Authors: Jesse Abundis
Klecko could see his younger self laugh at the pedophile, rejecting such an idea. “ Never going to happen, I know who I am.” Klecko ended his sentence with much confidence, always believing he would remain the same.
“ You’re a man of morals,” He laughed even as Klecko pressed down onto his wind pipe. “ I feel sorry for people like you, you wanna know why?” Klecko stood silent. “ All it takes is one little push and you come falling down harder than the rest.”
“
And you’re such a good damn fucking expert,” Klecko laughed at him once more. “ You never had morals, you sick fuck.”
“ Boy, everyone is born a monster, it’s human nature.”
“ If that’s so true, then why aren’t we fucked up as you!?”
“ It’s just a matter of time, son, the other shoe will drop, you’ll see.”
Klecko sat parked outside his apartment building, reflecting back to his conversation with Alan Smith, knowing somewhere down in death row he was smiling.
What was the push that sent you over the edge, what turns such a righteous man down the moral path of insanity and death?
He could hear his inner voice whisper to him, acting as his own personal therapist, the only person he could confess the truth to, without fearing he would be turned into authorities.
“ Life,” He replied to it. “ the job, it all starts to eat away at you, so much death, how can anyone sleep at night after seeing all that.” A homeless old drunk was in the middle of the road, yelling at his own demon inside his mind as well, throwing phantom punches as best as he could to silent that voice.
Look at him, he never killed, why hasn’t he turned into a monster as you say?
Klecko smirked. “ Is that what I should be, a drunk, just like the rest of the officers who pretend to smile and give a damn, when they know deep inside their minds are rotten to the core from everything they’d seen?” He slammed his fist on the steering wheel. “ No, I rather embrace the sickness than have to end up like one of them.” He observed the old man carefully, watched as he laugh, watched as he broke into tears, talking to his imaginary friend, asking where it went wrong.
“
There has to be more to all this.”
His inner voice pressed on, which made him impatient as it probed harder, acting as its own entity. “
If your theory was true, why kill now, why not kill earlier , why not kill when your gray and old, why now.. I think you know why.”
Klecko didn’t answer, he just sat quietly in his car, watching the old man fumble with his balance.
Father, I’ve never felt closer to you
It all has to burn, it all has to burn
What does it all mean?
“ Stop it !” Klecko screamed and thrashed around the car, silencing the voices that flooded his mind, his outburst grab the attention of the drunk, one little whisper of his imaginary friend and he took off running into the alley for safety. “ Good judge of character.” Klecko chuckled as he leaned back in his seat, calming the demon and the need that was looming deep inside his belly, begging for relief.
He would do it in a heart beat if he could, bathe in blood, see the terror in someone’s eyes, feeling alive, free from everything, feeling one with God. The pure adrenaline of it all was better than any drug that anyone could take. But the time was not right, there were bigger things on his plate than petty desires.
He sighed deeply, knowing the sun was around the corner and soon it would be time to head back to work, another day with Harkness and Vazquez with no sleep, it was deja vu all over again. “ I know you’re out there.” Klecko pressed his face to the window, knowing his guardian was hiding in plain sight, keeping a vigilant eye on him, watching the whole process come undone.
“ And when it does fall, you’ll know I’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.”
Chapter 52
Do You Remember?
Three Years Ago
“ It's easy for one to justify a death, to get caught up in a lie, anything to forget the real root of what cast this demon inside you.” The Prophet stood over an empty water well, deep inside it's dark pit stood his apostle, hurled into the pit for the past two weeks, hearing day in and day out preachings from his savior. “ Do you remember the truth, son?”
“ I do.” The apostle managed to say with his cracked parched throat. “ I know what sent me down this road, I remember now.” He cried out in pain, as the image struck his mind every second. No matter how hard he tried to close his eyes, he could not run from the truth.
“ You make me proud, son.” The Prophet tossed the rope down. “ Climb and free yourself from the darkness.”
Chapter 53
Evil Is His Name
“ What should I name my first born, mom?“ Maggie could feel the warmth of her daughter as they nestled together, laughing, being themselves. “ I want a real good strong name, how does Evan sound?” This was the internal happiness that escaped her life in the past months, happiness that shine so brightly years before, having it back was a welcome sight. “ Or what if it’s a girl, what should I name her then?”
“ You can name her whatever you want, honey.” Maggie knew this wasn’t real, yet, it didn’t bother her, she could make this Lisa real in her mind, apart of her wished she would die here and now, so she would never leave her daughter. But the sound of someone pounding on her front door was enough to awaken her, she stood up to listen, wondering if it was just one of the meth heads banging at random doors, but the pounding grew louder with each second that passed. “ Who is it!?” Maggie screamed from the bedroom, grabbing her steel wrench that she kept under her pillow, in case for these situations. “ Go away!” She warned whoever was knocking.
“ You have to open up,” Said a youthful voice to her. “ this is about your daughter!”
Maggie could feel her heart wrench, flashes of the worst pounded into her mind, she jumped out of bed, stumbling as she raced over to the door. “ Who are you?” She asked as she neared the door.
“ My name is Officer Harold Carter, ma’am.” He said to her. “ This is very important, we need you to open the door.”
“ Just be honest officer, she‘s dead isn‘t she, they found my little girl dead!?” Maggie couldn’t hold back her fears, she knew the longer she went missing, the more the worst case scenario would be the outcome, at least now the officers could start looking for her killer.
“ Ma’am this would be easier if you opened the door.” The Officer pleaded with her.
“ Just tell me please.” Maggie pleaded in tears. “ I have a right to know.”
“ Ma’am,” He paused for a second, which seemed to last for an eternity for dear old Maggie. “We found her, she’s alive.” Maggie gasped for air as she heard the news. “ We’ve called your husband and family, we’re here to drive you to her.”
Maggie couldn’t hold back the tears of joy that ran down her face, her sweet Lisa would be back in her arms, they could finally go back to Los Angeles together. “ Thank you, thank you.” Maggie repeated as she undid the chains on the door. “ Did she ask about me?” Maggie pulled open the door, only to find not an Officer standing there, but the killer of her daughter greeting her with a smile. “ Who are you?” She said out of breath, wondering where the officer was.
“ Gerard.” He spat out quickly, before storming into Maggie’s apartment, throwing her down onto the ground and closing the door behind them.
Chapter 54
SIX ANGRY MEN
“ You’re telling me you still don’t have jack squat on Pardo?” Everyone in the room was on edge, six angry detectives all wanting to bite the heads off each other. “ How the fuck is that even possible, guy hacks the head off your fucking hooker.” Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was just life, but if someone didn’t make the peace soon, there would be blood all over the walls.
“ You watch your God damn mouth with what you say, Briggs!” Rita slammed her fist on the table, both detective staring each other eye to eye from afar, Klecko was smack in the middle of this argument, though he had no attention in breaking the war of words, deep inside he was craving for them to blow their heads off, take off one little pain that was Rita and the other just to satisfy that itch that kept him up at night.
“ Knock it off!” Harkness barked at them, sending the rile up dogs back home with their tails between their legs.
“ Feels like the end of days.” Another detective Kelly Rollins said as she fanned herself with a police report.
“ Maybe it is.” Klecko chuckled, getting the odd stares that questioned his sanity, little did they know that had been long gone days ago.
Harkness banged his bulky arm on the table, trying to get everything back on track. “ Vazquez, you mine sharing with the group what we have so far.” One of the detectives chuckled. “ Have something to say, Wilson? “
“ Sharing isn’t her pet peeve.” He said. “ This dame isn’t giving us anything to go on, the only people she trust is you and Klecko, so why the hell are we here?” The others began to join in the mob war.
“ Enough!” Harkness yelled once more. “ The Captain wants us to lend our assistance, so we're going to do as told. Last I remember, you were doing nothing but scratching your ass, Wilson. So enough of this bullshit cat fights, It’s time we start going the extra mile.”
“ Don’t see that happening.” Rollins said under her breath.
“ Vazquez, share what you have with the group.” Harkness tone wasn’t asking, he was demanding.
“ Denise Hillshire's death,” Klecko wonder what her relationship was with her C.I, every time she mentioned her name, or someone called her a hooker, Rita was always ready to cave their face in. “ is without a doubt Pardo’s work, but we can’t prove this without having hardcore evidence or if someone come’s forward.”
“ Why not make someone come forward?” Rollins suggested a very unorthodox method and down right illegal, if it blew up in your face, but it helped officers jump through so many loop holes in the system.
“ Don’t think that hasn’t crossed my mind,” She admitted to the group. “ but there’s no one brave enough or stupid enough to accept, even with a shattered nose.” That earned some looks around the table.
“ So, where does that leave us?” Klecko finally spoke out.
“ I’m running one of my contacts right now, he’s promised to bring something solid back.” She kept her words directed at the five other detectives, but refuse to look Klecko in the face.
“ Who might that be?” Klecko pressed on.
“ That’s none of your concern.” She fired back at him. “ He’s mine contact, not yours.” Everyone in the room stood shock at the outburst.
Klecko wasn’t sure what brought this on, but he refused to let it get to him. “ Easy now, Vazquez, we’re all on the same team.”
She hesitated for a moment to say anything, but she knew she was on the hot seat, if she refused to play nice, she would be out of here faster than she could blink. “ Bobby Weaving.”
Klecko snorted as he heard the name. “ Bobby is your contact, wow.” He shook his head. “ He won’t be one for long.”
Rita seemed ready to leap at Klecko for that remark. “ What the hell does that mean?”
“ What he means is that Bobby is a two-face liar, he’ll say anything to make himself feel important. Someone like that, it won’t be too long until he’s found dead in a pool of his own blood.” Wilson added to the fire.
“ I know Bobby, we’ve been running him for leads at VICE.” Rita fired back.
“ Then maybe you guys should rethink your job career.” Rollins mocked her.
“ What else you got?” Harkness asked her, gesturing to keep the ball rolling.
“ Heading over the coroners right now, to get his input on the death.” Rita said.
“ I think the cutting her head off might have killed her.” Wilson laughed under his breath.
“ Fuck you!” Rita shouted.
“ Anything else?” Harkness asked.
“ That’s all I have.” Her shoulders slumped as she spoke.
“ Wilson, Rollins,” Klecko voice awoke the room. “ You two hit the streets, find out where Hillshire went and what she did with her free time, Harkness you and Joey run down some other useful contacts that can shine some light, Vazquez and I will head over the coroners.” That analyst report didn’t intrigue him one bit, he was more interested in to find out what was crawling up Rita’s ass.