Anatomy of Lies

"They only killed one tonight,” Sebastian said throwing me five newspapers with his frail hand. This was just the way boss said ‘Hello’ ‘Good Morning’ without actually being civilized. Anyways, I was surprised. At night, they usually killed more than five people.

Gerard threw one of the newspapers at my hand, "I read that this morning on the internet. Just blowing man. I imagine that you're taking the case, eh, Jake?" I read through the first paragraph. The murder was at 2:30 am.

I smirked, knowing this was going to be different from the other cases, "You know it." I took my pencil and marked.

Sebastian frowned, "You actually think it's fun to get murdered?"

Gerard grinned his 'high-school' grin, "I was just joking dude." Sebastian threw papers at his head.

The Gordon had a stab wound on

his back, meaning that he was taken

by surprise. His body was found

on his stained bed, shirtless and wounded.

"Hey! Hey!" They ignored me while they continued their fight. "Hey!," they turned towards me. "Why was he supposedly taken by surprise?” I bit my finger, in a thoughtful pose, observing the little trinkets of blood drop on the edge of the paper.

"Dude, didn't you read? He was on his back."

I smiled, licking my thumb, "So? He was shirtless. He was probably having a good time with his murderer girlfriend."

Gerard grinned, "Maybe she was hot. Like really hot."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "She's a probable murderer." How did this guy become a detective, I don't think I'll ever know.

Sebastian stepped in, "Ever thought that maybe he was gay?" Damn it.

I frowned, "Where did you get that idea?"

Sebastian handed me the newspapers again. "It says it right here." he pointed to the 5th paragraph.

His computer was filled

with men's pictures.

Gerard shrugged, "Maybe he had great fantasies. I have them.” Too much information for a straight man.

I settled in my red office chair waiting for my work to come. A pack of papers landed on my head, again, pushing my medium-length dark hair against my face. Arthur, 'the Big Boss' had come. "You're working on the case." Not like I wouldn't have even if you told me to.

"Sure thing."

Arthur stared at himself in the mirror, pushing his half grey hair back, "Got any leads?"

"Just started working on it boss."

"Then you better have some by lunch." He started walking away in his pinstripe suit. Then he walked back, "Oh! and you're going to be working with a new detective, they just transferred her from California."

I laughed, "Boss, you know I don't work with women."

"What? Afraid they can beat you in your own game." In the corner of the office stood a tall, thin woman. Dark haired and fair skinned, with a long thin nose, yellow, green eyes, shadowed by her thin rimmed glasses, and nice sensual lips painted red. Her medium-length black skirt complimented her long muscled legs, while her sleeveless white shirt exposed her toned arms, but only made her look ghostly.

I laughed harder, "A woman can't beat me."

Arthur laughed, "Oh yes she can. Her name's Christie Summers, she has captured 7 of America's most wanted criminals."

"This is getting good!" Gerard whispered to Sebastian. He just ignored Gerard.

"That doesn't mean she'll beat me." She eyed me and smirked stepping forward.

"You'd be amazed at what a woman can do,” she said, her cold breath lingering on my face.

Boss and Christie walked out of the office, living me open mouthed.

"Goddamn it, that girl was fine!"

"Shut up, Gerard,” I said angrily.

They looked at me and went back to their usual whispering. A simple woman was not going to let me fall off the case, now I was only going to try harder and beat her. I re-read the article thoroughly, catching details, and adding observations to help me with later investigation. It was 15 minutes to lunch and I barely had anything.

I threw the newspaper angrily against the floor, spilling out the pages. I took a big breath and sighed picking up the copy of the article and headed out of the office towards the eating center. "Jake, did ya' find anything?" Sebastian asked while I was ordering a triple cheese, double beef, no pickles, no ketchup hamburger.

"Uhh...yeah,” I lied. I started observing the lunch room so my eyes wouldn’t tell the truth for me; there were people, black, white, yellow, and different shades of brown. They walked fast with their untidy shoes, their black office coats, and fancy leather bags, while carrying books, boxes, papers, folders, newspapers, and their lunches.

Now what was I going to tell him? "So, what did you find?"

"He found nothing, because, there's nothing to find in that article," Summers said as she sat down next to Sebastian.

I glared at her, "I did find something."

"What? You found out that he wasn't taken by surprise? That's old news." She took a bite of off her boiled chicken. "We're going to the scene after lunch, I already arranged the cab. Seb and Gerard are coming with us." She eyed Sebastian before turning back to her boiled chicken salad. Woman keeps thinking she's in charge. That's what I don't like about women, their need to dominate everything, the way they have to be perfect, and have everything under their control. I took another bit off my hamburger, the edge was slightly burned.

Summers, as I noticed, had taken my copy of the article and was reading it through. "You said there was nothing to find."

"Well, there's nothing you can find, but I can." That explains why she is searching now and had two free hours to do so before she came here. I smirked; maybe this woman and I could get along, if she wasn’t such a stubborn ass.

After about five long minutes she spoke, “We’re leaving. The taxi’s going to be here in about five minutes.”

“Then let me finish this hamburger…in five minutes.” She frowned. I could tell she wasn’t used to being bossed around; she was used to getting her way.

Sebastian stood up abruptly when Summers spoke. “Let’s go, Jake.”

“You go on without me, I’ll be down in a few.” I noticed that Summers had left behind her bag and so I took it with me when I finished, and examined it. She had all sorts of case files, Alexandre Holmes, Nikk Dawn, and Gordon Jr. Smith, my case victim. She had nothing on the records yet, I put them back and walked out of the building.

“Finally you show up, the taxi was going to leave us,” she said, narrowing her almond shaped eyes at me. “Get in.”

I followed her into the cab, Sebastian and Gerard behind us. Thank God she got one of the big cabs, we wouldn’t have fit otherwise. The cab owner was a slow driver, he stopped a couple of times to spit out gum. He ate new pieces every five minutes.

Sebastian sat in the back row with Summers, they seemed to be in a very deep conversation since not one of them saw me looking at them from the rear window. Gerard kept trying to make me laugh with one of his pathetic Dominican jokes, which were slightly perverted. “Would you stop Gerard.” Sebastian snapped from the back. I turned my head to look at them; Summers seemed as if she was somewhat scared and Sebastian just seemed annoyed.

“We’re here meddling kids.” The cab driver spit out a chunk of gum.

I stepped out of the car, the air seemingly tense. The front of the house was just like any other, white and flat. Only decorated with monotonous front porch plants. “We’re detectives from the NYPD,” Summers said showing off her card.

“You have to check out the house inside. It’s full of shit and blood,” the fat officer said.

When I was about to step in the room, a strong wave of nausea hit me, and my nostrils flared up.