The Soulless Part X (682 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 11 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Anthony Locascio (View user info) at 2005-06-14 17:13:16 EDT
Installment I http://www.ubersite.com/m/62497
Installment II http://www.ubersite.com/m/62652
Installment III http://www.ubersite.com/m/63199
Installment IV http://www.ubersite.com/m/63469
Installment V http://www.ubersite.com/m/63641
Installment VI http://www.ubersite.com/m/63848
Installment VII http://www.ubersite.com/m/64005
Installment VIII http://www.ubersite.com/m/67123
Installment IX http://www.ubersite.com/m/67559
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"You okay?" Luis squinted up into the sun from his bent-over posture and nodded to Adam. "Fine, just...just not ready I guess."
"You can't get ready. You can only not give a shit, like I do. Guys like Ron are legion. They're the fucking mayflies of any city street. They're born, they live awhile, they die. They die fast. If they're lucky and society isn't, they create a lot more just like them before they go. Then it starts all over again. Go ahead, feel bad if you want. You want to know the guy who is the least surprised at how things turned out? Ron. He...."
"Enough, enough," Luis said sharply, spitting again into the gutter to clear the taste from his mouth. "I've got it, already. Piece of shit, doesn't matter if he's dead or not. I cashed a paycheck last week though that says I'm paid to care, so excuse me if I'm not aware of all the rules. What do we have? Witnesses,"
Adam paused for a moment, appraising his partner. A bit of idealism was hardly a bad thing. Hell, it was the little bit of uncontaminated idealism in every cop that made them stay with the job year after year, a job that would send you out to walk a beat for twenty years and then raise your health insurance co-pay without so much as a shrug of shame. Still, idealism was not something that went well with shaking down drug dealers and shylocks. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for such outbursts, however restrained, in the future.
"One witness, Ron's girl. Says the guy was alone. Ron was dealing, guy came over, Ron thought to make a buy. They talk for a few minutes, she doesn't know about what, then the guy puts an arm around his shoulders and sticks a knife in his gut, one shot, outta there. No loud words, no arguments."
Adam watched Luis' brow furrow. He secretly admired his partner with the certainty that he would be a better detective than Adam had ever been, probably would be the best in the department and likely the state within five years. More than once, when he was home alone with nothing more than the drone of the television in his ears and the bitter smell of cheap beer in his nostrils, he'd had to assuage a guilty conscience by reminding himself that Luis had seen more money in the past six months thanks to Adam than even the most driven detective would have in five years. "He didn't just leave, did he?"
"No, sure didn't. He never took his arm from around Ron's shoulders. Not until the guy dropped. He walked with him and kept talking to him, stayed crouched over him even as he was dying,"
Luis was silent. He stood up, strode purposefully over to the crime scene and began to gab with Lloyd. Adam watched, not interfering. "Natural talent," was all he could say to himself. "If I'd been that good, things would have turned out different for me."
So you ruined it for someone who was, is that it? The voice was loud, the one that spoke to him every time a dealer had forked over a wad of cash, every time he'd smashed a pistol across a recalcitrant gang leader's face. Jealous, and thus spake the deceiver.
"No, goddammit," he growled in to the steaming air. "He's got to be told. No one told me how it would be, nobody educated me. I had to learn it on my own. This kid has to learn the way business works."
But you just said it would have been different had you his talent. It would have been different for him. Until you came along.
"Shut up,"
"What?" Adam turned. Luis and Lloyd standing off the curb, looking at him quizzically.
"Nothing."
"Pissed off at everyone else, I guess you're the only one left," Luis cackled. Lloyd grinned. Adam suddenly hated them both.
"Enough comedy. We have a description, not much of one, but a description. I'm going to run Greta in, get her to go through some mugs."
"No need. She didn't get much of a look at his face, and we may have some better things than that to go through first."
"Like what?"
Luis pointed across the street. An ATM was fixed squarely in the brick façade of one of the buildings, neatly bisecting the trail of fluid left by the dying man. Even though neither of them could make it out at this distance, Adam knew immediately that he was pointing at the video camera mounted in the housing above it.
"Care to have a look at our friend?" Luis asked with mock arrogance. Adam fumbled his cell phone out of his coat pocket and hit the speed dial to the station and have the camera's tape pulled.
"Don't be a smartass,"
It was ninety degrees at nine o'clock. Adam wiped the sweat cascading down his face and saw that everyone was perspiring in the same fashion except for Ron.
User Reviews
Submitted by BlazinBull (user info) at 2008-01-31 10:24:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Viper_04 (user info) at 2005-11-13 04:51:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
...
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-11-09 11:54:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-07-06 19:19:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Again, very good. I liked the interaction between the characters, although Luis is starting to look more like an idealistic rookie than the principled veteran I thought he was made out to be in the last couple of posts.
Submitted by nrduncan (user info) at 2005-06-20 17:37:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You deserve better than this.
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2005-06-16 18:44:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
seriously, only 75 hits?
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-06-15 12:45:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2005-06-14 21:16:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I haven't read the earlier installments, but it always pains me to see your posts go neglected like this.
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-06-14 19:25:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wooooo!
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-06-14 17:49:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Man, I waded through a lot of shit the last few days to find this.
Very good. The mayflies analogy was fucking great.
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2005-06-14 17:23:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Holy crap it's back. Still not reading it though.