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

him?

DARLING
I don’t think so, it was dark and I only got a glance of him

We thanked the manager for the tea and her time and headed for Peggy’s apartment. The door to the apartment still had the fingerprinting dust and contained two locks, which seemed undisturbed.

EVETTA
Think it was lover-boy?

RINGO
Could be, there’s no indications of a break-in, an unauthorized entry into the grounds or the building seem all but impossible, maybe our vic invited him up

The apartment was neat and orderly although sparsely furnished. The living room contained a battered couch, a chair and a color television. The bedroom contained only a queen-size bed, a small table and a two-dresser drawer and sliding patio doors that led to a small balcony. I slid open the patio doors and looked down at the first floor patio.

EVETTA
Think someone could climb up here from the ground?

RINGO
Sure if he was strong enough and not afraid of heights


15 December 2008

RINGO (TALKING ON CELL PHONE)
You busy,

MONIQUE (COYLY)
I’m always busy detective, why?

RINGO
Got time for lunch?

MONIQUE
Always got time for a free lunch with six feet two inch, hulk brother, where and what time?

RINGO
How about Glady’s on Indiana, twenty minutes?

MONIQUE
Give me a half hour, got to put on my goin’ out face

RINGO
See you then
Monique arrived in exactly a half hour and we stood very close as she squeezed pass me into the booth, her buttock rubbed against my penis and I felt a sudden surge of excitement and stepped back. The waitress brought silverware, napkins, water and menus.

WAITRESS
Be right back

I handed a menu to Monique and for a brief moment their hands met.

MONIQUE (MADE A SMACKING SOUND WITH HER LIPS)
Smother pork chops and sweet potatoes, sounds good to me

I stole a glance as she read the menu. She had a full mouth, not too big and not to small, I thought to myself.

RINGO
“Me too

The waitress returned and I gave her our orders.

MONIQUE
How’s the case coming?

RINGO
Nothing but dead-ends, no clues, no prints no nothing, why do you think he smears the blood of his victim on the mirror?

MONIQUE
Remember the FBI profile about his lack of a sexual identity and living in a fantasy world and perhaps had an unpleasant sexual experience when he was young, ever heard of erotic asphyxiation?
RINGO
I heard of it, that’s where people get off strangling each other during sex

MONIQUE
Close, it simply refers to intentionally cutting off oxygen to the brain for sexual arousal, it is also called asphyxiophilia or breath control play and is often incorporated into sex with a partner who are called gaspers. Maybe your killer is trying to establish a sexual identity, strangling someone can be sexually stimulation to someone with that type of mentality, and what is a better way than to get that sex stimulation than with a young attractive woman willing or unwilling and I think the X is something he identifies with from his past.

The pleasant waitress brought our food and we ate in silence.

EXT: Special Crimes Bureau -20 December 2008
Mariah Woodberry stood outside the Special Crimes Bureau it was a beautiful winter, sunny with just an early morning nip in the air. The air was fresh and clean and she breathed in deeply, she had been here before but never went in. She walked slowly up the front steps, big men rushed passed her, focusing on where they were going, no one paid her any attention. She was uncertain, scared, she didn’t want to be here but she owed Reverend Wilson, he was always kind to her and her children; giving her money to feed them, finding a 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,