces together.

Marty and Ben left for the parking garage. Had they been one day later, all of the tapes for the month would have been deleted. They still used tapes, it had to be the last garage in the city that did. The garage only kept them for ninety days. The security guard was all too happy to have them out of his cramped office. Ben and Marty stashed the tapes in the trunk and left the car to go grab a beer across the street. It had been one hell of a day. They walked we passed a small music shop on their way to the bar. In the window stood a cherry-wood music stand. It looked like an antique. The legs were ornately carved with the shelf for the music, scrolled in elegant swirls. It made Ben think of Rachel. The shop had just closed but he could still see the owner inside.

“Hey Marty, you go ahead, I’ll be there in a sec.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, I want to buy that for a friend,” Ben said as he pointed at the stand in the window.

Marty shrugged his shoulders and walked on towards the bar.

Ben went up an knocked on the door.

“We’re closed.” The elderly gentleman said as he looked at me through the door.

He pulled out my badge, hoping it would work. It did. The old man came up to the door and unlocked it.

“How can I help you, Officer?”

“This isn’t police business, but I’ve been working a case all day and I forgot to buy a birthday present for a friend of mine, she would love the music stand in the window. Can I buy it?”

“Sure.”

The old man stood aside so Ben could come in and locked the door behind them.

“Does she play music?”

“Yes, the cello.”

“Beautiful instrument.”

He walked up to the window and pulled the stand out.

“It’s an antique, a real beauty. She’s one lucky girl.”

He set it in front of him, Ben thought it was more beautiful up close. He ran his fingers over the top of the smooth cherrywood.

“She must be a very special girl for such a lovely gift,” the man said as he rang up the tag for the stand.

“She is.”

The old man smiled.

“I may have a bow in the back.”

“Thanks.”

The old man rung up the stand.

“That will be $682.00. please.”

The price was way more than Ben had been expecting but it was the perfect gift for Rachel, today was her birthday after all. He paid the man and he went back to find a bow. The clerk came back a minute later with a large white satin bow. He handed it to Ben and said there was no charge for the bow. Ben thanked him and carried the stand out.

Three hours later Ben pulled into his driveway with the music stand in the back seat. It was late, too late to go knock on Rachel’s door. She had said the boys would be back and she had her sister’s kids tonight. The last thing he wanted to do was wake the whole house. He pulled the stand out of the back seat and carried it inside. Ben wanted to give it to her but he wasn’t quite sure how. They had chemistry last night, they both felt it. Something spooked her, maybe a memory. He wanted a relationship with her and he would go as slow as she needed me to. He decided to write her a note and attach it to the music stand. He would leave it on her porch. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Ben grabbed a piece of paper out of the printer and began to write a note on it. Frustrated, he crushed it up and decided to start again. He knew he had to play his hand carefully. Ben was lucky he had decent handwriting, had Marty written it, it would have been undecipherable. Ben looked down at his note and reread it, it said;

Rachel,

Happy Birthday. Something to inspire your music.

-Ben

Ben had wanted to say so much more but he didn’t want to come on too strong and frighten her. He folded the paper in half and slid it underneath the bow. He grabbed the stand and took it across the street tucking it far up on the porch so it wouldn’t be stolen.

Ben walked back across the street, fed the cat, took a shower and went to bed. It had been a long couple of days. Tomorrow would surely be longer. He slept hard that night, knowing that he had something to go on with the South Side Strangler case, he knew that asshole’s days were numbered, Ben would find him.

 

The sun streamed into his bedroom, shining on Ben’s face the next morning. He woke up and used the bathroom. As he got dressed he looked across the street and the music stand was still on the porch. He was glad it had not been stolen in the night. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was still early. The newspaper was still on the sidewalk in front of her house,  she had not been outside yet. He went downstairs and started the coffee maker as he looked through the bills that had been in yesterday’s mail. Ben peeked back across the street, no activity. He didn’t want to walk outside as she did, that felt weird.

Ben finished my coffee and fed the cat before he grabbed his keys. He couldn’t hang out any longer, he needed to get going. It was going to be a busy day. Ben petted Felix, “You’re in charge now buddy.” he joked.

Ben opened the door and saw Rachel standing on his porch. She jumped at the opening of the door.

“Good morning,” Ben said.

“Oh, you scared, me. I just wanted to come over and thank you for the beautiful present. It must have cost you a fortune.”

“You’re welcome, I saw it while I was out yesterday and thought it would have a good home with you.”

“It was very sweet, thank you.”

She turned to walk away.

“Rachel, wait. Do you have a second?”

She looked back towards the house.

“The boys are up and unsupervised, I really should get back.”

“Can I walk back with you?”

Her brown hair seemed to glow in the early morning sunlight. She was so beautiful. She smiled at his question.

“Sure.”

“I just wanted to say about the other night..”

She cut him off.

“Ugh, I am so embarrassed, I am sorry about that. I know that I led you on and I am sorry.”

She stopped walking as they reached her front steps.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I got your note. I am just going, to be honest, I really like you and if we can only be friends right now, that’s fine, I just like spending time with you.”

“That is really sweet. I enjoyed spending time with you too. Were you on your way somewhere? Do you have a second more to talk?”

He nodded. Ben really didn’t but he knew this might be his only chance with Rachel and he didn’t want to blow it.

“Okay, let me check on the boys and just wait here, okay?”

“Sure.”

She returned a minute later with two cups of coffee in her hand.

“I wasn’t sure if you are a coffee drinker.”

“I am.”

She handed him the mug.

“I just wanted to explain the other night.  I just..”

“You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“No, I do. I don’t want you to think it was something you did. My marriage with Rhett ended badly. It has taken me a long time to heal from that. I haven’t dated since. I am sorry if I freaked out on you. I am so embarrassed and angry with myself because I enjoyed our dinner together and I feel like I made a mess of it.”

“You didn’t at all. Life gets tricky sometimes. I’ll tell you what, you have an open invitation for dinner, or a movie or whatever you want when you are ready. I’d like to get to know you better, but you’re in the driver seat here. I will follow your lead. I don’t want you to feel any pressure from me.”

“Ben, that’s sweet. I would like to get together again. I don’t know if I am capable of being anything more than friends right now, though.”

“I could always use another friend.”

She put her hand over his and smiled. Her touch although delicate and soft felt like an electric charge. Ben looked down at her delicate hand and put his over her’s. He wanted to reach out and kiss her, but he knew he couldn’t. Something caught Ben’s eye and they both turned to look. They had been spotted by Laura, their neighbor, she quickly pulled her front curtain shut, at being spotted. Ben turned back to Rachel, both silently understanding that Laura was not happy with this scene.

“Mommy,” Luke came out onto the porch, his pajama shirt soaked through. “Mommy, I spilled the milk. It’s all everywhere and Tommy won’t help me clean it up.”

Rachel took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry Ben, I have to go.”

“Hi Luke.”

“Mr. Carter, do you have your gun today?” Luke’s face lit up.

“Yes, because I am a detective. I need it to catch the bad guys.”

Luke looked up at Rachel.

“A detective is a police officer who catches bad guys. We need to let Mr. Carter go to work.”

“Bye” Luke waved, “Get lots of bad guys today!”

Rachel waved as well. Ben turned and walked back towards my car. He turned around when he reached his car. Rachel was still watching him. Ben knew it was a good sign.

He walked into the station as Marty was giving updates to the others about the day’s work. They had a lot of people to question. Marty and Ben were going to go question Jim Danwood and Rae Lynn. Their fellow detectives were going to go talk to the poker players that had been at the game.

Forty minutes later Ben and Marty walked into Danwood Roofing. The door was locked but clearly, the office was open. Marty knocked on the door but no one came to answer. Ben looked at the business card taped to the door and dialed the number. They heard Rae Lynn’s desk phone ring. Watching through the door Marty and Ben saw the door to Jim’s office open. Rae Lynn stumbled out, as she quickly buttoned her blouse, and made her way to the phone.  Her lipstick was smeared and her hair was disheveled. She picked it up and Ben stepped completely in front of the door so she could see him. He noticed a trace white dust around her left nostril.

“Hello Danwood Roofing, how may I help you?” She answered as she wiped her nose with her hand.

“Hi Rae Lynn, it’s Detective Carter. Look up at your front door.”

“Oh, hello Detective. Hold on a sec.”

She put the receiver down and came over and unlocked the door. Marty and Ben stepped inside. There was a look of alarm in her face, although she tried to hide it. Ben had become good at spotting it, that look when the guilty realized the police had just shown up.

“How can I help you, Detective? Are you looking for Stephen? He doesn’t work here anymore. He quit last night. Thank you for whatever you said to him that made him leave.”

“We actually wanted to talk to your boss.”

“Jim?”

“Yes is he in?”

“Um… let me see if he’s in a meeting.”

She walked quickly back into the office and shut the door behind her. Ben glanced back at Marty. They heard quick movement coming from within the office. Ben looked back at Marty again then he walked towards the door. He opened the door as Rae Lynn and Jim froze. Looking at both of them, they appeared to be high. It was Ben’s lucky day.

“Detective Carter, how many times do I have to tell you. I don’t know anything about no fucking tapes.” He whined with frustration.

Ben walked towards the desk. He ran his finger over the white Formica top and looked at his fingertip covered in white dust.

“That’s not mine!” Rae Lynn blurted out.

Jim grabbed her arm, to shut her up.

“Detective, I want you to leave my premises. I didn’t invite you in.”

Ben had just started to speak when he heard Marty walk in behind him.

“Looks like you all are selling more than roofs here.” He held up several small bags with white powder in them.

“You can call  your lawyer from the station.”

Marty and Ben cuffed both of them and brought them both into the station.

Ben walked back into the station, his shoulder back in its socket. He was in a hurry to get back to question Stephen Duke. He knew that Marty would do a good job, but he needed to be there. He wanted to look Duke in the eye as he questioned him. He noticed the interrogation room was still in use, a good sign. Marty’s signature was the last on the room sheet so he still had Duke in there.

Ben knocked and waited before I entered. Marty came to the door and cracked it to see who was there.

“How’s it going?”

Marty stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

“I’ve got nothing. We are running his alibi now. He says he was at Smithy’s Bar in Pilsen the whole night Ashely was killed.”

“Shit. Lots of witnesses to see him.”

“Yeah. I sent two rookies over there to see if the place has cameras, ask around.. Let’s see if his alibi checks out. You want to have a go? See if you can get anything out of him? I know this guy’s involved somehow, I can feel it.”

“Yeah.”

Ben stepped into the room, closing the door behind himself while Marty stepped out. The air in the small white room was stale. Duke was seated across the table.  Ben walked towards the chair where Marty had sat, as Duke spoke up.

“Look I told you guys, I don’t no nothing about some dead girl. I was at Smithy’s on the 14^th. The whole night. You got the wrong guy. Now can I get the hell out of here?”

“Just a couple of questions, and we’ll get you on your way man. Do you want something to drink?”

Ben knew Marty wouldn’t have mentioned Ashley Benson, the fact that he brought up the topic of a “dead girl” piqued his interest.

“So the Skokie roofing job?”

“What about it, just another fucking roof.”

“Did it go well, I mean was it an easy job?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?”

Ben sat quietly and waited.

“I already told the other cop that I don’t remember that job, they all blend together.”

“The guys on your crew remember it, they said the residents were a real pain in the ass, complaining about the noise.”

Duke looked down at his hands and began to pick at a callous.

Ben continued.

“I mean re-roofing a row of townhomes is going to be loud. There’s no way around it. What did the people expect?”

Silence still. Ben decided to change tactics.

“Well here is the deal, Stephen, something awful happened to one of the residents of those townhomes. We know you have a record. This isn’t looking so good for you. Tell us what we want to know and we will let you go, clam up and I am sure I won’t have to dig far to make sure you end up back in prison. Maybe a phone call to your parole officer?”

Duke continued to peel the callous on his hand.

“Fine Duke, enjoy life on the inside again. No skin off of my nose.”

Ben stood up to walk out of the room. As he heard a low murmur, he couldn’t make it out.

“What was that?”

“I didn’t kill her.”

“Who?”

“The chick from Skokie.”

“I never said it was a woman. You want to tell me what you do know? Because let’s assume for a minute, that it was a woman, with your record you don’t stand a chance for not going down for this.”

“You should be talking to Jim and Rae Lynn, at the shop, they’re the ones breaking the law. All sorts of shit,  gaming, running drugs, maybe they killed her.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah like I said, I didn’t kill her. She was nice to us guys.”

“So you talked to her?”

“Look, if Jim knows I outed him, I am history, man. You guys gotta protect me or something.”

“Well give me something real and I will see what I can do.”

“Bullshit.”

“You already outed them, so you just are just going to have to trust me.”

“Trust a cop?  Duke exhaled a long jagged breath. Man, can I have a cigarette?”

“Sure,” Ben tossed a pack across the table along with a lighter.

He didn’t smoke but kept them on hand for things like this. He noticed Duke’s handshake as the man across the table lit the cigarette. Was it nerves, or withdrawn from alcohol or nicotine Ben wondered. Duke took a long drag of the cigarette. Ben pushed Marty’s cold coffee towards him to use as an ashtray, as he sat silently and waited. Duke sat quietly and smoked, the air in the room oozed with tension and second-hand smoke. Ben had become accustomed to the tension, most people would speak to break it, and Ben knew Duke would. He took one last long drag of the cigarette and dropped it into Marty’s coffee, the sizzle of the ash meeting the cold coffee, filling the room with noise.

“So Jim and Rae run this poker game. Usually, it’s nothing special, but a lot of money and a lot of business goes on. So one night Jim asks me to sit in. Normally us guys don’t really sit in. This is kind of a high roller thing. I am a decent player so I figured why not. They hold the games in the garage at the shop twice a month, it’s an invitation only thing. I thought it was cool that he asked me, so I decided to go and see what it was about.

It was a normal poker game for the most part. I had an okay time and I held my own in the game. The other guys who play are like bankers and shit. I don’t know why the hell they play with Jim, but whatever.  This game came down to one hand. Just me and another guy. Anyway, this guy, cheated his way through our last hand, I still can’t figure out how he did it, but I know he did. I lost, I didn’t have that kind of money. These guys may wear suits and look all proper, but they’ll take you out back and beat the shit out of you or worse if you don’t pay up. I tried not to fucking panic, I knew I had no business at that table. Just then Jim walks up, and put his hand on my shoulder, real weird, and says he’ll stake me. I was shocked, Jim is not a generous guy. After the game ended, Jim said he’d take it out of my checks, and I thought, great, this will take years to pay off. How could I have been so fucking stupid? About a week later, Jim and Rae call me into the office and Jim says if I do him a favor that he’ll erase the debt. We’re talking a shit-ton of money here, so I sat and listened. He said he needed me to put a camera up in the attic in Skokie, in an air duct. He wants it up in the bathroom upstairs, in the house of the cute blonde girl. Look, I know it was a really, stupid, fucking thing to do, but I thought it was just a camera, no one was going to get hurt. So, I took the camera from Jim and went back to Skokie. I went up through a neighbor’s attic. I told them I had to check and make sure I didn’t leave some tools behind. I put the camera where I was instructed and got the hell out of there. I didn’t want any part of what was going on. Look, I know it was against the law but I didn’t kill her, I swear to God.”

“Did Jim say who the footage was for?”

“No, I didn’t ask either. Seemed like he was making good on a favor himself.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well for one, Rae was in the room when he told me to do it. Jim’s wife is a real bitch, he and Rae got a thing going on. He wouldn’t be filming another chick and tell me to go do it front of Rae. She wouldn’t stand for that shit. Anyway about a week later he asked me to go get the camera. So I snuck in during the day and grabbed and brought it back to Jim. Two days later Jim says he needs another favor, this time he’ll pay me for it. He tells me to take the tapes that he made of the chick to the parking garage in the Loop. I had to leave them in this garage. I left them late, like the middle of the night. I thought it was weird, but money is money. So I took them to the garage and left them. That was the end of it, I swear to God. If Jim knows, I talked, man I am dead. I may be a piece of shit but I never touched the chick from Skokie, you have to believe me.”

“How much did he pay you for this chore?”

“Two grand, cash. Look, I really needed the money. I swear I didn’t know anyone was going to get hurt!”

“Can you tell me where the garage is and when you left the tapes?”

“It’s off of Wacker, a couple blocks South of the River. I left them.. like mid-May. I don’t know the exact date.”

“If I got you a map could you find the garage?”

“Yeah.”

“Did Jim ask you to do anything else?”

“No, but you gotta hide me, man.”

“We are going to do some digging around, if your story works out, I won’t leave you to hang.”

He pulled his phone up and pulled up a map of Wacker Dr., Duke pointed to the garage right away. The Day Park on Wacker, he was sure of it.

Ben stood on his porch and looked across the street. This was not how he has wanted last night to go. He liked Rachel and wanted to know her better. He wanted to know what triggered her reaction to him last night. He turned and pulled the mail out of the box from the day before. As he sorted through his mail he heard footsteps, He silently prayed it was Rachel and was disappointed when he looked up to see it, Laura. It was the wrong woman.

“Good morning Ben, how are you? You look like you had a rough night. Want to come over for some coffee and maybe breakfast?”

“Hi, thanks, that sounds nice but I have to get going this morning”

“Well, the offer stands anytime.”

“Thank you, Laura.”

Laura did her best to give a flirtatious smile as she bent forward slightly, making sure to show her ample cleavage. Ben’s phone rang, and he was grateful for the out. He didn’t care if it was even a telemarketer, he’d buy whatever the fucker was selling just to get out of the conversation.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this, work.”

Laura waved a wave of defeat and turned back towards her house. Ben had no idea who was calling but answered anyway.

“Ben Carter.”

“Ben we got a break. You were right, the insulation was recently replaced in the attic. There have been about a dozen tradesmen through that attic. Remember that big storm back in May, the one where we got stuck on the expressway?”

“Yeah.”

“It took part of Ashley’s roof off. Eat your Wheaties brother, we have a long day ahead of us.”

“I am on my way in.”

Ben hung up the call and stepped back inside to put the mail down in the hallway. He grabbed his keys and started off to his car in the driveway. He stopped before he got in and looked again at Rachel’s. He wanted to go over and talk to her, but he still wasn’t even sure what he’d even say. He got into his car and pulled away.

He walked into the station in a flurry of activity, everyone so hopeful that they had finally had a real clue to the catch the South Side Strangler. Ben spotted Marty sitting at his desk and walked up.

“Where are we?”

“You look like shit, rough night?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to talk about.”

“Okay. We have the name of the roofing company and the contractors. We have reached out and are looking for staff rosters. Danwood Roofing had the job. Want to take a ride over there?’

“Yeah, let’s go.”

A half- hour later they pulled up to Danwood Roofing. The only thing that singled they were in the right spot was the poorly signed door. The last office in a large industrial complex, Ben parked the car in front of the overhead garage door where all of the vans were parked inside. He wanted to slow down getting that morning’s crews out, hoping to keep the crews at the office as long as he could. Both men were almost to the front door of the office when a heavyset redhead came out of the office.

“You can’t park your car there. The cops will tow ya.”

“Good morning Ma’am we are the cops.” Ben flashed his badge. “Is your boss in?”

“Yeah, he’s in.”

She turned back in towards the office, Ben and Marty two steps behind her.

“Jim the cops are here. They want to talk to you?”

“About what?” Jim Danwood shouted from his office, not bothering to get up out of his office.

“I don’t know.”

Ben pointed towards the office door and the woman nodded. Jim met the detectives in the doorway of his office.

“What can I do for you?”

“Hello I am detective Ben Carter and this is Martin Frank from Chicago PD.  We have a couple of questions for you.”

“For me or one of my guys?”

“Can you tell me about the job on Skokie Place, a row of townhomes, that had their roof blown off earlier this spring.”

“That was us. What do you want to know?”

“Do you have a list of guys that worked the job? Do any of those guys have a record?”

“You got a warrant?”

“This is just a friendly visit right now, we can come back with one if you’d like?”

“Detectives, I run a roofing business a lot of these guys don’t stick around and a lot of them have a record. I don’t put up with any of that shit while they’re on the payroll. I got a business reputation to think of here. They stay on the right side of the law, they have a job. If they cross that line they’re out of here.”

“Look, we can try to keep this as quiet as possible, just give us a list of guys and we can go. If you make us come back with a warrant, it won’t be quiet.”

“Fine. Rae Lynn, will you print a staff list from the Skokie Place job?” He shouted out to the front desk.

“Thank you. Do you know if any of these guys have a prior for assault?”

Jim Danwood looked at the detectives with a sarcastic look.

“How about sexual assault?”

“No, no sexual assault, that I know of. I don’t hire pedos.”

“Anything out of the ordinary with any of the guys who worked that job?”

“No.”

Rae Lynn popped her head in the door of the shabby back office.

“Here’s your list. Jim, you have a call from Wanda on line one.”

Jim nodded to hand the detective the list as he reached for his phone.

Everyone walked out of Jim’s office as Rae Lynn closed the door behind them.

Ben looked down at the list. Twelve names.

“Ma’am is there any way you can email me this list?”

“Yeah sure. Is anyone in trouble?”

“We don’t know that yet. Are any of these guys still here?”

“Let me look.”

She walked through the door to the large garage bays that housed the trucks and roofing equipment and returned quickly.

“Everyone is out already. Do you want to tell me what you are looking for or who you are looking for? I am the one who really runs this office.”

“We are looking into the guys that replaced the roof on a block of townhomes on Skokie place earlier this summer. Do you know if any of those guys have a record?”

“Stephen Duke does. He’s a real sleazeball but he shows up so Jim keeps signing his check.”

“Yeah, what makes you say that?”

“He’s got a record, hates women and just generally, well, he’s an asshole. He spits in the office constantly, it drives me nuts. A lot of these guys are rough around the edges but, Stephen is practically feral. I wouldn’t shed a tear if he didn’t work here anymore.”

“Has he ever threatened you in any way?”

“You mean more than his attitude? Yeah only once. He was pissed that checks were late. He laid into me but he didn’t touch me or break anything. Jim talked to him and told him if it ever happened again, that he was done.”

“Jim a good guy to work for?”

“Yeah, he pays me well and treats me well. He also makes sure the guys treat me well. I treat him well in return. His wife is a money hungry bitch, but you didn’t hear it from me. Jim is usually out of the office so he usually leaves the running of the business to me. Anyway, I’d start with Stephen Duke.”

“Thanks, Rae Lynn, that is helpful. Do you know where we could find this prince charming?”

“Let me look in the computer.”

“He’s in the city today on a job, let me look Ravenswood Avenue. 1239. They’ll be there all day.”

“Thank you very much.”

Ben and Martin walked out as Ben folded the list in half and handed it to Martin.

“Let’s get this list to the station and have them start running checks on these guys, then head up to your neck of the woods, Ben.”

Forty-five minutes later they walked into 1239 Ravenswood Avenue, a large home that was in the process of being completely gutted and redone. The front door had been left open for construction crews to come in and out as they needed to. They made their way up to the top floor where the guys were having a smoke break, they stopped on the top landing of the stairs, as the crew of six were hanging around.

“We’ve got their permits man, they’re on the window in front.” A tall blonde man said as the group noticed Ben and Marty’s intrusion.

“We aren’t inspectors. We are detectives from Chicago PD. We wanted to ask a couple questions about the Skokie Place job.”

“What do you want to know?” another tall man, tanned by the sun in a sleeveless shirt asked.

“Anything out of the ordinary about the job?”

They all remained silent.

“Anybody talk to any of the residents?”

“Yeah, we talked to them plenty. Rich assholes, they complained constantly that we were too loud. Roofing is not quiet.” A Hispanic man said.

“Any residents more troublesome than any other?”

“Why do you want to know?” The  a different man in the corner asked. “Someone end up dead or something?”

“Because we want to know. What is your name sir?”

“Thomas Hansen.”

“Do you have some I.D? All of you?”

The tension in the small hallway shot up. As Ben studied the faces he realized that a lot of these guys were probably in the country illegally.

“We aren’t INS. We just need to see I.D’s. We get that you guys are working hard to feed your families.”

Everyone looked over at Thomas, who seemed to be the foreman for the job. He nodded as those who had documentation handed it over. Martin jotted down the names, noticing Stephen wasn’t there.

“Where is Stephen Duke?”

“He ran to the corner store to pick up some beer. He’ll be back any minute.”

“Jim let you guys drink on the job?”

“Hey man, we’re just trying to get through the day.”

“Just tell me some of you stay sober to drive the trucks.”

“Yeah.”

“We’ve gotta get back to work detectives. Come on, guys. You guys need anything else or can we get back to work?”

“When will Stephen be back?”

“Any minute, why do you want to talk to him?”

“Why not? He worked the job too. Did he talk to any of the residents at the Skokie Place job?”

“I don’t know man, that was back in May. Yeah probably, we all did. They weren’t the friendliest people.”

“Anything or any incident come to mind?”

“No, I really gotta get back to this.” He gestured to the roof.

“Sure, thanks for your time.”

Both detectives made their way out to the front porch. The houses in Ravenswood were large and old, many of them with large front porches. Ben lived two streets over, in the moderately priced section of the neighborhood, Ravenswood Avenue is where the pricier homes started. He walked over to the large swing on the porch. The porch reminded him of Rachel’s, her porch needed a big white wicker swing on it. He thought back to Rachel, how nice last night was until it wasn’t. He wasn’t put off by her reaction last night. He decided he was still going to try, he’d just take it very slow if she would be okay with it.

Martin had walked down the front porch and out onto the sidewalk as he watched Stephen Duke walk up.

Ben’s cell rang, as an officer at the station read off Duke’s record, including violent sexual assault. Ben hung up the phone and walked up to Martin as Stephen was approaching.

“Our guy has a record, violent sexual assault.”

Ben and Marty watched him come closer and saw the moment of realization that there were two cops waiting for him. He dropped the case of beer, one of the cans exploding beer on impact with the ground. Duke took off on foot in the opposite direction, away from Ben and Marty. The two detectives gave chase down the street. Stephen crossed the street as Ben ran out after him, between two parked cars on the street. As Ben ran out into the road, a car struck Ben knocking him on the ground. Marty stopped, looking back from the opposite side of the street and stepped back towards Ben.

“Follow him, I am fine.” Ben shouted.

The driver got out of their car. The older man was not driving fast, the impact had knocked Ben on his ass and knocked the wind out of him. He checked himself over, as he moved his shoulder pain radiated from the joint.

“Oh my God! Are you okay! Why were running in the street? You are lucky I didn’t kill you!”

Ben reached down and pulled his badge off his belt as he sat in the street. He lifted it to show it to the man who had been driving the car.

“You’re a cop! Hey, I am really sorry.”

Ben grabbed the front of the car and stood. His shoulder was out of socket for sure.

“Do I need to call an ambulance or something? I am really sorry officer.”

“Do you have some I.D. Sir?”

“Yes, of course, I have insurance too.”

The man fumbled for his wallet and handed it to Ben. Then fished around in the car and pulled out his proof of insurance.

Ben pulled his phone out, which luckily had not shattered in the incident and took snapshots of the documentation. He put his phone back and pulled out one of his cards and handed it to the driver.

“Are you sure you don’t need an ambulance or something? I could drive you to the hospital if you want?”

“No, I am okay. I will be in touch, paperwork stuff, nothing serious. You’re not in trouble, I just got knocked on my ass.”

“Are you sure, aren’t we supposed to call the cops, I mean.”

“I am the cops.”

“Okay, if you say it’s okay.” The man shrugged.

“I’m fine.”

“Your shoulder looks fucked up.”

“It’s just out of the socket. Please go on your way, sir.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Marty walking with Stephen Duke handcuffed.

“You okay?” Martin shouted.

“Yes.”

Martin put Stephen in the back of the car and shut the door as he walked over to Ben. The driver pulled away slowly.

“That shoulder looks gnarly. Looks like some road rash too..”

“Hurts like hell, I think I dislocated it.”

Marty slid into the driver’s seat as they drove to the station. Marty took him in while Ben went in search of aspirin for his shoulder. He knew he would have to have it looked at sooner rather than later, but he wanted to talk to Stephen Duke first.

Ben sat at his desk and checked his phone in hopes that maybe Rachel had called. He knew she didn’t but still held out hope. He opened his right-hand drawer and pulled out the white bottle of Motrin. He attempted to twist open the cap, wincing at the pain in his shoulder.

“He’s in the tank, you need to get that shoulder looked at?”

Normally, Ben would have powered through but this pain was on a whole other level. Angry, he put the bottle back on the desk without retrieving any medication from it. He couldn’t get the damn bottle open. He wanted to question Stephen Duke while he was still fresh. Marty looked at him, knowing what his partner was thinking.

“He’ll be here when you get back. You can count on that. I’ll get started and call if anything big pops up.”