Captain Luke looked around the room for any more surprises and almost staggered over a couch in his path before heading to the kitchen to get himself some water. He soon returned, holding a bottle of almost emptied water in one hand and the look of disapproval in his face.
Taking a good gulp and tossing aside the empty container, he spoke, “How did you even get in here and what are you…?”
“What am I doing here?” Sean completed the query for him.
The Captain walked over to the big sized couch and helped himself into it.
“Well, since you asked, I will give you an answer”, Sean added. “Let’s begin by you telling me why Susan’s house was stinking of bleach when I went there and what happened to all her personal items”.
“What!?” a shocked looking Luke asked.
Sean shook his head, chuckled and sat upright. “Don’t mess with me Luke… what exactly is going on here and why was my ex-wife’s house bleached like it was a goddamn hit house?”
Luke still looked lost and his expression didn’t differ even though he was drunk. He managed to remain upright though while Sean looked impatient and had begun pacing along the living room floor.
“I was really worried and had to break into the morgue tonight you know”, Sean continued.
“Jesus Christ, Sean! What’s with the breaking and entering?’ Luke heightened his voice. “I didn’t want you on this case and I still don’t feel you can manage it, but my hands are tied”.
Sean sneered, chuckled and shook his head. “I had a feeling you didn’t really collude with the boys upstairs to have me come work on this situation but I must confess that I am really disappointed”.
They both shared a rather deep stare before Luke looked away and towards the floor.
“I need answers Luke and I need you to tell me everything you know”, Sean mellowed his tone and came closer. “Nobody bleaches an ordinary police officer’s house unless something really crazy is going on”.
Luke upped himself from his seat and walked to the window. “She isn’t the only one that got killed Sean”.
Sean Stein remained mute momentarily before approaching the man. “Have you seen the bodies? Have you had the decency of following through before you’d tell me that?”
Luke gave no response but couldn’t help the stinging feel in his chest as he regretted his own cowardice and inability to face Susan’s dead body. He had kept away from the morgue for that sole purpose.
“I have my best men working on this and I trust them”, he turned around with a frown. “One of whom you assaulted today just like you did me in front of my men!”
Sean laughed hard and stopped abruptly. “You mean officers Bozo and Kelly?”
His blatant disrespect for them wasn’t as nauseating as the fact he didn’t seem to regard the damage he did to Luke’s reputation at work. Luke stared him down but made no sudden move. It wasn’t that he had any to make though, with the copious amount of margaritas coursing through his system and impairing any good judgment he might need to make.
“You don’t understand… this is bigger than you or I and… and… “, the Captain suddenly went mute and fell back into his couch with his hands rubbing his eyes desperately.
Sean awaited the completion of whatever it was that he intended to say. He drew closer, leaned closer and asked again. “What is bigger than you or i?”
Luke shuddered and seemed to regain some level of sanity and consciousness. He looked around and right back at Sean as they locked gaze and seemed expectant of one another.
“You were saying something right before you blanked out Luke… what aren’t you telling me?’ Sean reiterated his desire to make progress.
Luke slowly eased himself up from the couch and headed for the bar to pour himself some more whisky. “You shouldn’t listen to anything I say… I’ve had too much to drink already”.
Suspicious and unrelenting, he pressed harder as he neared the elusive man, but Luke had snapped out of whatever state he had been in now and that was becoming apparent, He poured himself some scotch and handed his old pal a glass as they both downed the colored liquid in one gulp before ramming the glasses on the tale immediately.
The buzzing sound from within Luke’s pants made him jittery while he snuck his hand in and brought out the burner phone that made Sean stare on in oddity.
Fidgety and somewhat evasive, he turned and looked at Sean with a thin smile. “I need to take this… give me a minute”.
Sean obliged by nodding his head gently before returning to the couch where he planted himself into as his old mate slid into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. His actions set in motion an endless chain of thoughts in the uneasy Sean, whose instincts had begun to ring bells he wasn’t sure he wanted rung.
Springing himself from his seat to check around the living room and set his mind at ease, he began with the frames on the walls, all looking old and with dour images of the Captain either with his work colleague or with his brothers from years past. Some brought smiles across Sean’s lips, while others made him wonder why the man would even decide to keep them in the first place.
His interest peaked and dulled until the last frame lining the wall came into view. It was without doubt familiar and he was certain he had seen the make and design before. He reached for it and felt through the empty inside as the edges bore proof of torn residue from the paper it once held in it.
“Oh… bother not about that silly old thing!” Luke came back into the room saying. “I always mean to toss it away but it used to hold enough sentimental value that I just cannot seem to find myself able to do it”.
“I bet it does”, Sean nodded and
