Demons Ascension - Chase Scene

[Posted by Ted H]

I already know what I'm gonna do for NaNoWriMo 2014....be afraid, be very afraid...

-------------------------------------------

[Demons Ascension - Chase Scene]

            James looked to Amanda and said "Start packing, I'll be back before you know it." Amanda smiled at him as he stood up and followed Bradford out the door, Bradford never even paying mind to Amanda. "Seriously," James said as they left Dennys "I have every intention to leave."
            "You haven't done anything to this point without a reason," Bradford said as he walked to his car. "Get in," he said as he unlocked the doors.
            "Am I being detained?" James asked as they climbed in and Bradford started up the engine. "I know you've been impersonating an officer," Bradford said "So I can defiantly arrest you if I wanted to."
            "I never personally said that," James said "People just kept making that mistake and I never corrected them."
            "What about impersonating a doctor, Dr. Blake?"
            "You heard about that one too? I didn't even know that one was illegal."
            "I just want you supervised. And I know you'll want to work this case firsthand so I don't have to worry about you disappearing on me so long as I'm going where the case leads."
            "Awe, so you do care."
            "I want to know what the girl has to do with this."
            "You mean besides my obvious benefits?"
            "There's a reason you were in that complex."
            Before James could answer, Bradford's phone rang. As he drove, he pulled it out and put it on speakerphone. "This is Bradford," he said.
            "It's Mangan," the phone said "Listen, the analysis came back on the contents of that John Doe's stomach. Hope you're not eating because this guy had eaten the heart of Father Nicholas Brooks. Finger prints match those found at the scene. He's defiantly the killer."
            "What about the other crime scenes?" James asked as he snatched the phone from Bradford "Fingerprints match from the other scenes?"
            "Um," Lyle said over the phone.
            "Go ahead," Bradford said.
            "No," Lyle said "All four scenes have different prints. But I've a bad feeling what these people are doing with the hearts."
            "Keep me posted," Bradford said and ended the call.
            "Are we ready to call them rituals?" James asked with a smile.
            "Yeah, yeah. what else can you tell me then?" Bradford said sarcastically.
            "The guy named Crow that John undoubtedly told you about? That's your mastermind. He's also the guy at crime scene number four."
            "If he's the mastermind, then why start killing now? Especially his own people?"
            "His own people?"
            "Our John Doe was found in a park, heart cut out like all the other victims. This was different though, he was killed somewhere else and moved to the park. Left there intentionally. We only found him last night. Found out about his connection to the murders more recently."
            "Probably killed in that basement bloodbath John and I found before I left the first time."
            "All that blood was bleached. Too many chemicals mixed in there for us to figure anything out. But what makes you think Crow is involved? Praque talked to him a few days ago and his alibis checked out."
            "I bet his excuse for this morning won't."
            "Guy has no priors. Hell, we can't even prove he existed before last week."
            "He resides in a low income dump and has had his little minions do everything for him until now. Of course he wouldn't have a record."
            "Is this a gut feeling about him or what?"
            "I bet you your John Doe lived in that apartment complex and is a known associate with Crow. That girl I was with would be one of probably many who could point that out. You don't even need to arrest him, just bring him in for questioning. You've got enough circumstantial proof to do that."
            Bradford smiled. "Praque was right," he said "You are smarter than you look."
            James laughed. "So you'll actually listen to me on this?" he asked.
            "I've had an APB out on him all morning," Bradford said "We managed to dig up some footage from Hapdale that featured someone who wasn't supposed to be there. Only got the side and back of his head as he walked by, but it seems close. On top of the sketch from that runaway nut and his connections to the John Doe, you bet your ass I want to have a face to face with him."
            "Nice. So where are we going now?"
            "Station."
            "How about we swing by an empty lot I got a hunch about?"
            "You mean because of the star pattern? Already checked it out. Nothing. And that was before we found out about the guy in the park. The park doesn't fit the pattern."
            "There is a pattern to these rituals. Maybe there's a different pattern that involves the other guys."
            "There were no prints at the Williams alley, so for all we really know, there are at most two killers. We already have one accounted for. But we are looking into the idea that there are four involved."
            "Alright Mr. I need proof, why four?"
            "Remember that fabric? And how it looked like the same that runaway from the church was wearing? Well some guys at the Property Crimes division got back to me about that. About a year ago a second hand shop was broken into. Not much was stolen except, among other inconsequential items, four gray trench coats."
            "Now if I were the one telling you that, you'd write it off as nonsense."
            "Yeah, well, it all seems to fit now. I'm not sure if I like it."
            "But what about Crow?"
            "Just want to talk. Preferably with him at the police station in handcuffs because according to Praque, he's creepy as fuck."
            "Good enough for me," James said as he looked out at the street and began to wish that he took some of that coffee from Dennys to go.
            "Holy shit!" Bradford screamed as he hit the brakes. Tires screeched as James held on and other cars honked. "What the hell, man?" James shouted as he saw Bradford's eyes almost bugging out of his head. James followed his eyes and saw Crow standing near the intersection in a gray trench coat. Crow looked back with some disbelief at James before turning and taking off down the next street.
            "Oh, I got you now!" Bradford yelled as he hit the gas and tires once again screeched as he took off after. As he turned the corner, James could see Crow had already gotten a steady lead. Bradford drove with one hand as he grabbed his phone with the other and called in his situation and where he was heading.
            "This guy is fast," Bradford commented as he pursued, every time he thought he was catching up with Crow, the man turned a corner and when Bradford made the turn, he was already up the street faster than any man should have been able to run. "I'll catch this guy, don't worry," he said as he continued weaving through traffic to keep pace.
            "We're heading west, aren't we?" James asked.
            "I think so, why?"
            "Don't you think it odd him showing up right now?"
            "All I know is we caught him right when we need to."
            "I don't believe in coincidences."
            After a few more blocks, Bradford began to make noticeable progress. "Yeah, you're getting tired, aren't you?" Bradford yelled as Crow turned into an alley at the last second.
            "Nice try," Bradford yelled as he turned to follow, but Crow was standing right in the way as Bradford barreled his car in. "Shit!" he yelled as he slammed on the brakes and James braced himself. Bradford was worried he was about to run over his suspect. James was worried because he suddenly remembered what happened to Rickey Kenton.
            As the car was about to hit, Crow threw both hands up, braced his feet and stopped the car dead in its tracks. Both airbags deployed and the rear of the car momentarily went in the air as all four tires went off the ground. The car violently dropped as Crow merely shrugged off the collision and casually walked down the rest of the alley.