SOLOMON'S BRIDGE {Part I}

THE HIT *32*

BEING THE BAIT

He tuned his car radio to 87.7 Basement fm's Soft Rocking Ready with Myra James. Jessica Harris looks at his face. Does she see a man still grieving his cousin, because, if anyone wants to catch the killer, or killers, its Collins. He put his head in his hands, running his palms up and down his face, not offended by her open scrutiny, he says, "What's up, Blue?"

She's still one of the best SS agents out there, he already knows she wants them to see that, "Red; hey listen, I'm out of the hospital, I'm fine, see? Bones reset, bruises stitched! We can cover more ground if we split up, come onnnn," she whines, "-I don't need a baby sitter."

"What do you need, Blue?"

"Back up. When it looks hot! Not this--this crowded escort service! Gimme a break!"

He laughs, putting his forehead on the steering wheel, "Dr. Jay said you don't get to go anywhere anymore without me or Violet."

"This is wahala."

"It gets worse. He's even told Violet to double as you; so try not to freak out when you see her wearing same corn rows as you."

"W-what?"

"What did you say, when you called me to come over?"

"I said, I think that I'm being followed."

"Exactly!"
"It's just a haunch."
"You saw the killer, Blue--"
"--just barely. Annnd not the others. There were others, we all agree with the boss, that it's a tight syndicate, right?"

"Blue, they tried to kill you in the hospital. Remember that?"

"You came back!"

"And, if I didn't? Blue; you made yourself a target."

"And we talked about this. It's not their M.O. Do I look like a strapping young male to you?"

"Maybe it's a warning. They rammed into your car with a Danfo truck and pushed you into the path of a speeding Marco Polo bus."

She closes her eyes against the memory, "Did--did the coroner give any updates?"

"He's rolling with crimes of passion. Dr. Jay's theory is a more complex view: control. The random murders are messy, bodies are gutted, or shredded, torn apart at the seams; with you, it's almost passionate, it's getting kind of desperate, like dropping the syringe of cyanide I saw under your bed... we need a lot more mistakes like that! But in the graveyard scene, clinical precision is on vain display; like it's a statement, by a hypothetical syndicate, which points to the Obong; the Tripod King. Is he dead?"

The royal house maintains it's silence on this matter, and the people have begun to wonder if, the already abolished custom has to get abolished, again..

"Who understands the murder weapon?"

"Is it a pre heated blade, or, are they pre-heated claws? Hm!" He shakes his head in disbelief, "Don't ask me if it's animal or human, 'cos at this point, the team is like, wait... no way. What? The coroner confirms it, Blue. Every tear, shred and cut is cauterized. This thing gets really hot and really angry."

"What does Dr. Jay think it is, what did he say?"

"Nothing. Abram Silas's last words are encrypted on this really hi-tech device that he has. None of us can decode it, we made secret copies but, it looks like the boss will open it up when he is good and ready. Sometimes, Blue, I feel like he is on another case within this case, like, he isn't at all who he says he is; and I think he's got the mind of an alien. As for the murder weapon, I'm stomped. Is it... witchcraft?" His phone rings.