Sin City Uniform 01 - All Fired Up (17 page)

They passed by a street performer who was posed like a statue, completely still, his eyes closed. His entire face and body was covered in what looked like golden paint that sparkled.

Even his clothing was the same color, reinforcing the impression that he was an actual statue.

Tourists would walk by, uncertain, staring at him. Every once in a while, he would make a sudden move and change positions, eliciting yelps and shrieks of surprise. An upturned matching golden top hat was positioned on the ground next to him, ready to collect tips.

As they strolled by, Shawn happened to see the same woman who’d alerted him to the sleeping man in the trailer standing amongst the semicircle of observers.

“The one who would bring him coffee.” He’d muttered it under his breath.

“Huh?” Vicki looked up and followed his gaze. “Oh, hey. That’s the woman that was being attacked the night you fell.”

He froze. “Oh, shit.”

Not pausing to give Vicki an explanation, he elbowed his way through the crowd. He attempted to keep an eye on her, but she was short and by the time he reached the spot where she’d been standing not seconds before, she was gone. He turned to the couple next to him.

“Did you see where the woman went who was just here? Do you know her?”

They were practically hypnotized by the street performer, so barely reacted to him.

“What?” The man answered.

“The woman standing here just now. Do you know where she went?”

“What woman?”

Shawn frowned. “Never mind. Thanks.”

The onlooker immediately went back to watching the statue man. Right then, Vicki caught up to him. He grabbed her arm.

“Call Darren and Parker, tell them to get right over here.”

She didn’t question—he knew she trusted him. As soon as she’d done what he requested, he stepped back from the group of people, staying in the shadows with his back to the casino behind them, observing.

“Fill me in.”

“That woman you said was the one being attacked when I fell?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s the same one who came up to me the night of the hotel fire. The one who told me about the guy in the trailer.”

“Damn. What’re your thoughts?”

It had all caught him by surprise. He went over the various pieces in his mind, trying to put them together so they made sense.

Everyone is focused on the performer. They’re not looking anywhere else. Even the people
standing right next to that woman hadn’t been aware she was there.

“Did anything else happen the night I fell? Any fires, anything that might have to do with the Citizen’s group?”

“Uh, yeah actually. It wasn’t too far from the motel, not long after you were hurt. It was at one of the big hotels. No real damage though.”

“What if what happened was a distraction that was meant to keep emergency responders busy elsewhere?”

“But that was a genuine incident. A woman was being attacked and the other guy was caught.”

“Didn’t you say something about her getting a ride with someone rather than being transported?”

She furrowed her brow. “That sounds familiar.”

Off to the left, he spotted Darren and Parker’s cruiser drive into the half-moon driveway of the casino. They parked it to the side then got out, picking up a jog as they headed toward them.

“What’s going on?” Darren cast his gaze around the area in what appeared to be an effort to remain on guard. “Vicki didn’t give details.”

He went through a brief explanation of what he’d told Vicki. They agreed to take the cruiser and see if they couldn’t locate the woman that Shawn had described. After the two officers left, he and Vicki continued their patrol, hyper-aware of their surroundings and also on the lookout for the woman.

A piercing scream sounded behind them. It seemed to come from an area at the farthest end of the casino where they’d stood watching the street performer. They followed the desperate cry of the continuing scream down a walkway that led to a service entrance. Their senses were assailed by a combination of smoke and a sickeningly sweet smell. A young woman in a black minidress and heels raced toward them, shrieking and crying. Vicki lunged forward to grab her before she fell.

While that went on, Shawn radioed dispatch to send a fire crew. The smoke seemed minimal and was wafting from behind a dumpster. The woman Vicki held onto babbled hysterically.

“Offered me money, said to come back here, he… Oh God, she was already on fire.”

Her feet gave way and she collapsed, Vicki lowering her to the ground. Shawn’s stomach roiled and he caught Vicki’s somber gaze. He raced to the dumpster on the slim chance there was still hope. He barely registered Vicki shouting for him not to go.

As soon as he rounded the corner and looked behind the large metal garbage bin, it was clear hope was long gone. A smoking, blackened corpse, unrecognizable as a human being lay on the ground. He covered his nose with the back of his hand, turning quickly away. He fought to keep from heaving.

The shrill sound of emergency vehicles approached and he purposefully walked away from what he knew was a crime scene. It would be a job for the detectives and CSI—as it was he might’ve already compromised the area in his futile attempt to help. As he got closer to Vicki, she raised her head, a questioning look on her face. He’d taken his hand away from his mouth and gave her a grim shake of his head.

He noted Ben and Jamal trotting over to where the woman lay unconscious on the ground next to Vicki. It meant Station 32 was the first on the scene. If Trent was there, everyone would be keeping a close eye on them, particularly Trent’s Captain. A thought struck him.

Darren and Parker were nearby, the call for help drawing them back to the scene to assist in keeping onlookers back and to secure the crime scene until detectives arrived. He sidled over to where Darren was.

“No luck?”

He shook his head. “We’d barely had a chance to pull onto the Boulevard before dispatch called us back.”

Shawn searched the crowd, trying to locate the area where the golden figure of a man had stood only moments before.

“Just as I thought.”

Darren turned to him. “What did you think?”

“Have you ever seen that street performer before tonight—the one dressed like a statue?”

“Yeah. I saw him over by the hotel that burned that night. He was performing—oh, I don’t know—about a block or so from there the incident took place. Why?”

“And that’s the only other time you’ve seen him?”

“I guess. I probably only remember him at all because of what happened that night. I’m sure I must’ve seen him other places but just didn’t pay attention.”

“I don’t know…”

“What are you getting at Everly?”

“Just some weird coincidences that make me wonder.”

“Well, tell the lieutenant. He said they were willing to consider all angles.” Darren glanced to his side and pointed. “Oh hey, there he is now.”

Shawn spun around. Although he did see Lieutenant Campos, he also saw Trent and Lee behind him. They were keeping vigil by their engine. He inhaled a sharp breath and averted his gaze right as Trent had spotted him. As he made his way to the lieutenant, he chanced a quick peek and was relieved to see that Trent had angled his body away from him.

After all they’d been through emotionally, he’d almost felt slighted, but reminded himself that Trent was doing the right thing—that this is what they all wanted. It was certainly preferable to Trent yelling and freaking out at him.

Lieutenant Campos acknowledged him as soon as he reached his side. “What is it, Everly?”

He filled his boss in on everything he’d observed that night, as well as his interactions with the mystery woman on other occasions.

“I think you might have something. When you get back to the station tonight, I want you to leave a message with one of the detectives assigned to this investigation, set up a time for you both to meet. We’ll need to follow-up on the attacker who was arrested at the motel and see if we can find any additional info that might’ve been gleaned on that woman, who picked her up, etc.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “If you’re right, I doubt we’ll ever see that statue guy again, but maybe some of the other street performers can give us some info on him. Anything you can think of, Everly.” His lieutenant clapped him on the back. “Great observations. That’s why we need foot patrol. You guys see what a lot of other officers miss.”

“Thank you, sir.”

In his peripheral vision, he could barely see Trent. They wouldn’t be able to talk for a while, probably not until the following day. He needed him. Incredibly, it hit him hard right at that moment. Trent had become like family to him. Not like the family he’d grown up with, but like what one was supposed to be.

He walked back to where his partner waited. Ben and Jamal had the woman who’d almost been one of the Citizen group’s victims on the gurney, and were about to transport her. When he reached Vicki, he could tell she’d been affected by the scene more than usual.

“Do you wanna see about taking a break after this?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Hey, Vicki. What’s wrong?”

He’d never seen her so melancholy.

“My sister.”

“Your sister?”

He couldn’t remember Vicki ever mentioning her before.

“What about her?”

“Her baby daddy used to pimp her out to insure he’d get his next fix. Eventually she was hooked too.”

“Meth?”

“The scourge of our society.”

“Did she get away from him?”

She made a grunting noise, revulsion and sadness competing expressions on her face.

“You could say that.”

“How?”

“He was tweaking one night and he set her on fire.” She regarded him, her emotions reined back in. “At least she doesn’t have to fuck strangers to get a scumbag who claimed to love her his drugs anymore.” She lowered her head. “I gotta go check on that girl.”

“Yeah, sure.” He’d said it softly—he didn’t know what else to add.

He watched as she walked away. His gaze was drawn to the dumpster where a team of investigators worked processing evidence, taking photos—the coroner standing by to pick up the remains when the detectives were done.

There were still a few hours left on their shift. As draining as the events of the evening had been so far, Shawn was so worked up he doubted he’d be able to sleep much later. There was a heaviness in the pit of his stomach—Vicki’s story only adding more weight to it. He remained in position, insuring that no one from the public made it past the yellow tape protecting the crime scene.

He dug in his pocket for his personal phone. After pulling it out, he stared at it for a long time, wondering if he was making a mistake. Trent probably didn’t even have his cell on him. It was most likely back in his room. He wouldn’t even see it until later. Making sure no one was around, he quickly typed in a message.

I miss you. Happy dreams.

He tapped the message icon then stuffed the phone back in his pocket. Less than a minute later, he felt his phone buzz. It startled him. After pulling it out again, he swiped the screen and saw that he had a new text message. He opened it and smiled, some of the heaviness lightening.

Only if you’re in them.

There was a sense of peace within him that was quite unusual, untypical. Trent had spent the majority of his years as a rather calm individual. He wasn’t prone to hysterical outbursts or seesawing moods. He was sure that was at least partly why his display at the hotel fire had been so shocking to everyone—himself included. Overall, he wasn’t what anyone would ever consider effusive in his behavior. He wasn’t loud, didn’t draw attention to himself. It certainly wasn’t because he was shy, or lacking in confidence. He was a solid self-assured man who believed in the simple joys of life.

Love. That was all he wanted, and Shawn represented love to him. He didn’t plan to let Shawn know when he came over that night. It was their first time together since he’d almost destroyed everything that had been building between them. It wasn’t the right time yet.

He checked on the chicken pot pies he had in the oven. They had about fifteen or twenty minutes to go, then they’d need to sit for about another ten or so. The salad was ready and he had a Riesling wine chilling in the refrigerator. It felt like their first date.

He had to chuckle to himself when he thought of their supposed first date. How he’d practically corralled Shawn in the station parking garage then essentially dragged him to the diner. He’d learned a lot since then. One of the main things being that it was okay to treat someone with care and affection without it making a statement about his strength or masculinity. And that he didn’t have to control absolutely everything—that some things would always be out of his control.

The knock at the door made him jump. He took a couple of deep breaths to let go of some of his nervousness. He told himself that things would be wonderful between him and Shawn—especially if their increasingly dirty texts to one another recently were any indicator.

His plan was to shower Shawn with so much love that he wouldn’t know what hit him— wouldn’t even question it.

As soon as he saw Shawn standing in his entryway he was hard, his erection pushing uncomfortably against his denim pants.

“Hey.”

Shawn was delectably attired. They were advancing toward fall, but it was still plenty warm outside. He was all in black—tight jeans and T-shirt—a color he’d never seen Shawn in, no doubt because of the unrelenting sun and heat. It was striking on him. His eyes were drawn to the overnight bag he held in his hand. Even though they’d discussed him spending the night, he hadn’t wanted to count on it until Shawn was actually there.

Trent opened his arms, hoping Shawn wouldn’t reject him. Instead, a joyous grin split his face and he stepped right into Trent’s embrace. They stood in the entrance of his home for at least a few minutes, holding tight. As he inhaled the scent of Shawn, he couldn’t stop himself, he needed a taste.

He lowered his mouth over Shawn’s lips, parting the seam with his probing tongue. It wasn’t his intention to be greedy, to take so hungrily, but his need took over. Shawn answered back with his own eager kisses, spurning Trent on. They clutched and grabbed at one another, their exchange heating until Trent was dizzy with it. Shawn moaned, grinding his obvious erection into Trent’s crotch. His movements were so urgent that he pushed Trent against the doorframe with a grunt.