ruin one's appetite for dinner. He wondered which lucky relief officer would get that nasty job tonight and tomorrow. He hoped they had a strong stomach. It was one thing to hear the descriptions, and another thing altogether to witness them and have those horrid images burned on your brain.
Sitting up, feeling tired already even though he still had several other exercises to complete before he finished, he shook out his arms again, stood, placed two more ten pound plates on the bar, then stretched his arms over his head to loosen them.
"You're the cop that keeps getting dispatched to those murders, aren't you?"
Cringing slightly, Dave didn't know if that was a reputation to be proud of. "Doesn't take long for word to get around."
78
Naked Dragon
by G.A. Hauser
"Everyone's been checking it out as soon as the dispatcher calls the supervisor to a scene and won't say what it is over the air. And when you look it up the call always reads
'suspicious circumstances', and it's in the ID. Your name is always there with the sarge."
"It's my district." Dave sat back down on the bench, indicating he was going to do his reps and not interested in talking about the case with anyone.
The second cop in the room stopped working out and casually made his way closer to listen in case any juicy details were going to be revealed. When he was within range in the blaring noise he shouted, "I heard the FBI was involved.
Why? Do you know?"
"It's interstate," Dave said, "There were other killings similar to this in Oregon."
The two cops exchanged puzzled looks. "I didn't hear shit about it."
"Me neither," the first one said.
"You think they'll get this guy?"
"I hope so," Dave replied, then gripped the bar and secured his grasp. As the other two watched, he pumped five times with the loaded bar, then set it down and sat up pulling off all the weights and putting them back on the racks.
As the CD ended and the room became strangely silent, the first cop whispered, "I hear they were pretty gruesome.
That they were messed up pretty bad."
"They were." Dave knew if he kept working out, they would keep talking about it. Hating to leave the gym before he had completed his routine, he imagined telling them he 79
Naked Dragon
by G.A. Hauser
didn't want to discuss it and then being subjected to the negative reaction it would bring out. Cops were nosy. They needed to know.
Avoiding that kind of bad reputation and the rumor mill that inevitably went with it, he found his towel on a hook and then headed to the door. "I've got to go. See ya."
"See ya," they echoed, staring at him as if he were a conspirator in the crimes.
Grumbling under his breath in annoyance since he had a vision of a blissful hour of pumping weights and trying to get the terrible crime scenes out of his mind, he walked to the locker room and imagined punching a wall. He yanked off his gloves, splashed his face in the sink and wiped himself dry with the towel, then left trying to avoid other cops and their questions as he did.
* * * *
They were monitoring the east precinct's radio frequency.
Robbie stared out of the black sedan's window at every face.
Would he know the murderer if he spotted him? Or what about his next victim? He only wished he was that clairvoyant. He didn't profess to be a magician.
"Stop the car," he shouted, sitting up.
Agent Green pulled over quickly and both he and Skinner leaned over the back seat in anticipation.
Robbie jumped out of the car and ran across the four lane street of South Main.
When he vanished into an alley between buildings the other two quickly followed. Robbie could see them struggling 80
Naked Dragon
by G.A. Hauser
to catch up to him. When the agents finally did, Robbie was standing at the far end of the alley with one of his hands on the brick wall, catching his breath.
"What?" Agent Skinner panted as he gasped for air.
"What?"
"I saw him."
"You what?" Agent Green choked as he tried to breathe normally.
"We met
Sitting up, feeling tired already even though he still had several other exercises to complete before he finished, he shook out his arms again, stood, placed two more ten pound plates on the bar, then stretched his arms over his head to loosen them.
"You're the cop that keeps getting dispatched to those murders, aren't you?"
Cringing slightly, Dave didn't know if that was a reputation to be proud of. "Doesn't take long for word to get around."
78
Naked Dragon
by G.A. Hauser
"Everyone's been checking it out as soon as the dispatcher calls the supervisor to a scene and won't say what it is over the air. And when you look it up the call always reads
'suspicious circumstances', and it's in the ID. Your name is always there with the sarge."
"It's my district." Dave sat back down on the bench, indicating he was going to do his reps and not interested in talking about the case with anyone.
The second cop in the room stopped working out and casually made his way closer to listen in case any juicy details were going to be revealed. When he was within range in the blaring noise he shouted, "I heard the FBI was involved.
Why? Do you know?"
"It's interstate," Dave said, "There were other killings similar to this in Oregon."
The two cops exchanged puzzled looks. "I didn't hear shit about it."
"Me neither," the first one said.
"You think they'll get this guy?"
"I hope so," Dave replied, then gripped the bar and secured his grasp. As the other two watched, he pumped five times with the loaded bar, then set it down and sat up pulling off all the weights and putting them back on the racks.
As the CD ended and the room became strangely silent, the first cop whispered, "I hear they were pretty gruesome.
That they were messed up pretty bad."
"They were." Dave knew if he kept working out, they would keep talking about it. Hating to leave the gym before he had completed his routine, he imagined telling them he 79
Naked Dragon
by G.A. Hauser
didn't want to discuss it and then being subjected to the negative reaction it would bring out. Cops were nosy. They needed to know.
Avoiding that kind of bad reputation and the rumor mill that inevitably went with it, he found his towel on a hook and then headed to the door. "I've got to go. See ya."
"See ya," they echoed, staring at him as if he were a conspirator in the crimes.
Grumbling under his breath in annoyance since he had a vision of a blissful hour of pumping weights and trying to get the terrible crime scenes out of his mind, he walked to the locker room and imagined punching a wall. He yanked off his gloves, splashed his face in the sink and wiped himself dry with the towel, then left trying to avoid other cops and their questions as he did.
* * * *
They were monitoring the east precinct's radio frequency.
Robbie stared out of the black sedan's window at every face.
Would he know the murderer if he spotted him? Or what about his next victim? He only wished he was that clairvoyant. He didn't profess to be a magician.
"Stop the car," he shouted, sitting up.
Agent Green pulled over quickly and both he and Skinner leaned over the back seat in anticipation.
Robbie jumped out of the car and ran across the four lane street of South Main.
When he vanished into an alley between buildings the other two quickly followed. Robbie could see them struggling 80
Naked Dragon
by G.A. Hauser
to catch up to him. When the agents finally did, Robbie was standing at the far end of the alley with one of his hands on the brick wall, catching his breath.
"What?" Agent Skinner panted as he gasped for air.
"What?"
"I saw him."
"You what?" Agent Green choked as he tried to breathe normally.
"We met
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