chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

It was a chaotic morning, I got to the office and I could see the terror in everybody faces, another body had been found in the river, two murders in two weeks, it was really terrifying, in a small town where the last murder happened 5 years ago it is sure that the whole town would be in a frenzy. Is this murder connected to the previous one? Do we have a serial killer on our hands? All eyes would definitely be on me instantly since I was in charge of the case.

'the chief would like to see you and Gabriel' Cynthia said.

We walked to his office, we hadn't discussed what had happened the previous day but I could tell that he wasn't in a good mood,.he was probably still upset.

'well, how is the case coming along ?' Chief Jenkins asked.

' we have gotten a lead we would like to pursue, we are going to talk to the owner of the stolen car and we would go from there ' I answered.

' this case needs to be solved fast , the murder that was just called in if the autopsy results come out and we find out that the cause of death is similar to the first one then we can just assume that it's the same person that killed them both', Chief Jenkins said.

' yes that can be assumed, we would check in with the coroner for the results and see if we can find a clue' Gabriel chipped in.

' The whole town is shook up and they need answers, we need to find the person responsible for the murders, i got a call from the mayor's office and I think you can pretty much assume what the call was about, hint... It wasn't about the next election, if you guys cannot handle it , I will be glad to pass it off to any other detective '

'we can handle it' Gabriel and I said in unison.

' bring me something, anything tangible to go with by this week, off you go' Chief Jenkins said dismissing us. We walked out and straight to my car, I had gotten the address from the interrn and it was time to check it out.

We got to the address it was a cabin close to the woods, the cabin looked so lonely and eerie just like those cabins you would find in an horror movie. We got out of the car, Gabriel started to look around while I walked to the door and knocked,no answer, then i knocked again. Then a tall, skinny man in his late 50s opened the door slightly.

' can I help you?' he said.

' I am a detective in the police department and I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the stolen vehicle report you made last week' I said flashing my badge.

' i already spoke to an officer ' he said, closing the door. I put my hand on the door and subtly pulled it open. ' I'm aware, we have reasons to believe that your vehicle was used to commit a crime so we would like to ask a few questions regarding how the car got stolen ' I said, just then Gabriel walked towards us 'that is my partner Gabriel ' I introduced Gabriel.

The man who introduced himself as Hudson then came outside 'what do y'all wanna know' he said.

' I would prefer if we take this conversation inside, we might be a while' I said, entering into the cabin. The cabin had a rustic feel, he had several guns displayed decoratively on his wall, Hudson saw where my eyes looked and he said ' I have permits for those, and I only use them for hunting ' he disclosed. I ignored his state and continued to look around.

Gabriel then ushered the man to a sit while I looked around and asked ' when did you find out that the vehicle was stolen'.

'like I said, I hunt, I took my truck out to the woods by parkson Avenue, I parked my truck right out the road, I took my equipment and went in, I came back out about 2 to 3 hours after and my truck was gone, I had to hitch a ride from some folks and i had to abandon my game, so vexing! I got back to the mainland and reported it immediately ' he explained. Parkson Avenue was at the outskirts of town no road side cameras were there and there's usually little traffic.

'what time did this happen ' Gabriel asked.

'around 5pm to 6pm', he answered.

'what day was this', I asked

' Tuesday the 16th' , he answered.

Gabriel and I looked at each other, that was the day Ashley was killed.

'do you live alone', I asked.

' I do but my brother just came into town for a visit, he's out now though ', he answered.

'do you do construction work' I asked.

' yes I worked in construction but I got injured so now I collect disability allowance from the government ', he answered.

'do you mind if we take a look around ' , I asked.

' well you already are looking around, why don't you go on and continue ', he said 'would you like a cup of coffee, officers' he asked.

'yeah sure, thanks, one sugar and almond milk if you have' I answered.

' no thank you' Gabriel answered.

I got up and continued looking around, the decor was strange but the house was neat, very neat and properly arranged, but one thing that was striking to me is the was the smell of cigarettes.

' do u have a stick of cigarettes I can borrow for the road?' I asked.

' I don't smoke' Mr Hudson answered. He brought the cup of coffee which I just took a sip of and we left.

When we were out the door Gabriel said ' I didn't know you smoked'.

' I don't ' I answered ' he said he didn't smoke but I could clearly perceive the stench of cigarettes, didn't you?' I continued.

' oh that was what that was, and that's why you asked ' Gabriel muttered.

The drive back to the station was quiet, too quiet , which was unusual for Gabriel, I had to ask

'is everything good?'

'what do you mean?' he asked.

'you are awfully quiet ' I answered.

'well, I'm respecting your decision by not discussing anything apart from work related stuff, I mean that's what you said '

' I didn't mean it like that, I was cut off guard. I'm not used to my co-workers calling me just to say hi, I'm sorry if I offended you'. I said

' oh, I'm not upset, I'm just respecting your decision'

'well, if you don't mind Gabriellll I would like to be your friend too, I mean this is weird, we sounds like 7 year olds' i said laughing.

' well, it's your fault ' he laughed.

' by the way, my best friend is having her daughter's birthday party very soon, would you like to come', there was a brief awkward silence so i continued ' I think it would be a great way for you to meet new people in town it's not like a date or anything ' I explained.

' I know and I will like to come', he answered looking at me intensely with his beautiful blue eyes.

I turned away and continued my drive back to the station trying hard not to think about his eyes.