Castleton

  Lacy's Coffee Shoppe and Radio Cafe

  Friday

  Noon

  "Hey, Detective Mackey!" Samuels says pressing his cellphone to one ear and holding his paper coffee cup with his free hand. "What can I do you for?"

  "Afternoon, Detective Samuels," James replies, slight disinterest in his voice.

  Detective Mackey is unable to hide his unhappiness at the strangeness of their present situation. What a twist of fate? He's the guy under investigation for possible homicide. And all because he foolishly responded to a phony dispatch call while off-duty. All it would've taken to avoid this crappy situation, was for him to have gone home to his doting wife and newborn son. Talk about majorly screwing things up. Then again, it's likely that whoever killed Evelyn Reardon had planned those events to coincide perfectly. Too perfectly. Whoever is involved in the murders of both Evelyn Reardon and Officer Melbourne has intimate details about his life, his habits, and the inner workings of the local police department. Samuels unofficially letting him remain on the case is a blessing in disguise. The mole is bound to reveal itself sooner or later.

  "Any news on your end, Mackey?" Samuels inquires, taking a sip of his syrupy coffee. "How'd it go at the Undying Rage? Did you get anything out of the wait staff? I rather think my badge scared them. Talk about lips tighter than some people's asses. Nothing but bobbing heads and dumb stares. I figured someone in plain clothes and a civilian feel might get a better response."

  "And you were correct," Mackey says. "Guy calling himself Jim Mackey definitely isn't me. Wait staff said he has a similar hairstyle, size, and build...But, they'd be able to recognize him if they saw him again. He hasn't been in the club for a couple of days though."

  "Who'd you talk to? If you don't mind me asking?" Samuels inquires, hurrying to his parked Ford sedan. "I may need to do a follow-up. We obtained a warrant for the cameras in the alley and the surrounding areas this morning. The owner of the Rage surrendered his videos willing. So there's no red tape there. O'Leary has already reviewed several hours of the club's footage...From the days prior to when Evelyn is suspected to have been abducted. Not very good footage. It's all low res and extremely grainy. Our team is working on trying to sharpen the images up a bit. You can see the guy on film, but his face isn't real clear. At first glance...Someone might assume the guy is you, Mackey. Especially, with the angle of the camera. An extremely bad angle too. I hate sleazy bar owners. Get a real camera, for crying out loud. Damn. How hard can it be? They sell really great surveillance systems online for like seventy...Eighty bucks. Jeezus!"

  Detective Samuel's usage of Dave's favorite swear phrase brings a smile to James' lips. It adds a layer of familiarity to a eerily awful situation.

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  "I think I should wait before revealing my sources," Mackey says. "I'm supposed to meet up with them again tonight. It might be better to build some kind of rapport with my witnesses before suddenly ambushing them. People tend to clam up when pressed too hard. I think I'm getting somewhere. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? I'll fill you in on everything I've learned."

  "Sure. Okay. I trust your judgment, Detective Mackey," Samuels says, placing his coffee cup on the sedan's roof and grabbing his car keys from within his coat pocket. "You are the guy who brought down Aquarius. You know your stuff. Just be careful, alright? Whoever is behind all of this is no novice. Watch your back, James."

  "You too, Samuels. I'll call you."

  -

  -

  Castleton

  Rachel Corbin's Apartment

  Rachel stands at the kitchen sink, washing dishes. She nearly jumps a foot in the air when Ned encircles her waist with both arms. A cruel laugh escapes Ned's sneering lips.

  "Cool it, Babe. It's just me. I've gotta go uptown," Ned says, kissing Rachel's neck. "Do me a favor, Hon? Cook me up one of those juicy steaks Derren sent over yesterday. I'm feeling a real mean appetite coming on. I may even bring you back something nice. Something...We can both enjoy. Hmmm?"

  "Sure. Sure, Ned," Rachel says, noncommittally.

  Turning up the charm one hundred times, Rachel chuckles and turns to face her insufferable boyfriend. She passionately returns his kiss. Taking one of Ned's hands, she kisses it as well, offering him a coy smile. Ned's left brow arches with surprise and he looks Rachel up and down.

  "Whatever you say, Ned." Rachel whispers, tracing a slender finger down one side of his face.

  Ned grips the hand touching his cheek. For a moment, Rachel freezes. Has he seen through her ruse? Just as quickly, she makes up her mind. Leaning in close, Rachel kisses Ned again, sliding a hand behind his neck and running the same hand up through his hair. Ned cradles Rachel's face between his large hands. Their kiss lasts for several long moments before Ned finally releases her.

  "What the hell brought all this on, Rach? Are you high or something? The last couple of nights...You've hardly spoken a word to me. Not even when we make love. What are you thinking about doing? You planning on killing me, Rachel? Gonna poison my food? I don't think so, Babe. I'll have one of the girls cook my meat before I let you poison me. I'm not stupid."

  "Will you shut up, Ned?" Rachel says with a sly grin. "You're killing the mood!"

  She strokes the nape of Ned's neck with her right hand. Pulling on the collar of Ned's shirt, Rachel brings him back to her. To prove her intent, Rachel lustfully runs her tongue over and across the surface of Ned's mouth. Ned grips her chin with his right hand, a twitch evident at one corner of his mouth--as he contemplates whether to take Rachel's actions one step further. She is pushing all of the right buttons. Only the timing is wrong.

  "I've been thinking...I don't want to lose you, Ned. I...I don't have anyone. Not really. Mom and Karine are gone. Lenny's off living his best life. We hardly even talk anymore. You're all I have, Ned. And I want to make you happy. I don't want you to feel like you have to slink off to some other woman to get what you need. I want to be there for you, Ned. We can go away together. Just like you said. I love you, Ned. I want to be with you forever."

  "Are you serious, Rach?" Ned asks, his eyes wide and questioning. "Don't play with me. Are you really serious about...About you and me? About going away together?"

  "Yes, Ned. I want you. I need you," Rachel exclaims.

  Ned releases Rachel's chin. He easily lifts her up and onto the countertop beside the sink. Schedules can be altered.