SRMurders--19

1

Silent Radio Murders2

By Andy Stephenson and Geri Fitzsimmons3

Chapter nineteen 4

(In italics)5

He stepped through a wooden doorway. The warn sunlight spilled from a blue sky infested with lazy white clouds. There was an alien feel that mingled with a feeling of home. The meadow spread before him a river of thick green pebbled liberally with yellows and whites and pinks of wildflowers. The music of songbirds strummed his eardrums and the perfumes of nature tickled his nostrils.6

Joseph Farley rubbed at his head. His fingers became entangled in something thick and soft. He tugged. “Ouch!” He pulled the long sun bleached hair in front of his eyes. Strange? Not strange since it was apparently growing out of his scalp.7

“Stop! Stop! Ye let me go.” Joe was startled by the cry of a young woman. Instinctively he moved in the direction the cries came from. As if suddenly thirty pounds lighter, without struggling for air, he raced across the meadow heading for a strand of Oaks and Maples.8

Caution took hold and his dash slowed to a walk as he entered the forest. Three males dressed in costume were engaged in a scene. Trapped in the center of the medieval soldiers a young female struggled to cover her flesh with the remnants of her torn dress. Incapable of pity, the rough men ignored her begging and purpled their laughter with harsh insinuations leaving no doubt rape was their intention.9

Joe’s hand dropped to his wasit only to discover his automatic missing and a crude handled hunting knife in its place. 10

One of the hostiles grabbed the long black hair of the woman and yanked her forward clutching at her naked breast as his companions roared. Not to be outdone another pinched her buttock.11

Angrily Joe bellowed above her screams and their hooting. “Let her go!”12

There was sudden silence. All eyes now on him, one soldier sneered, “Yee want the wench, laddie, come claim her.” He drew a short sword from behind his shoulder and the sunlight glittered on the blade. The soldier to the right retained his hold on the captive as the one to his left drew forth a long rapier from its scabbard.13

They were staging their act well, the accents like their grab seemed overdone to Joe and he would have laughed if the weapons didn’t give the impression of suitability. A breeze caused a shiver and he did a quick glance downward to discover two hairy appendages nakedly sticking out of short rough tunic. ‘Where the fuck were his pants?’. He shook his head. The cantaloupe colored hair slapped at his eyes, and a triangle hat flipped from his head to set upright on the ground.14

He caught the movement in his right eye. One of the antagonists was shifting slowly to the right. That would try to put him between them. With no further time to think Joe moved. He leaped at the soldier with the short sword, knocking it aside as his own knife came down in an arch to slice the man’s arm. He encircled the man’s neck with the inside of his elbow and pulled back hard.15

The girl lay sprawled on the ground as her captor tossed her aside and tried for his own sword.16

“Just hold on!” Joe growled. The other two soldiers halted as Joe brought his blood-dripping blade up to his prisoner’s chest. “An arm will heal lads,” he said. “A knife in thee chest be a permanent thing. So it be best you toss ye weapons on over here and let the lass go.”17

“Sure, now, the girl be nothing but Irish trash—sure accommodate us all,” one grumbled.18

“Let her go,” Joe pressed the knife through the fabric to scratch his prisoner’s flesh and cause him to gasp. 19

“Hold your blade,” both yelled at once and threw their weapons to the ground near Joe’s feet.20

“God be with thee, sir.” The girl sobbed and fled into the forest.21

(end of italics)22

Detective Sergeant Joseph Farley rolled over on sweat-dampened sheets. The smell of blood assaulted his nostrils and warm ooze lay on his bare chest. He jerked to a sitting position on the side of the bed. “Son of a bitch!” He stared down at his body. The black hairs on his chest were smooth and free of gore. “A damn nightmare!” His palms rubbed at his eyes and his fingers massaged the scalp beneath his close-cropped dark hair. So fuckin’ real, he thought. I could smell and taste—I can remember. That poor girl…she looked like Sandy?23

“Damn!” he cursed at a non-existent Neil Harris. “I think you are getting me in trouble old friend.” Saturday had come too quickly. While divorced from his family, Joe was still married to his job so he never had a lot of time to relax. He enjoyed cruising the Atlantic and a bit of ocean fishing when he could get away with Neil on his yacht. This trip, though, he was tense. The idea of Sandy coming with them made him uncomfortable.24

Aware Neil would have plenty of stores onboard, Joe settled for just brewing a pot of coffee. In a quick shower a resurfacing memory made him laugh as he looked down at the water splashing against his legs. Imagine me, hairy legs on display and my package stuffed in a breechcloth, and my ass freezing in the winter. Thank the Lord I was born in the modern age of fully constructed pants. 25

Two cups of coffee accompanied his morning rituals and dressed in chino cutoffs and a white t-shirt, he left for the marina. 26

The New York Yacht Club boasted an Olympic size swimming pool, a fully equipped gym, five star restaurant and bar, and other amenities to please the extravagant tastes of its members. Its main attraction was the large private marina where millions of dollars’ worth of pleasure craft floated. His guest pass allowed him to park and enter the area without a hassle.27

A convertible Sportfisher was side-tied to the dock. Painted in gold, the name ‘Wishful Thinker’ streaking across the transom caused a grin to form on Joe’s mouth. Not a man to begrudge others, Joe knew Neil had earned his right to wealth and instead of envy, he was grateful he was allowed to share his friend’s expensive toy.28

Already aboard, Neil in white linen slacks his navy jacket slung across one shoulder obviously was discussing their itinerary with the pilot. The pilot Phil like the deck hand Glen, were inherited when Neil purchased the yacht and in the mostly male atmosphere had started out and remained on a first name basis. 29

As Joe came up the gangplank, Glen emerged from below with a thoroughly impressed Sandy in tow. Joe gave her a salute and laughed as she gushed, “Hi matey. Oh this is spectacular. I swear it’s bigger than my apartment. If it was mine I’d live on it.”30

“She’s a beaut for an old tub,” Joe said. .31

“120 feet from bow to stern and 30 feet at midship. Diesel powered, its cruising speed is twenty knots.” Glen offered. “How’s it going Joe? I was just showing the young lady around. You can take over and I’ll get the lines; don’t wanna waste the sun.”32

“Neil take Sandy on the bridge, I’ll give Glen a hand,” Joe said. “She can traipse around the boat when we get underway.” 33

As the deckhand released the lines from the moors Joe coiled them on the deck of the yacht. They shoved away from the dock and began cutting their way through the water.34

“Windy today,” said Glen. “The water will be a little choppy.”35

“As long as we have sun, the weather 'll be fine. We’re not going to be out that long.” Joe was regretting his decision to come. Benson would be taking report on the last of the crises line interviews. He’d have to settle for reading them secondhand, since they decided to put The Double H as they had dubbed the two detectives on the surveillance team assigned to Mark Gheil and Bridgett O’Reilly.36

They had a Tuesday morning meeting with Deputy Chief Rafael Carbonetti. If they couldn’t come up with something for the Vampire to sink his teeth into it could well be their necks.37

“There are only the two cabins,” Neil was saying to Sandy as he led the way down from the bridge. “It works out fine since I don’t do many overnights on board. You can use either.”38

Neil started to lift the small overnighter Sandy had brought but she took it from him. “You guys have a great causal atmosphere, I don’t want to change it.” She headed below.39

In his pocket Joe’s cell phone lit up but out of range it didn’t connect.40