Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Two

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
Nick PT Barnum was one of the three men standing around the bed at Bridgeport Hospital wishing Robert White a quick recovery. There were good wish flowers and fruit baskets all over the room.
“You’ll be out of here in no time,” said the captain. “And thanks for being a good team player.”
“Anytime, captain,” he said.
“But you are a terrible decoy,” Nick added.
“Hey, I did my job,” he tried shouting. “It was you guys who dropped the ball.”
Nick nodded and pointed the captain all in the same motion.
“It will never happen again,” said the captain.
Robert White nodded slowly. He thought about his ordeal and realized that being captured by a mad man was one of the cruelest punishment man could ever endure. He knew that the captain wanted him to seek professional help, and that he had to agreed. Even though the terrible events were far behind him, he couldn’t move on until his head was clear.
“You okay, Bobby?”
“Yeah, I think I am.”
“You might be,” said Nick.”
The men looked puzzled.
“I dropped all of Janet’s booze,” he started explaining. “And when I get back to the office, she’s going to kill me.”
The captain smiled.
“You think that’s funny?”
“Don’t worry about her,” said the captain. “I had Cruz and Fuentes go back to the liquor store and buy all your drinks and deliver it to Janet. You see, everyone is happy now.”
There was a small knock at the door. Nick turned around and saw Roman Deharte standing there with flowers.
“For me?” Nick said.
“For the cop who risked his life for us,” Deharte replied.
“Come in,” said the captain.
“I want to thank you for what you did,” he said to Robert White. “The feelings and emotions at Madison and North couldn’t be any better. You did us a great justice, and I wish I could tell my aunt and uncles of your heroism. You are a hero.”
Robert White smiled.
“Thank you, so much.”

“I had help,” said the decoy. “I had help.”
Dr. Peres walked into the room carrying a clip board. She didn’t notice Nick Barnum until she checked the vitals on her patient. “What the hell is that doing here?”
“Good to see you too, doctor.”
She mumbled.
“I didn’t understand that,” Nick said.
“I said bite me!”
“Kiss you?”
“Bite me!”
Nick Barnum walked over to her, grabbed her and planted a long wet kiss. He let her go and waved to the guys as he walked out of the room.
“Captain?” she said softly.
“I’m a married man,” he said. “I can’t go next.”
She huffed and walked out.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
“Did you miss me?” The dark stranger asked the decoy as he walked into the back yard. “I was gone longer than I expected, but look.... I’m back and ready to finish what I started.”
“Please let me go....please?”
“Too late for that,” he said as he picked up the transfer shovel. “I have better things for you. I think you’ll be my last victim for now. But I must tell you, I’m still not happy with those leeches taking our jobs. I’ll deal with them some other time when all this kind of goes away.”
“It’ll never go away!”
“Everything does, my friend, everything does.”
“They’ll find out what you did,” mumbled the decoy.
“How could they,” said the dark stranger. “Hate runs through everyone’s blood these days. Of course you may disagree, but tell me the truth. When you see a black person getting ahead, do you secretly wish him failure, or when someone gets a promotion, do you feel jealous? Hatred is part of our make-up, whether you like it or not.”
“That’s just crazy people, like you.”
“You hate to admit the truth in my words.”
“You speak like someone who is insane.”
The dark stranger smiled.
“Let me go, and I won’t say a thing to anyone. I won’t tell them what you look like, and I’ll give you my word.”
“Your job won’t permit you to keep your word.”
“You don’t know me,” he shot back.
“But I know what your job entails.”
“I won’t have to tell them anything, because they will discover who did this,” said the decoy. “That I’m certain about. Why add another body to your death count. Think for once in your miserable life.”
“You will be considered a casualty of this act, nothing more.”
“You keep saying that you’re keeping me alive to make me suffer, or set an example,” continued the decoy. “But I think you’re afraid to kill me right away. You will be caught for doing this so there is a battle in your head. Let him live or let him die. I can help you choose. I want to live, I have a family.”
“I’ll tell you one thing for certain,” said the dark stranger. “It will not be discovered through me. That much, I can promise you. So don’t take my keeping you alive as a sign of weakness. I just had to sort things out. Do you understand me?”
“The battle that rages in your mind.”
“No battle, you will die, simple as that.”
The decoy nodded slowly.
“And to make my point clear,” he said adding a little more emphasis on the word, clear “I think your death has to send a message throughout the community.”

“What message?”
“The message is simple,” the dark stranger smiled. “It doesn’t matter who I’ve captured. Death will become him as well. So let them send in decoys, or whoever. If I capture them, they will die.”
“You’re a monster!”
The dark stranger smiled.
“Let me go to my family,” the decoy half whispered.
“Your family?”
The decoy nodded slowly.
“They suffer as I speak,” said the dark stranger. “You might be dead to them already. What they might want is just your body so they could plant you.”
“They have hope.”
The dark stranger laughed.
“Don’t take that hope away from them.”
“So you’re saying that through this, I’m actually giving something to your family?”
The decoy nodded.
“Well, as the Bible says, the Lord gives and he also takes away.”
“Let me live.”
“Not in this lifetime.”
“Freeze!”
Freeze?
The dark stranger heard that word race through his mind like wildfire. He didn’t know where it came from and he tried to block it out. He lifted the transfer shovel and was going to hit the decoy, and that’s when he heard a shot.
Pain?
He dropped the shovel to his feet and fell to his knees. He looked at the decoy and stared at his smile for what seemed like a century. The decoy was smiling, but it was he who was feeling the pain. He didn’t understand it until he saw his own blood puddling right in front of him. He reached for the shovel again, and then he heard another shot.
What’s happening?
The dark stranger closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them he was staring at the decoy’s shoes. It was at that moment he realized that he was incapacitated. He was shot and he felt his life slowly being drained.
“You didn’t have to shoot him again,” said O’Brien. “My shot took him down.”
“I didn’t even fire off a shot,” Nick said.
O’Brien turned around and saw the captain’s gun still pointed toward the dark stranger.
“Captain?”
“He was picking up the shovel again,” replied the captain. “Bobby wasn’t going to be hit again, not if I could help it.”
O’Brien nodded.
Nick Barnum ran toward the decoy and quickly untied him.
“Damn, what took you guys so long?” asked the decoy.
“We had to stop off at the liquor store first,” Nick replied. “We had to take care of our needs first, I’m sure you understand.”
“Take me to the hospital,” mumbled the decoy. “Because when I get better I’m going to kick your ass.”
Nick smiled.
“Back up coming?” O’Brien asked the captain.
“Yeah, but looks like we don’t need them,” he replied.
“Well,” said Nick as he checked on the dark stranger. “Looks like the Cross-Over murderer is no more.”
“Dead?” asked O’Brien.
Nick nodded.
The decoy smiled.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
The tail wasn’t very difficult at all because the color of the truck. Nick kept his distance and they waited until the dark stranger dropped off the young woman. Nick sat at the corner as he watched the female kiss her boyfriend good-bye.
“I saw that truck several times,” Nick confessed.
“Me too,” The captain admitted.
“Black driver?” Nick tossed.
“Guilty.”
“Me too,” Nick said softly.
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” O’Brien chimed in.
“I didn’t suspect him of being a serial killer because he was black,” Nick confessed.
“What?”
“I’m guilty of that too, Pete,” said the captain.
O’Brien brought his fist up to his face and took several deep breaths, once he regained his composure he punched the roof of the truck.
“Hey Pete!” Nick shouted.
“You guys beat everything!” He shot back.
“He didn’t fit the profile,” added the captain.
“Murderers come in all colors!” O’Brien shouted.
“But serial killers don’t.”
O’Brien huffed.
“We are on him now,” said the captain.
“You didn’t see the name on the truck?” O’Brien continued. “And what that guy said in the hospital about the devil. Didn’t you guys put two and two together?”
“I didn’t look at the writing on the truck until he pulled into the parking lot at the liquor store,” Nick replied.
“Me neither,” the captain added. “Me neither.”

Captain Roque felt a little strange allowing this contractor to come and go as he pleased. It was something he took no comfort in. He doubted that he had much sensitivity left in his body. What he did take comfort in was the fact that they were on the tail of the Cross-Over murderer. It was going to come down to the end. He just wondered if the decoy was still alive. They wanted to follow the red truck until it stopped. They wanted to make an arrest right away, but he had to know whether or not they were going to make a grisly discovery.
“Okay, he’s off,” said O’Brien as the private eye started the tail again.
“Whatever you do Nick,” the captain started. “Don’t lose him.”
“I never lost a tail in my entire career,” Nick assured the captain. “And I won’t start now.”
The captain smiled.
The dark stranger drove down New Field Avenue and up a one way street. He turned sharply toward a wooded area near Pleasure Beach. He stopped the truck next to an abandoned junk yard now mostly covered in old cars and lots of trees. He unlocked the gate and he let himself in. Nick parked the truck about twenty feet away and watched. The captain thought about Robert White and wondered what condition would he be in? He thought about the decoy being barely alive, and that’s how far his intuition would allow him to go. He didn’t want to cross over the being dead line. Not until the proof was right before his eyes. As far as the captain was concerned, Robert White was alive and well.
O’Brien was opening the door, but the captain glared at him so he did not.
“When?” Nick asked.
“On my say so.”
Nick nodded.
“He’s going to hear us breaking down that fence,” said O’Brien.
“I have a tool to break the lock,” Nick said.
“Lets go,” ordered the captain.
The trio got out of the truck and hurried as quickly as they could after Nick removed a sharp tool from the back of his truck and then they ran toward the gate. The captain smiled when Nick snapped the lock instantly.
“Comes in handy,” Nick said.
“Maybe we should be watching you too,” O’Brien added.
Nick gave him the thumbs up.
“Let me call for back-up,” said the captain.
“You do that,” Nick said. “Pete and I will go in first, okay?”
The captain thought about it for a moment and then said,” okay, but be careful. This guy is a cold blooded killer.”
Nick nodded.
O’Brien and Nick went in toward the wooded area and the captain stayed behind to make his phone call. He opened up his cell phone and whispered as clear as he could without causing attention to himself.
“Cruz, Fuentes, I need you to get over here quick. I’m on Jefferson Street with O’Brien and Nick, we need back-up but come as quietly as you could,” he said. “Don’t worry about us, just do it. We have the Cross-Over murderer in our sights. Have someone run upstairs and let the chief know what we’re doing. Is that clear? Good, now do it fast!”
The captain slapped his phone shut and shoved it into his front pocket. He removed his firearm and headed toward the wooded area to join Nick Barnum and Detective Peter O’Brien.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
Trying not to think about Robert White, and trying not to let his capture overwhelm him O’Brien held two boxes of liquor as he pushed the door to the liquor store out with his body. He was followed out of the store by Nick Barnum.
“Two hundred and forty dollars,” Nick huffed. “Damn Janet is slick.”
“You’re the fool.”
Nick snarled.
“I got that door for you,” said a young attractive black female as she held the door open for Nick. She had curly brown hair, and thin red eye-glasses. She was wearing tight jeans, and a blue tee–shirt. Her face was slightly darker than almond, and her lips full. She was a very polite young woman.
“Thank you,” Nick said.
“No problem,” she replied. “Just waiting for my boyfriend, and I don’t have much else to do.”
“That was honest,” Nick said.
She smiled.
“Nick, stop trying to pick up girls,” said O’Brien.
“I’m just being nice,” Nick replied.
“He’s got good taste,” said the female.
“Yeah,” Nick looked sheepishly at her. “I have very good taste.”
“Yeah but you’re old,” O’Brien added. “And she’s young.”
“Age is a number, Pete.”
The young woman smiled.
“Oh come on,” said O’Brien as he looked at the young woman. “Don’t encourage him. Tell him the truth. Tell him that you wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole!”
“He’s cute.”
“You got to be kidding me!”
The girl laughed.
“He’s just jealous,” added the private eye.
She wink seductively.
“Oh no,” O’Brien suddenly turned red.

“What is it, Pete.”
“The captain!”
“Roque?”
O’Brien nodded.
“What is he doing here?” Nick asked.
“Maybe restocking his little stash.”
“Are you guys in trouble?” asked the young female.
“I’m not,” said Nick. “But looks like my friend is.”
“Pete, what are you doing here?” The captain asked.
“Helping Nick.”
“Why aren’t you working on the Cross-Over case?”
“Just took a break sir.”
Nick smiled.
Detective Peter O’Brien had visioned a few hours of tongue lashing as the captain put his hands on his hip in a parental sort of fashion. “Captain, I’ll get right on it as soon as I get back to Nick’s office. I left my cruiser there.”
The captain huffed. “Okay, but make it quick.”
“Thank you sir.”
“Hey, can we give you a lift?” Nick asked the young woman. “I don’t see your ride anywhere.”
“He’s coming,” she said. “But thanks.”
“We can’t give her a ride,” O’Brien shot toward Nick. “The captain says I have to hurry back to the cruiser.”
Nick winked at the captain.
A red pick-up truck drove into the parking area and was driving toward the large footwear store. He had to follow the traffic that way in order to turn back toward the liquor store. It had to be done in that fashion because the entrance from the Boston Avenue side was complicated. He should have entered from the Noble Avenue section. It would have given him easy access toward the liquor store.
“That’s my ride,” said the young woman.
“The painter’s truck?” Nick asked.
She nodded.
“He’s a contractor?”
She nodded again.
“Big company?”
“No,” she replied. “He picks up cheap labor from the North and Madison area.”
The captain’s eyes shot wide open.
“Red truck, black driver,” Nick almost whispered.
“Something against black drivers?” asked the female.
“No, not at all.”
“Just the way you said that,” she said.
“I’m sorry, that was rude.”
She smiled.
“He picks up cheap labor?” Asked the captain.
“Has to, he says it keeps cost down,” she replied. “But I haven’t seen him all that much lately. I’m gonna get him for that.”
“He’s the devil,” O’Brien said mostly to himself.
“You’re sort of right in a way, he is known as the devilish painter,” she smiled.
O’Brien dropped the box.
“Pete! Janet will kill me!”
O’Brien bent down and picked the box up without inspecting if any of the bottles were damaged.
“What do we do?” the captain whispered into Nick’s ear.
“We follow.”
The red truck stopped in front of the female.
“Take care boys,” she said as she hopped in.
Nick waved.
The truck sped off.
Nick and O’Brien dropped their loads and quickly rushed toward the private eye’s Ford Explorer with the captain following suit.
Two things shot through Nick’s head.
The Cross-Over Murderer!
Janet is going to kill me!

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
Captain Frank Roque was siting in the conference table shuffling some papers around as he almost knocked over his cup of coffee. He was just about to swear when Reeves walked in.
“Sir,” he said as he stood up quickly.
“At ease.”
“Just doing some paper work here sir,” said the captain. “Don’t feel like working in my office too much these days.”
“I went by there,” he said. “Cruz told me you were in here.”
The captain nodded.
“Getting a lot done?”
“I guess I am,” he said trying to smile.
“Sometimes working away from the office helps,” said the chief. “I came down here to get away from my office. I was going to hang out with you a bit.”
The captain nodded.
“I mean, if that’s okay with you?”
“You’re the chief.”
“I am, but sometimes maybe you don’t want your commander looking over your shoulder while you work,” Reeves said. “It can distract you. I’m asking you as a friend, not a boss.”
“And I’m answering as a friend.”
The Chief of Police walked over to the coffee pot. He turned toward the captain and smiled sheepishly.
“What?”
“Where is it?”
“What sir?”
“Your coffee.”
The captain smiled.
“Well?”
“In the frig, in a thermos marked, captain.”
“I know it’s early Reeves said. “But man I do need a drink bad.”
He poured himself a shot. The Chief of Police was going to pour some coffee into the mug as well, but decided not to.
“Same here,” said the captain as he raised his mug. “I almost knocked it over.”
“That would have been a shame.”
“You tell me about it.”
The chief smiled.
“What really brings you down here?” The captained asked fully knowing the reason, but thought he had to ask anyhow. “I mean besides trying to get out of your office.”
“The Cross-Over murders.”
“We’re still plugging away.”
“I know.”
The captain grimaced only because he really couldn’t give the chief what he really wanted to hear.
“I don’t blame anyone here for what happened to Bobby White,” said the chief. “He’s a good cop, and he put his life on the line for the people in this city. I gotta give him that.”
The captain nodded.

“He’s a family and my heart goes out to him.”
“Mine too, Gary.”
The chief half-smiled.
“I just want all of this to end, soon,” the captain added.
“Where’s O’Brien?”
“On the road, looking,” replied the captain. “I’m telling you, that Pete might just find out who the murderer is. I suspect he’s knocking down doors and lifting rocks. That freak will fall into his lap.”
The chief smiled and sipped.
“I hope.”
“You need another drink Frank.”
The captain nodded.
The chief walked back to the small frig and opened it up. He was going to pour alcohol into two mugs, but there was only enough for one. That made him tighten his lips and reconsider offering the captain another shot.
“Problem, chief?”
“You are out of booze.”
The captain nodded.
“Why don’t you go over to the liquor store and get some more,” the chief suggested.
“I could send Cruz, or Fuentes.”
“You could,” said the chief. “But do you really want them to know why we are ordering some alcohol?”
The captain smiled.
“Or do they already know?”
“I don’t say anything them.”
“Does Pete know?”
“He does.”
“Does he drink from the well?”
“Like a fish.”
The chief laughed.
“Okay, I’ll go.”
“Are you sure?”
“If we’re out of booze and I don’t have to cough up any money to restock, why not,” said the captain.
“I have a charge account with that liquor store over on Boston Avenue, Next to Price Rite,” said the chief. “I can call them and let them know you’re coming in my place.”
“Okay,” said the captain. “I’m tired of these four walls anyways. I’ll pick up the restock so we can continue our conversation.”
The chief smiled.
“Gives me a chance to catch some rays, and enjoy some fresh air,” the captain continued.
“I agree,” said the chief. “It’ll do you some good, and it’ll do me some good knowing that we will be fully stocked.”
“So call it in, and I’ll pick it up.”
The chief nodded as he sipped down the last of the alcohol.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
O’Brien waited in Janet’s office for Nick as he sat on top of her desk. The phone rang several times, but was ignored. It wasn’t his office, and the missed calls only meant less work for the famed private eye.
Janet opened the office door and walked in without acknowledging the detective. She hung up her light sweater and stuffed her handbag into a top drawer of the filing cabinet next to her desk. Nick walked several paces behind her so it took much longer for him to reach the office.
“Pete, what are you doing here?”
“I just let him in,” Janet shot back quickly.
O’Brien just shot her a glance.
“Right, Pete?”
He nodded reluctantly. It was at that time he had realized that it was Janet who for got to lock up last night. He was going to say something about unlocked doors, but he already committed himself to covering for Janet’s shortfall.
“So what brings you here, to my office?”
“Just needed some time away from the station.”
“The decoy?”
“He has a name!”
Nick nodded.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to blow off half-ass,” said O’Brien.
“I know, it’s getting to everybody.”
“Pete, what the fuck does blow off half ass mean?” Janet asked after she thought about his comment for a few seconds. “Doesn’t even make any sense. What, half an ass cheek blown off?”
“It’s just an expression,” he replied.
“Stupid is what it is,” she threw back.

O’Brien smiled.
“You see what I got to deal with everyday?” Nick said.
“But come on Nick, half-ass?”
“It’s just an expression,” O’Brien continued. “Like the way you do your work around here, half-ass.”
“Fuck you.”
O’Brien laughed and that made him feel a little better.
“If you want to chat, my office is open,” Nick said.
“That isn’t the only thing that was opened,” O’Brien whispered toward Janet.
She glared.
He smiled and followed Nick into his office.
Nick sat down and O’Brien remained standing. “You know I have chairs.”
O’Brien sat.
“I hope we find the decoy soon...”
O’Brien glared.
“I’m sorry, you’re right he has a name,” Nick said really feeling badly about not calling the decoy by his rightful name. “Robert White should be acknowledged.”
“You’re calling him what he was, so I understand,” said O’Brien. “I’m just being a hard ass.”
“Pete, you better stop with those expressions, you may confuse my secretary.”
“Fuck you Nick!” Janet shot from her office.
O”Brien laughed a little more heartier.
Nick winked.
“At the office this morning we had a meeting and it just seemed unproductive. I sat helplessly as the captain spewed worthless information. It didn’t make any sense to me. We have a man down and lost because we couldn’t do our job. If we were able to see who picked him up, we wouldn’t be down a cop,’ O’Brien just splattered out. “It’s such a dark day in our city. It didn’t have to be, but we made it that way.”
“I don’t know what to say Pete,” Nick replied. “But we haven’t found the body yet, so that might be a good sign. Maybe the death hasn’t occurred yet.”
“I’m praying.”
“Me too.”
Janet walked in with two cups of coffee and placed them down in front of the men, and she hurried out of the office as if she were trying to respect their privacy.
“Thank you,” Nick hollered.
Janet did not reply.
“Damn, no welcome from her?” O’Brien asked.
“No, because it’s part of her job to make sure we have coffee,” Nick explained. “If she replied with your welcome, then I wouldn’t have to pay her because she did us a favor.”
“You guys are weird.”
Nick smiled.
“But, you do work well together,” he added.
“Janet never liked serving coffee to clients. I never understood why, it was part of good customer service. She keeps telling me that if she wanted to serve she’d work at a restaurant and get tips for doing it. I keep telling her that I would gladly tip her over,” Nick said. “So I tell her that it’s part of her job description, and if she ever says your welcome she doesn’t get paid for the service. I laugh sometimes when she hands one of my clients coffee and they say thank you. It almost comes out and then she stares at me. It’s a sight, but to her credit, she just nods and then gives me the finger when she walks out.”
“It’ll slip one day,’ O’Brien added.
“I can’t wait.”
O’Brien smiled.
Janet walked into the office and stood by the door.
“Can’t you see we are having a conversation?” Nick stopped his conversation with O’Brien, staring wide-eyed at his secretary. “That’s just simply rude.”
“Yeah, like you guys have a lot to talk about,” she said as she moved closer to her boss. “I need a favor.”
Nick titled his head toward her.
“I need you to go to Boston Avenue for me and pick up some booze for a party I’m throwing tonight.”
“Party?” Nick looked confused.
“It’s just for girls,” she shot out quickly.
“Oh, okay.”
“So you’ll go?”
“Pick up some booze?”
She nodded.
“Where?”
“I ordered it from the big liquor store on Boston Avenue. Near Price Rite.”
“Why don’t you go after work?”
“Nick,” she said with her hands on her hips. “I got a lot of running around to do after work. I can’t believe you won’t do this little favor for me.”
“I’ll go with you Nick,” said O’Brien.
She smiled.
“Okay, is it paid for, or are you going to give me the money?”
“Just bring the receipt and I’ll pay you back.”
“What?”
“Nick, bring the receipt, and I’ll pay you back,” she repeated slowly.
“You see Pete,’ Nick stated. “That’s good hard earned money I’m throwing out the window. She always says she’s paying me back, but she never does.”
“Don’t be an ass!”
“Janet, when you say don’t be an ass,” O’Brien started teasing. “Do you mean like a horse type animal or a buttock?”
“Your face is a buttock!” she shot back and stormed out of the office.
“Now I got to go and pay for her booze,” Nick said. “You got her mad.”
“I’m going with you,” said O’Brien. “I can use the fresh air.”
“Are you going to help pay for this?”
“Hell no,” he said as he stood up and walked out of the office before Nick had the chance to beg.
“Yeah, your face is a buttock,” he whispered.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Six

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
The next morning the decoy shook himself awake from the abuse he took the night before. He couldn’t believe that he wasn’t killed yet. He couldn’t believe he wasn’t buried and hidden somewhere he couldn’t be found. He was alive and awake to suffer mentally all over again. He then realized that the logical thing for the murderer to do was to make him suffer, and then turn him loose. If he was intended for death, he would have been dead already.
“Good morning,” said the dark stranger as he stood directly in front of the tied decoy. “I see you lived through the pain.”
The decoy nodded.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t put you up in a motel or a decent sleeping area,” said the dark stranger. “But I’m never in the habit of taking care of my prisoners. Funny though, usually you’d be dead by now. Maybe I’m slipping, maybe I’ve developed a soft spot, or maybe I really don’t want to kill an American citizen. I don’t know, I really can’t explain it.”
“Go to Hell!”
The dark stranger smiled.
“Either kill me, or turn me loose!”
“Okay, I’ll kill you then,” replied the dark stranger. “If that’s what you want. I’ll end your suffering now.”
The words dropped like rocks.
The decoy knew he was only saying kill me just to say it. He really didn’t mean it. He knew that if the murderer was challenged he’d have to do the most logical thing. And that logical thing was to turn him loose. It was something he had learned at the academy, and it wasn’t paying off. If he had paid for the lessons he learned at the Police Academy, he would have asked for a full refund.
“You look worried?”

The decoy did not reply.
“It really won’t be too much fun killing you,” said the dark stranger as he picked up the transfer shovel. “It’s a shame you were the one picked up, not one of those cross over immigrants.”
The decoy grunted.
“I bet you hate me just about now,” said the dark stranger. “Everyone I killed had that look in their eye. The look you have now. That look of hatred. Funny, how that look can do nothing about the situation you’re in. Sad, if you really think about it. So go right ahead and hate me. Hate the man who is going to end your life. Hate me because I thwarted your chance in catching me. You people failed, and now you must pay the cost.”
“You know I’m still a cop,” quivered the decoy. “I was just on an assignment. It’s a mission and it had nothing to do with how I feel about you. I really don’t care who you are or I don’t care anything about you. To me, you’re just a crazy serial killer who has no need or no respect for life. You will die too.”
The dark stranger laughed.
“Laugh now, die later,” said the decoy.
Leaning forward and feeling suddenly fierce, the dark stranger raised his voice and shouted, “I may die after all this is over, but you will not be around to enjoy it! You will be dead way before me!”
The decoy shriveled where he sat. His hands turned white as it remained tied behind his back. His fingers were tangled as he pressed them hard against his spine. He was losing the feeling in them, and he couldn’t get the blooding flowing again.
“You’re going to die first!” The dark stranger continued. “And for me, it’s going to be all in a day’s work!”
“Please...don’t do it.”
“Begging?”
The decoy nodded.
“That’s appreciated, and honest.”
Tears fell from the decoy’s eyes.
“Sad,” the stranger nodded. “But you will die anyways.”
Feeling as if the veins on his neck were going to explode, the decoy weighed many versions of his death through his mind. He didn’t know if he was going to be stabbed, slammed, buried alive, or drowned. He just knew that death was coming, and that he wasn’t prepared for it.
“How do you want to die?” asked the dark stranger.
The decoy snapped him a glare. “How?”
The dark stranger nodded.
“Old age.”
He hesitated for a moment. “I’m giving you a choice, don’t fuck with it!”
“I don’t want to die!”
“Tell me or you will die violently!”
A stunned silence fell briefly, a silence they knew would have to be broken one way or another. A silence that pierced their ears. It was a silence of madness.
Then a cell phone chimes.
The dark stranger snapped up and was not sure what the musical tune was at first.. “Oh, that’s me. Hello?”
The decoy was about to scream, but was silenced immediately with the transfer shovel. It connected on the left side of his head, reopening some old wounds that were sealed together with dried blood.
The dark stranger walked away from the decoy to continue his interrupted phone conversation. “What, pick you up? Where? Boston Avenue? I thought you had to work at the liquor store today? Oh, they didn’t need you today. It’s slow. I see, so you’ll wait for me in front of the liquor store? Okay....Okay. I’ll pick you up. Let me just make sure that my loose ends here stay tied.”
The dark stranger looked at the decoy and knew that his death wasn’t going to be at that moment. He had an errand to run, but when he returned he wasn’t going to waste anymore time with him. He was going to end the decoy’s life. It just had to be done.
“You get to live for a few more hours,” the dark stranger started. “If I were you I’d use it to reflect on life. Think about all the good you did and pray to god that it is enough for you to get into heaven. Then think about all the bad you did, and ask for forgiveness. This is a chance that none of the cross overs got. Consider it a gift. A gift for not being an illegal alien and for not taking our jobs, and stealing from our families. It’s a gift, from me to you.”
The decoy grunted softly.
“Well, if you bleed to death,” the dark stranger continued. “I won’t be here to watch you suffer. You’ll be alone, and if you feel like begging to god, you can. No one will hear you. This area is so quiet, and no one ever comes here. Maybe you’ll see a rabbit, a deer or two, but people... No, you’ll be dead the next time you actually see people. But don’t let that get you down. You have some thinking to do. And funny as this may seem, I’ll have you in my prayers. Would you like that? So do what you like, and enjoy the few hours of life you have left.”
The decoy lifted his head up and tried to smile.
“You like that, aha... That’s good. It’s positive thinking on your part,” said the dark stranger as he turned to walk away. “I’m leaving now.”
Letting out a long sigh, the decoy muttered, “Thank god...you son of a bitch.”

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
The moon was a glass globe through the gaps in the trees as the dark stranger tied the decoy up to a small bench outside a small wooded area near Danbury Lane. He didn’t want to believe it, but there it was on the ground in front of him. A badge that belonged to the decoy. It was the last thing he would have expected. He was confused, and didn’t know how to handle the situation. The air was clear and the night was warm, but that didn’t ease any of the dark stranger’s thoughts.
“Why are you here?” he asked the decoy.
“We were trying to capture you.”
“But it was I who captured you,” said the dark stranger. “No one followed us.”
“That may not be the case.”
“I think it is,” said the dark stranger. “I wouldn’t have been able to drag you all around town, and then tie you up here like a pig. I don’t think we’ve been followed. Do you agree?”
The decoy sighed.
“I guess your plan wasn’t as full proof as you expected,” continued the dark stranger. “I really don’t know what to do now.”
“You can’t kill a cop,” said the decoy.
“I may not have a choice.”
The decoy grimaced.
“I didn’t really expect to have you tied up here,” said the dark stranger. “I was hoping you were one of those illegal aliens. I don’t know how this will pan out. I mean the images of the men I killed were starting to haunt me. I didn’t know if I was able to continue the killings, but now I have a police man. This changes everything. I may have to stop the killings and hide out.”
“Then let me go,” said the decoy.

“You might just be the last one I kill,” he said feeling hopeless. “I should have known that you were a cop. You had clean hands.”
The decoy looked confused.
The capturing and the killing of the immigrants were pleasing when it first started, but the latest turns of events left the dark stranger feeling unsettled.
“You’re going to let me go, right?”
“I can’t.”
“You’ve done enough killing, listen to reason,” the decoy suggested. “It may be your only way out. There is a stiffer penalty for cop killers. You don’t want to fall into that category. Now do you?”
The dark stranger laughed. It was a nervous laugh, but a laugh nevertheless.
“What are you going to do with me?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Let me go.”
“I said I can’t do that.”
“You didn’t know I was a decoy, right?” he asked. “So if I were you I’d be scared. It may not look like it my friend. And you choose not to believe it, but no matter what you’ve done to me so far, know I’ve been followed.”
The dark stranger did not reply.
“Your time will come,” said the decoy. “It’s just a matter of when.”
“When doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon,” replied the dark stranger. “Maybe they just forgot about you. Did you ever think of that?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
The decoy nodded.
The dark stranger pick up a transfer shovel and held it in his hands. He thought about digging a hole and planting the decoy, but that wouldn’t have been good enough. There had to be another way of disposing the body. He had to come up with something different.
“You have a cigarette?” The decoy asked.
The dark stranger dropped the shovel and took out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. He took one out and placed it gingerly on the decoy’s bottom lip. He then lit the cigarette and blew out the match.
“Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
“It helps, but letting me go will help even more,” said the decoy. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes if you do something stupid.”
“I’m careful,” he replied.
“Picking up a decoy? I don’t think so.”
“If you were followed, where the hell are they?” Shouted the dark stranger. “You keep saying you were followed and yet nothing happens. Don’t say what you don’t really mean!”
“Maybe they’re just sitting, waiting, and then they’ll make their move,” said the decoy as he tried applying pressure.
The dark stranger took out another cigarette and lit it up. He took three puffs and stabbed it out with the palm of his hand. It appeared as if he was trying to figure a way out of the mess he got himself into. He picked the shovel up and held it in his hands. He didn’t know exactly what to do.
“A penny for your thoughts,” said the decoy.
The dark stranger gripped the shovel with unspoken feeling and hit the decoy in the face knocking the cigarette about three feet away from him. He took the shovel and hit him again on the other side really not knowing if that was the right thing to do.
“If it’s true you’ve been followed here,” he lowered his voice, the warm wind blew gently, the decoy was bleeding badly, “and if they are just waiting. Why won’t they make their move. It’s been awhile, and I see no action coming from your boys. None whatsoever!”
The decoy didn’t say a word.
His silence was all the answer the dark stranger needed.
“I’ll tell you why,” he started. “Because they missed you. They didn’t see me pick you up. I don’t know why, but they dropped the ball.”
The decoy still did not reply.
“No one followed you,” said the dark stranger. “No one knows you’re here. They may have arrived too late, and you’re just shit out of luck.”
The decoy groaned.
“I see you’re coming to.”
“Don’t... do...”
The dark stranger hit him again with the shovel.
“What do I do with you,” he said as he tossed the shovel to one side. “How do I make this go away?”

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
How Captain Roque Missed The Pick-up
The captain had ran the binoculars for what seemed the fiftieth time over the decoyed area. He was frustrated that no one had stopped and tried to pick up any of his plants. It was almost like watching a failure in progress. A failure he really want no part of. He was watching the contractors talking to everyone else, rather than the decoys. He was confused by their actions, and that confusion led to his frustration.
He turned his sights over to a red headed woman crossing the street. She was beautiful and captivating. The captain couldn’t believe he didn’t take his sights off of her. Anyone watching would have found themselves just as spellbound by her exotic looks. Her face was somewhat triangular in its general structure, and her eyes were deep set and a piercing green. She had thick red hair which was pinned up and held together with a pin that resembled a butterfly. Her ears a slight on the large side, and earrings dangling down from them were oversized.
“Captain?”
The captain turned to face his young cadet and smiled with a hint of an embarrassed look. “Yes, I was err...”
The cadet smiled.

The ground was rumbling beneath the car. Only for a moment did the cadet think it was an earthquake. He looked to the left side of the car and noticed a cement truck rumbling by. It had plans to stop, but noticed that the captain’s vehicle was an unmarked police cruiser, so it continued on.
“Maybe that’s it,” he said to the captain.
The captain nodded.
“Hey, isn’t that the kid that O’Brien wanted us to keep away from this area until after we caught the Cross-Over murderer?”
The captain looked at the young man crossing the street and noticed that he was in fact the one that Zoraida wanted Nick to keep an eye out for. “Yeah.”
“Hey,” the cadet called.
The young teenager looked briefly and ran quickly toward a car wash building on Madison Avenue.
“Should we go after him?”
“Yeah, lets do it quickly,” the captain replied.
They started the cruiser up and quickly chased down the young teenager. They pinned him up against the side entrance of a window detailing building. The place was closed, and the fence to the garage area was locked, so the teenager had no place to run.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” The captain asked as he jumped out of the car.
“Looking for work,” replied the young teenager.
“This is a restricted area for you until we capture the murderer,” the captain said. “Do you understand me?’
He nodded slowly.
“Do you have a ride home?”
“No.”
“Well, you can’t stay here.”
The cadet noticed another Latino male walking toward the captain so he jumped out of the car leaving the communications devices unmanned. “Hey, hold it right there!”
“I’m just a friend,” said Roman Deharte. “I’ll take him home. I have a car.”
“Yeah, probably not registered,” said the cadet.
“Felix, stand down!” the captain snapped at his trainee. “That was disrespectful, and uncalled for. I want you to apologize to this man.”
The cadet was taken back as his eyes narrowed and his lips puckered.
“Well?”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“No problem, it happens all the time,” Deharte said as he walked toward the captain and the young teenager. “Come on Papa, I’ll take you home.”
“I gotta work,” he shouted.
“It’s too dangerous out there,” said the captain. “And we promised someone we’d watch you. And to be honest with you. We have too much going on to just watch you so we would rather have you not here at all.”
While in the cruiser unmanned: Okay captain, I will have to cut communications with you because I am being picked up by a painter. He is a very dark black male riding a fiery red pick-up truck. The painting company is called Devilishly Creative Paint. Captain did you get all of this? Over and out! Can’t talk anymore. Make sure you stay close. He can be a challenge and I am not armed.
The radio in the cruiser went silent.
“Explain to this young man that we need to keep this place clear. It’s only until we capture the murderer.” said the captain.
“I do understand,” said Deharte. “I will make sure he comes with me to a rally I have planned to explain to these people that you guys are trying to keep us safe, and we can’t help by getting in your way.”
The captain smiled.
“I’ll take him home, and don’t worry about anything else,” said Deharte. “My rally at Seaside Park, will be productive.”
“I appreciate that,” said the captain as he walked back to the cruiser. “And tell him as soon as we capture this crazy animal, he can go back to work. I also do hope it will be soon.”
“Thank you sir,” Deharte said as he slung his back pack over his shoulders and grabbed the young teenager by the arm. “Come on papa.”
The captain smiled.
“Ready to head back, captain?” the cadet asked.
“I got about fifteen more minutes of pick-up watch left before we head back,” the captain replied. “Anything from the radios?”
“They were quiet sir,” said the cadet.
The captain nodded.
“Too bad we didn’t get any action,” said the cadet.
“That’s good in a way that we didn’t get any action,” he said as he jumped back into his cruiser. “We were too far from the pick-up sight to see anything suspicious. I’m glad the radios were silent.”
The cadet smiled.
The red-headed female walked by the captain’s cruiser and he took several minutes staring at her and he smiled.
“What is it captain?”
He stared at her again briefly and said flatly, “You know, she really isn’t that hot after all.”

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
The captain stormed into O’Brien’s office without knocking. He pushed the door so hard that the window shattered all over the floor.
“Captain?”
“Are those decoys still out there!”
“Captain?”
“You heard me!” He shouted.
“I’m sorry captain,” O’Brien was still rattled because of the shattered glass. He was trying to gain composure and it failed him.
“Well?”
“I didn’t understand your question.”
“The fucking decoys!” He shouted. “Are they still out there on the streets? Are they still in danger? Which question do you want to answer?”
“Captain, I sent Cruz and Fuentes to pull them off.,” he replied. “They’ll be picked up shortly.”
“So they are still out there?”
“Yes sir,” O’Brien replied.
“Cruz and Fuentes are pulling them off?”
“As we speak, sir.”
The captain nodded as he tried calming himself by breathing slowly. “I’m sorry about the door.”
“It was time for a new one anyways,” O’Brien added.
The captain tried to smile.
“They’ll be off the street shortly, captain,” O’Brien continued. “I made sure of that by sending Cruz and Fuentes. They should be safe by now.”
“I don’t want anymore of my men out there without protection,” he said. “It was a bad idea having them go into the field unarmed. That mistake may have just caused us to lose a good cop. I can’t believe we permitted it.”
O’Brien nodded.
“I also can’t believe we didn’t see the pick up,” said the captain. “Who was on duty, and who missed the pick up?”
O’Brien did not reply.
“Don’t protect the son of a bitch?”
“I’m not sir.”
“Then who missed the fucking pick-up?”
“You did sir.”
“What?”
“You were on duty watching pick-ups.”
“I did?”
“Yes sir.”
His head fell to his chest.

“You were also training some men so you may have misjudged your position,” O’Brien said trying to protect his captain’s feelings.
“I still messed up.”
O’Brien nodded slowly.
“Did you get a hold of Nick?”
“I saw him and explained everything to him. I know for a fact that he is going out knocking on doors,” O’Brien replied while looking at the shattered glass all over his floor. “He’s going to continue until he digs something up.”
“We better find that man alive!”
“We may not, captain.”
The captain just shot daggers at O’Brien with his stare. He didn’t want to hear anything negative. He just wanted the positives to fill the room. “Pete, he is a young man with a young family. I don’t want to give his wife bad news. It was me who didn’t see the pick-up.”
“Sir,” O’Brien started while standing. “You may have to. He might just kill Bobby because he’s a cop. The murderer may not have a choice. And captain, any one of us could have missed the pick-up. That’s not what we need to dwell on. We have to find him.”
“Or, he may let him go because he is a cop,” said the captain. “I don’t think this crazy nut would want to go down in history as a cop killer. Who does?”
“I hope you’re right, boss.”
The captain frowned.
“I got thirty men looking around for Bobby,” said O’Brien. “We have cops in other cities doing the same. We’re working as a team, and we will get a team results.”
The captain nodded.
“It’s the best we can do.”
“I know Pete,” he said softly. “I know.”
“Did you call his wife?”
“That was the first thing I did, Pete.”
“How she take it?”
He looked at O’Brien, but did not answer.
“I understand.”
“All this can be avoided if we just find him,” said the captain. “I mean find him alive, not dead. And boy do I hope to God that we find him alive. I don’t want to have that stuck in my mind for the rest of my life.”
“Captain, it could have been anyone of us, I told you that.”
“But it wasn’t, it was me!”
“So we just have to find him, sir.”
“Yeah, alive.”
“I agree a hundred percent,” said O’Brien. “But remember, it could have happened to anyone of us. Keep that in your mind. We all make mistakes.”
“Not costly ones.”
“Even costly ones,” O’Brien added
He turned slowly, and then stopped. “Pete?”
“Captain?”
“Do you think we may have a chance in finding him alive?”
“Off the record?”
The captain nodded.
“Yes,” he lied. “I think we do.”
“Honestly?”
“Yes,” O’Brien replied without conviction.
Dead or Alive, is what was going through O’Brien’s head.
Dead or Alive?

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
Nick Barnum was seated behind his desk looking at old files. He didn’t hear O’Brien walking into his office and planting himself in one his client’s chairs.
“Nick?”
“Damn, make some noise.”
“Looking at nasty pictures?”
Nick smiled.
“Where’s Janet?”
“Out to Lunch.”
“This early?”
Nick shrugged his shoulders.
“That girl has it too easy.”
“I’m sure you didn’t come down here to tell me that Janet has it too easy, right?”
“But you have to agree, she does, right?”
“I let her think she has it too easy.”
“Yeah, Like I’m going to believe that crap.”
“I do make her think that,” Nick defended himself. “That’s how I keep control over this office. That gives me the alpha dog upper hand.”
“Yeah, I bet you wouldn’t say that in front of Janet.”
“You think I’m afraid of her?”
O’Brien nodded.
“Well I’m not! I run my office and she is just the help,” said the private eye. “Now you know it, and I know it!”
O’Brien smiled, but it quickly washed away.
“Is everything okay with you?”
“Well...”
“You came here to tell me something, right?”
O’Brien nodded.
“What is it?”
O’Brien looked up and briefly shut his eyes. “I was with him two nights ago. We had a meeting about being a proper decoy. It was a good meeting. He caught on very well. He knew what to look out for, he knew what to expect. I offered him my years of experience, and I warned him to be extra careful.”
“What, Pete?”
O’Brien looked disgusted.
“Just tell me.”
He hysterically went on, “I couldn’t have prepared a better decoy. I put my heart and soul into this. I never, for one moment, could have thought this would come out of it. I had no idea that it would back-fire! I was terrified, sick like I’d been poisoned. All of this because Robert White went missing.”
“What are you saying?”
“The murderer has one of our decoys.”

“What?”
O’Brien nodded.
“You guys didn’t follow the contractor?”
“I don’t believe we saw the pick up,” O’Brien replied.
What O’Brien was saying couldn’t really be true. How could professionals not see the pick up? It was just to difficult to believe. As hard as Captain Frank Roque planned this, how could they have not seen the pick up?
“The pick up was the most important part!” said the private eye.
“I agree.”
“So what went wrong with the pick up?”
“Captain Roque was assigned to the pick up that morning,” O’Brien said.
“The captain?”
“Yeah, but he was in training mode,” said O’Brien. “He was training, so he probably just forgot. Or he had a lot of shit on his mind.”
“This must be killing him,” said the private eye.
“It hasn’t yet,” O’Brien replied. “Maybe it didn’t sink in.”
“Oh damn, if it didn’t, it will.”
O’Brien nodded slowly.
“So what are you guys doing about it?”
“Work extra hard,” he replied. “We’re feverishly following all contractors, and we’re looking at all work being done.”
Nick nodded.
“We need you to stop what you’re doing and check out some work sites for us.”
Nick nodded again.
“We need to find Bobby before he is killed,” O’Brien stated. “We don’t want that on the captain’s head.”
“It shouldn’t be on the captain’s head,” said the private eye. Isn’t it all part of the job?”
“Try to explain that to the captain.”
Nick nodded.
“We got to believe he is alive,” said O’Brien. “He has to still be alive.”
“What makes you think he hasn’t been killed already?”
O’Brien grimaced.
“I’m sorry Pete.”
“Don’t be,” he said as he looked away from the private eye. “I’m hoping that the killer finds the badge and decides not to kill a cop.”
“Or maybe he has to kill him because he is a cop.”
“Nick, stop hitting me below the belt.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” said the private eye. “I’ll get out there right away. I’ll check on all the working spots, and check into the local areas. If he’s out there we’ll find him.”
O’Brien sunk his head.
“Pete, I said we’ll find him,” said the private eye. “Keep your chin up. Give me some mental support.”
O’Brien nodded.
“We will find him, Pete. We will find him.”
“You didn’t have to say it, to say it,” said O’Brien.
Nick looked confused.
“Dead or alive,” O’Brien said somberly. “Dead or alive.”

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-One

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
The crowd of immigrants gathered around the small stage located near the Mummy Pond at Seaside Park. It was used for concerts and short plays, but the immigrants used it that day as a rally call to help each other from becoming victims of the Cross-Over Murderer.
Roman Deharte walked out onto the stage and said briskly, “Thank you for coming!”
The fact that he lost his brother to the murderer, and he tried to take his own life because of it drew no comments from his audience. They were too busy trying to unravel the events that led to a stalking murderer. They were just trying to stay alive to work another day. They had families to support, and bills to pay. Deharte knew it, and he wanted to let it be known.
“This rally,” He continued. “Is to help us open our blind eyes!”
“Blind eyes? We have families!” Someone shouted from the crowd.
“We can get back to helping our families, if we stay alive!” He shot back. “What good is being dead going to do for your family. If anyone can answer that, I’m open to suggestions. If you cannot then please keep your comments to yourselves until I explain the new turn of events!”
“We came to this country to make money, not hide from a killer,” shouted someone from the left side of the crowd. “It doesn’t matter if we die.”
“The police don’t see it that way,” he shouted back. “They have removed us from North and Madison so they can catch the killer and protect us from being a victim.”
“If we don’t work, we’re victims!” Someone shouted from the center. “I’d rather work and take my chances then not work and starve!”
“I asked you guys to come here because it’s difficult to lose a loved one!” He shouted. “I lost my brother and I feel it weighing heavy on my heart. I know you may not care for your own lives, but think of your family. Think of your wives, and children. If you die, they’ll feel what I felt.. They may even try to kill themselves, like I did. That’s the chain reaction you’ll start if you don’t listen today!”
“What about our bills?”
“Your bills will just simply have to wait!”
“They can’t!”
“Oh yeah, they can,” Deharte shouted back. “They can because if you die, they’re going unpaid anyways. So don’t give me that crap. Let the police officers do their job, so we can feel safe doing ours!”
“Are they paying you for bringing us here?”
“No one is paying me,” he felt insulted. “I came here for my brother. I came here for your brother, and your sister. I came here for your mother, and your child. I came here for you!”
“It still doesn’t pay our bills!”
“Damn your bills!” Deharte shouted. “How can I make you people understand. It’s not safe out there. We need to protect ourselves, and we need to stay alive. The work will be there, you know the contractor will fall behind and perhaps give us over-time. We just need to know that we can work without worrying about losing our life. Is that too much to ask for?”
“It has to be too much!”
“We will just move away from North and Madison,” someone else shouted. “We’ll go to Norwalk, or Danbury!”
“The police here in Bridgeport has contacted those cities, and told them of the murderer. They too have cleared the streets until the murderer is caught,” Deharte offered. “It’s left up to us to respect what they have set in place.”
“The streets will never be safe,” shouted someone from the crowd. “What makes this so different?”
“Because we are targeted!”
“Targeted?”
“They want us dead because of what we’re doing,” he said with authority. “We work to feed our families, and pay our bills, and the murderer thinks this is stealing from them. They think we’re taking food out of their mouths. We are being targeted, that’s what makes this different! What do I got to do to make you believe what I’m saying will keep you safe?”
“We’re targeted everyday!”
“But not like this!”
“It’s still a chance I’d rather take!”
“I wish I can say or do something to make you understand how serious this is,” said Deharte. “I wish I knew the right words to tell you why I’m trying to help protect you. I wish someone could help me get through to you guys!”
A Latino male in his early thirties walked up onto the platform stage. He was wearing a landscaper’s tee-shirt, and a straw hat. His face was dark, and his eyes bloodshot. He had something to say, and Roman Deharte was not going to stop him.

“Papa, is everything okay?” Deharte asked.
“I can,” he said.
“You can what?”
“I can help get through to these guys.”
“How?”
He turned to face the crowd. “Does anybody Remember Pablo, and Manual?”
The crowd moaned and jeered.
“The police found them...”
They cheered.
“Wait,” he said as He raised his hands to get their attention. “They found them buried alive in a grave.”
A calm washed over the crowd as they just stared intently at the landscaper. “I too felt like you people did. I too worried about my bills, and my family, but I was there when they dug out Manual and Pablo. I was there when I saw their faces frozen in fear. They would not have chosen to die like that. They would not have chosen a death so brutal. Pablo lost two fingers, probably trying to dig himself out of his own grave. I want to tell you, that’s not the way anyone of you would want to be remembered. Do as Roman suggests, and please wait for the end to this. It’s worth it. Trust me.”
The crowd was still silent.
“I’m sorry to be the one who brings this type of news,” He continued. “But I want all of you to know that it isn’t worth it. I don’t want to be the one coming here to explain to everyone how you died. Think about it. Respect what the police are trying to do. It’ll be worth it in the long run.”
The crowd remained silent.
“Thank you,” Deharte said as he placed his hand on the landscaper’s shoulders. “Thank you for being strong.”
The landscaper nodded.
“This may help save lives.”
“I hope so.”
Roman Deharte turned to the crowd. “So we wait until they catch this killer!”
The crowd nodded reluctantly. They had no choice. The landscaper’s news really hit home. They didn’t want to be the dead ones.
Roman Deharte bowed his head and closed his eyes. Thank you God.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
O’Brien sat in the conference room, staring angrily at the man sitting across from him. He didn’t know what to expect, and he wasn’t allowed to question him because that’s what Captain Frank Roque wanted to do. He wasn’t going to step on anyone’s toes.
Other police officers in the building knew that they had a suspect in the Cross-over murders. They were walking by and peeking in, but no one entered the room. That was just fine with Peter O’Brien. The less the merrier.
There was a general consensus that already formed around the police station. They knew that the suspect had to be guilty. He looked the part. He was a clean shaven Neo-Nazi supporter with a swastika tattooed on each side of his scalp. His head was shiny, and almost looked waxed.
O’Brien would have appreciated the care he took in preserving the bald look if the man wasn’t suspected of being the murderer.
Innocent until proven guilty! Shot loudly through O’Brien’s head. He wanted to think that way, but his mind wouldn’t let him process that logic. The man sitting across from him was guilty until proven innocent. His thoughts couldn’t take it any other way.

O’Brien looked up and saw the captain standing there. To the captain’s mild surprise, O’Brien stuck out his hand for shaking. He’s never done this before, and the captain knew that he must of had a lot of things running through his mind. He took his hand and shook it briefly, then he sat down next to the suspect.
“If it’s not asking too much,” started the suspect. “I do want to know why the hell did you guys drag me in here?”
O’Brien seethed.
“We’re looking into the murders of some laborers,” started the captain. “Illegal aliens that work for next to nothing.”
“Murders?”
“Don’t get innocent with me!” O’Brien shouted.
“Pete, please.”
O’Brien nodded reluctantly.
“I don’t know what the hell you guys are talking about,” said the suspect. “I just grab some of those Beaners, and we do the work for that day. I ain’t got nothing against where they come from or what they do with the money they earn. And I’ll tell you, I have no need to kill those son bitches!”
“Let me get it out of him, captain,” said O’Brien. “He’s getting a damn rise out of me that just won’t quit!”
“Relax, Pete.”
The suspect grinned.
“Don’t grin at my officer,” the captain warned. “Or I might just let him get it out of you.”
“I still don’t know why you guys have me here,” said the suspect. “I may look like a hater, but I just do my job. I hire some of these Beaners to help and that’s it. The worst thing I did was not pay them. They see me come around the next day and they want to pick a fight with me. That’s all there is to it.”
“Liar!” O’Brien shouted.
The suspect stared blankly at him wondering why he was so hot under the collar. He knew he was telling the police the truth, and it was their problem if they didn’t believe him. He may have hated the situation around him, but he knew he was no liar.
“Captain, I really don’t appreciate being called a liar,” said the suspect. “If you feel that I’m the killer, then I suggest you charge me with something so that I could hire an attorney. I’m innocent, and I know for a fact I can prove it. Without a doubt.”
“Pete?”
“I think he’s a smart liar!”
The suspect glanced up toward O’Brien and stared into his eyes. He knew that O’Brien was going to be a hot head when he first met him. It’s like that with all Neo-Nazi looking guys. O’Brien was no exception.
“Can you prove your whereabouts on the days that the murders occurred?” asked the captain.
“I was with workers and my family every hour of the day,” he smiled. “And every hour of the night. I’m covered, and you guys are just barking up the wrong street.”
“We have a witness!” O’Brien shouted.
“Can’t be true,” said the suspect. “I didn’t kill anyone. I know it, so that witness you have is a fake.”
“She didn’t see you kill anyone,” said the captain. “She saw you arguing with one of the laborers. In fact, she said you actually threatened one of the Mexican teenagers. Is that right?”
“Damn straight!” He half shouted. “Sometimes I pay them to work eight hours, and we end up working less. I ask for the difference back and they refuse. I threaten to have them shipped back to their country. Some even test me so we go face to face for a few minutes. But of course, I win and they pay me my money back. I’m not denying that.”
“Got damn it!” O’Brien shouted as he stood up.
“Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t murder anybody,” said the suspect. “Next time, I’ll break their heads, that way you can get this fat piece of sh....”
O’Brien punched him in the face before he got to finish that word.
“Pete, what the hell are you doing?”
“Hot head!” shouted the suspect.
“Don’t you have a report to fill out?” The captain asked.
“No.”
“Find someone’s report to fill out then!”
“I don’t believe this punk!”
“Then charge me with something!”
“Captain?”
“We gotta cut him loose.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry Pete,” said the captain. “We really have nothing on him. He has no priors, and he is walking the straight and narrow. The man doesn’t even have any traffic violations.”
“That can’t be right!”
“I’m sorry Pete,” said the captain. “But it is.”
“So we wasted good money on garbage.”
“Hey, I’m not garbage!”
“Not you, you punk,” said O’Brien. “I was talking about the information we got on you.”
“I can’t believe you’re a cop,” said the suspect. “I’d like to check your record, or lack there of.”
“Don’t talk to my officer like that,” said the captain. “O’Brien is one of the best we have. He may be too passionate about some cases, but he cares. He is a great cop because he cares, and that’s all you need to know about him!”
The suspect bowed his head.
O’Brien’s cell phone chimed.
“O’Brien here, what.... where? Okay.... I’ll be there shortly,” he slapped his cell phone shut and shoved it into his back pocket.
“What is it, Pete?”
“Cruz and Fuentes found two more bodies, buried.”
“Don’t say...”
“Yeah, alive.”
The captain, got up, and went over to the small refrigerator. He opened it up and took out a bottle of Gin. He poured a shot into a small glass and returned to the table, sliding it in front of the suspect. “I thought I needed it.”
The suspect took the Gin and gulped it down quickly. “Thank you. Am I free to go?”
The captain nodded.
O’Brien turned and walked out of the conference room.
“Do I need a lawyer?’ he asked as he stood up from the table.
“No,” the captain replied without looking up at him.
“So this was all for nothing?”
“You were a suspect,” said the captain while glancing at the table top. “There is murder roaming my streets. I can’t have that. There is nothing anyone could tell me that would make me stop doing what I’m doing. If I have to drag every contractor down here to ask him or her questions, I will. That’s what I’m paid to do. So if you think this was all for nothing, you’re not as smart as you think you are.”
There was silence.
The captain looked up and the suspect was gone. Captain Frank Roque wasn’t sure if his speech received an audience.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
“Ow...” Someone groaned.
“I see you woke up.”
“Manual, Tito?”
“Must be dark in that little pit,” said the dark stranger. “I am not Manual, nor Tito.”
Suddenly the wallowing rubbed off and the prisoner was trying to rush in an upward fashion, but was immediately stopped with a transfer shovel. He looked around and didn’t see much for fighting back. The prisoner struggled to sit up, blinking as his eyes focused on the unconscious form of his coworker.
“Manual?”
“He’s down there with you,” said the dark stranger. “I decided to make sure you have company.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Your friend.”
“I don’t know you man,” said the prisoner. “But neither killing me or my friend here would make you a hero. It doesn’t take courage to be a murderer. I killed plenty in my country. I even killed for a bottle of milk. I don’t know what you’re trying to teach me. But I promise you, I can’t be taught pain or fear.”
“I beg to differ.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think I’m going to bury you guys alive.”
“What the fuck?”
“Fear will take your heart,” said the stranger as he scooped the first pile of dirt into the pit. “You will then embrace death as your breath will slowly end.”
“You’re sick!”
The dark stranger laughed.
The prisoner quickly tried to hoist himself up out of his own grave, but a rectangular transfer shovel pounded him against the head again. He tried to continue as he absorbed the pain, but it was simply just too much. The dark stranger continued hitting him with the shovel, and there was nothing the prisoner could do but submit. He fell to the bottom of the pit next to his friend and closed his eyes.

“Buried alive,” said the dark stranger as he continued tossing soil into the pit.
The prisoner pulled his friend to a sitting position as the dirt continued hitting them as it was being tossed into the pit.
“Why are you doing this?’
“Because I could.”
“You wanted me to be afraid?”
“I don’t care whether you are or not,” replied the dark stranger. “You’re still being buried alive. But I don’t really know why they say being buried alive when in a few minutes, you’ll suffocate.”
“I’m afraid!” shouted the prisoner.
The dark stranger laughed.
“Dammit! I don’t want to die!”
“Too late.”
The prisoner tried again to get out of the pit, but he stumbled and fell backwards. The shovel missed him by just a bit. He tried bracing himself against the dirt wall, but couldn’t really hold on because the tip of the shovel was pushed against his hand removing two fingers. The prisoner started to scream, but was silenced immediately as the transfer shovel connected with his face, and that time it knocked him out cold.
“I’m really indulging myself,” said the dark stranger. “This killing is not challenging, but amusing. That sucker really didn’t want to die.”
The dark stranger looked into the pit and noticed that the other prisoner was trying to say something.
“I see you missed the excitement,” said the dark stranger. “Your buddy was trying his best not to be buried alive. Are you going to give me a challenge?”
The other prisoner drew five or six breaths before trying to say something.
“I don’t understand a word you’re saying,” said the dark stranger. “And if you want to say something, you’d better do it quick. I have places to go to and people to see. I can’t wait around here all night waiting for you to get those empty words out of your mouth.”
“Help...me..”
“Help you?”
The other prisoner strained, but nodded.
“I’m not going to help you,” said the dark stranger. “I’m the one who put you in that situation. Are you kidding me with that?”
“Please...”
“Of course... You know I’m not going to help you,” said the stranger as he rested against the shovel. “I will just continue burying you guys alive.”
Before the dark stranger had a chance to toss more dirt into the pit, another groan came from the feisty prisoner.
“Oh boy,” said the dark stranger. “I better hurry before Pablo gets up again.”
Pablo glanced around his grave again and fought for focus. The dirt was up to his chest and movement was becoming much more difficult. He looked toward his friend, but didn’t see him. It was at that time he realized that his friend was completely covered. The pit around him was now his home. His grave. His ending.
“Manny,” he managed.
There was no answer.
“Manny, keep your head up!”
Manny did not reply.
“You’re almost covered!” shouted the dark stranger.
The prisoner looked up into the night sky and knew that it was actually going to be the last time he’d ever see the night sky again. He knew that his life was coming to an end. There wasn’t going to be anymore challenges, and he didn’t have to work anymore to support his family. They were on their own. God bless them... he thought.
“Almost covered!” shouted the dark stranger with a hint of joy in his voice. “It was nice knowing you guys. You should have stayed in your own countries!”
The prisoner gasped as he followed his friend into nothingness. He knew his lungs were filling up with dirt. He did something with his finger which the dark stranger couldn’t see in the dimness. The dark stranger stopped shoveling and tried to see what the prisoner was trying to do. He peered in and he noticed just the prisoner’s middle finger sticking out of the soil.
“Bastard,” the dark stranger whispered as he continued his shoveling.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
“Sometimes luck steps in, you know,” O’Brien managed as he sat in the passenger seat of the captain’s unmarked cruiser. The pair were on their way to a parking lot near the University of Bridgeport off of Austin Street and Myrtle Avenue.
“And how’s that?” the captain asked.
“Well, we almost had a survivor to the suspect, but he died on us, and now we’re going to visit a young woman who said she saw a contractor threatening a Mexican teenager over there on North and Madison.” He explained, but an inner voice whispered in his ear, not to count the eggs before they hatch. “She said she got the plate number, and that the teenager got into his truck.”
“So?”
“So? Can’t you see the writing on the wall?” O’Brien said. “He slipped up, and we are right here ready to catch the son of a bitch. It’s that simple.”
“Nothing is simple, Pete.”
“True, but this is.”
“If I didn’t have a little glimmer of hope,” said the captain. “You would have been making this trip alone. I just want the killing to stop.”
“So does everyone else in this city.”
The captain grimaced.
“It just seems that when a killing spree starts,” O’Brien continued. “It takes the effort of every citizen in order for us to stop it. This was true with that Kill and Search gang, and the crazy sick freak who had Zoraida tied to a chair in the basement. It goes on and we just have to be ready for it.”

There was truth in what O’Brien was saying, and the captain knew it. He had seen many crazy killers come and go, but when they left, there was such a nasty mark left behind on the City of Bridgeport. This certainly wasn’t a different story.
He stopped for a light on State and Park and turned to face O’Brien. “We are in the process of meeting a witness who says she has some information for us. Yet, she wouldn’t give us the information over the phone. Everything that is happening around us doesn’t give you a sense of false hope? Perhaps we’re going to meet a kook who just wants attention.”
“Listen, I know you’re my boss, and I got to give you all the respect you deserve,” said O’Brien. “But whether or not this woman is a kook makes no difference to me. She either has something tangible, or not. I’m not going to dismiss this away. And you’ll be a fool if you do.”
“We could have sent black and whites.”
“But we didn’t.”
The captain nodded.
“There is nothing wrong with what we’re doing sir,” said O’Brien. “In fact, it’s nice to be driving with you. Reminds me of the good old days.”
The captain smiled.
“Those were the simple and honest days, captain,” said O’Brien while he watched the light turn green. “It was the time of no false conclusions, and people respected the police.”
“And the police respected the people,” the captain added.
“Why have things changed so much?’ O’Brien asked as the thought tormented him. He had vowed to be a public servant, and an honest cop. He wanted and longed for the good old days. It’s what he wanted to pass on to the new police officers fresh out of the academy. It’s why he respected Captain Frank Roque so much.
“Here we go,” said the captain as he slowed near the parking lot.
“I don’t see her,” O’Brien chimed in.
“Me neither.”
The captain pulled into the parking lot and turned the car off. He touched his police issued revolver, but O’Brien shook his head from side to side indicating no.
“We don’t know what to expect,” said the captain.
“That’s right,” said O’Brien. “Lets lead by example.”
The captain nodded.
“There she is,” said O’Brien as he climbed out of the car slowly. “Over here captain.”
The captain followed.
There was a yong black woman was a very clear face. She had thin lips and a small nose. O’Brien thought it was an odd facial description for a black woman, but he dismissed it quickly.
“I’m Captain Roque.”
She offered her hand for shaking and the captain gladly accepted.
“I’m Pete.”
She smiled.
“So what information have you gotten for us?” asked the captain.
“I have a plate number.”
The captain smiled.
“Wait, why call us here?” O’Brien asked.
She looked down at her feet.
“You’re going to sell it to us?” O’Brien half-shouted.
“No,” she replied quickly. “I’m going to give you the information. I just want a small donation. You see. I’m a single mother and I need to make some money so my baby could eat.”
“Captain?”
“Give her some money.”
“All I have is a hundred dollar bill and..”
“Give it to her.”
“What?”
“Just give her the damn money!”
O’Brien reluctantly handed the bill to the young woman and took the piece of paper she held out with her other hand.
“Thank you,” she said softly and turned around.
“Is that it?” O’Brien shouted.
“That will tell you everything, right?”
The captain nodded.
“Are we just going to let her go without running the plate first?”
“Trust the public,” said the captain.” That’s what you wanted.”
“Trust, hell!” Shouted O’Brien. “We paid some good money for this plate number, and it better be good.”
“I think it is,” said the captain in a faint whisper.
“We’ll see.”
O’Brien called in the plate number and the information he wanted was indeed favorable. They had their first real lead, and they did it without Nick PT Barnum.

Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven 

From:http://www.clothes007.com (we have all kinds of Jewelry and fashion handbag for sale.Guarantee the quality,7 Days money Back.The price is cheap.For Chrismas Day Gift)
Nick Barnum was one of the few job seekers standing at the corner of North and Madison. He had a thermos of coffee and a bag of jelly doughnuts. He was proud to be the only one really prepared. He stood next to a blue mail box resting his coffee on top of the box. He reached into the bag and pulled out his first treat.
“Hey Nick,” O’Brien called as he pulled his unmarked cruiser up to the curve. “Whatcha got there?”
“You smelled the doughnuts?”
O’Brien smiled.
“I’m serious.”
“No, I didn’t smell the doughnuts, you ass!”
“So what are you doing here early this morning?”
“Checking on the progress,” he said.
“Not too many would be workers,” Nick said.
“We had to thin out the herd.”
“What?”
“Get rid of a lot of these guys,” said O’Brien. “It makes it too difficult to get picked up.”
“So these are all decoys?”
“No, we kept a few in,” he said. “We just wanted to give you and the other decoys a better shot.”
Nick nodded.

“You know, give you and a few of the other decoy’s a better chance of getting picked up,” he explained. “I guess the captain felt there were too many job seekers, and not enough jobs. I didn’t really agree until I drove by earlier. This corner was pasted with job seekers.”
Nick nodded.
“Is it like this every morning?”
“Everyone’s got to eat,” Nick said. “And these guys just want to bring home the bacon. Really should be no law against that.”
“You shouldn’t have to die for doing it either,” O’Brien added.
“I suppose not.”
“Not enough jobs for everyone, sad,” O’Brien said.
“Isn’t that always the way it is?”
O’Brien smiled.
“Hey Pete, do me a favor.”
“What is it?”
“See that kid over there?”
O’Brien noticed that Nick was pointing to a thin teenage Latino with lots of hair gel evenly spread throughout his head, and a thin moustache.
“That’s not a decoy,” O’Brien said.
“That’s someone Zoraida knows,” he said. “I want you to clear him from this area too. I want him safe.”
O’Brien nodded.
“I had this guy walk into my office yesterday who was related to Manual Rodriguez,” Nick started explaining. “He came in trying to get me to find him, but ...”
“Janet brought him down,” O’Brien keyed in so Nick wouldn’t have to finish.
“If Zoraida should ever come see me,” Nick started. “It’ll be to have her way with me. I don’t want to see a tear in that woman’s eyes.”
“I understand,” said O’Brien. “I’ll pick him up as soon as you give me a doughnut.”
“What?”
“I’m hungry!”
Nick smiled and handed O’Brien a treat.
“Make sure you tell him he’s not in trouble.”
O’Brien nodded as he stuffed the treat into his mouth.
“Pig,” Nick whispered softly as O’Brien drove away.