Post by emschld on May 6, 2007 15:32:00 GMT -10
OK you guys (especially Lian) have been wondering where my muse has gone. I found her and locked her in a gilded cage. It will only hold her for a little while. Here is the first chapter
Chapter ONE
The night had been a bit slow for the diner that evening. Ellen had locked the door after the last customer had left and was now sitting in the back with her feet in a pan of ice cold water while she worked on her tickets. She heard the breaking of glass and then George, the cook shouting at someone.
Ellen jerked her feet out of the pan of water and quickly hid behind a shelf that held large cans of food. She listened as the fighting went on for a few minutes then she heard the gun shot. All was quiet in the diner. She stayed where she was hidden for a little while longer. She could hear whoever it was crashing things up front. She knew that she would be found and soon. It was then that she saw the fire alarm on the other wall.
She snuck out from her hiding place and pulled the leaver. The clanging began to sound through the diner. She ran back to her hiding place just as a man in a ski mask came into the back and began to look around.
She heard a voice from the front. “Jack! Come on man we got to get out of here before the fire truck gets hear.”
The man in the ski mask turned his head. Ellen had a good line of site between two large cans of corn and saw the tattoo of a dead man’s hand; two pairs, aces and eights. The man called back to the person in the front. “We haven’t found it yet.”
From the front came a reply. “We will have to look again later. But, we need to get outta here now!”
The man in the ski mask cast one more quick look about the room and turned and left.
Ellen heard them leaving but still didn’t leave her hiding place. She waited for the fire men to arrive.
Horatio had left his condo early that day so that he could get started on the mountain of paper work that seemed to multiply experientially with each day. His Hummer was moving quickly down South Dixie Highway. There was little traffic at this time of the morning and he found himself gazing out his window at the city, his city. His phone, pager started to buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket and opened it. “Caine, here.” He listened to the dispatch and replied to what he heard. “Call in Calleigh, Delko and Boa Vista. I will meet them at the site.”
He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. He then reached up to dashboard and flipped a switch. His lights and sirens came on and he turned the Hummer around to go back the other the other way. He jumped the median curb as he turned around. The jolt of the curb seemed to go up from the tires and into his spine. H- -l he would probably have to see Jonesy his chiropractor friend again later that week. That fall he had taken several weeks ago off the speeding boat had re-injured on older injury. He had been seeing an old friend for treatments’ he didn’t want anyone at the department to know that he had been hurt. Jonesy had said that it would only take a couple of trips to him to get his back to stop hurting. Of course that meant that he wasn’t suppose to injury himself any more than he had already. “Humph.” He said out loud more to himself he said. “I will not get old.” As if mind over mater could stop the aging factor of any human.
He arrived at the scene before his team. Again he drove the Hummer over a curb and parked right in front of the shattered front door.
The fire truck was still outside of the diner. He could hear the fireman talking as he walked by. “Stupid, pulling the fire alarm.” The second fireman. “Yah, she should have just dialed 911. What if someone was in real need of us?” Horatio stopped and turned to the two men. “The woman was in need of your help. It might not have been a fire but she knew that you would get here fast and she might not be alive if she hadn’t pulled that lever.” He then turned and continued to walk into the diner. He took a quick look around and raised his voice loud enough to be heard but not shouting. “I need everyone out of the crime scene now. Please wait outside until you have been ordered back to your station.”
The fireman that were in the diner turned to look at the red head that was ordering them out of the area. Before any of them could reply their unit leader spoke. “OK, Caine. We know the drill about crime scenes. We haven’t touched the body in the kitchen area and the woman is in the back. Shaken but not stirred out of her wits.” He then turned to his men. “OK. Boys let’s let the Lieutenant do his job.” They began to walk out past Horatio, who just stood beside the door with his left hand on his hip and his right hand resting on the butt of his gun. His index finger tapping lightly against it. The unit leader stopped in front of him and extended his hand. “Her name is Ellen Jackson. She is a bit shaken but she is keeping it together. She wants to help find who killed her friend and boss. She is afraid they will come back.”
Horatio took the extended had and gave a firm grip with his shake. “Did she see anything, Mike?”
Mike smiled showing his uneven teeth. “I think so. But, she wont tell me. She told me the she would only talk with the person in charge of the crime scene. That means you. So go get’em H.” He then left as well.
Chapter ONE
The night had been a bit slow for the diner that evening. Ellen had locked the door after the last customer had left and was now sitting in the back with her feet in a pan of ice cold water while she worked on her tickets. She heard the breaking of glass and then George, the cook shouting at someone.
Ellen jerked her feet out of the pan of water and quickly hid behind a shelf that held large cans of food. She listened as the fighting went on for a few minutes then she heard the gun shot. All was quiet in the diner. She stayed where she was hidden for a little while longer. She could hear whoever it was crashing things up front. She knew that she would be found and soon. It was then that she saw the fire alarm on the other wall.
She snuck out from her hiding place and pulled the leaver. The clanging began to sound through the diner. She ran back to her hiding place just as a man in a ski mask came into the back and began to look around.
She heard a voice from the front. “Jack! Come on man we got to get out of here before the fire truck gets hear.”
The man in the ski mask turned his head. Ellen had a good line of site between two large cans of corn and saw the tattoo of a dead man’s hand; two pairs, aces and eights. The man called back to the person in the front. “We haven’t found it yet.”
From the front came a reply. “We will have to look again later. But, we need to get outta here now!”
The man in the ski mask cast one more quick look about the room and turned and left.
Ellen heard them leaving but still didn’t leave her hiding place. She waited for the fire men to arrive.
Horatio had left his condo early that day so that he could get started on the mountain of paper work that seemed to multiply experientially with each day. His Hummer was moving quickly down South Dixie Highway. There was little traffic at this time of the morning and he found himself gazing out his window at the city, his city. His phone, pager started to buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket and opened it. “Caine, here.” He listened to the dispatch and replied to what he heard. “Call in Calleigh, Delko and Boa Vista. I will meet them at the site.”
He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. He then reached up to dashboard and flipped a switch. His lights and sirens came on and he turned the Hummer around to go back the other the other way. He jumped the median curb as he turned around. The jolt of the curb seemed to go up from the tires and into his spine. H- -l he would probably have to see Jonesy his chiropractor friend again later that week. That fall he had taken several weeks ago off the speeding boat had re-injured on older injury. He had been seeing an old friend for treatments’ he didn’t want anyone at the department to know that he had been hurt. Jonesy had said that it would only take a couple of trips to him to get his back to stop hurting. Of course that meant that he wasn’t suppose to injury himself any more than he had already. “Humph.” He said out loud more to himself he said. “I will not get old.” As if mind over mater could stop the aging factor of any human.
He arrived at the scene before his team. Again he drove the Hummer over a curb and parked right in front of the shattered front door.
The fire truck was still outside of the diner. He could hear the fireman talking as he walked by. “Stupid, pulling the fire alarm.” The second fireman. “Yah, she should have just dialed 911. What if someone was in real need of us?” Horatio stopped and turned to the two men. “The woman was in need of your help. It might not have been a fire but she knew that you would get here fast and she might not be alive if she hadn’t pulled that lever.” He then turned and continued to walk into the diner. He took a quick look around and raised his voice loud enough to be heard but not shouting. “I need everyone out of the crime scene now. Please wait outside until you have been ordered back to your station.”
The fireman that were in the diner turned to look at the red head that was ordering them out of the area. Before any of them could reply their unit leader spoke. “OK, Caine. We know the drill about crime scenes. We haven’t touched the body in the kitchen area and the woman is in the back. Shaken but not stirred out of her wits.” He then turned to his men. “OK. Boys let’s let the Lieutenant do his job.” They began to walk out past Horatio, who just stood beside the door with his left hand on his hip and his right hand resting on the butt of his gun. His index finger tapping lightly against it. The unit leader stopped in front of him and extended his hand. “Her name is Ellen Jackson. She is a bit shaken but she is keeping it together. She wants to help find who killed her friend and boss. She is afraid they will come back.”
Horatio took the extended had and gave a firm grip with his shake. “Did she see anything, Mike?”
Mike smiled showing his uneven teeth. “I think so. But, she wont tell me. She told me the she would only talk with the person in charge of the crime scene. That means you. So go get’em H.” He then left as well.