Murder By Night Chapter 1

“Run it by me one more time. Talk slowly for me, if you would. Like I’m an idiot.”

                A soft hum rumbled below the upholstered leather seats of the 1986 Chevy Camero. Krieg held the steering wheel tight, 10 and 2, just like his dad taught him.

                “Got a call for a disturbance. Sounded up our alley, so I told em we’d be headin’ down as quick as we could.” Krieg spoke in a gruff low tone, his eyes never leaving the dark lonely streets of Summer’s Point. “That sound like a problem to you, Jenson?”

                Jenson sat, elbow arched against the lining of the passenger side door, head cocked against the already fogging window. It was a cold day. Much colder than you’d expect for a late October night. Weather man loved to keep it warm up here. Great for the kids and old folk alike. Not so great for middle-aged shut in private eyes trying to save on their AC bill.

                “Well, my good man, it wouldn’t be if I understood how this quantified as ‘up our alley’. Explain to me, slow mind you, how this should interest me.” Jenson spoke, not turning from the window. The dividing lines of the suburban streets zipped by in a flurry of motion. Jenson felt dizzy trying to follow them.

                Krieg adjusted in his seat. He was a large man, tough to fit in to tight spaces, but he made up for that with his charming personality.

                “It’s a murder, for one.”

                “People get murdered all the time.” Jenson rebuked.

                “We don’t see that many up here, Jenson,”

                “I won’t argue that point, but a murder is far from exciting. Why don’t the cops just handle this? I could be back at the office halfway through an upside-down cake, and a quarter the way through the new episode of Pleasant Days by now.”

                The large, muscled driver scoffed with a mixture of annoyance and humor.

                “Cops’ll be there soon, but I thought you’d get an interest from this one before they got there. You know how they are. Not used to workin’ this late. Might take em a bit to respond.”

                Leaves fell against the paved sidewalks as the car zoomed by. Fall had come in full effect and the trees were doing their best to remind everyone. Perhaps the chill wasn’t out of the ordinary. Perhaps Jenson was just looking for something to speculate about.

                “There you go again with assuming my interest. You know what they say about assuming, my good friend.” A smirk crept along Jenson’s face. Although he remained facing the window, the expression was visible in his words.

                “The death wasn’t just a typical murder. The victim was mauled.” Krieg huffed.

                “And now must I reiterate the obvious? People get mauled all the time. Could have been a bear, or perhaps an exceptionally spunky raccoon. I still fail to see how this falls under our wheelhouse.”

                Krieg smiled; his eyes shifted to his boss slouching into the fogged window. A reflection stared back of a man who had far too much time on his hands and far too many words he wanted to speak.

                “How many mauling you hear about happening in a frat house, Jenson?”

                Jenson shoulder perked up, his eyes widening with interest before slinking back to his unaffected expression.

                “Well…that is a bit odd, but there’s still too many likelihoods that it was simply an ill-cared for pet. You know how kids are these days. Sorry fool probably had a Boa that sized him for an afternoon snack.” Jenson returned his forehead to the window. “Call in animal control and be done with it. Now if we head back now, we just might…”

                “No pet. Also…” Krieg began. “There was a party happening at the time. Supposedly no commotion or odd occurrences the whole night. Guests didn’t even know it had happened until a couple of kids wandered into his room and found him in multiple pieces.”

                Multiple pieces.

                Goosebumps bubbled up the private eye’s neck as the scene erupted in his mind of a young man being behest by an animal that could slink within a crowded building, maul its target, and slink about without notice. Now that would make for an exciting thing to see.

                Krieg glanced over to Jenson, seeing the private eye slowly trembling from the thought. Krieg smiled and returned his gaze to the road.

                “But…if it still sounds like a case not fitting of our specialization, then we could always…”

                Jenson quickly spun to his partner. Watching the lines pass for so long left him feeling still a bit jetlagged, but the picture had been painted. The stage had been set.

                “Why do I ever doubt you, my friend. You always seem to find the most interesting cases.” Jenson smiled turning to the windshield, its glass slowly fogging around the corners. “I really should pay you more.”

                Krieg chuckled, yet his hands remained at 10 and 2, his eyes still transfixed on the road. “You said it, not me.” His thumb flicked against the wiper switch; its metallic hands brushed away the settling fog.

                It was a cold day in Summer’s point. The streets were outlined with the bitter sting of falls cold touch. All the way from Summer’s Cemetery to Our Sisters of Perpetual Sorrow there wasn’t a soul around. Small towns like this, the folks liked to stay regular. Routine, routine, routine, yes sir. Get up at 7, get home by 6, that’s how a community thrives. A town where nothing happened out of the ordinary, and the most exciting thing to sprout up year-round was the Summer’s Point Pumpkin Festival, folks really could relax.

                Except, perhaps not everything was so simple. Perhaps those stories you tell your kids aren’t exactly just stories, but tales told by the survivors. What would happen if those things that go bump in the night weren’t just relegated to Hollywood and Stephen King? Well, I suppose that would be rather terrifying.

                “Lay it on me, Krieg. Who called in such a fantastical tale?”

                Krieg chuckled to himself knowing he had a good hunch. Jenson was right after all; Krieg had an exceptional talent for sniffing out the most interesting cases. Ones that could seem almost mundane to the untrained eye, but to one looking past the veil of ignorance you could see the smudges of intrigue. Unnatural things were afoot.

Burgundy leaves settled along the converging lines of the roadway, parking lots lay abandoned in the cold fall night, and somewhere in this town was a beast on the prowl.

The two drove onward.

Car tires screech to a halt, loose bits of gravel stain the bottoms against the driveway. The two arrived at the dormitory of Theta House, location of murder and mystery.

Several college aged kids gawked from behind a police taped barrier surrounding the front yard. Three police officers fidgeted amongst their radios nearby.

The two private eyes departed their vehicle, Krieg hunching over as to not hit his head. Upon seeing the police activity, Jenson shoots an annoyed and exasperated look towards his compatriot.

Krieg shrugs. “Must have not made it in time to beat the fuzz.”

“No doubt an annoyance, but not all is lost.” Jenson said furrowing the collar of his grey long-coat. “Shall we begin?”

It was now well past evening, and the sun had set hours ago. A silver moon rose above overcast clouds, raining a faint glow that shimmered against the rotating blue and red lights of the officer’s cars.

Jenson approached the yellow taped barrier, Krieg following just behind.

“So, shall we take the usual approach?” Jenson said. “Maybe this time I’ll be the bad cop.”

Krieg stifles a laugh. “You’re not exactly intimidating, boss.”

Jenson ducked below the tape, lifting it slightly for his large companion to continue as well. “Oh, I can be intimidating my friend. Perhaps just not next to a meat head like yourself. You would dwarf a lion, I’m afraid.”

“Then why mess with success? Let the meat head do his thing.”

Jenson crosses his arms. Looking back to Krieg with that annoying look of satisfaction. “Hmm, suppose you’re right.”

In the distance, an officer was conversing with a girl of college age. Given by her expression, it was likely that she was not one of the witnesses to the event. The officer was young, perhaps in his early twenties. Likely to not be much older than the girl in question. The young officer’s clothes were pristine, never before seeing the light of day. A fresh recruit.

Jenson’s hand tucked into the pocket of his coat, his fingers twiddling together almost nervously. The hand emerged clutching a small silver ring with a faded engraving scratched along the inseam. Small scuffs ornamented the small ring denoting its age, yet it still shined like the day he received it all those years ago.

Often, Jenson found himself relying on his idiosyncrasies to combat his rising nerves. That, and his unparalleled level of snark and sarcasm. The case was peculiar yes, but peculiarity was something of a given in his line of work. The nervousness remained nonetheless as the ring passed between fingers.

Krieg glances at the ring and gave a somber smile. “Still thinking about her?”

“How could I not?” Jenson replied. “The years may pass; but it all remains the same. Doesn’t it, Krieg?”

“I suppose it does. Let’s get movin’, boss.”

Jenson slipped the ring onto his finger. The metal coalescing with the cold air sent a faint shiver along his palm. Only a few moments pass before the young officer catches a glance at the two making their way pass the yellow tape and to the front entrance to the fraternity. He quickly rushed over.

“Hey!” The cop yells. “You can’t just go in there!”

Krieg paused, turning to Jenson, he smirked. “New guy on duty today. Not a good start.”

Jenson returns the smile. “Oh, come now. Can’t let something as small as this bother you. We’d get nothing done. Besides,” Jenson said, giving a wry smile. “he looks nice.”

The newly recruited officer rushed to them, a slight drizzle of rain dotted the blues and blacks of his uniform. Jenson turned to the man, taking in his demeanor, his attire and his expression. All of which paint a vivid picture of what one is. Before the young officer arrived, Jenson extended his hand out to the man. The officer screeches to a halt, confused and taken aback by the sudden gesture.

He expected some kind of resistance, but this stranger was acting downright cordial. Without thinking, the officer took Jenson’s hand. His ring clinked against a similar one held on the officer’s hand.

Hmm…soft, few calluses. Even through the rain, I can feel his sweat. Nervous, unsure of his abilities, yet brazen enough to act.

“Sir, you can’t…”

“Jenson.” Jenson said. “Mark Jenson, detective.”

The officer was once again taken aback. This had been his first call upon graduating, and he was still learning the ropes. That being said, this was an atypical situation.

“Er…Jacobs…Officer Jacobs, sir”

“Glad to have you, Jacobs. I see we got a bit of sour grapes on our hands today, son. What can you tell me about it?” Jenson said, slipping his hand back.

Jacobs was hesitant. He was sure he knew of all the detectives on payroll in Summer’s Point, but he was new. Perhaps there was a mix-up. The last thing he needed was to offend one of his superiors.

“Uh, well…sir, there’s been a murder…it seems.”

Jenson turned to Krieg, a slight smile creeping along his cheeks. “It seems, or it is. Let’s be a bit more pragmatic here son, a man’s dead.”

“Right! Sorry sir, a bit addled. Yes, there’s been a murder.”

“What can you tell me, Jacobs. Victim, how many hostages, were there any injuries?”

“Victim was a younger kid. Well, he was 20. Name was James Smit, rich kid. Attended Summer’s Point College. Murder happened in one of the upstairs bedrooms. We haven’t had a chance to do much of a deep dive yet as there was a party going on when the incident occurred. We’re still gathering all the statements.

Jenson shuffled his fingers along the inseam of his coat pocket, twiddling the silver ring pressed tightly against his finger.

“How many party goers we talkin’ here?”

“Only six, not including the deceased. They all managed to stick around for us to get here, which is a miracle. Saves us a lot of trouble trying to round em’ up.” Jacobs said.

Krieg hastily but calmly jotted down the finer points of the discussion. Jenson’s memory was good, but Krieg’s ability to capture notes was impeccable. Best not to squander what edge you could get.

“Understood, Jacobs. You’re doin’ gods work here. Keep it up, we’re goin’ in.” With that, Jenson motioned to Krieg to move along. Without much delay, they began to head to the front entrance to the frat house. The scene of the murder held somewhere on the second story.

Officer Jacobs reached out to object, hoping to wait for some back-up to arrive before anyone went inside.

“You hang tight, Jacobs, secure the perimeter. We’ll be right back.” Jenson said, still heading onward.

Jacobs retracted his hand. It wouldn’t do to overextend himself too far on his first day. Besides, he was doing his job. What’s the worst that could happen. He turned and rounded back to the perimeter of the yellow tape.

Krieg chuckled to himself as he slipped the note pad back into his pocket. “So, we’re lying now, are we Jenson?”

Jenson brought his hand down hard on his partner’s shoulder, the hardness of his muscles bouncing right back. “Oh, we’ll be done with this long before I come to regret that. Plus, he saved us a lot of trouble on information gathering.

“I suppose so.” Krieg replied. “What was up with that handshake by the way? You’re not typically a touchy kind of guy? That part of your façade too?”

Pulling his hand free from the coat, Jenson stared at his palm, a dull reflection of his own face staring back from his ring. “You can tell a lot about someone from a handshake, Krieg. I think by the end of this, we’ll learn more than we bargained for.

Krieg shrugged as they reached the entrance. Soft light billowed from the doorway, extending to the steps below. Two lengths of yellow caution tape crisscrossed along the opening. Small chatter could be heard from inside, along with the sound of weeping.

Jenson paused for a moment and stared off to the dark moonlit sky. There was something on his mind, something important yet not altogether formed.

“You coming?” Krieg asked, lifting the caution tape. “Or do you got somewhere better to be?”

Jenson smiled and turned back to his colleague. “Can’t think of a better place than here.”

The two crouched beneath the tape and entered the scene of the crime.

To be continued