Sinister Ellipsis, chapter 1
The cold, lonely house on Elm St. was completely silent by the time Kati got there. She ducked underneath the bright yellow police tape, showing her I.D. card and her father's badge to the officer on the guard watch for the night. Kati opened the front door, glancing at the peeling brown paint, shuddering in disgust as the smell of decay reached her nostrils. She hesitated, wondering if she was really up to this. As Kati's dad had been a cop for over 20 years and was now a detective w/ the homicde division of the R.P.D, she had seen many crime scenes in her 15 years. Some would say that this was unhealthy for a child, and paticuarly a teenager, but Kati had always proved them wrong, un-flincingly accompianing her father on many of his cases. But this one her father had warned her about before she could step foot on the crime scene, and its tale was indeed grotuesque.
They were all dead. The mother, the son, the boyfriend. The daughter was missing. So was the other son. No one knew who did it, but all wanted the perpetrators caught. And really, who could have done such a dark, gruesome deed? A brutal beating, preceded by what appeared to be hours of heinous torture. A gun would have been so much quicker. Cleaner. A lot less painful. So why the hell was it like this? Who would have wanted them all dead, and kidnapped two innocent children into the deal? Only time would tell, but as Kati looked over the bodies of the wretched victims, she sensed that the answer to this crime was especially sinister.
*****
"Detective McConner?"
John McConner looked up from his desk in trepidation as Police Chief Ianevski peeked his head into his office.
"Yes, Chief?"
"Uh... . John, I really need to talk to you."
The detective waved his hand around impatiently.
"Then talk, please. I've got some very pressing matters to deal w/ right now, and I'd like to deal with them as soon as possible."
"Are these, uhh, matters, regarding the Cardin case?"
"Yes, chief, why do you ask?"
"Well, uh, that's sort of what I was hoping to talk to you about. Though, actually, now that I come to think about it, this is more concerning your daughter," said the slightly overweight man, scratching his head and sitting down in front of Detective McConner's small desk.
John's head shot up at that. "MY daughter? What about her?"
"Well, John, I hate to tell you this... .." said the chief slowly
"But what?"
"I just think she has been reading too much into things for too long. Sticking her nose where it shouldn't go. Letting mere cizilians dabble in police matters may mean nothing to you, John, but for the Rodeo P.D, we don't take things like this lightly."
"Are you telling me," said McConner slowly, trying to keep his anger from showing on his steadily more purple face, "that the fact that I have been bringing Kati to these crime scenes for 12 years, letting her look face to face with danger, to see the things that people do to each other, teaching her to be inquisitive, to seek justice, to not let things that happened to the Cardins go unpunished, and you, sir, HAVE A DAMN PROBLEM WITH THAT, JUST BECAUSE SHE IS A 'MERE CIVILIAN' ?"
"erm, well, it's not so much that I have a problem with it, it's just that her trying to investigate everyth-"
"AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT? She WANTS to do good, find justice, and YOU'RE just... ."
"John," said the chief quietly, "It's not just Kate. You're reading into these cases way too much also, you are taking them much too personally, and I'm worried about you. I know you're a great cop, a good detective, one of the best around here, but I need to do this. I'm going to do this. For your own, and for Kati's, well-being."
"Do what?" for the first time in the conversation, Kati's dad was confused, and a little scared. He wasn't sure if he really wanted the answer.
"I've got to let you go, John. Not from the force, no, but from homicide. I'm putting you back in Narcotics and other illegal substances."
"What? But... . But.. What?" John asked in confusion, trying to process this heartbreaking piece of information. He was being let go from homicide. His dream was gone, shattered, broken into a million pieces and he couldn't begin to think where to gather them. He had always wanted to figure out murders, he had achieved his job as a detective, was good at it, was renowned, and now it was all being taken away.
"You have till' Thursday to move your stuff to the other precinct."
McConner looked up from his desk bleakly. The chief really hated to see his old friend like this, but he knew it was for his good.
"I really am sorry, John"
They were all dead. The mother, the son, the boyfriend. The daughter was missing. So was the other son. No one knew who did it, but all wanted the perpetrators caught. And really, who could have done such a dark, gruesome deed? A brutal beating, preceded by what appeared to be hours of heinous torture. A gun would have been so much quicker. Cleaner. A lot less painful. So why the hell was it like this? Who would have wanted them all dead, and kidnapped two innocent children into the deal? Only time would tell, but as Kati looked over the bodies of the wretched victims, she sensed that the answer to this crime was especially sinister.
*****
"Detective McConner?"
John McConner looked up from his desk in trepidation as Police Chief Ianevski peeked his head into his office.
"Yes, Chief?"
"Uh... . John, I really need to talk to you."
The detective waved his hand around impatiently.
"Then talk, please. I've got some very pressing matters to deal w/ right now, and I'd like to deal with them as soon as possible."
"Are these, uhh, matters, regarding the Cardin case?"
"Yes, chief, why do you ask?"
"Well, uh, that's sort of what I was hoping to talk to you about. Though, actually, now that I come to think about it, this is more concerning your daughter," said the slightly overweight man, scratching his head and sitting down in front of Detective McConner's small desk.
John's head shot up at that. "MY daughter? What about her?"
"Well, John, I hate to tell you this... .." said the chief slowly
"But what?"
"I just think she has been reading too much into things for too long. Sticking her nose where it shouldn't go. Letting mere cizilians dabble in police matters may mean nothing to you, John, but for the Rodeo P.D, we don't take things like this lightly."
"Are you telling me," said McConner slowly, trying to keep his anger from showing on his steadily more purple face, "that the fact that I have been bringing Kati to these crime scenes for 12 years, letting her look face to face with danger, to see the things that people do to each other, teaching her to be inquisitive, to seek justice, to not let things that happened to the Cardins go unpunished, and you, sir, HAVE A DAMN PROBLEM WITH THAT, JUST BECAUSE SHE IS A 'MERE CIVILIAN' ?"
"erm, well, it's not so much that I have a problem with it, it's just that her trying to investigate everyth-"
"AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT? She WANTS to do good, find justice, and YOU'RE just... ."
"John," said the chief quietly, "It's not just Kate. You're reading into these cases way too much also, you are taking them much too personally, and I'm worried about you. I know you're a great cop, a good detective, one of the best around here, but I need to do this. I'm going to do this. For your own, and for Kati's, well-being."
"Do what?" for the first time in the conversation, Kati's dad was confused, and a little scared. He wasn't sure if he really wanted the answer.
"I've got to let you go, John. Not from the force, no, but from homicide. I'm putting you back in Narcotics and other illegal substances."
"What? But... . But.. What?" John asked in confusion, trying to process this heartbreaking piece of information. He was being let go from homicide. His dream was gone, shattered, broken into a million pieces and he couldn't begin to think where to gather them. He had always wanted to figure out murders, he had achieved his job as a detective, was good at it, was renowned, and now it was all being taken away.
"You have till' Thursday to move your stuff to the other precinct."
McConner looked up from his desk bleakly. The chief really hated to see his old friend like this, but he knew it was for his good.
"I really am sorry, John"
