The X-Man by Brian R. Lundin (100 best novels of all time .TXT) 📕

place for them to stay, she owed him. In the weeks since his murder she tried to convince herself that she shouldn’t get involved, maybe the monster would come after her, after her children, but it didn’t work she knew what she must do, what she had to do, it was time to tell what she knew. She made her way to an unformed officer who sat behind a thick glass.

OFFICER
May I help you?
MARIAH
I would like to speak to Sergeant John Ringo

OFFICER
Can you tell me what it’s about?

MARIAH (LOWERING HER EYES)
I would rather talk to the sergeant

OFFICER
Just a moment I’ll see if he’s available, could I have your name please have your name?

MARIAH
Tell him my name is Mariah Woodberry

OFFICER
You can have a seat and I’ll call the sergeant

Mariah had barely sat before a man walking with a cane and a large woman came running down the stairs.“Mrs. Woodberry ? the woman asked in a quiet voice.

MARIAH
Yes

EVETTA
I’m Detective Lunden and this is Sergeant Ringo

RINGO
I am so glad to meet you

EVETTA
Come with us

I quickly gave her the cop’s once over, she looked homeless-torn jeans; two different colored sweaters covered a dingy white blouse, not dirty, just old and frayed. Her hair was cut short and covered by a black dew-rag. Her dark skin was ashy-as if she had washed her face, but no make-up. Even with the layers of clothes I could tell she was thin, no more than thirty and not doing well in life. She looked like she needed a good meal; I had a homeless woman for a witness? If her outside appearance gave any clues any clues at all it was that she had a hard life, what had happened to her, she didn’t appear to be on drugs, maybe alcohol or an abusive husband or boyfriend? As we walked through the first floor Mariah noticed men busy talking on the telephone or glaring at computers screens. There were computer on every desk, stacks of folders and all the garbage cans were full, there was the study hum of conversations but what amazed her was there was no yelling or loud talk, no chaos just men doing their job. They passed an interview room where a young Hispanic man was talking to men with guns strapped over their shoulders. The Hispanic man looked at her and winked, he must be desperate she thought as she put her head down and continued to Sergeant Ringo’s office.

EVETTA
Can I get you something to drink, coffee, tea or something cold?

MARIAH
Coffee will be fine thank you

I made a call to Monique and in a few minutes she entered holding a cup of coffee.

RINGO
“Mrs. Woodberry this is Monique Brown, she works with us

Monique handed the woman the coffee and took a seat in the rear of the office.

RINGO (CONT)
Did you send me the registered letter?

MARIAH (HOLDING HER HEAD DOWN)
Yes, I was so afraid, but I knew in my heart I had to talk to you to tell you what I saw, maybe it will help

RINGO
I can understand why, you witnessed a terrible act by a terrible man

EVETTA
I want you to take a deep breath, relax and when ready tell us what you know, okay, tell us what you saw at the church?

Mariah nodded, sipped the coffee, closed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the chair. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared down at the cup of coffee.

MARIAH
I’m alright now. I was sitting in the pew on the far side of the church waiting for the reverend he was always kind to me and my children, he gave me money for food and sometimes arranged for us to stay in one of the vacant rooms at the center, he told me to meet him after he finished his rounds at the senior center and he would see if he could find a permanent place for us to stay.
There were three people in the church, an older woman sitting alone, a man was slouched in a pew, he seemed to be asleep and another man praying. I noticed this little man come in and sat beside the older woman, they talked for awhile and they seemed to pray together, I heard her say Amen and she left, but the man continued to sit, soon after the man praying left and then I saw the man walk over to the man sleeping, pull out a knife and without a word cut his throat, and sat back down

EVETTA
Did you get a good look at him?

MARIAH
Not really, I was about five isles over and it was dark, but he was real short but muscular and he was wearing a short dark jacket. About twenty minutes later the reverend came in and walked to the pulpit, the little man followed him

RINGO
Did you hear anything they said?

MARIAH
In a high pitched voice I heard him ask the reverend if he could use the washroom.

She took another sip of coffee, trying to remain calm, her hands were shaking as she placed the cup on my desk, and she removed the dew rag and placed it in her lap.

EVETTA
You okay, want another cup of coffee or a glass of water?

MARIAH
No thank you

RINGO
Do you think he saw you

MARIAH (SHAKING HER HEAD)
No, he looked around but I was in the shadows lying down in the pew, I‘m sure he didn‘t see me
RING
Okay, when you ready, tell us what else happened

MARIAH (TEARS RUNNING DOWN HER CHEEKS)
As the reverend and the little walked down the hallway I slowly crawled behind them, believe me I wanted to warn the reverend but I was a coward, I was too afraid. I was terrified that if he saw me he would kill me

Evetta handed her a tissue and after a moment she took a deep breath.

MARIAH
As they walked down the hall I heard the reverend ask the man’s his name and he said in a high pitched voice, Esau Sneed, but they call me the X-Man the one you called a coward, well here’s to cowards,” he said and he hit the reverend with something, I don’t know what it was but it knocked the reverend down and then…..” the tears ran freely now “And then I saw him take out a knife it looked like the same one he used on the man in the pew and stabbed the reverend repeatedly and craved an X in his chest. I hurriedly crawled back to my hiding spot and he walked out the hall and carved an X in the chest of the other man, then he left, just as cool as you please, I waited for a long time before I crawled over to the reverend, blood was everywhere; I ran out the church and nearly knocked a woman down who was entering

SPECIAL CRIMES UNIT -21 December 2008
Detective First Grade Christine “Christy” Guerra was twenty-nine and had eight years on the department, five of them as a detective in the Vice Control Division-Prostitution Unit. Her father Ralph was a retired police captain and a good friend of Ist Deputy Superintendent Dennis Gult who had arranged for her to be transferred into the unit and assigned to Ringo’s team, two months ago. Christy as she was called was half black and half Mexican. She was five-feet-ten and had long black hair that she wore in a tight ball, dark brown eyes and a well-rounded figure. Evetta had taken her under her wings and told me that the girl was smart, sure of herself yet maintained her femininity, something sometimes unusual in the once all boys fraternity of a police department. Evetta and I were in my office when Christy entered.

RINGO
I got a call from Julie at the health club who said that a guy we asked about was a member and named Esau Sneed, based on what Mariah told us and we’ve found a common connection between at least three of the Vics, Louise Johnson, Cynthia White and Peggy Smith were all members, but we need more, we’ve got to catch him in the act. This lover-boy fits all the profiles from the FBI; this is what I want you to do. I want you to join the club and try to get lover boy’s attention. Be cordial at first and when he really starts to come on to you, brush him off, if the profilers are right this should really piss him off and let see what happens. I believe that he chose his victims at the club. Remember he’s a good-looking guy, he gives his intended victims the eye a few times from across the workout room and he keeps giving them the eye until they bites and becomes interested, then he make his move; it could a dinner date, a drink at the fitness center bar or maybe she even invites him over to her place or he finds were see lives and just show up, rings her bell, flash that brilliant smile and is invites him in. Each time could be a little bit different; maybe he kills her right away or rapes her first. See if you can challenge his ego, put his over inflated ego on the defensive, this is strictly a voluntary assignment, Christy and it could be dangerous, so if you have any qualms about it let us know, no hard feelings

CHRISTY
I worked as an uncover prostitute on the Westside, got stabbed once by a pissed-off john and a black eye from a over-heated trucker, lover boy will be a piece of cake, when do you want me to start?

RINGO
As soon as possible

CHRISTY
Got to go, got some shopping to do

EVETTA
Make sure you get receipts for everything you spend so the department can reimburse you

CHRISTY
“Yes ma’am”

EVETTA
I like that girl, she’s got balls

Evetta cell phone ranged and she removed it from her purse and answered. In a few minutes she hung up.

EVETTA
That was my snitch; he said he got some more information. I’m going to meet him at Sarge’s in twenty minutes


RINGO
I’ll be in the same place as before

It was two in the afternoon when Evetta got to Sarge’s. The bar was full of older men and women looking at a video movie, a short, wore out looking barmaid was behind the bar stirring a pot of Chili, Evetta ordered a glass of white wine and sat across from Bull in a back booth.

EVETTA
What you got Bull?

BULL
I recently heard about the babe getting whacked on 43rd Street and one of my associates who work that area said one night awhile back he saw this dude climbing like a monkey in the building where the shit happened. He said he watched the dude as he climbed up on the first floor rear balcony, tried the door and climb onto the second balcony and entered the apartment. He figured the guy was a burglar or somethin’ and went back to work

EVETTA
I've got to interview him and the other guy who saw something on 47th Street

BULL
Way ahead of you mama, I keep telling you I know all about this police