Resurrectionists - A Greystone Tale by Lou Paduano

Author:Lou Paduano
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: supernatural suspense, free short story, paranormal suspense, free book, fantasy detective, myths and legends, free thriller, free superhero book, free fantasy book, fantasy superhero

Chapter Twelve

The review ended early. Ruiz assumed any meeting with Mathers and the commissioner included a catered lunch and possibly dinner—all this mixed in with off-color humor not fit for print and the occasional circle jerk. Only after this would they actually work. With Loren’s involvement, however, Mathers was all business. He hated the detective, one of the few to earn his ire, if for no other reason than he was Ruiz’s friend.

It went as expected. For the most part. Ruiz did what he could, said what he could, pushed back when he could, but it wouldn’t be enough. Mathers preached until his face looked like a cherry, quoting Bible passages as if they had a clear bearing on events. Ruiz hoped the lecture played as horribly as it looked but knew it would be enough to win the attention of their superiors. What didn’t help matters, what surprised Ruiz more than anything, was Loren’s silence.

The beaten captain watched his friend depart the proceedings and stop at the closest drinking fountain. Loren looked terrible, as if sleep decided to take a vacation from his schedule with no return date in sight. Personal grooming joined the strike, the man’s beard uneven and itchy just from the look of it. His hair dangled over his face as he drank from the lukewarm dispenser. He splashed water on his cheeks, rubbing his eyes deeply. He settled on the wall adjacent, popping a stick of gum between his lips.

Ruiz rolled his eyes, stomping over to Loren. He pointed down the hall. “My office. Now.”

Loren followed slowly, and Ruiz held the door open for him before slamming the thin oak shut. The silent detective crashed on the couch to the right. Ruiz paced maniacally around the enclosed space. Each pass unsettled the piles of paperwork on his desk, files falling to the floor in a heap.

“That pompous ass,” Ruiz muttered, hands behind his back. “That wasn’t a hearing, it was a damn execution. Mathers. If I could wrap my hands around his throat….”

Loren snapped the gum between his teeth. Ruiz hated the sound, and cringed with each pop. The detective kept his head low, between his knees, hands clasped in front of him. His eyes were distant. Lost.

“We’ll fight this, Greg,” Ruiz continued, his pace slowing. “I’ll dispute it until I’m blue in the face. Something goes missing on his watch and we’re to blame? Bull. Commissioner can have my badge before I roll over for that prick.”

Still nothing from his friend. Ruiz let out a long sigh, circling the desk. He pulled his chair around, settling on the deflated cushion that caused more pain than comfort most days.

“Where are you right now, Greg?”

Loren stopped snapping his gum. “What do you mean?”

His eyes were an abyss. Dark as night. His friend was falling and there wasn’t a damn thing Ruiz could do.

“You just took it,” Ruiz replied. “You. No patented snark. No sarcasm. Not a damn word.”

Loren settled deeper into the couch. “There wasn’t anything to say.

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