The X-Man by Brian R. Lundin (100 best novels of all time .TXT) 📕
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A serial rapist and murderer is terrorizing young black women in Chicago, but two veteran detectives are on his trail.
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- Author: Brian R. Lundin
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4125 South Wabash was an old building nestled between other old and abandon buildings. Evetta took the lead as I hobbled behind on my cane, when we reached the second floor I stopped and rubbed my leg.
EVETTA
You ok?
RINGO
Yeah, sometimes this leg hangs up, I’m ok
We finally reached the third floor and Evetta knocked on the door while I braced myself against the wall, on the second knock the door was partly opened secured by a safety chain.
EVETTA (SHOWING HER IDENTIFICATION)
Roberta Starks
STARKS
Yes
EVETTA
Mrs. Starks I’m Detective Lunden and this is my partner Sergeant Ringo, may we come in?
The door closed and in a moment it opened
STARKS
Please come in officers
Mrs. Starks reiterated what Officer Brady said but she also said, “I had been in the church earlier and met a nice very attractive young man who stated that he was new to the city and was looking for a good church, we talked and prayed together and I left, he said he wanted to wait and meet the minister
RINGO
What did he look like?
STARKS
He was a small man, maybe in his late twenties or earlier thirties, very attractive, black curly hair, a beautiful coffee colored complexion, sharp facial features and a high pitched voice
EVETTA
Do you think you would recognize him again?
STARKS
I’m sure I could
Evetta left her business card and we left for the office. When we arrived we were met by a cadre of reporters camped out in the small parking lot.
As we got out the vehicle reporters and camera men, assaulted us.
REPORTERS( SCREAMING)
Is it the work of the X-Man? “What is the department doing to catch this killer?
Evetta and I continued walking my only comment was, “No comment.”
When we entered the building we were met by the lieutenant.
O’SHEA(NERVOUS)
The Ist Deputy is in my office waiting on you two, what you got?
RINGO (Walking pass the lieutenant)
Nothing
The lieutenant didn’t say anything, just stood there his face a bleak red and his mouth opened. The Ist Deputy Superintendent really run the police department, he approves all promotions, transfers and the day to day operations. Ist Deputy Superintendent Dennis Gult was a thirty year veteran and had grown up in Chicago’s Ida B. Wells Projects. He had been a standout point guard at DuSable High School and Indiana University and played two years with the Chicago Bulls but suffered a career ending knee injury. When he was promoted to sergeant he was assigned to the Gang Unit and arrested many leading gang members. When promoted to lieutenant he was assigned to the Homicide Division for two years before being promoted to captain where he was the Commanding Officer of the Vice Control Division. When Horace Williamson, a black man was elected as mayor he appointed Gult to Ist Deputy. The Chief of Police, Robert Riordan was well connected to the old Irish regime and couldn’t be replaced by the mayor but the rumor was he was retiring at the end of the year and the odds on favorite was that Gult would be the next chief. Gult was impressive, his two hundred and ten pounds was spread over a six foot six frame and his jet black skins was accentuated by an all white full beard and mingled grey hair. Gult was seated in a chair in O’Shea office his assistant Captain Patricia Woods was seated next to him. When Evetta and I entered Gult rose and shook my hand vigorously.
GULT
Long time Sarge, how you been?
RINGO
Going along, sir, going along
O’Shea sat behind his desk, his face, if possible was redder.
CAPTAIN WOODS
What we got on the latest murder, lieutenant?
O’SHEA (SURPRISED)
Not much, better ask the sergeant, he’s in charge of the case
The captain gave the lieutenant a disgusted look and turned to me, “Sergeant?”
RINGO
Well the murder of the reverend and the other man is a departure from his MO, most of his victims were young black women but the X carved in the reverend chest and the blood smeared in the bathroom is definitely his MO, but this is the first time he has killed males something changed and I haven‘t figured it out yet, but maybe there was a witness. The woman who found the bodies and called the police said that when she entered the church another woman ran passed her covered with blood.
O’SHEA
Do you know who the woman was?
EVETTA
No, but we are working on finding her
O’SHEA
Get on it right away
EVETTA
Lieutenant, do you have that tape of the reverends press conference?
O’SHEA (CONFUSED)
I think so, why?
EVETTA
Can we see it?
O’SHEA
What the fuck, the tape of that bla… Reverend got to do with anything?
GULT
Put on the tape
The lieutenant fumbled around in his desk and put the tape into the recorder. When the tape got to where the reverend called the killer a coward and only attacked women.
EVETTA
Pause it, there the reason he killed the reverend, he pissed him off and the other poor bastard was just in the wrong place at the wrong time
O’SHEA
How do you know that?
WOODS
You got any other motives?
The lieutenant lowered his head and mumbled something.
GULT
What’s happening with the women victims?
RINGO
We found semen in a condom in one of the victim’s garage and we found semen stains at another crime scene but when we entered it into the DNA database, nothing, that leads me to believe our killer has never been arrested, hopefully when we get a suspect we can make a comparison and all of them were assaulted on the tenth of the month, haven’t figured that one out yet.
GULT
Keep working it, John and Captain Woods will be my liaison
RINGO
Will do sir
O’SHEA
Keep me in the loop too sergeant
I didn’t respond to the lieutenant as Evetta and I left and returned to my office. One of the secretaries gave me a registered letter.
SECRETARY
Came in the morning mail, there were no return receipt requested or return address and was posted this morning
I carefully opened the envelope and removed the letter, it read, “SERGEANT JOHN RINGO I SAW YOU ON THE NEWS THE OTHER DAY CONCERNING THE MURDER OF REVEREND WILSON AND THAT OTHER MAN. I WAS IN THE CHURCH WHEN IT HAPPENED AND I SAW THIS LITTLE MAN TALKING WITH A WOMAN IN A PEW, AFTER THE WOMAN LEFT I SAW THE MAN KILL THE MAN SLEEPING IN THE PEW. WHEN THE REVEREND CAME IN I HEARD THE MAN ASK TO USE THE WASHROOM AND HE FOLLOWED THE REVEREND DOWN THE HALL. I SAW THE MAN STRIKE THE REVEREND IN THE HEAD AND STAB HIM. A FEW MINUTES LATER I WATCHED AS THE MAN LEFT THE HALL, STOP AT THE MAN HE HAD KILLED AND CARVE AN X IN HIS CHEST. AFTER HE LEFT I CRAWLED DOWN THE HALL AND FOUND THE REVEREND. I FEEL LIKE SUCH A COWARD I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE WARNED THE REVEREND, BUT I WAS SO SCARED, PLEASE CATCH THIS MONSTER.
I called Evetta and Charley Turner into the office and showed them the letter, Charley said, “I’ll check for prints, hopefully we’ll get lucky.”
INT: AMOUD RESTAURANT- 10 October 2008
It was a Saturday night; Esau sat alone in a rear booth at Amoud Restaurant a dingy Arab Restaurant located at 43rd South Wabash Avenue. The diner was empty except for a young black woman, maybe twenty sipping a cup of tea as an elderly couple were leaving, and Esau noticed the young woman was crying. The little man glanced at her and she looked at him and he smiled. Esau pretended to sip his coffee but out the corner of his eye he watched her. She had long shapely legs for such a small body and an unusually pretty face. He saw her take a small napkin from her purse and wipe her eyes. He waited until she ordered another cup of tea and started searching for another napkin when he approached her table.
ESAU (HANDING HER A NAPKIN)
You ok, what’s the problem?
YOUNG WOMAN (DAPPING AT HER EYES WITH THE CRUMPLED TISSUE)
Just life problems
ESAU
Need a friend
YOUNG WOMAN
I sure do
ESAU ( HE SAID HOLDING OUT HIS HAND).
My name is Carl Ellison
YOUNG WOMAN (SHAKING ESAU’S HAND)
I’m Gloria Stevens, nice meeting you Carl
ESAU
What’s wrong?
GLORIA (TEARING UP)
I’ve just found out my asshole boyfriend of three years is seeing someone else and the bitch is pregnant and on top of that I just got laid off my job, and the rent is due next week, and I don’t have it.
ESAU
Your boyfriend must be crazy fuckin’ around on a good looking girl like you
GLORIA (WIPING HER EYES).
I went to church earlier and prayed for some help.
ESAU
Maybe your prayers have been answered
The woman looked at the little man who was shorter than she was but he wasn’t bad looking and seemed nice.
GLORIA
I hope so she said lowering her eyes
ESAU (SMILING)
I told you maybe your prayers were answered he said placing a hundred-dollar bill in her hand.
GLORIA (LOOKING AT THE MONEY)
I can’t take this
Gloria attempt to hand the money back to Esau and put on her coat and heads to the door, Esau follows and holds open the door.
ESAU
Can I walk you home, and it’s not safe for an attractive young lady to be out this time of night alone?
GLORIA (NODDING)
I live just down the street at 4410 South King
It had just started drizzling when they left the restaurant and walked hurriedly towards her apartment building, they walked east on 43rd Street, passed Michigan, Indiana and Prairie Avenue. As they walked under the CTA elevator station between Prairie and Calumet Avenue, in the recesses of the dark alley one of Bulls drug dealers Moe was at work. He had just completed making a sell of crack when he noticed the couple approaching the alley. Moe recognized Esau as the man he saw climb into the window on 45th Street. Moe walks out of the alley. The little man looked at Moe as Moe raised one finger; an invitation to buy some drugs the man shook his head as they passed. Moe watched as Esau and Gloria continued east and entered her apartment building but he was summoned back into the alley by another customer. Esau followed the young woman up the rickety stairs to the second floor, she stopped and inserted the key into apartment 2B; apartment 2A was to their right.
ESAU (POINTING TO APARTMENT 2A)
Are your neighbors nice?
GLORIA
That apartment been vacant for two months
ESAU (SMILING)
God sent me to you and all I want from you is to use your bathroom, I got a weak bladder and coffee goes right through me
The woman looked again at the little man and though about the money, she could pay her rent and have a little left. The man smiled and nodded as Gloria opened
4125 South Wabash was an old building nestled between other old and abandon buildings. Evetta took the lead as I hobbled behind on my cane, when we reached the second floor I stopped and rubbed my leg.
EVETTA
You ok?
RINGO
Yeah, sometimes this leg hangs up, I’m ok
We finally reached the third floor and Evetta knocked on the door while I braced myself against the wall, on the second knock the door was partly opened secured by a safety chain.
EVETTA (SHOWING HER IDENTIFICATION)
Roberta Starks
STARKS
Yes
EVETTA
Mrs. Starks I’m Detective Lunden and this is my partner Sergeant Ringo, may we come in?
The door closed and in a moment it opened
STARKS
Please come in officers
Mrs. Starks reiterated what Officer Brady said but she also said, “I had been in the church earlier and met a nice very attractive young man who stated that he was new to the city and was looking for a good church, we talked and prayed together and I left, he said he wanted to wait and meet the minister
RINGO
What did he look like?
STARKS
He was a small man, maybe in his late twenties or earlier thirties, very attractive, black curly hair, a beautiful coffee colored complexion, sharp facial features and a high pitched voice
EVETTA
Do you think you would recognize him again?
STARKS
I’m sure I could
Evetta left her business card and we left for the office. When we arrived we were met by a cadre of reporters camped out in the small parking lot.
As we got out the vehicle reporters and camera men, assaulted us.
REPORTERS( SCREAMING)
Is it the work of the X-Man? “What is the department doing to catch this killer?
Evetta and I continued walking my only comment was, “No comment.”
When we entered the building we were met by the lieutenant.
O’SHEA(NERVOUS)
The Ist Deputy is in my office waiting on you two, what you got?
RINGO (Walking pass the lieutenant)
Nothing
The lieutenant didn’t say anything, just stood there his face a bleak red and his mouth opened. The Ist Deputy Superintendent really run the police department, he approves all promotions, transfers and the day to day operations. Ist Deputy Superintendent Dennis Gult was a thirty year veteran and had grown up in Chicago’s Ida B. Wells Projects. He had been a standout point guard at DuSable High School and Indiana University and played two years with the Chicago Bulls but suffered a career ending knee injury. When he was promoted to sergeant he was assigned to the Gang Unit and arrested many leading gang members. When promoted to lieutenant he was assigned to the Homicide Division for two years before being promoted to captain where he was the Commanding Officer of the Vice Control Division. When Horace Williamson, a black man was elected as mayor he appointed Gult to Ist Deputy. The Chief of Police, Robert Riordan was well connected to the old Irish regime and couldn’t be replaced by the mayor but the rumor was he was retiring at the end of the year and the odds on favorite was that Gult would be the next chief. Gult was impressive, his two hundred and ten pounds was spread over a six foot six frame and his jet black skins was accentuated by an all white full beard and mingled grey hair. Gult was seated in a chair in O’Shea office his assistant Captain Patricia Woods was seated next to him. When Evetta and I entered Gult rose and shook my hand vigorously.
GULT
Long time Sarge, how you been?
RINGO
Going along, sir, going along
O’Shea sat behind his desk, his face, if possible was redder.
CAPTAIN WOODS
What we got on the latest murder, lieutenant?
O’SHEA (SURPRISED)
Not much, better ask the sergeant, he’s in charge of the case
The captain gave the lieutenant a disgusted look and turned to me, “Sergeant?”
RINGO
Well the murder of the reverend and the other man is a departure from his MO, most of his victims were young black women but the X carved in the reverend chest and the blood smeared in the bathroom is definitely his MO, but this is the first time he has killed males something changed and I haven‘t figured it out yet, but maybe there was a witness. The woman who found the bodies and called the police said that when she entered the church another woman ran passed her covered with blood.
O’SHEA
Do you know who the woman was?
EVETTA
No, but we are working on finding her
O’SHEA
Get on it right away
EVETTA
Lieutenant, do you have that tape of the reverends press conference?
O’SHEA (CONFUSED)
I think so, why?
EVETTA
Can we see it?
O’SHEA
What the fuck, the tape of that bla… Reverend got to do with anything?
GULT
Put on the tape
The lieutenant fumbled around in his desk and put the tape into the recorder. When the tape got to where the reverend called the killer a coward and only attacked women.
EVETTA
Pause it, there the reason he killed the reverend, he pissed him off and the other poor bastard was just in the wrong place at the wrong time
O’SHEA
How do you know that?
WOODS
You got any other motives?
The lieutenant lowered his head and mumbled something.
GULT
What’s happening with the women victims?
RINGO
We found semen in a condom in one of the victim’s garage and we found semen stains at another crime scene but when we entered it into the DNA database, nothing, that leads me to believe our killer has never been arrested, hopefully when we get a suspect we can make a comparison and all of them were assaulted on the tenth of the month, haven’t figured that one out yet.
GULT
Keep working it, John and Captain Woods will be my liaison
RINGO
Will do sir
O’SHEA
Keep me in the loop too sergeant
I didn’t respond to the lieutenant as Evetta and I left and returned to my office. One of the secretaries gave me a registered letter.
SECRETARY
Came in the morning mail, there were no return receipt requested or return address and was posted this morning
I carefully opened the envelope and removed the letter, it read, “SERGEANT JOHN RINGO I SAW YOU ON THE NEWS THE OTHER DAY CONCERNING THE MURDER OF REVEREND WILSON AND THAT OTHER MAN. I WAS IN THE CHURCH WHEN IT HAPPENED AND I SAW THIS LITTLE MAN TALKING WITH A WOMAN IN A PEW, AFTER THE WOMAN LEFT I SAW THE MAN KILL THE MAN SLEEPING IN THE PEW. WHEN THE REVEREND CAME IN I HEARD THE MAN ASK TO USE THE WASHROOM AND HE FOLLOWED THE REVEREND DOWN THE HALL. I SAW THE MAN STRIKE THE REVEREND IN THE HEAD AND STAB HIM. A FEW MINUTES LATER I WATCHED AS THE MAN LEFT THE HALL, STOP AT THE MAN HE HAD KILLED AND CARVE AN X IN HIS CHEST. AFTER HE LEFT I CRAWLED DOWN THE HALL AND FOUND THE REVEREND. I FEEL LIKE SUCH A COWARD I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE WARNED THE REVEREND, BUT I WAS SO SCARED, PLEASE CATCH THIS MONSTER.
I called Evetta and Charley Turner into the office and showed them the letter, Charley said, “I’ll check for prints, hopefully we’ll get lucky.”
INT: AMOUD RESTAURANT- 10 October 2008
It was a Saturday night; Esau sat alone in a rear booth at Amoud Restaurant a dingy Arab Restaurant located at 43rd South Wabash Avenue. The diner was empty except for a young black woman, maybe twenty sipping a cup of tea as an elderly couple were leaving, and Esau noticed the young woman was crying. The little man glanced at her and she looked at him and he smiled. Esau pretended to sip his coffee but out the corner of his eye he watched her. She had long shapely legs for such a small body and an unusually pretty face. He saw her take a small napkin from her purse and wipe her eyes. He waited until she ordered another cup of tea and started searching for another napkin when he approached her table.
ESAU (HANDING HER A NAPKIN)
You ok, what’s the problem?
YOUNG WOMAN (DAPPING AT HER EYES WITH THE CRUMPLED TISSUE)
Just life problems
ESAU
Need a friend
YOUNG WOMAN
I sure do
ESAU ( HE SAID HOLDING OUT HIS HAND).
My name is Carl Ellison
YOUNG WOMAN (SHAKING ESAU’S HAND)
I’m Gloria Stevens, nice meeting you Carl
ESAU
What’s wrong?
GLORIA (TEARING UP)
I’ve just found out my asshole boyfriend of three years is seeing someone else and the bitch is pregnant and on top of that I just got laid off my job, and the rent is due next week, and I don’t have it.
ESAU
Your boyfriend must be crazy fuckin’ around on a good looking girl like you
GLORIA (WIPING HER EYES).
I went to church earlier and prayed for some help.
ESAU
Maybe your prayers have been answered
The woman looked at the little man who was shorter than she was but he wasn’t bad looking and seemed nice.
GLORIA
I hope so she said lowering her eyes
ESAU (SMILING)
I told you maybe your prayers were answered he said placing a hundred-dollar bill in her hand.
GLORIA (LOOKING AT THE MONEY)
I can’t take this
Gloria attempt to hand the money back to Esau and put on her coat and heads to the door, Esau follows and holds open the door.
ESAU
Can I walk you home, and it’s not safe for an attractive young lady to be out this time of night alone?
GLORIA (NODDING)
I live just down the street at 4410 South King
It had just started drizzling when they left the restaurant and walked hurriedly towards her apartment building, they walked east on 43rd Street, passed Michigan, Indiana and Prairie Avenue. As they walked under the CTA elevator station between Prairie and Calumet Avenue, in the recesses of the dark alley one of Bulls drug dealers Moe was at work. He had just completed making a sell of crack when he noticed the couple approaching the alley. Moe recognized Esau as the man he saw climb into the window on 45th Street. Moe walks out of the alley. The little man looked at Moe as Moe raised one finger; an invitation to buy some drugs the man shook his head as they passed. Moe watched as Esau and Gloria continued east and entered her apartment building but he was summoned back into the alley by another customer. Esau followed the young woman up the rickety stairs to the second floor, she stopped and inserted the key into apartment 2B; apartment 2A was to their right.
ESAU (POINTING TO APARTMENT 2A)
Are your neighbors nice?
GLORIA
That apartment been vacant for two months
ESAU (SMILING)
God sent me to you and all I want from you is to use your bathroom, I got a weak bladder and coffee goes right through me
The woman looked again at the little man and though about the money, she could pay her rent and have a little left. The man smiled and nodded as Gloria opened
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