If you enjoyed the opening chapter of my upcoming horror novel, maybe you’d like to continue the adventure. Here’s the next chapter:
Chapter 2
Sully Rockwell heaved his considerable bulk out of his silver Jaguar F-Type convertible with only a few huffs and puffs, then glanced around under his wrap-around Oakleys to make sure no one was staring. He smoothed his Armani jacket and slacks, flicked a bit of dust from the lapel, and switched on his neon-bright negotiator’s smile before gliding into the Gray Harbor police station on surprisingly small and nimble feet.
Once inside, the air conditioning felt good on his damp forehead and he patted at it with a pristine handkerchief as he removed his sunglasses. When he caught the eye of a passing receptionist—a young woman with long blond hair and a short black skirt—he winked and quickly averted his eyes to miss what he knew would be an awkward response. Then, Lieutenant Jonas Brooks popped his head out of his glassed-in office and beckoned him.
“Jonas,” Sully said. He shook the lieutenant’s hand and shouldered past him into the office, then reclined on one of the two leather chairs before the desk. The chair groaned in mild protest.
“Have a seat,” Brooks said, and took up his position behind the desk. “What brings you in this fine day?”
“Just having a chat, old friend.” They’d known each other less than a year and weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination. “How’s Janice?”
“Fine.”
“Jonas and Janice,” Sully chuckled, “that never gets old.”
Brooks’s face didn’t stir.
Sully smiled and met the policeman’s stare for a few uncomfortable seconds. “So. The planning board met Friday and I have it on good authority I’ll have my zoning permits by the end of this week.”
“Congratulations.”
Sully grinned sheepishly, as if he hadn’t heard the sarcasm. “It’s good news. They made the right decision. Protests and editorials can only go so far. Cooler heads prevailed.” He looked back up and caught Brooks rolling his eyes. “It’s what’s best for the town, Jonas. Right?”
Brooks stood up and studied a map on the wall beside him, hands on hips, his jaw working a little. Sully knew there was nothing on that map that mattered to the conversation.
The lieutenant grabbed his blue ceramic coffee mug and slurped at it. Put it down with a clink. Finally, he said, “Yeah. It’s good for the town,” and sat back down with a sigh. “Doesn’t mean the end justifies the means.”
Sully turned, nudged the door, and watched until it snicked shut. When he turned back to Brooks, his calculated smile had faded. “Here’s the thing, Jonas. Gray Harbor is a dead man walking right now. And I could have gone anywhere with my project. Any of a hundred towns just like this. Maybe some an even better fit. But I chose Gray Harbor. And when I first talked to you and all the other ‘powers that be’, you couldn’t give two shits what means led to that end. So don’t start being sanctimonious with me.”
He brightened the smile once more, watching the policeman’s mustache twitch. “The resort hotel, the amusement park, the boardwalk… Gray Harbor will be the premier tourist destination on Cape Cod. Revenue you can’t even imagine. Not to mention the property taxes I’ll be paying—once the incentives expire, of course.” He spilled into another rumbling laugh, then a sigh. “It’s good news, Jonas. Just keep looking at the bright side.”
Brooks stared at the faded desk blotter that still displayed a calendar from October, 2018. “Fine.”
The phone rang and Brooks answered it. Sully heard indistinct squawking, then Brooks nodded and said, “Alright.” He glanced at his boxy computer monitor, clicked the mouse a few times. “Velaquez is up. I’ll let him know. Text him the details.” He hung up and moved to stand.
“What’s that about?” Sully said, eyebrows raised.
“Body just washed up at Rockford Point Beach. Sounds like a bad one.” He moved toward the door.
Sully caught him by the arm as he passed and said, “Might be best to keep it quiet, Jonas. You know—for the good of the town.” He felt Brooks’s muscles tense like he might pull away or even lash out, then relax again. Sully let go and the lieutenant opened the office door.
“Hector,” Brooks said, getting the attention of a young detective at a desk across the room. “Grab your stuff and come here.”
The detective stood quickly, grabbed keys, phone, and sunglasses from the desk, then yanked a blue sports jacket off the back of the chair and hurried to Brooks. “Yes sir?”
“Body washed up at Rockford Point. I need you to lead on this one.” Sully could see the distaste wash over Velaquez’s face, and Jonas was apparently expecting it. “I know it’s not your favorite, Hector, but it is what it is. You got this?”
“Yes sir,” the detective said, setting his face to stone again.
“And listen,” the lieutenant said with a glance at Sully, and lowering his voice still further, “this sounds like an ugly one. And, with everything going on, we don’t need a media circus, okay? So let’s keep things on the down low. Got it?”
The detective glanced over at Sully, then back to his boss. “Yes sir.”
“Now get out of here,” Brooks said, and slapped the younger man’s back as he turned and headed for the door.
Watching him go, Sully said, “The good of the town, Lieutenant.”
“Sure. Are we done here?”
Sully worked his way to a standing position and moved to shake Brooks’s hand again, but found the cop moving toward the water cooler and starting a loud conversation with an older man standing there. So, Sully smoothed his suit once more, stretched his neck from side to side, and walked out, smile beaming and head held high.
More to come soon!