The Inception Trilogy by Easton Livingston (ebook reader for comics .txt) 📕

ready to deal with this tonight, or rather, he really didn't want to. But he had no choice. It was his job.

He made his lethargic march up the stairs. No need to rush it. The major damage was done. The voices and cameras were getting louder in his ascent. Pausing at the landing to put on his mask of hardness, he made his way through the officers gathered around the doorway of the scene. They parted to make room for him to enter.

He looked inside and froze. After all the homicides he'd investigated, he never got used to it which was a good thing. He never wanted to.

“Sargent Neff?”

Neff pulled his eyes away from the sight before him, happy that he had a reason to.

“Yeah?”

“I'm officer Downey.”

Neff glanced over at the body then fixed a firm eye on Downey.

“You the responding officer?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What ya got?”

“About 1:50 a.m., the neighbors next door, the Wallaces, report they heard a gunshot coming from over here. Me and my partner got the call to come over and check it out. When we got to the premises, the doors were locked and there didn't appear to be anyone home. Just as we were about to leave, Mrs. Johansen pulls up in the driveway. We tell her the situation and it takes a minute to calm her down. She lets me in the house and Cady, my partner, stays outside with her while I check everything out. I get up here and...”

Downey looked down at the body sprawled on the floor.

Neff surveyed the scene again, this time with more precision. Kneeling down with a soft grunt, he observed the gunshot wound. Entry point was at the top of the mouth. The charred blackness surrounding it suggested it was point blank. An involuntary sigh left him. The crime scene unit didn't need to tell him anything.

“Any history of mental illness? Depression?”

“Not sure. The wife mentioned that they were having marriage problems for months now. I didn't ask about the details but she hinted pretty strongly there was some infidelity going on. They had been separated. I guess it was official as of today. She served him with divorce papers earlier this evening.”

Neff nodded in acknowledgment. He wouldn't be certain until C.S.U. made it official. The position of the body, blood spatter placement and pattern all pointed to the victim standing towards the north wall. Right in front of the bathroom mirror.

“Hmmph. Guy was looking at himself,” he said, thinking out loud.

“Sorry, sir?”

“The victim. He was looking at himself in the mirror when he pulled the trigger.”

Downey grimaced.

“Why would he do that?”

Neff got to his feet.

“Probably because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't run away from himself.”

Neff looked down at Dana Johansen again then turned and walked out of the bathroom.

“Crying shame.”

Part III - Confirmation

Tiny droplets of rain pattered on the windshield of the black BMW. Light from the Johansen home and the various police cars and ambulance lined up on the street forced Tawny to park a good distance away. She understood what was going on. This was good news. To be the bearer of good news eased the burden and pressure of making sure everything performed to perfection. She expected it. Tawny was there as a backup in case things didn't work out so well.

Through the chucking cadence of the windshield wipers, she saw the gurney. She recognized the black bag on it. That was her cue.

She took out her cell phone and navigated to her favorites, pressing the name she wanted to call. The small screen went green, illuminating the darkness inside her car, signaling a call being placed.

“You have news for me?”

“Yes. It worked. He's gone.”

Silence responded at the other end.

“Good. Pack your bags. Let me know how it goes as soon as possible.”

No goodbyes. A silent but serious understanding of what she needed to do next. The silent, mutual understanding clear, they both hung up the phone.

Turning the ignition key, Tawny crept past the Johansen residence peering out her drivers-side window, a final assurance for her own sake. She spotted her at the front door, standing and sobbing. Mrs… Ms. Johansen.

She smiled.

END OF EPISODE 1

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Episode 2

Part I - I Need A Vacation 

Everyone stared down at the body on the floor.

“Hal? Hal? You O.K.?”

Hal Baker struggled to open his eyes, hearing the familiar voice calling to him. It sounded like his supervisor. As the blurriness faded, the cratered fiber pulp of the drop ceiling was the first thing that came into focus.

“You gave us a scare there.”

His eyes shifted left to the face of his boss, Gary, who was kneeling over him. That’s when he saw all the rest of the faces surrounding him, gawking with puzzled or alarmed expressions. He gave a heavy sigh and tried to sit up, the room shifting against his desire.

“Hey. Take it easy there. I don’t want you falling out again.”

Hal steadied himself on the floor, waiting for the room to stop swaying.

“What happened?”

“They said you came into the break room, walked toward the refrigerator, and passed out. You’re lucky you didn’t crack your head on the floor.”

Gary helped him to a nearby chair.

“How long was I out?”

Felicia Brewer, Gary's secretary, put a hand on his shoulder. “A couple minutes. You sure you okay?”

Hal nodded his affirmation.

“You have to go to the hospital. I’ll take you there.”

“No,” Hal insisted. “Just give me a minute here and I’ll drive straight there.”

Gary looked at him with an annoyed smirk.

“What is wrong with you? You pass out on the floor and you