more from the book..... - Writers Forum

Gate · 03-27-2008, 03:56 AM

“Detective Lay, may I enter?” A female voice called.
“Who are you?” Ric asked.
“I’m Deputy Medical Examiner Taylor Rossi” came the reply.
“Hold on Rossi, I’ll be right out.” Ric finished his last task, picked up his notes and swept the room with his eyes.
He had found a plethora of finger prints, all recent, all in blood. He took three more wide-angle shots from different
perspectives and headed toward the door.
Even though it was September, the weather had been unseasonably warm, still Ric was relieved at the coolness of
the afternoon. The sun had baked the shed all day making the temperature inside soar. Ric peeled off the latex gloves
as he turned toward Taylor Rossi saying “I’m Special Detective Ric Lay. Ric almost didn’t get his name out. Deputy
M.E. Rossi was stunning. No more than five foot three, she was petite, her fresh scrubbed, wholesome look caught
Ric by surprise. She had on the M.E.’s baseball cap with a long, amber brown ponytail protruding from the back. Her
dark blue eyes were framed by long, long lashes and thick perfectly arched eyebrows. Lay also noticed she was
impeccably dressed in BDV’s , the sleeves rolled up, military style, her boots so small they looked like a childs shoe.
Out of awe for her beauty and respect for Kera Kelley, Ric said “I wish we were meeting under different
circumstances.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. Um, Carl is really shook up detective. May I ask what to expect?” Her voice was
smooth and intelligent. He liked her professionalism immediately.
“I’m not sure how to prepare you, so I guess I’ll just tell you everything. Ric paused, “Inside we have a nineteen to
twenty year old female vigorously mutilated. A lot of the mutilation occurred post mortem. From what I can tell, she
was bound ankles and wrist to the legs of a wooden work bench. A hole approximately nine inches in diameter was
cut out before she was placed on top in order to expose her anus.” Ric waited to let Rossi catch up. To her credit, she
didn’t ask any questions. When she had finished her notes, she looked up meeting Rics eyes. Ric noticed her eyes
were cold steel. This girl is all business, good, Ric thought, continuing his narrative. “I’m not sure the order of the
tortures. Several implements were used. Before death, what appears to be the head of a sledge hammer was forced
into the victims closed mouth, shattering most anterior, proximal and distal teeth. The proximal lip was smashed
against the teeth and ??????s as well. Next.” Ric waited till her eyes indicated she was ready. “We don’t know for
sure, but it appears he evacuated her bowel with water. The containers are there. He used an old style douche bag and
cord, but he graduated the size until it reached two inches in diameter. This was forced into her rectum.” He paused
again. Ric noticed Rossi was getting angry, not at him, of course, but at the monster who had desolated the girl Rossi
didn’t know.
Ric continued to give her the other details. He described the funnel used by the offender to make her consume her
own waste. He described the ‘blood bath’, electric shock, the whole scene.
Rossi never wavered, she displayed only the professionalism the occasion required. The event was too horrific to
glorify it with any histrionics. Her stock went up with Lay. His senses were at their most acute. He felt no
undesirable emanations from Rossi. Though he had been taken aback by her physical beauty and misled by her
femininity, he respected her business-like approach to the madness he had just suggested existed directly behind the
door, three feet away. “Rossi, I don’t want you to process her body as usual. Do me a favor, treat her with the utmost
respect. I want you to be hyper-observant. Everything you find, document and sample. Okay?” Ric asked.
Ric Lays stock had just gone up in Rossis column. Aware of his past loss, she didn’t want to intrude too far. She
said only one thing she could for Lay to know she knew. “I understand, detective, I’ll do it right.” Her eyes stayed on
his. What passed between them was reciprocal. With that Ric said, “Thanks. I’ll talk to you in awhile. I need to
check on something.”
“I’ll be about forty five minutes to an hour before transport.” She said.
“Till then, Rossi.” Ric threw her a two finger salute as he walked toward the gate.
Atkins had seen phenomena with Ric before. The first time it happened he handled the event somewhat better than
Carl had. Though shaken, he simply asked Ric what he had seen. Lay had explained everything in a very matter of
fact way, just the way he liked things. Still, Atkins thought it was a little bit hokey, you know, sort of off the beaten
path. He simply dismissed it. By the third or fourth time, he was a believer. John Atkins became ‘born again’. He
took to Christianity, like he did everything in his life, through careful due diligence, finding truth, yet, John didn’t
dwell on the supernatural. Nothing could happen now to give him pause, he simply took care of the business at hand,
collecting hard evidence.
John was talking to the young man sitting in the back seat of his cruiser. Patrolman Pete Manley was livid.
Unsure of what or why he was feeling like he was, all he knew, was if he never felt this way again it would be too
soon.
Ric was walking up to the car preparing to tell a man he didn’t know…that he was a chosen son. He had felt the
mans presence when he and Atkins had arrived. Ric had looked across the street and saw the light around Pete
Manleys’ body. When Lt. Santiago mentioned the rookie, Ric already knew this moment was coming.
“Hey, John, wanna give Dr. Rossi a hand while I talk to Pete?” Ric asked, knowing Atkins knew the play.
“Yeah, sure Ric” Atkins said. “Listen to him Pete, listen close” Atkins advised the man. Peter Manley didn’t
reply. At this moment his confusion and distress were all encompassing. What he wanted more than anything was to
leave this scene, leave this city, leave this state.
“Hello Officer Manley, my name is Ric Lay. I’m a special detective. Call me Ric. Is it okay if I call you
uh…what Pete or Peter?” Ric asked, trying to get through the obvious disassociation the kid was experiencing.
“Pete is fine” the young officer said. Manley had been on the force for only seven months. He was a graduate of
David-Lipcomb College. Petes father had urged him to live on campus. There, Pete had found himself. He was a
strapping two hundred thirty pound, six feet four, brown haired, brown eyed converted sinner. In his sophomore year
his best friend, Tom Reynolds and his girlfriend had been murdered in Daytona Beach. After that, Pete took a
retrospective look at his life. He had been unimpressed by what he found. So, Pete stopped partying, he stopped
sleeping with whoever came his way. What had really changed him was a girl he met. She had introduced him to
Jesus. While Atkins had taken a no nonsense approach to Christianity, Manley had stepped through a liberating door, a
door to a whole new world. All his choices since, had been colored by his Christian experience. Life had become
amazingly fulfilling, until now. He had encountered something in that shed he couldn’t explain. Kera Kelleys last hours had played like a twisted surreal movie in the theatre of his mind. While he had certainly grown in his passion and Christianity, he still hadn’t learned about the war of good and evil. Right now, he felt devoid, soulless, something was draining him. He wanted to get away.
“You are not going to die, Pete” Ric said, bending down to look him directly in the eye.
“Come on officer, get up front. Hey, John hold up.”
“What’s up, Ric?”
“Lemme get those keys” Ric said, walking up to his friend.
“Sure, Ric” then he asked under his breath, “whaddaya think, is the kid gonna be okay?’
“I hope so, John,” Ric answered, “I hope so.”
Atkins passed Ric the keys to the cruiser.
“I’ll pray for him” John said.
“Thanks, John, well here I go.”
“All right, I can catch a ride with Santiago.”
“Okay, see you in a few” Ric said as he climbed behind the wheel. He could feel the young mans emotions as he
started the engine and put it in reverse. “Let’s get out of here” Ric said cheerfully.
“Yes. Yes, thanks, sir” Manley said breathlessly.
Ric put them on the interstate. He didn’t head toward metro, instead he took the Brentmore exit as he pushed the speed
dial button for the Archdiocese. These revelations would be important for any demonic interference, Ric knew those
grounds would be a safe place to tell Manley who he was. Not who Ric was, but who Peter Manley was and Bishop
Adams would lend the proper respect and credibility, just in case dark forces try to turn Manley.