Mama's Boy Part Two
In the latest twist in Cascade's brutal and mystifying female serial killer case, confidential sources report that the police are no longer looking for a woman, but a transvestite.
“Can you believe that?” I watched the captain shake his head, eyeing the detective sitting across from him.
They both seem so mystified as to how Hass could know this information.
It’s like taking candy from a baby.
The door suddenly opened and my newest friend hurried in. I’m so focused on him that it’s a bit of a surprise when he reached behind him to wrap on the door.
“Um, you see, the killer's deal is that he trades identities with his victims. I just had a talk with Billy Bright's band over at Club Doom. And it turns out that the night Billy was killed he bought some dope from a guy in a wheelchair…that guy.”
We all followed his pointing finger to the photo of dear sweet Adam. He was one of my first new friends. It was so much more fun than to just drown them and dump them in my secret place.
Making friends was always so hard for me…but that night at my mothers…she did one thing right by me. When I was dragging her to my car, I spotted her scarf hanging on the coat rack near the door and I knew.
From now on I would use a yellow scarf…yellow meant friendship right and I sure as hell needed a few good ones.
Blair’s usual steady voice rose in excitement as he theorized about Walker and he was so close, only Walker wasn’t my first. My new friend is a smartie and it makes me so proud to have him join my select group.
I decided to introduce myself, see if he recognized me. “Remarkable. I'm Tony Bates.”
He looked at me, eyes scanning my face but then he’s off again, talking about what he thinks the killer’s motives are and so I threw him a bone and the look of pleasure that crossed his face is priceless.
When the phone rang I had a pretty good idea what the call might be about and as Ellison raced out, I was hoping my friend would stay and chat a bit, but as I called his name, I could tell he was anxious to follow his former partner.
I wonder what it would be like to work with the police…
And wouldn’t that be the ultimate irony?
He thanked me and hurried off, but no matter. I’ve got a phone call to make. A certain reporter is going to love this newest tidbit of information.
The next day was almost too much, but than my friend pulled a whammy.
“Yeah, severe head case. Escaped a California mental institution three months ago. His name's David Lash.”
“Three months?” Wow…doesn’t seem that long. I need to get to my place and check on some things. Shouldn’t smell too bad now.
“I've subpoenaed the patient's file form Watsonville.”
Now, that should be an interesting revelation…
I really should be going, but I want to see their faces when they figure out my little secret.
“Nice work, Detective. You too, Blair. Very impressive fieldwork.”
He smiled and thanked me and I wondered if he had any idea how much fun we are going to have.
*`*`*
“Okay, just relax.” Blair repeated the words over and over, hurrying to his car and slamming the door shut, locking it with his elbow.
Think, think, think.
Gunning the engine, he pulled out into traffic and tried to settle down. “It was just my imagination…yeah, that’s it.”
The rush hour roads were heavily congested, but he managed to dart in and out of traffic, heading south toward the precinct. Half way there he slammed on the brakes and made a quick u turn, horns blared, one passing motorist giving him the finger.
Jim had called him at his office earlier to tell him Simon had given Jim some down time. Hopefully his roommate would be home.
He threw the car into park, running into the lobby and up the steps. Once safe behind the dead bolted door, he rested against the hardwood, breathing deep to get himself under control
The bay doors to the terrace were open and the evening breeze coming off the bay blow the blinds.
I really need to make sure I lock those before I leave.
Securing the door and pulling the blinds he made a beeline to the phone, swearing when Jim’s voice mail picked up. Trying again, he paged his friend, remembering to put a 911 on the end of their home number, just like Jim had told him if he ever needed to get a hold of him in a hurry.
“Ring…come on, ring.”
Resting along the kitchen island, he caught sight of shadows on the roof, dancing in front of the skylight and as he prepared to head for the fire escape exit, the front door blew off its hinges and a crazy David Lash in a dark curly wig advanced on him.
“Hey there, dude.”
It was all he could do to run toward the back of the loft, hoping to make the rear exit, but a strong hand grabbed at his shirt and Blair turned, fist flying and landing squarely on the jaw of his attacker.
The move enraged the crazy man, who wiped a trickle of blood on his sleeve. “That was like, so not cool, man.” and with extraordinary speed he barreled into Blair, knocking them both to the ground.
They both grappled, Blair tried to buck him off, finally managing to scoot out from under Lash and got his footing, just clearing the end table as the lunatic grabbed his ankle. He got the lamp and threw it, missing as Lash twisted away and incredibly he was on him again, pinning him on the sofa, digging his fingers into the soft flesh of Blair’s belly and ribs. “Stop playing, man. Just relax. A nice hot bath will take care of all your problems, dude.”
Blair shook his head, pushing against the man’s chest, trying to bring his legs up.
“Don’t be scared…I’m just going to help you.”
He twisted again, sending Lash off balance, rolling to the floor and crawling as far away as he could, sending the TV crashing to the floor as he tried to stand and then something soft pressed over his mouth and nose.
“S’kay, s’kay…you’ll see.”
His head spun and bile rose to the back of his throat as something yellow flashed before his eyes and then he was hanging upside down over a bony shoulder. “I can’t give you a bath yet…can’t take the chance of my new partner barging in, but when I get you back to my place…”
Blair’s vision grayed but he fought to stay alert. No one would be able to help him if he let Lash take him, but the next time he opened his eyes he was bouncing around in a dark cramp place. He could only hear his own labored breathing, squeaky brakes and the smooth tires sliding over asphalt.
*`*`*
“Hush little baby, don’t say a word…”
I ran my hand through his wavy hair and along his pale cheek. His pulse was slow and I worried that I might have overdosed him. I never used the cloth before.
This is sooo boring. I wanted him to wake up so we can play.
“Mama’s gonna buy you a duckling bird…” He looked so much younger, mouth pressed into a thin line and eyes fluttering under lightly closed lashes.
The skin of his throat is smooth, little hairs are growing back in around his jaw line and I ran my thumb up and over, outlining the ridge of his lower lip and fingering a little pock mark near his mouth.
He shifts away from me moaning, but I hush him, taking a minute to unbutton his shirt, scraping my finger over the tiny metal hoop, still feeling the little ache in my own chest. He frowned as I feel his skin, breathing deep like he might wake up.
“Shhh…And if the ducky bird won’t quack just yet…Mama said Davey can ring its neck.” My hand went back to his throat and I pressed on the bobbing Adam’s apple.
It would be so easy.
“No, no…not yet. Be patient Davey, be patient.”
His eyes fluttered and I stepped back into the shadows of my hiding place. I could hardly see him, but the chains rattled and I could hear his panicked breathing from across the room.
This is going to be so much fun.
He goes still again and I moved forward to pick him up.
“Man, you are no lightweight, dude.” He didn’t move as I carried him across the floor and into the freight elevator. My room was awash with candles, cause I know my new friend digs them. “Careful of the step, man. That's for party crashers.”
I dump him in the chair and tap his face. “Time to wakey, wakey.”
He peeled his eyes opened and then they went all wide and he was breathing so fast I thought he might levitate out of my play chair. “It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. I'd like you to meet my friends.”
I took my time showing him around my home, but I don’t think he was paying attention.
Rude, really, but he started to scream into the gag when I showed him my tribute to all things Blair. I had his jungle music playing softly in the back ground and a few of his photo’s taped to an Indian woven throw rug I nabbed from his room. I was wearing his coat with a piece of tape over the sleeve and I wondered about the story behind that.
“So who is your new friend, pretty little thing with long black hair, nerdy glasses? And what’s with taking her to Jad’s at the airport?”
He was shaking his head and I wondered if he was trying to clear it or if he was denying what I was saying.
This is my favorite part…I had poor Susan believing that her mother was slit from throat to cunt. What a hoot.
“Too bad she missed her flight…but we had a great time, man.”
He’s screaming so much now that I can’t make out his mumbles, but that’s okay, I need to hear him some more anyway. He closed his eyes again and I guess the drugs still have a good hold on him.
“Come on, Hairy Blairy…wake up.” I slap his face a few more times and his eyes open all wide again and he screams some more. I ran my buddy Billy’s drumsticks over his face and arms and watch him squirm and yell through his gag again.
As soon as I pull it from his mouth he yells as loud as he could, but he was wasting his breath. “Screw you, you head case! Help! Help me!”
“You just relax. We're going to see the ducks and then you're going to have a nice… you're going to have...have a nice bath.” His head is rocking back and forth on the rest and suddenly I’m getting tired of this game. “Are you ready to die? Cause...I'm ready.”
A swirling mass of excitement starts in my belly and spreads to my chest, shooting little jolts of pleasure down my legs and settling in my balls.
I haven’t ever been able to get it up, but maybe this will be the time…
He’s screaming about not knowing him, but I do…I know all about him…
Fuck Mrs. Danbush and her tree.
And he thinks I’m the freak?
Well screw you, man…cause I’m not the one strapped to chair getting ready to take a permanent swim.
Blair shook his head again, “You can't be me. Only I think what I think, feel what I feel.”
Feeling, oh, oh, oh feelings…
“I can be you! I can be…”
It’s all messed up…he’s messing it up. “Shut up, man.”
“You think you know who I am? I know more about you. Poor little Homer.”
Homer…so tiny and soft.
“Why did you make mommy punish you? You know, if you had just been a good little boy…a good little Davey…mama wouldn't have had to scrub you in all those hot baths.”
Shut up, shut up, shut up! You’re ruining it.
It took some doing, I was practically in his lap, but I manage to get him to swallow his next dose of my feel good juice. It won’t do a thing for him, but it sure does make me feel fantastic.
“Police. Freeze.”
Well, fuck…lets make it a party.
*`*`*
Blair bolted up as soon as he’s eyes popped opened and yelled into whatever was covering his face.
“Easy, Chief. You’re okay.” Strong hands gripped his shuddering shoulders, but didn’t try to ease him back down onto the bed. “You’re at Mercy, but you’re okay.”
His eyes darted around the small room, taking in some machines and a curtain pulled across the opening. “He’s…he’s gone?”
Jim’s hand moved around to his back, rubbing in soothing circles and Blair tried to calm his breathing, realizing he had an oxygen mask over his face. “He can’t hurt anyone ever again.
An older woman stuck her head in, “Everything okay in here?”
“He was just a little disoriented this time, but he’s calming down now.” She nodded at Jim and slipped back out. “You want to lay down, buddy?”
He quickly shook his head, feeling the top of the bed come up to meet his back.
“I didn’t think so.” Jim quipped, hooking a chair with his foot and pulling it closer.
Blair scanned the windowless room again, body still shaking, but calming.
“If you can stay awake for a bit, the doctor will shake you loss.”
“Huh?” He couldn’t seem to focus, his mind bouncing from one thought to the next and he knew he was forgetting something.
Jim scooted closer, resting a hand on Blair’s thigh through the thin white sheet. “You’ve been here for a while, Blair. But you haven’t been too lucid. The doctor said it’s just the drug. You got a little too much, but it’s wearing off.” Jim nodded to his hand and he noticed the tube taped to his arm, following the line up to a mostly collapsed bag hanging on a pole.
“You kill...you killed him?”
Jim nodded, “I got him, so don’t worry.”
“I thought I was a goner, man.” A little hysterical chuckle slipped out. “How did you find me?”
“It was a joint effort, but you did a good job of staying alive until I got there.”
He dropped his head, not really sure how he managed to stay alive when others weren’t as lucky. He a vague recollection of being really scared and then mouthing off, not sure where that would get him. “I don’t know…”
“I do. You did everything right.”
“Oh god.” He leaned forward, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, tangling his feet in the sheets, almost falling in his hurry to get up. Jim grabbed his arm, supporting him as he sank toward the floor. “Lisa…Jim, he said he killed Lisa.”
“Easy, easy.” Jim guided him to sit on the bed and pushed his head down between his knees. “Who’s Lisa?”
“She’s, she’s a friend. He was watching me, I guess. Knew I took her to the airport.”
“Give me her full name and I’ll make some calls.”
“Langley. Lisa Langley.” He sat up slowly and leaned against the pillow. “She was on her way to LAX, but he said he got her before she boarded.”
“Let me check it out.” Jim scooted out as a man dressed in scrubs came in.
The E.R. doctor checked him over and then sent the nurse back in with his discharge papers.
He was dressed by the time Jim got back, cell phone still pressed to his ear. “I talked to the airport and they confirmed a passenger by that name boarded and exited at LAX. He was probably playing mind games with you, Chief.”
“I want to call her.” He stood, still feeling a little dizzy, but the cobwebs were dissipating and he could think a little better.
“Blair, it’s three in the morning.” Jim moved in step with him as he pushed the curtain back, squinting at the bright lights of the hallway. “How about you get some rest first?”
“No, man…now.” He followed the hall to the exit, stepping through the parting doors into the cool of the morning. “I’ve got her number at home in my address book.” Then he stopped suddenly, looking around.
“Over here, Chief.” Jim led the way to the truck, opening the door for him and waiting until he was buckled in before moving around to his own side.
Blair drummed his fingers on his thighs, wishing Jim would go a little faster, wondering if he could convince him to use his lights and sirens.
As they pulled up to the parking lot, Jim turned to him. “I’ve got to warn you…” But Blair wasn’t listening; throwing opened the door and hurried into the building with Jim on his heels.
“Let’s take the elevator, huh.”
Sighing, he turned from the steps, grateful the doors parted as soon as Jim pressed the button. “The apartments a little rough looking.”
He nodded, but slowed as he spotted the police tape across the broken front door. Jim had to move the door away and they ducked under the tape.
The living room looked worse than Larry’s last visit, but he only gave a cursory glance, wanting to get to his desk and address book. Jim left him alone as he searched, finding the little book buried under a few folders and papers.
Dialing he listened to ring after ring. “Come on, Lee. Pick up.” When the ring reached eleven, he began to move the receiver away from his ear, ready to hang up when a small sleepy voice said hello.
“Lee?” Relief washed through him and he dropped down to his unmade bed.
“Blair? What’s wrong?”
“I ah…I know it late, I just needed…I needed…”
“Hey, are you all right?”
“Yeah. I’m good. I’m sorry it’s so late, but I just needed to make sure you’re okay. I thought maybe…something might have happened…” He shifted the phone to the other ear,
cradling it between his cheek and shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You can call me whenever for whatever, ‘kay?”
“Yeah, thanks Lee. I’ll call you back at a more decent hour to explain. Night.”
“Good night, Blair.”
He hung up, looking around his trashed room for the first time, noting a few empty picture frames and things pulled from his closet, his cloths and book tossed all over the floor.
“Hey, Chief? How about we check into a motel and get some rest. We can clean up later.”
Jim stood in the doorway to his room, holding an overnight bag.
“Yeah, okay.” He looked around, trying to figure out what to take.
“I got some clean clothes for you already packed.”
Blair followed his roommate to the door, looking around one more time. Maybe this was a huge mistake after all. Maybe he didn’t belong in Jim’s world.
“You ready?” Jim held out his jacket, helping him to slip it on.
And maybe he just needed a good nights sleep and time to process.
“Thanks, man.”
*`*`*
In a daring 11th-hour rescue, Detective Ellison saved the life of a police observer by gunning the killer down moments before he would have struck again. And so, Cascade will sleep easy tonight because of you, Detective.
The bullpen erupted, people gathered around to talk and joke with Jim.
Blair waited until the crowd parted, glad that they didn’t ask him any questions. “Hey, Jim, last night when you said I did everything right…did you mean that?”
His partner seemed a little surprised, but reassured him that he meant every word.
“You know, the Chinese believe when you save a man's life you become his blessed protector and it's your duty to do that for the rest of your life.”
They grabbed there coats and headed to the elevator and home. The apartment was back in order after a hard day of work and Jim even managed to get a new door installed and ordered a
security system.
“Really? Well, here's today's rescue…call Christine. Beg, crawl, whatever you got to do.”
“I'm pretty good at that, huh?” He wished he could pull the words back as soon as they passed his lips, but since they were out, he changed the subject, joking about getting a tattoo.
They stepped into the car, both reaching for the button. “Let me tell you something. You get a tattoo and your blessed protector's going to kick your ass down seven flights to the lobby.”
And that’s when he knew.
It was going to work out after all.
*`*`*
The End
Next story in series Declaration of Independence