Beyond the City Lights

Chapter 6

Detective Ethan Carter watched corpses of victims in his cases over the years play out in terrible nightmares on the back of his eyelids, so when his phone buzzed on the nightstand it was sweet relief to be pulled from his sleep and back to reality.

"Hello," he said with a raspy voice that had yet to be primed by coffee.

"There must be something in the air this month, partner," said Ghost on the other end of the line, sounding awake and lively as ever.

"Another body?"

"Yup, another one on the surface level that appears to be a suicide but you and I will determine that when we get there. I'll text you the address. Oh, and don't bother brewing any coffee, I've got you covered with a nice frothy latte. So be quick before it gets cold," without another word Ghost clicked off the line.

Sunlight crept over distant city buildings as Carter pulled up to the crime scene. Another day, another body. His gut told him all the dead bodies of recent were connected, but they were so random and different it made him wonder; how could they be?

The pair of detectives didn't have as much as a bread crumb of a lead to follow up on with the gas station murders, so they put that case on the back burner for the day and accepted, what their lieutenant called a layup of a new case.

The lieutenant's wishes were very clear, "Spend the morning wrapping this new case up, label it a suicide or whatever you've got to do, and get back to investigating our double homicide."

Lieutenant Reynolds seemed a lot more tied up in the politics as of late. Prompting detectives to close cases quickly and move on to the next. His concern was beginning to lean more towards the numbers than the thoroughness and accuracy of the convictions.

Ghost was standing in one of the apartment complex's parking lots with two foam cups in his hands when Carter walked up.

"Thanks for the coffee," Carter said, taking a sip of the mildly warm latte.

"No problem, hopefully it helps lift those dark bags under your eyes. Let's go wrap this thing up," said Ghost.

Carter followed Ghost around the building to the spot where the victim had landed. The whole complex had already been taped off, both detectives ducked under the tape and approached the body. 

Luckily, their favorite Medical Examiner was nowhere in sight. Which meant he was probably waiting for the body to be brought to him in his cold, depressing morgue. That also meant the detectives could work in peace, without the mosquito of a man buzzing about.

Ghost looked at the poor woman laying face down in the pavement then back up at the building.

"I don't think this was suicide," Ghost announced to Carter.

Carter followed Ghost's gaze and agreed, "Yeah, to be this far away from the building she would've had to be running when she jumped. So the question becomes, who was she running from and why?"

"We need a small win," said Ghost. "Let's try and cinch this one up quick. Let's find her identity and start interviewing some of her close family and friends."

The detectives were able to identify their victim as Teagan Sorenson. They were also able, through a conversation with Teagan's mother, one that was told through sorrowful tears and screams of agony at the loss of her daughter, to identify a stalker of an ex-boyfriend.

Teagan's mother, Martha, explained to the detectives that Benson Ingram and her daughter met through a dating app. They went on a few dates and Benson took that to mean they were boyfriend and girlfriend, so one night when he found out she went on a date with another man, he lost it. He beat the man so badly he had to be hospitalized. This resulted in Benson spending a month in jail on battery charges and six months in a mental institution for a suicide attempt while in police custody.

That took place over two years ago, but Martha claims she received a frantic phone call from her daughter only the other night, saying she'd seen Benson at a local bar and didn't recognize him at first. Her daughter said he was wearing some sort of disguise, said he even had a conversation with her. A casual one like nothing had happened. The next day she filed for a restraining order. The judge spent five minutes looking through the incessant text messages and voicemails filled with threats, ones she'd saved to an online document from their previous encounter years before, and granted the restraining order with no hesitation.

Carter and Ghost found Benson at his place of work. He was one of the few taxi drivers left in the city.

He was vacuuming his cab when they walked up.

"Benson Ingram?" Carter asked.

A tall, skinny man ducked out of the cab and turned to face the pair of detectives.
He had his head shaved on the sides and long, blonde hair touseled on the top. The collar of the white tank top he was wearing hung low and revealed a dark, poorly drawn tattoo of a cross. He also wore a gold chain with a cross dangling at the bottom.

"A man who's found religion," Ghost said with a taunting smile.

"That's right," Benson said with a serious expression. "So I've got no reason to be dealing with any pigs. I'm clean and I've been keeping my head low and staying out of trouble."

"Where were you last night, Benson?" Carter asked.

Benson stepped close to the detectives and whispered, "Listen, I'm happy to comply and answer your questions but keep it down." He stole a couple glances toward a large, glass room in the back of the garage. "I was driving Uber last night, but if my boss finds out I'm driving for the enemy when I leave here he'll fire me. I need this job, so please."

A short, bearded man stepped out of the glass room, "Benson, what the hell's going on? Who are these guys?"

Benson tensed up, "Sorry Johnny, these men just, uh-," Benson struggled to find the words to explain.

Johnny didn't wait for him to figure it out, "Is this about those gas station murders? Benson I told you not to wait." Johnny turned to Ghost and Carter, "Benson was there that night. He was the driver I sent to drop the clerk off for his shift. Had a flat tire or something and called a cab. I answered the phone. I talked to that kid. Crazy to think he's dead. Tell them what you saw Benny boy."