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#Post#: 46--------------------------------------------------
AN ENDING AND A BEGINNING
By: 22639 Date: September 30, 2011, 6:45 pm
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[center]***Seacouver, Washington***[/center]
Craig is sitting at his desk in his office at the Bower Agency
going over a couple of files.
David knocks at Craig's door before opening it.
[David] Sorry, Craig, hope I'm not interrupting you.
Craig looks up and closes the file folder he has had open.
[Craig] Not at all. Come on in and have a seat. Want some
coffee?
Craig asks gesturing to the coffee maker on the credenza.
[David] Yeah.
[Craig] Help yourself.
David enters, get some coffee and sits at a chair near Craig's
desk.
Craig says with a smile. He picks up his own coffee cup and
takes a sip of it's contents.
[Craig] You get your office set up to your liking?
Craig asks leaning back in his chair.
David shrugs, sipping his coffee.
[David] It's ok, after that long at the force I'm not that picky
anymore.
[Craig] If you need anything....art work for your
walls...plants....whatever...just tell Linda. She's a master
scrounger.
Craig says with a chuckle.
David smirks.
[David] She already offered, but thanks.
Craig swivels his chair so that he is facing the table behind
him. He picks up a small stack of file folders and turns back to
face David. He holds the files out across the desk for David.
[Craig] These are a few of the larger businesses that I would
like to see us land the security contract with.
Craig explains.
[Craig] I just haven't been able to give them the time needed to
land the accounts.
Craig takes a sip of his coffee.
David gets one file opened and starts reading it. He nods as he
listens.
[Craig] You'll find that Seacouver has quite a few high end art
galleries and antique shops. Miost of them are in the Heights.
But none of them have any security service to speak of so they
are open game.
Craig says as he slowly rocks his chair back and forth.
[Craig] We also are the home to three very prestigious museums.
And at the moment they are relying strictly on private security
guards I know we can talk them into upgrading to an electronic
system.
[David] Didn't have time to know the city very well yet, looks
small enough after New york though...
Craig chuckles.
[Craig] Yeah. Any city looks small after New York.
David grins.
[David] Yeah, I guess so.
Craig lets David have a few minutes to review the files he
handed him and he picks up the remote control for the big screen
TV mounted on the wall across from his desk. He presses a button
and the TV comes to life.
David keeps reading, he's used to work in noisy environments by
now.
Craig only halfway listens to the female news reporter on the TV
as he watches David review the files.
David frowns as he reads one.
[David] You have an Opera here? Never imagined...
Craig smiles and nods.
[Craig] They're world renown, too. Been compared to the New York
Met.
Craig says and takes a sip of his coffee.
[Craig] You into opera?
[David] Not really. But it sounds impressing enough.
David chuckles before he takes another sip at his coffee.
"I am standing at one end of the Peper Tunnel which is owned by
Southern Pacific Railroad and is their main entrance and exit to
Seacouver," the reporter on the TV is saying. "An hour ago a
grizzly discovery was made inside this tunnel when Railroad
inspectors found the body of a man laying across the
tracks....decapitated. The body has been identified as Daniel
Crane a professor and the head of the university music
department." Craig stops rocking and stares at the TV....shock
written all over his face. He grabs the remote and turns up the
volume. "I was able to interview Deputy Sheriff John Temple a
little while ago and here's what he had to say.....," the
pictures switches to a video taken earlier. "Decapitation was
not the only injury sustained by Professor Crane," the deputy
says. "Although it was the decapitation that killed Professor
crane we found evidence that prior to his decapitation he had
undergone some sort of torture. The coroner said there's signs
that someone had used a long, narrow sharp object to puncture
both of the Professor's eardrums and had not just broken all of
his finger and hand bones....but shattered them. What has us
puzzled is that these injuries seemed to be at least 24 hours
old." The video ends and the camera is once again trained on the
woman reporter.
[Craig] Good God!
David frowns at Craig.
[David] You knew this guy?
Craig whispers and stares transfixed on the TV. "Deputy Temple
told me that they have no clues as to who Professor Crane's
assailant is but he assured me that they will not rest un til
they have captured whoever it is. I tried to contact Professor
Crane's wife but she wasn't available just yet. This is Randy
McFarland reporting from Pepper Tunnel. Back to you in the
studio."
[Craig] Huh?
Craig says absentmindedly in response to David's question.
[David] What's up? Did you know this guy?
Craig looks at David and nods.
[Craig] Yeah. We were poker buddies. I am friends with he and
his wife.
Craig says still sounding stunned.
David is still frowning thinking about the news.
[David] We got a lot of headless bodies at New York too, never
found out who did it...
Craig reaches for the phone and dials a number.
[Craig] Yes....is Lisa there? Tell her it's Craig Bower.
Craig waits for a few minutes.
[Craig] Lisa. I just heard. Are you alright? Is there anything I
can do?
Craig listens and his brow furrows.
[Craig] My God. When did this happen?
Craig listens.
[Craig] Then....this morning....ther guy came back?
Craig asks clearly confused.
[Craig] Oh....Lisa.....are you sure? I mean....come on. I can't
see Daniel doing that.
Craig shakes his head slowly as he listens. He closes his eyes
and bows his head.
[Craig] My God, Lisa. I am so very sorry. If there's anything
you need....anything at all.....
Craig nods and gently replaces the telephone receiver on its
cradle. He looks up at the TV without seeing it. Slowly his
facial expression turns to one of deep rage.
[Craig] The son of a bitch did it again.
Craig growls softly.
[David] Again? You know who did it?
David asks him surprised.
Craig silently opens the bottom drawer of his desk and removes a
thick file folder. He tosses it across his desk to David.
David stares at him for a while, studying him before he picks up
the folder and opens it. What he gleans from his quick review of
the file is that Ashton Lawrence hires himself out to clients
who want to exact revenge against someone. His form of revenge
is to study his intended victim to learn what it is in their
life that they love and then to mutilate them in a way that will
prevent them from enjoying that love. To date he had amputated
the feet of a dancer, gouged the eyes out and amputated the
hands of an artist, amputated the hands of a renowned cardiac
surgeon, cut off the nose of a beautiful model and removed the
tongue of a popular motivational speaker. He never killed his
victims but they all had eventually committed suicide...not
wanting to or unable to face life without being able to do what
it was they loved doing. The man was a complete sick-o.
[Craig] He didn't decapitate Daniel....but he did worse.
Craig says almost hissing the words.
[Craig] His name is Ashton Lawrence. I've been chasing him for
over two years now. From one side of the country to the other
and back again. Always just a step beghind him.
Craig gets up and walks over to the window. He stands with his
hands shoved in his pockets and stares out at the city below,.
[David] Ever considered telling that to the police?
David couldn't hold his question any longer.
[Craig] In that file you'll find several police reports. But
they were of no use. He's too smart fior the average cop. And
besides....they are always overloaded with cases....it's just
another one to them.
Craig says without looking away from the window.
[Craig] And even if they could catch him.....they wouldn't be
able to stop him. That will be my job.
Craig says in a soft and even voice.
[David] And just how are you planning to stop him... kill him
just like that? You can't be serious...
Craig turns away from the window and...as if not hearing David's
remark...grabs his jacket off of the back of his chair.
[Craig] Come on.
Craig says simply and heads for the door of his office.
David looks up at him surprised, but does as he's told, he's the
boss after all.
[Craig] I'll be out of the office the rest of the day, Linda.
Craig announces to his secretary as he rushes past the
receptionist desk. He heads for the doors of the suite of
offices that is the Bower Agency and exits.
[David] So where are we going?
David asks as he follows Craig.
[Craig] I want to take a look at the site myself.
[David] The police would have marked it as a crime scene, I
doubt they'll let us near.
Craig passes up the elevator and heads for the stairs.
[Craig] You have some sort of aversion to challenging
situations, David?
Craig asks over his shoulder.
[David] Hey, I did got those guys that framed me, didn't I?
Wouldn't you call that a challenging situation?
Craig doesn't respond as he descends the stairs two at a time to
the parking garage level below the office building. He heads
for his SUV, deactivates the alarm and unlocks the doors when he
is a few feet from it. He turns and tosses the keys to David and
says emphatically, "you're driving." Then he gets into the
passenger seat and closes the door.
David smiles as he catches the car keys.
[David] You're the boss.
David gets into the driver's seat and starts the car.
[David] Where to? Pepper Tunnel?
[Craig] Take a left out of the garage and head for the south
east part of town.
Craig instructs. He rests his elbow on the window sill of the
passenger door and absentmindedly rubs his chin as he stares out
the passenger window in deep thought.
[David] Ok boss.
David smirks and drives off.
[center]To be continued[/center]
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