Gold Phish

Even on a slow day, a murder may rear it's ugly head, even one so gruesome. Lucy and Fernando arrive to the scene but not all quiet and the perp still lingers.

3

Gold Phish

Lucy and Fernando pulled on scene. It had only taken fifteen minutes to arrive to the gated community of Westbrook, tucked at the heart of the “Dead Zone”; the nickname given to the stretch of the city wedged neatly in the roughly six miles between the ghettos that made up the lower east and west sides. Crimes did occur here from time to time but were typically petty robberies of convenience stores and the occasional break-in of some yuppies half-a-million dollar home. There were almost never murders and surely not in a gated community on a mid-summers afternoon.

Fernando parks his Chevy Impala as close as possible to the circle of squad cars that were congregating around this two story house. Three windows on the upper floor overlooked the street while one bay window accented the left side of the home front and two, smaller windows, to the right, framing the front door on the main floor of the house. The garage was to the right of the home with no distance between it and the neighbors garage, which set to it’s left. An identical setup in the repetitive and mundane community.

Lucy steps out of the car and begins scanning the scene. Seven other officer’s vehicles parked closely together and a few on the next block over behind the house. Some of the officers were ushering civilians back towards their homes while others were taking witness statements. A few officers were watching the house diligently but no caution tape had been put up.

“Yo, I got a bad feelin’ about this, Luce.” Lucy brought her gaze back around to Fernando. “They haven’t even secured the crime scene,” Fernando comments, removing his cap and scratching his head.

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Lucy replies, turning back around to see an officer approaching her. Young man, fresh off the bus with a clean cut and clean shave. Lucy takes a few steps towards him as he reaches out to take her hand.

“Detectives Deville and Torre, I presume?” A soft, Hispanic accent trailed from his lips as he took her hand and shook it. “I’m Manny,” though his name tag read Emanuel, “Officer Barkley has told me much about you guys. He would also like me to catch you two up to speed.”

Lucy nods and returns his handshake. “Thank you, Manny. What’s going on here? Why hasn’t anyone roped off the crime scene yet?”

“According to eyewitness accounts,” begins Manny as he turns towards the house, “our perp is still inside the Newman’s residence, the unfortunate victims. Mrs. Newman made the initial call into dispatch, when she found her husband after returning home with her two daughters. We got the call shortly after when dispatch lost contact with Mrs. Newman. The dispatcher recalled hearing three additional shots fired before the line went dead. We believe the gunman shot her and her children.”

“Ahh, jeez.” Fernando looks to the home and then back to Manny. “Nobody’s gone in yet?” He asks.

“No. We just got here right before you two,” Manny says, bringing his attention back to Lucy and Fernando. “Many of the residents have been out here calling 911 because they all heard the gunshots. Some of the officers have taken statements while others were phoning back in. Chief gave direct orders to surround the building and wait for you two.”

Lucy looks over and gives Fernando a nod before walking back the the rear of his Impala. “Manny, you let Barkley know we’re gearing up to head inside,” She calls from the open trunk of the car. “Frannie, come suit up!” She yells, tossing him a bullet-proof vest and taking one for herself. Manny nods and makes his way across the street towards the other cruisers. Lucy affixes her vest and checks to make sure it’s snug but she still had a free range of movement. She looks up to see Fernando checking his and walks over to him, patting him on the back. “Let’s go do what we do best.”

Lucy makes her way to the squad cars, with Fernando in tow behind her. She sees Barkley standing by on of the cruisers near the center of the line and approaches him, readying her walkies earpiece and mic. Barkley eyes her and Fernando approaching and turns to face them. A senior officer and it showed, especially on his face. His black button up, which gripped his rounded midsection, would have been the same color as his hair if it hadn’t started to fade already; silver hair already present at his temple and in his moustache. Dark circles rest beneath his eyes, his left still as brown as the day his was born and the other cloudy and greying from the damage it suffered and his stubborn refusal to wear an eye patch.

“Am I f*****g glad to see you two? This whole mess screams s**t storm.” His voice was crass and gritty, like he swallowed sandpaper. “I’ve got half a neighborhood on edge because they heard shots and about seven witnesses attesting to seeing a man entering the home earlier and a few times passing the windows inside. They’re scared shitless.”

“Any idea who the perp is yet?” Lucy asks, tucking the bud of her earpiece into her ear.

“We know who it is. Every witness says it’s,” He pauses, pulling out a notepad from his shirt pocket and flipping it open. “John Phish.”

“What, is he a resident around here or something?” Fernando asks, adjusting his mic cable.

“Yeah, he’s a resident here and apparently lives just four houses down from the victims. Not to mention he’s had an argument with Mr. Newman recently over some borrowed items and money.” He flips the pad closed and turns towards the house. “I guess they had a shouting match right out in the street about a week ago. Must’ve lost his patience.”

Fernando steps forward after applying his earpiece. “How do we know he’s still in there? Has he been seen since officers arrived?”

“Only once but no one has seen him leave and we got the place on watch. Waiting to send you two in there to either flush him out or take him down.”

“Then let’s get in there. C’mon Frannie.” Lucy taps her partner on the chest and they head for the house’s door, unclipping the holster of each of their Glocks. Lucy took position by the right side of the door, Fernando to the left. They each draw their guns and Lucy looks to Fernando, who acknowledges her thought with a nod; Let’s enter. Lucy grabs the brass handle and swings the heavy oak door open. Both detectives enter the house, guns out in front of them. Lucy scans the den. It was a small room with a coat closet, empty save for a few jackets, a table by the door with a small bowl full of keys, a mirror hanging on the wall and the staircase that led up to the second floor.

Lucy motions to Fernando. “Check upstairs. I’ll take this floor.” Fernando nods and starts up the stairs. Lucy makes her way through the opening into the living room, gun first. A larger room with a sectional couch, back to her, a large entertainment center resting against the far wall in front of the couch, and a flatscreen t.v. mounted to the wall above it.

Lucy steps towards the couch and then the smell hit her. Covering her nose she peers over the couch and finds the Newman’s all lying on the floor in a combined pool of their blood, the table cocked at an angle beside the bodies. Lucy circles around the couch and kneels by the bodies. Mr. Newman is lying on his back, his head cocked to the side with a dime sized hole in his forehead and a crater where the back of his skull used to be. Mrs. Newman’s body lay across her husband’s corpse with half of her face missing, her once blond hair saturated crimson. Both of the daughters were lying close to their mother’s feet. Neither could have been more than six or seven. Both girls have a red spot staining their matching pink dresses, having been shot in the back trying to run away from the shooter. Lucy chokes back her tears, checking their necks and praying for any sign of a pulse, though she knew there wasn’t one. Lucy stands and then steps over the children’s arms, which were still hand in hand.

Lucy clicked the comm of her mic. “I’ve cleared the living room and found the Newman’s. All four confirmed deceased. Still no sign of the suspect. Fernando, you copy?”

“I’ve checked the kids room and the bathroom. I’ve found nothing. I don’t think he’s even been in either room.” Fernando’s muffled voice buzzes through her earpiece. “I’m heading to the parents room next.”

“Copy that.”

Lucy finds an opening and enters into the dining room, furnished with only a small, square table which would seat four. Making her way to the other side of the room, Lucy enters the kitchen. She passes the stove and dishwasher before noticing a door to the basement, partially open.

“Master bedroom is clear.” Fernando came through on her earpiece, causing her to jump a little. “I think I saw an attic hatch, going to check it out.”

“Copy that. I found the basement, dining room and kitchen clear.”

“Copy.”

Lucy cracks open the door and peers into the darkness below. She reaches to grab her light only to find it wasn’t there. S**t. She takes caution and makes her way down the stairs into the blackness, though the boards creaked under her steps. Halfway down the steps she notices a figure move in the dark. “Show yourself!” She hollers into the dark, aiming down the sights of her gun. She continues down the steps until she was on the bare concrete, never moving her gun from the direction she saw the figure move to. “I said show yourself, there’s nowhere to run!”

“But there’s plenty of places to hide, Lucy.” The voice was menacing, despite lacking any emotion. John Phish steps out from behind a stack of boxes, the gun still in his hand, resting at his side. Through the darkness Lucy could make out he was a pudgy man, maybe five foot ten, in a blood soaked white shirt and khakis. His short, brown, hair stuck to his forehead where blood had splattered onto his face.

“What? Phish, drop your weapon.” Lucy’s voice was firm and hardened, regardless of how uncomfortable she was hearing her name. Or is my mind playing tricks on me? “You’re under arrest for the murder of the Newman family.”

“The Newman family? Oh, right, the stiffs upstairs.” Phish’s speech was eerie and flat, similar to the blank look on his face, which was pale and his eyes were glossy. “They were just meant to lure you here, Lucy. You’re my true goal.” Lucy stared bewildered at the slightly overweight man who was standing before her with a sinister grin spreading now across his face. “I must say, not what I was expecting. Disappointing, really.”

“Sh-shut your mouth and drop the weapon! Then place your hands on the back of your head!” Lucy’s voice cracked but just for a moment.

“If you say so.” Replied Phish, dropping the gun. He then lifted his hands to the back of his head. “Aren’t you curious?”

“Shut up! On your knees!” Lucy stepped forward.

“Oh, come on.” Finally some emotion, though slightly annoyed. “You can’t tell me you’re not. It’s tattooed to your face!” He stands back up, arms dropping back to his sides. “Come on!”

Lucy stands back and readies her weapon again. “I said on your knees! I will shoot you!”

“Fine, do it.” Sarcasm now, tilting his head and grinning wider now. Inhumanly wide. “You know you want to.” He taunts, with a double meaning. “I get back down if you ask.”

Lucy grit her teeth. “Why? Why did you lure me here? Why did you have to kill Mr. Newman and his family?”

Phish knelt back down onto the floor, looking satisfied. He brought his gaze up to Lucy’s, his eyes changing from their glossy look to a vibrant gold hue, as she stepped forward never dropping her weapon. “Because…” He pauses, eyeing the gun beside him. “I’m Greedy.”

Then three shots rang out.

Author's Note

The third chapter in my novel and up to it's second revision, but I'm still struggling with it's length; It's too short, right? What do you think?

Reviews

[Sins]

There's a few grammatical errors that I noticed, small things such as "Phish speech..." to "Phish's speech", "patients" to "patience", perhaps inserting 'and' in "Lucy affixes her vest on [and] checks to make sure it’s snug..." Uhh, other than that I think the writing is good.

I like the detail and I'm really intrigued by Lucy's story. The first chapter is a real hook, and the visuals you give make the story easy to follow and enjoy. I'm excited to learn more about Lucy and the Old Man and find out what this is all about. I'm really into mystery/supernatural/horror so this seems really great! I love how the reader only knows as much as Lucy knows about the situation and how you introduce/describe new characters the way Lucy would see them. Relatable and realistic, despite the paranormal happenings in the story.

So far, I like it! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Bryan Webb]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's still a work in progress and I'm actually in the middle of doing a review and edit of all three chapters thus far but I have grand plans. I created my account here to get insight because my dream is to have this story published as a book and turn it into a series. So, again, thank you for this review! It's helped.

[Sins]

Ooooh, grand plans. Sounds exciting. And you're welcome! Happy to help. c: