John Steel Collection - Books 1-3

Chapter 10-1

Adam and Sue Mitchell strolled down the wide street, laughing and joking like a pair of teenagers. After leaving the restaurant, they went to the bar where they had first met. The hours had drifted into the early morning as they wandered happily home.

The couple had just celebrated six years of blissful marriage.

It was the first time they had been alone together without work or the kids interrupting them in years. So even though it was now a Monday morning, they thought, what the hell. Having palmed off the kids onto Sue’s mother the night before, they had the whole day to themselves. No, the night they were about to share would be about them and nobody else. They walked for a couple of blocks before John suddenly grabbed Sue and pulled her into the nearest alleyway. Pushed her against the hard brick, he kissed her passionately as his hands moved all over her, caressing her slender body underneath the black satin dress. She responded to this lustful moment by kissing and biting his ears and neck.

what the hellAs the two locked in a passionate embrace, so much so they forgot where they were and who might hear or see. But at the moment, they didn’t care.

They moved down the alley, away from prying eyes. John pulled Sue over to a bricked-up window in an old wall and pulled up her dress. As he lifted her onto the window ledge, her screams of passion suddenly became shrieks of terror.

Adam Backed away quickly, thinking he had done something wrong. But, then, he followed her gaze, and he joined in with her wail of horror.

Perhaps just off a basketball court, a couple of well-built college students had seen the couple dive quickly into the alleyway. The screams from the woman made them come rushing over. They assumed that the woman was in distress; perhaps the man had decided he wanted more than just dinner. But, to their surprise, the couple weren’t moving, just howling. John’s trousers were still around his ankles, and Sue’s dress was still around her midriff, but both the man and woman were cowering like babies. Then, a lanky black kid ran up to Adam and Sue, unaware of what was behind them.

‘Hey guys, you two OK?’ he asked, confused at first by their fear. ‘Hey, what’s up? You look like you all seen a ghost or something,’

joked the giant skinny white kid following him. The tall black kid looked carefully at the pair, who still hadn’t registered their presence. Slowly, the kid followed the couple’s terrified gaze. He saw something in the darkness. He closed his eyes for a second to adjust to the lack of light, then slowly opened them. He wished he hadn’t.

‘Oh, s**t, man, that’s f****d up!’ The kids froze, then stumbled back to the alleyway entrance, where the rest of their friends stood in wait.

‘Hey man, call the cops,’ ordered the tall black kid to one of the others, who whipped out his phone and dialled.

‘Hello, police department, what’s your emergency?’ asked a female on the other end of the line. The skinny blonde kid grabbed the phone. ‘There’s a dead body in an alleyway,’ he informed her, then burbled the address and gave what information he could.

‘Please stay at your location; we will send a unit to your location as quickly as possible.’

The kid hung up, passed the phone back, and promptly threw up.

* * *

Detective Samantha McCall woke to the sound of her alarm. The high-pitched beeping was irritating enough to do the job of getting her up even after a short sleep, and she leant over and checked the time on the digital display. It read 05:00, and giving a quiet moan of disapproval, she slapped the off button and then collapsed back to her sleeping position.

. In just a couple of minutes, she thought to herself, but she changed her mind and rolled out of bed. Leaving the bedroom sanctuary, she made for the kitchen, where she reached for the coffee machine and clicked the button to bring it back from its slumber. From there, she headed to the bathroom. Sam prepared to shower, the steam from the hot water filling the air, misting over the mirrors and a small window in the six-foot-square room. She stepped into the torrent of water and let the cascade run over her.

In just a couple of minutes, she thought to herself, but sheSwitching off the taps, stopping the warm flow, she stepped out of the shower unit and wrapped a towel around her lean, lightly tanned body.

McCall used her dry hand to wipe the fog from the mirror above the white porcelain sink and then examined her reflection. Then, staring for a moment, she smiled and returned to the kitchen. She liked what she saw.

Coffee in hand, she headed back to the bedroom, slipped on some jeans and a t-shirt and got ready for the day ahead. Then, grabbing a bowl of cereal and the freshly filled coffee mug, she drifted into the sitting room.

As she approached the couch housed in a cut-out section of the floor, McCall stepped onto the cushions and sat down cross-legged, grabbed the remote for the TV, and clicked the ON button. With a burst of light and sound, the set came to life and showed a blandly good-looking man telling New York all about the weather they could expect for the day. Great, another hot one, then switched channels, looking for something less depressing than a news station.

Great, another hot oneMcCall finished her breakfast and switched off the TV set before heading for an antique desk at the back of the room. Opening the left-hand drawer, she took out her 9mm Glock service pistol and slipped it into the rear holster nestled in the small of her back, then picked up her police badge. She gave it a quick brush with her hand, then clipped it next to the handcuff pouch above her right-hand trouser pocket and gave it a friendly tap.

The police officer grabbed her short leather jacket and slipped it on as she reached the front door. She checked her keys were in her pocket and left for the station.

Once she had reached her desk at the precinct, McCall began typing up the mundane paperwork that invariably followed the closing of a case. Unlike some, though, she did not mind, figuring it gave her some time to reflect on the crime. Also, Sam McCall found that going over what had occurred during the investigation of a particular case often taught her helpful lessons she could draw on in the future.

Her fingers danced over the keyboard like a pro. Suppose a stranger had seen her at that moment. In that case, they might have quickly mistaken her for a secretary or typist, not a Homicide detective.

She needed more coffee. Standing up, she reached for the stained coffee mug with the faded police badge symbol on the side and walked towards the coffee room next to Brant’s office.

The break room was small, with several chairs and a square table next to the far wall. A counter below a double window held four coffee peculators and several unclaimed mugs for visitors. In addition to offering refreshments, it was also an excellent place to go to unwind or discuss a case with a colleague without disturbing anyone else. McCall picked up one of the steaming hot containers and poured herself a mug of the dark liquid, the potent aroma of over-cooked cheap coffee filling her nostrils. Then, fetching the milk from the small refrigerator, she sniffed to see if it was still drinkable: it didn’t smell bad, so she topped up her brew.

As McCall looked out of the other door, she surveyed the bullpen before her. She saw a bustling array of cops talking on phones or chatting about yesterday’s game, and she smiled. God, how I love this life, she thought to herself.

God, how I love this lifeMcCall turned her gaze to the two detectives waving to get her attention, taking a sip of the coffee.

Joshua Tooms was a huge man, well over six feet four, built like a line-backer. He wore a blue suit, a white shirt and a blue tie. His father had come over from Jamaica.

Sitting beside Tooms was Antony Marinelli. Tony was a shorter, dapper man of Irish and Italian descent. Tony was huddled over a desk, busy scribbling down an address.

‘Yeah, I got it,’ Tony said. ‘We will be there as soon as we can.’ He finished writing and put the phone down.

‘We got one on the East Side,’ Tony said, waving the bit of paper in his hand. ‘The Medical Examiner is already there. You want to join us, Sam?’ The two men grabbed their jackets and headed for the elevator at the far end of the room. ‘I’ll meet you guys downstairs,’ McCall said, finishing the remains of the coffee before she too snatched up her jacket and headed over to the elevator.

The street was full of onlookers, press, and TV, prompting McCall to think, How come they get to know before we do? Unfortunately, she had to park away from the scene due to the blockage, but she knew stretching her legs would do them well.

How come they get to know before we do? Finding a parking space next to a blue Honda, McCall turned off the engine. Then, opening the door, she slipped out of the air-conditioned vehicle and into the morning"s heat.

Shutting the door, Sam McCall combed her tawny brown hair through her fingers, falling to her shoulders. Then, with a confident tap on her Glock 17 service pistol, she slipped on a pair of sunglasses and was prepared for action.

Walking up to the barriers, McCall noticed the large crowd of people shoving each other aside to get a look. Paparazzi fought against the tide of people trying for the shot that would make them big money.

In the corner by the walled entrance to the crime scene stood a tall, broad-shouldered, uniformed cop who smiled, tipped his cap and lifted the tape for her on McCall"s approach. Detective Sam McCall ducked under the yellow police barrier and thanked him. Stopping for a moment before venturing down, McCall viewed the crowd and then turned to the veteran cop.

‘Tom, can we get these people back?’ McCall asked. ‘A long way back?’

Officer Tom Simons tipped his cover and then moved the barriers into the crowd, using the barriers to push the crowd back.

‘Come on, folks, the show’s over; come on now, let’s go.’ The other uniformed officers followed suit, getting rid of the rubberneckers.

Detective Sam McCall walked up to her two colleagues, busy questioning witnesses. As she approached Detective Tooms, he looked up from his notes and met her gaze. McCall stood for a moment, letting him finish up.

Tony had finished with his witness and was heading over to McCall.

Tooms thanked the two students he’d been talking to, and as they left, McCall walked up to him.

‘So, what we got?’ she asked him. Tooms pointed out the couple who sat huddled together on the steps of an ambulance.

‘Adam and Sue Mitchell, both thirty years old, just celebrated their wedding anniversary when they decided to go up the alley for a bit of personal time. Next, these student guys heard them screaming, and the kids called 911.’

She regarded the couple registered their fear. ‘You been down there yet?’ she asked Tooms.

Tooms shook his head. ‘Thought we’d wait for you.’

McCall nodded. ‘Come on then, let’s see what Tina has for us?’