The Diner Mystery (448 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.33 on 5 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by PoTtY (View user info) at 2006-01-11 19:09:13 EST
The Diner Mystery
"So George, where are you from?"
George looked up from his cup of coffee at the question. He glanced at the Robert—or was it Michael?—and tried to formulate an answer. George saw that Robert was rather old, old enough to be his father, with a balding head of hair and a general air of lethargy about him. He had also determined that the age had bestowed the old detective, not wisdom, but instead with an increasing waistline. His shirt was badly wrinkled and the buttons struggled to hold the fabrics together. The shirt probably looked good ten years ago, George thought. With that, George glanced back at his steaming cup, leaning heavily into the smooth wooden counter, and answered the question.
"Well, I was born in Detroit. Never liked it. After high school, I joined the Academy. Mom wanted me to be a doctor but I wanted to be closer to the action. Few years later, I got my badge and decided to start doing some good in the world. I heard there was an opening here so I moved."
Robert took the reply warmly, nodding along the way. He had not noticed or chose not to notice the nervousness of the young man. George's bright, intelligent eyes and clean-shaven, slender face reminded Robert of the unrecoverable past. Yet, there was something about George's rosy cheeks and candid enthusiasm that made Robert instantly like him.
"Are you married?" asked Robert with a grin.
"Eh...no."
"Good, it's not too late then. Let me tell you something son. Marriage is a three-ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering."
Robert chuckled heavily as George politely laughed to himself.
"Are you telling that old joke again?"
The sudden voice made George jump out of his seat. He snapped out of his daze and realized that they were sitting in a diner. Looking around, George saw no one else in the restaurant. He looked forward and was surprised to see an old woman standing directly in front of him.
The old lady wore a neat brown dress. A white apron strapped around her neck covered much of her body. Despite the apron, George could see that the woman was rather big. The woman's most noticeable feature, however, was her fiery red hair. Her chubby cheeks, with a hint of makeup, and her brilliant teeth framed her friendly smile perfectly.
"Marge, how are you darling?" asked Robert.
"Fine, fine. Who's the handsome young man?"
"His name is George. Grew up in Detroit. He's gonna be my new partner."
"Well George, you look just like one of my sons."
George could only manage a shy smile and said nothing in reply.
"Where are your sons, Marge? You keep talking about them but I never see them around," said Robert.
"They are busy people Robert, not like your hooligans. Speaking of busy, its nearly 9. Shouldn't you boys be out solving crimes?"
Robert sneaked a glance at his watch and quickly got up to leave. George followed quietly behind.
"Bye Marge, see you at 7."
Robert and George walked to the door, passing a couple tables in the small diner, and walked out with a ring of a bell at the top of the door.
Looking through the large glass window of the diner, the outside seemed noisy and dark. Traffic piled up on the busy streets from commuters driving home from work. Inside, however, George and Robert sat quietly like before. This silence was not from nervousness but from deep thought. Marge sat across from the counter and watched them intently. Like before, Robert was the first to speak.
"Two people missing...no ransom, no note. One worked as a nanny; young woman supporting her four-year-old son. The other was a retired war veteran who happened to be homeless. So I ask the obvious question, what do they have in common?"
"How can you be sure the two cases of missing persons are related?" asked George.
"Call it gut instincts. We don't get many missing people here. It can't be a coincidence. What are the chances of two people go missing in three days..."
"Wait...Maybe I see a connection here," George interrupted, still unsure of himself. "The reports say that the nanny walked home from work everyday. She usually got out of the house after 5. No one reported seeing her after 5:23 on that day. The homeless man was last seen by a storekeeper at six."
"They both disappeared after the sun had set!" Robert said out loud, angry that he had missed such an obvious clue. "What route did the nanny usually take on her way home? And where was the homeless man spotted?"
George flipped through a thin folder to find the report. "The lady liked to look at the department stores on her way home so she always walked south along Garden Avenue. The homeless man was, well, eliciting donations at the entrance of a convenience store before the owner chased him away. He went into the park that was on the opposite side of the street... Isn't Garden Avenue..."
"It's alongside Rosemary Park!" shouted Robert.
The two detectives got up with such vigor that the chairs fell over and clattered loudly against the marble surface. They walked briskly towards the door and never looked back. The door was left swinging by the sudden motion. The sound of the disturbed bell filled the empty diner. After the commotion was over, Marge sat alone behind the counter with a big, red smile on her face.
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The lack of sleep had taken toil on both men. Deep rings began to make its mark under Robert's eyes. George, in his weariness, seemed to have lost his shyness around Robert. Both men felt like they had been in a war together. Scraps of food were littered all over the table, along with empty mugs of coffee. Robert covered his face with both hands as he leaned on the counter. George stared listlessly at the photographs spread out in front of him.
He spoke slowly, "Deep lacerations across the back and chest of the victim. He died slowly; bleeding to death. A gash on the back of his head must be the initial blow that knocked him out..."
"Yes, George!" Robert snapped. "We've been over this a thousand times. No motives, no suspects, and not even a solid lead. It's like trying to catch a fart in the wind."
"They watched him die slowly," George continued undauntedly. "Then, they carved a triangle out of his right arm. The wound was definitely port-mortem but why? Why waste time making a mark?"
"Who knows, George, who knows? Why did they kill him in the first place? Why did they—did you just say 'they'?"
"The cut marks on the arm; they were not made in the process of the initial struggle as we thought. A group of people, at least three, knocked him to the ground, held him down by his arms, and cut his chest open with a knife. Looking at the wound, the knife was not very sharp."
"Christ, what do we have here? A gang of murderers?"
George, the clear leader of the two now, replied thoughtfully, "A group would be easier to catch than a single person. They bound to have made a mistake. What about boot prints?"
"The body was found bleeding on the middle of a paved road in the park. When it was found, blood was still slowly oozing out."
"That doesn't make any sense. That part of the road is well lit at night. They wouldn't dare to abduct someone there. What about a blood trail?"
"None," said Robert, cradling his head into his hands again.
"No, it doesn't make sense. He had to be killed somewhere else and brought there. Something must have happened. They were probably transporting him after they knocked him out. He must have woken up and made a noise. They became angry and impatient so they just killed him there. The murder was not planned. That means there must be a trace, maybe footprints near that road."
"We will go look first thing in the morning," Robert suggested with a sheepish grin. "Oh, what am I saying? Let's go."
The two detectives struggled onto their feet. Robert stretched his arm briefly before following George out the door. Once again, the bell chimed melodically. And once again, Marge smiled sweetly.
--------------
"What have we stumbled onto here?" said Robert in frustration. "You were right. We found a trail. Now what? We found more bodies. What is this? A mass grave?"
George struggled to maintain his composure and to be objective. He spoke carefully.
"The bodies were all killed in similar ways. The back and chest of the victims all had deep cuts. The cuts seemed to be made from a rake, or maybe a claw—"
"Now don't you bring that up again!" Robert snapped, getting out of his chair. "I would not sit here and listen to wild speculations."
George responded with equal fury, "Why don't you explain it then? Since the beginning, you had contributed nothing. I wondered what happened to your old partner. Maybe he got too close to the truth and you killed him like you killed those people in the park!"
"You are insane! This whole thing started the moment you stepped into my town. How can I be sure you are not the one involved?"
"Look at these pictures, look at them," shouted George, holding up stacks of photographs for Robert to see. "Some of the bodies were sliced open! They carved the body up along the spine, starting from the neck. The legs were skinned and ripped off the bone. All the internal organs: the heart, the liver, the kidneys, and the lungs, all removed. Whoever did this slaughtered the people like pigs!"
"And how the hell do you know so much," said Robert, inching closer towards George. "You know what they say...a hand that was stained with human blood could never be washed clean again. I know why you really left Detroit. Oh, George, do you really think you could cover up your past? I know you have killed, and I knew you would kill again."
George, sensing danger, slowly backed away. As he looked back, the diner seemed to get smaller and smaller around him. He was backing into a corner with no defense but his words.
"I was young and stupid then. I was drinking alone in a bar, celebrating something. I can't remember what occasion it was but I do remember a man who spoke to me. He said something about my mother. I didn't hear much of the rest. I saw his thick, red lips forming a grin, a sick and evil grin. Before I knew it, the glass was buried in his skull."
Robert savored his victory. He moved even closer towards George. He leaned forward and spoke in a soft, raspy whisper.
"You got away, didn't you? You had to move away from Detroit. I planned the whole thing from the beginning. How did you think you found this job? Hah. Defending your mother, huh? That's noble. Personally, I'd never liked that bitch. Everyday since I left her is a day that I don't regret. So George, tell daddy, why did you kill again?"
George fell to the ground in exhaustion. He stared at Robert's eyes for a while, searching for answer, for resolution. He stared and stared. Slowly, his eyes shifted down. He saw Robert's red lips forming a grin. He gathered a sudden strength to speak again.
"The way the victims were killed and the way the bodies were sliced, the murders were not simply for thrill or money. The people were slaughtered like pigs. The good meat was removed from the body, along with the organs. Whoever killed them, killed them for food."
At his last word, the lights in the diner suddenly went out. The abrupt darkness stunned both men. Suddenly, a bell rang loudly. There was no one else in the diner before. A sudden beam of light crept into the small room as the door to the kitchen slowly opened. The light was bright enough to illuminate Marge's bright red lips. She held a knife in her hand and spoke sweetly, in her soft motherly voice.
"Come my sons! Dinner is served!"
User Reviews
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2006-01-12 00:14:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 cause maybe this is a good post.
wouldn't wanna ruin your ratings.
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2006-01-12 00:13:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-01-11 22:08:44 (#)
Ranking: 2
every post needs more suprise sex man.
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you totally ripped "surprise sex" from me man.
you bastard.
also, i didn't read this post. i am too tired.
maybe i'll read it later.
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-01-11 22:08:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
every post needs more suprise sex man.
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2006-01-11 19:26:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Good storyline, seemed a bit rushed, but I guess if it was any longer you'd get no reviews. This seems like it could be lengthened and made really creepy.
Submitted by PoTtY (user info) at 2006-01-11 19:09:51 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Needs more rape.