HOUSE OF BROKEN SOULS Part 7
Warnings: This Chapter, none. Overall: Slash, sexually explicit content, graphic violence
The fiction includes a mental illness storyline. I am not qualified in mental health, everything I know about it is googled. It's fantasy folks, please don't shoot me though helpful criticism is always welcomed.
*Not real. The folks aren't mine. No damage intended.
Saturday morning
Saturday 11am and a soft autumn sunshine filtered through the gap in Jensen’s blinds illuminating his surroundings. It played on the mirror and bounced back. Faint rainbows flickered as light scattered through bottles littered about the floor.
Jensen forced open his aching, bloodshot eyes and squinted at the clock. His bedding was tangled and sticky around him. There was a pizza delivery box balanced on his bedside table and he could smell garlic, grease, vomit and sweat. Somewhere in the muddled debris of his bedroom a phone was ringing, assaulting his ears with its shrill tone. His stomach heaved as he pulled his pillow up to cover his ears, shade his eyes. It took seconds to realise that this was an unsuccessful move and the ex-detective rolled to his side, making good use of the bucket that was placed there. Somewhere in the room the phone ceased ringing.
He should have a shot of whiskey. Hair of the dog. A faint memory of throwing the last bottle across the room flitted briefly into his mind and he groaned. He wondered if there was any water within crawling distance.
What day was it anyway? Not that it mattered. He had no forward engagements, no pressing career plans, no husband to worry about him and no friends to miss him. He may as well be dead. Should have been dead.
The telephone shrilled again then stopped. Then shrilled again and stopped, and repeated.
“Bitch!” Jensen stumbled out from the covers and balanced unsteadily by his bed. He patted the pockets of the coat that lay, carelessly abandoned over a set of drawers, fumbling to retrieve his mobile.
“Mama!”
“Jen? ” Jensen wasn’t prepared for this familiar tone.
“Chad?”
“Jen, I know you didn’t..”
Jensen cut the voice short “Did you get him Chad?” his voice was unsteady, almost pleading
There was faint hesitation at the end of the line “ Jen..”
“Have you got the bastard or not?” Jensen was steady now, colder.
“No Jen. We need to..”
“Piss off Detective Murray.” he flipped the phone shut and tossed it onto the bed.
Jensen gripped furniture and walls and made it to the shower where he sat, head in hands, letting the water wash over him until it ran cold. Physically it revived him. He brushed his teeth, revelling in the fresh tingle of cold peppermint. He opened the bathroom cabinet pulling out multiple packets and popping a rainbow of multi-colour pills into his hand. He threw them carelessly down his throat, swallowing in one practised gulp.
Jensen’s apartment was a mess. He started to gather bottles into a waste sack but leaning down made him dizzy. He sat on the bed and flipped his phone back open. He turned it over in his hands checking for damage but it was intact. There was a new text with Chad’s ID. He supposed he ought to read it but decided to make coffee first. A really strong coffee he thought.
In the chair by his desk, Jensen took a swig of his coffee and keyed the button to retrieve his text.
It was a succinct message. ‘It’s talk to me or talk to the Feds. I mean it. x Chad x’
Jensen’s fingers stabbed at the keys and he was shouting at the Detective before Chad could fully recite his own name. “What the fuck have the Feds got to do with anything Chad?”
“Jen! Calm down please.”
“Then tell me”
Jensen had known Detective Murray long enough to know that the short silence ending with cleared throat was Chad building himself up to deliver bad news. He felt an ice grip on his heart. “Murray you better spit this out soon.”
“Just listen Jen. Hang on. Have you seen any news? ”
The detective couldn’t hear his friend shrug “S’drunk Chad.”
Detective Murray huffed. “OK. Hear me out. I’ve booked a flight for Wednesday. I can meet you at home, you can choose somewhere or the Feds can organise to have you picked up and brought in.”
“I reiterate Chad. Just what the hell have the Feds got to do with this?”
“They made an arrest Jen. They’ve been tracking this guy for years, the kiddie killer, y’know the one, The Marsh Killer. He wanted to deal out of a death sentence, said he could give ‘em ‘The Player’. Told ‘em he’d hooked up with him, played ‘The Game’. Jensen, he knew stuff, details we’ve never released. If any of what he claims is true then..”
“It was real and there are more victims.” Jensen’s voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. If his stomach contents hadn’t already made the return trip they would have been doing it right then.
“They could be anywhere, go back as far as 5 years.”
“What has any of that got to do with me Chad?”
“We need to go through your statements, your work. Put it in a new perspective. Listen to me Jen. This isn’t about blaming anyone. Feds are actually being helpful. We have a new profiler on the case. If any of this is true we are close. So close. Just need you. You could come back. Permanent you know.”
That wrung a wry laugh from the man with his stick “Yeah, the cripple in the corner with a bottle of Jack in his desk. Right Chad? Book the flight. Book a meeting room at the local Precinct. Call me back with the details. We discuss my statements. You go back home. Understand?”
“Jenny”
“Yeah”
“Be careful.”
“Yeah. OK. We’ll talk later Chad. Maybe I’ll stay sober a while.”
“Do that. Speak later!”
****
Jared clicked ‘print’ and glanced at the time on his screen. 12.00.
He tried not to work on Saturday mornings but the last few days had been hard. There had been long nights and missed deadlines.
She was sitting, legs curled under her, on the sofa in his office. Harley and Sadie sat next to her and she was stroking Sadie’s ears unconsciously whilst chewing on a pencil. The sun shone golden light on her hair and he thought she looked more peaceful than he had ever seen. She had chosen to sit with him since early that morning. He guessed she was feeling guilty for distracting him from his work the preceding few days. He had let her organize the small amount of filing he had built up, then given her some recent documents with instructions to find the typos.
They had worked together in comfortable silence until Caitlin declared her own work complete, made them both a cup of tea and curled back up with her puzzles.
The tall guy collected his drawing from the printer and spoke “You up for a little walk with the mutts?”
“Are you finished then?”
“For now. The sun is shining and it’s a gorgeous day out there. We shouldn’t waste it.”
“I’ll go get my coat.”
Jared didn’t argue. It wasn’t cold enough for the layers that Caitlin would wrap herself in, but he understood her motivation to wear clothes that she could hide in.
Caitlin ran up the stairs and rounded the corner of the first floor quickly. She suddenly ground to a halt. She clutched clumsily at the wall in an attempt to avoid the man who was bent to retrieve a newspaper on the floor. With one rapid glance she noted the walking stick and dipped to the floor, picking up pages and rearranging them into order.
“Thanks” he murmured, grateful for the help.
They straightened themselves up at the same time and Caitlin found herself face to face with an imposing man with freckles and startling green eyes. His lips were moving, saying something but she was frozen. She stared wide eyed at him. Her mouth opened and closed, then she tipped her head sideways, gaze travelling over him, as if examining him “You were on TV.” she inexplicably blurted out before dashing into the apartment next to Jensen’s, closing the door behind her.
Jensen stared after the slamming door, his mind struggling to process the brief encounter. He considered how much he’d been drinking over the previous few days. Either he was crazy or his neighbor was a hooker. He really wasn’t sure the latter was the true, she seemed so different from the unfortunate day he’d spotted her in Harvelle’s and he had no idea why she would think he was an actor. Did she really say that?
Five minutes later Jensen decided that he needed to know if he had imagined the encounter in the corridor. He braced himself at his neighbor’s door, proffering an empty plate that had previously borne blueberry muffins. He heard her calling “OK. OK. I’m on my way.” with a hint of laughter in her voice as she pulled her door open.
The change in his neighbor’s manner was profound as she registered the man stood at her doorway. Wide-eyed and terrified, she backed away from him.
Jensen proffered the plate gently, also backing away slightly, his police training kicking in as he noted how fearful she was.
“I brought this back.”
Caitlin reached out tentatively, removing the plate from him, her eyes not leaving his face. Her coat sleeve caught slightly with the movement, revealing dark bruises and raised scars on her wrist. Jensen fought back an urge to reach out, take her hand and ask how she’d received the injuries, her body language was becoming increasingly closed off. Jensen realised with a jolt that he was looking at the cleaner he had watched from the staircase.
She looked behind his shoulder and trembled as she spoke “I’m going out, expecting someone. I can’t... don’t want... Please just go.” she was tearful, begging him.
Jensen was confused but his quick mind was making connections and he pulled back from her. “It’s OK. I have to go anyway. I’m Jensen, if you need anything, I’m just next door. I’ll just, em, go now then.”
****
Jared was in the lobby kicking his heels, Caitlin was taking forever to put her coat on and Harley and Sadie were getting restless. “Stay.” He commanded his dogs, hoping he sounded like he meant it, then loped up the stairs to retrieve his charge.
Jensen was opening his apartment door as Jared swung into the first floor corridor calling Caitlin’s name. He turned as he recognised the voice. Jared. Jensen found himself bubbling with anger so many loose ends tying in his head. The bruises on his neighbor, inflicted in the last few days, the fear as she waited for someone to arrive and Jared, Jared turning up again, calling her name.
Jared was knocked breathless as a strong hand snatched him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. He was a large guy and fit, but he’d never had to fight and was taken aback by the man who was now leaning into his personal space, knee practically in Jared’s crotch. Jensen’s breath ghosted over Jared’s neck, it smelt of alcohol and mouthwash. They looked at each other for a long moment and Jared’s breath quickened just a little more as he recognised the green eyed man from Harvelle’s.
“You disgust me.” Jensen snarled at Jared.
“Huh” was all that Jared could manage. He had no idea why he was in this situation and his body was reacting in the most embarrassing manner. He was being held forcibly and close and the excitement sent waves of electric through the whole of his body. His heart was speeding and he could feel his trousers tightening at the groin. Damn, he had to think straight but his brain was unravelling in the most delicious way.
“Please. Let go Jensen. Please let go.” Caitlin was crying and pulling gently on Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen was aware that he couldn’t hold the larger man for much longer. He was leaning intimately close, using his left leg between Jared’s and against the wall to brace himself. His right arm was tiring as he held on to the stick in his left.
“I never want to see bruises on her again.” Jensen growled as he released his hold abruptly. Jared stumbled as he was freed. He watched speechless as the green eyed man limped into apartment 2 and slammed the door behind him.
“What? Caitlin? Wh..?”
“Can we go now?” Caitlin was pulling on Jared’s arm. He thought she was surprisingly calm in the circumstances but she was nevertheless upset. He sighed and cuddled her. “We’ll go now if you’ll tell me what that was about later.”
Jared had an uneasy feeling that he should probably straighten this out with his tenant right now but seeing the tremble in Caitlin’s hand he led her downstairs, handed her the dog leashes and quipped with false bravado that it was about time Harley and Sadie got to take Caitlin for her walk.
Continues in Part 8 here: anniespinkhouse.livejournal.com/3437.html