PEEL-BEHIND THEIR EYES. Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter 35. Damn!

Mason wound up the grease stained blind, tightened the dripping sink tap and clicked on the coffee pot. Gradually the energy saving light bulb brightened enough to take away the kitchens dullness but did nothing to cheer up Peels morning mood as he closed the door to the downstairs lavatory and entered the kitchen.

"Whoa, stink or what. Just how much did you drink last night, you smell like the sticky carpet at my local" Mason said and wafted his hand to put across his point.

Ignoring the overacting detective Peel poured himself a mug of black coffee and used it to wash down several headache tablets he had sprung from their foil cell. The coffee burnt his throat but the pain rattling in his head was far worse. His back propped against the kitchen sink Peel looked at Mason and growled.

"Too much, but if you'd had a day like mine so would you," Peel said looking at the jovial detective and thought,

"It's too fucking early to be in that good of a mood. Christ, I hate him when he smiles like that"

Mason continued to smile as he pointed upwards with his thumb and said "Go have shower and put on a fresh suit, you do have a spare don't you" not waiting for Peel to answer he pushed him towards the stairs "Bring down the one from yesterday and we can drop it into the dry cleaners later on. What do you want for breakfast?"

Peel looked at Mason and sneered "For Christ's sake are you my wife now. We'll go to the drive through on the way in"

Mason's smile dropped "Fast food isn't a great life choice Robert and neither is the bottle. No wonder you nearly had a heart attack as you ran yesterday "

Peel rubbed his head with the tips of his fingers.

"Mason did I ever tell you that my father used to slap my mother about. Well he did and if you want to be my wife you better learn to duck"

Peel spun around and headed gingerly up the stairs and as he reached the landing where as a child he had seen his mother beaten unconscious, felt shame at what he had just said.

"Damn!"

____________

Muck was always first to arrive at work, not because DCI Peel was always late but because he preferred to have a chance to prepare things for Peel's arrival. If there was a situation or some bad news waiting Muck knew how to soften the blow as well as calm the inevitable outpouring of annoyance as Peel vented. This morning was going to be no different he realized, things were not hunky dory, not at all.

First, there was a message left on Peels answer machine. The front desk had said that a Dr. Roper had called late last night and had let it be known he intended to call back in the morning to speak with DCI Peel himself and no other. Muck knew that alone was going to blow Peels top.

Then there was the call he had received himself not a few moments ago from Commissioner Attlee's secretary, Peel was being summoned to Attlee's chambers at 10am sharp. For what Muck did not know.

And then there was the Media, local News Channel's and papers who had all camped out in front of the station had now broken the story announcing to the world of a serial murderer in the town of Grimsby. The soon to be closed Evening Post had really gone to town with their headline.

'THE GOUGER IS BACK, LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS'

Muck scanned the papers front cover and thought "The boss is going to go absolutely Ape on this, he's going to say there's a leak in the station and he's probably right. Up until yesterday the media only thought we had the possibility of the abductions of three teenagers. They were expecting the usual parent press conference, calling for the safe return of their daughters. Now there's going to be pandemonium.

"Maybe today is the day even I can't smooth over Peels roughness"

As he took a calming breath of his own another thought struck him.

"Maybe Macy Shepard's only chance is for the Boss to let loose his anger, it always seems to somehow brush all else aside to give him a clarity of thought us mere mortals only get a glimpse of"

Muck shook his head sadly as he remembered other times that Peel had taken this direction to solving cases. It had always left him in pain afterward, sometimes physically, always mentally. No one questioned the results except his superiors. Muck knew that this was going to get messy.

"Damn!"

_____________________

Peel looked over at the driver of the car and thought "5am is no time to be up and about and what the hell is Mason so happy about"

Like a flea in his sock leg, it really irritated him to see Mason looking so relaxed. He blurted out,

"What the hell is it with you, why are you so God damn happy all the time. It's not right, people are never happy all the time. It makes me want to slap you, do you know that, hmm!"

As Peel talked Masons smile grew and grew until the threat of violence sent him over the edge and he uncontrollably guffawed finishing with an equally unexpected snort.

"O'my you really are uptight. Not everyone is as miserable with life as you Robert. As for me, I guess after surviving cancer there isn't much in life that can drag me down. Each day is a gift and I want to use it in the best way possible and I can't think of any better way than catching a killer and saving a young girls life and the best way for me to achieve that is through you"

Peel could see from the smug look on Mason's face that he believed every word. Peels head throbbed less now that he had eaten making it easier to concentrate as they made their way to the station. Staring at the deserted street he said dejectedly,

"Why does everybody gravitate towards me when this sort of shit happens, I'm mean what's wrong with them"

Mason slowed as he saw the road ahead, the station was overrun by white and gray vans most of which sported varied sizes of satellite dishes on their roofs. Around them, a horde of cameramen and reporters clambered to get as close to the building as possible.

Their car rolled up to the large steel automatic gates and they patiently waited for them to slowly open. Still not enough room to drive through Mason watched as a flank of the media horde having seen their car ran towards it. Their desperate hope that someone inside was worthy of a snap mirrored their recklessness. The horde reached them before they could drive on, most of which now blocked their escape. Mason pounded the steering wheel in frustration, his cheerful demeanor now absents from his face.

"Damn!"