The X-Man, Brian R. Lundin [ebooks that read to you .txt] 📗

car
RINGO
Let’s take a ride to Louise Johnson place

EVETTA
On the way

Evetta removed a folder from her briefcase and gave it to me

RINGO
Louise Johnson, twenty-five, single, owns the successful Black Ladies Boutique on east 47th Street, MBA from Indiana University, mother, college professor at Westwood University in River Oaks, father deceased. Next door neighbor heard noises coming from Louise garage and when he went to investigate he observed Louise lying on the floor struggling with a little man on top of her holding a large knife, her shorts and sweat shirt was on the floor and he noticed the man wearing a condom. A pair of panty hose was tied around her neck and a rag stuffed into her mouth. He yelled at the man and as he approached the man threaten him with the knife and ran out the garage and jump over the rear fence

The block contained well-kept single-family homes. Louise house was brown brick with white trimming and was well hidden by tall oak pine trees and dense landscape, the nearest house was twenty-feet away. A decorative steel fence with a latched gate sat as a sentinel in front of the back yard, Evetta ranged the front doorbell and it was answered by an attractive, well-built woman. Evetta showed the woman her identification.

EVETTA
Hi I’m Detective Lunden and this Sergeant Ringo from the Chicago Police Department we’ll like to talk to you about the incident the other evening

LOUISE
Please come in

Louise led them into a large front room and motioned them to sit.

RINGO
What happened?


LOUISE
Well, I left Bally’s Health Club about 4:00pm and drove to my shop on 47th Street. After closing the shop I came home, did a little puttering around the house and went to the garage. I didn’t hear anyone come in and suddenly the lights went out and I was knocked unconscious. After a while, I don’t know how long, I awaken and this man was raping me, I tried to get him off me but he was too strong and he put a big knife at my throat and told me to shut up or he would cut my throat. He then put a filthy rag in my mouth and tied a pair of pantyhose around my neck and began choking me. I had nearly passed out when I heard someone come into the garage. The man got off me and I saw him run out the garage when I came to my senses I recognized George Peppers my next door neighbor who drove me to Provident Hospital. The police brought me home, took a report and processed the garage for evidence

EVETTA
Did you get a look at him

LOUISE
I really didn’t get a good look at him, but I could tell he was a small man, but strong, but I keep getting this impression that I’ve seen him somewhere


EVETTA
Let us know if you think of anything, no matter how small. In the meantime we’ll check with the hospital for additional information and is it ok to check out the garage

LOUISE
No problem

EXT: BACK YARD
The large back yard lawn was well kept and manicured and I noticed a security camera on a post aimed at the building. We passed an expensive-looking covered propane barbecue cooker as we rounded the corner. A wheeled wooded cart sat next to the cooker that contained tongs and other grilling items, we continued to the one car-garage, a garden hose was neatly wrapped around a hose holder attached to the garage wall. I looked around the yard, pots of colorful flowers lined the redwood deck and along the edges of the yard were planted flowers and a circular bird feeder hung from a tree branch. I glanced through a basement window into a room that contained a pool table, a large plasma television and other furniture. A security camera hung o top of the garage.

EVETTA
Anything on the security camera?

LOUISE
I doubt it, it’s not working

We entered the garage, a tool holder containing various tools rested in a corner. A BMW took up most of the floor space and a ten-speed bicycle hung on two brackets on a wall. A set of weights was in a box on a worktable and a Bally flyer. On the dusty cement of the concrete floor, amid countless faint impressions left by shoes, I spotted the outline of a small shoe print and a large X drew in the dust.

RINGO
Call Turner and tell him to get over here right away and tell him that we’ve got something

A half-hour later Charley Turner arrived and made impressions of the shoe print and the X.

TURNER
Seems the same size of the impression we found in White’s bedroom, a little man, I’d say about five feet, wait a second!

We watched as Turner removed some debris that covered a condom. He carefully held the condom by the rim and looked inside

TURNER
Look like sperm

RINGO
Great get it to the lab, maybe we can get some DNA, let’s see if we can get a comparison.

We walked across the alley a man was placing garbage into the can

EVETTA
Mr. Pepper?

MR. PEPPER
Yes?

George Pepper was fifty-five years old and a big man well over six feet, we identified ourselves.

EVETTA What happened with Mrs. Johnson?
MR. PEPPER
My garage is directly across the alley from Mrs. Johnson and I usually watch out for her when she comes home. Well, the night of the incident I was cleaning out some of the junk in my garage when I saw this little guy in her yard, he didn’t look like her type and he seemed to be sneaking around. I saw the garage light go on and I heard Mrs. Johnson humming some song, well anyway, shortly thereafter the lights went out and I heard what sounded like a struggle coming from the garage, I got a tire iron and went to investigate and I saw this little asshole raping Mrs. Johnson and had something tied around her neck, when he saw me he jumped off her and waived a big knife at me, but before I could crack him with the iron and he ran out hard dick and all. I helped Mrs. Johnson to her feet and took her to the hospital

EVETTA (TAKING NOTES)
Did you get a good look at him?

MR.PEPPER
Sure did, he was a little fuck, I don’t think he was five feet tall, light brown skin but well built, like someone who works out

RINGO
Think you could identify him again

MR. PEPPER
I’m pretty sure I can


RINGO
You’ve been a great help, Mr. Pepper, I’ll have a detective take you to our office and hopefully you can pick this pervert out

As we were heading to their car an excited Louise ran from her house

LOUISE
I remembered where I saw him; he’s a member of the health club

INT: BALLY HEALTH CLUB

When we arrived at the Bally Health Club an attractive black female receptionist greeted us as we approached her desk, her name tag read Julie. She was wearing a white see-through and a low-cut blouse that showed her black athletic bra.

JULIE
Hello there, here for a workout?

EVETTA (FLASHED HER BADGE)
Not today, but I’ve got a question for you, can you check your records and see if a Louise Johnson and a Cynthia White is one of your member?

JULIE (SHE TURNED TO HER COMPUTER)
Sure, one moment. Here she is, Louise Johnson, joined the club in 2007, White joined in February this year

EVETTA
Can you tell us the last time they were here?


JULIE (TYPING)
White two weeks ago, Johnson two days ago

RINGO ( SHOWING THE RECEPTIONIST PHOTOGRAPHS OF LOUISE AND CYNTHIA)
Is this them?

JULIE (LOOKING AT THE PHOTOS)
Yep, that’s them

EVETTA (PUT HER ARMS UNDERMINE AS WE WALKED TO THE WEIGHT ROOM)
Thanks,

EVETTA (CONT)
Not your type

RINGO (SMILING)
Yes, ma’am

Lee, the personal trainer was sitting on a workout bench sipping water from a bottle. She smiled and rose when she saw me and Evetta.

RINGO
I didn’t know you worked out here

LEE
Yeah, I split my time between the one in River Oaks and here. Guess you’re not her for a workout

RINGO (SHOWING HER THE PHOTOGRAPH OF LOUISE AND PEGGY)
Not today Lee, got a question for you, do you know these woman?


LEE (LOOKING AT THE PICTURES)
Yes, that’s Louise; I worked her out a couple of times, I’ve see the other one but I don’t know her she was in the aerobic class

EVETTA
What kind of person is Louise?

LEE
Kind of bossy, but very intense. She an adrenaline addict and she pushed her body to the limits

RINGO
Did she associate with anyone in here?

LEE
A couple of times I saw her in the Health Bar with a good looking little guy, I don’t know his name

EVETTA
What about White, ever see her with anyone?

LEE (LEE THOUGH FOR A MOMENT)
No not really. There is a lot of predators in these clubs trying to get over, they think they are real ladies man, real smooth and got a line of bullshit from here to Gary Milwaukee

EVETTA
They ever try the bullshit on you?

LEE (WINKING AT RINGO)
Hell yes, they try but only once, I like real men, like the Ringo, not boy toys


RINGO
You’re going to make me blush

EVETTA
Go on, you look cute when you blush

RINGO
Thanks Lee, see you later

We returned to the receptionist and I turned on the charm.

RINGO (FLASHING AN ENORMOUS SMILE)
One last request
The receptionist rose from her seat, revealing well-muscled legs and a shapely body.

JULIE (SMILING AND IGNORING EVETTA.)
Anything for you detective

RINGO (STILL FLASHING A BIG SMILE)
Do you know if a little guy, maybe five feet or so is a member of the center?

The receptionist bent over her computer displaying a well-rounded ass. Evetta looked at me and shook her head.

JULIE
Yeah, there a short little guy who is a regular and flirty, he’s always sniffing behind some woman real strange, he always looks like he high off something.”


EVETTA
Got an address and phone number


JULIE (IGNORING EVETTA AND TYPING ON THE COMPUTER)
Yep, Esau Sneed, 5251 South King Drive, no phone

EVETTA
How often is he here?

JULIE (ADJUSTING HER LOW CUT TOP)
Two or three times a week, work out in the weight room generally

RINGO (LEANING ACROSS THE DESK AND LOOKING DOWN JULIE’S LOW CUT BLOUSE)
Here’s my card it got my cell and home number, give me a call the next time he’s here and maybe we can have dinner sometime

JULIE (SMILING JULIE SLOWLY SLID THE CARD IN HER BRA)
Sounds like a winner to me, I certainly will call and take you up on that dinner

As we were walking away Evetta looked at me, rolled her eyes.

EVETTA
You’re the biggest bullshiter I know

RINGO (SMILING)
I learned from the best

QUADRANGLE HOUSE -2 October 2008