Don't Scream

chapter 10

Brian made it back a little before nine o'clock. Phil Leaned forward onto his desk."Another one" he said."Maybe"

Brian went still."What?" Then, "What do you mean maybe?"

"A car was found this afternoon outside of Denver wiped down. It belongs to a single mom named Thelma cox. She is missing."

Brian's heart rate picked up he was afraid to let it run away with him."Cars are found everyday with their owners missing. "why do we care about the one in Denver?"

"Guess who Thelma Cox called last night at seven thirty?"

Brian stared"No way."

"Yup. But the call only lasted ten seconds."

"Son of a bitch. Brian couldn't believe it "That's the call Sarra was picking up last night when we were leaving." He stood up and started pacing "Denver? He's moving."

"Could be."

"But no body?"

"Not yet Cox attends a support group for breast cancer survivors yesterday afternoon about three. that was the last place she was seen."

"Not a dancer then?" Brian said. and not a college coed. He shook his head as if thinking of the information would somehow make it fall into place."Lets go find out that Sarra Jane has Thelma cox on her Christmas card list."

"I already did she said she has never heard of her.and the call at seven thirty last night was the wrong number."

"We are supposed to buy that.?"Brian fisted and flexed his right hand through the spasms . His heart was thumping fast Anger, he thought at first then realized it was Adrenalin.

He was hunting again. and Sarra Jane was a lead.

Phil opened a folder "Here is the autopsy on Jessica Davis.She was raped using a Trojan condom and her right jaw was broken prob from a kick. and the mark right there-he slid the photo across the desk and pointed at Jessica's temple"Its not dirt or blood its eye brow pencil."

"Eyebrow pencil?" Brian looked at the line Straight as an arrow and inch long.

"Revlon, charcoal black eye pencil, I shit you not looks like he drew a line to mark the placement of the bullet. "

"So the shot was point blank?"

"Yup just like Gloria Michaels."

"And Gloria was raped? Phil asked

"With a Trojan, and she was carjacked beaten, cut up and left in the woods. Her car was wiped down like Davis's and a smear of Reece's cup chocolate was found on the front seat.But she wasn't marked with any dammed eyebrow pencil.

Phil shrugged."So it's not 100 percent Its still plenty to justify another look. The question is did you convince the Ada of that?"

"She is the DA now and yes I have the files of Gloria's case in my trunk."

"So lets sit down with them order a pizza while we look over them."

Brian nodded and started for the door, than narrowed his eyes on Phil.. He noticed Phil was pretty anxious to dive in- at nine thirty at night to the case that barely touched his precinct.It struck Brian that there was a awful lot on Phil's plate to be beating time with this It also struck him that there were deep dark bags under his eyes.

"Hey you been home yet?" Brian asked

Phil was looking in the yellow pages  to p"Not yet tonight been busy,"

"Uh huh and last night? Nancy said you came back here after you dropped me off."

"Had some work to finish."

Brian looked around his office and his heart lightened There were little things had been to distracted to notice. a blanket folded on the back of the couch pillow underneath his heart dropped" Ah jeez man." he said shaking head." how long?"

Phil glanced up than sank against his chair"A few weeks in the den. The last couple here in the office."

"Christ Phil."So it wasn't the job pulling Phil under.

Brian came back to the desk and closed the phone book."Screw pizza We can look at the paper at your house as well as we can here."

"Nancy sorta wants some time alone, man."

"Then she shouldn't have married you and have four kids fucking kids.Besides even if your not sleeping together its not like you don't have an extra bed in your house."

"Hey I ain't sharing no bed with a guy who has a penguin on his chest."

"I'll drive."

The kids were in bed by the time they got to Phil's But Nancy wasn't. Brian ordered pizza adding black olives for Nancy, and the three of them shared. the tension was right there on the surface. Brian's heart ached with it He couldn't imagine a world in with Phil and Nancy wasn't together. they were the gold standard in marriage.

Eventually Phil dragged a pillow to the den and Brian read for another hour, then went to sleep dreaming of his own mistakes. the last phone call " I'm sorry baby daddy has to go back to work but i will be home as soon as i can.......Dammit Lorra I can't deal with this right now handle it yourself I have to find Anthony Russel ......

By Monday morning the Adrenalin surge from the evening before had morphed to restlessness. Nothing to do. Brian thought about catching a plane to Seattle or Denver then thought about the unaccommodating nature of the police working an active investigation of Jessica Davis and Lila Cox. If not for the fact of Phil had been asked to look up Sarra Jane they wouldn't even know about them.

But he did know and further he knew Sarra Jane knew something, and while Phil might be bound to playing it safe when it come to talking to her Brian had no such restraints. He had no badge no shield no career to protect.

NO RULES.