The two zombies lunged at the cell window when they took Xelica. She took a couple of steps back, looking somewhat shocked and a little pale.
"You've met?", asked Doc. "No. Not these two. My dealers look dead, too. Just like these fuckers."
"Huh? How do you mean?"
"They look all dead and creepy as shit. Just like these two. Dressed in rags, too." "Can you take us to them?" "No. I don't know where they...live. If you can call it that. They usually deliver. Just a phone call away." "Got a phone at your place?" "No, I lost my place after I got busted." "A friend's place? Boyfriend?" "Yeah, my boyfriend might cooperate." "Where's he live?"
They had Xelica call her boyfriend, Johnny, to let him know they were coming by and if he would cooperate...he said he would if it would help out Xelica. They said they would try but would not make anything specific.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The A List
After doing some research, narcotics came up with many positive "hits" for the substance in question. None of it with the nerve toxin found in the eviscerated hearts.
"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us," said the chief, poring over the list of files. "There must be over 300 hits here." Doc whistled softly, Ramoos just looked on. "How the hell are we going to cover all of this?", asked Doc. "We don't...we just choose a few lucky customers. Let's work on the convictions first..." said the chief.
"Let's see we've got a young white male already. Let's diversify. Here we go...she sounds Hispanic. Xelica Ximenez...hmmm, exotic dancer, who would've guessed?" "Where is she?", asked Doc. "She is downstairs."
Doc and Ramoos had Xelica escorted from her cell. Doc looked at her through the 2-way, "Whoa. Daddy wants to play." "Easy Doc. Let's be professional and treat her like a lady," said Ramoos. "Yeah, sure, like a convicted drug-using, exotic dancer lady." "Easy Doc, you can get laid later, right now we're interviewing her. I suggest you stay out here." "I suggest not." "Fine. Hands off." "Right, professional is the word for the day." "Cut it out."
They walked in. Xelica just spat on the floor. "That's not very lady-like..." said the Doc. "Screw you puerco..." said Xelica. "Hi Xelica, I'm Detective Ramoos, and that's...that's Doc." "Screw you muchacho." "Por favor, mujer, please calm down. We just have a few questions about some of your suppliers. We understand you like to get high on a particular kind of drug cocktail, is that right." "You mean the shit that got me busted?" "Yeah, exactly, flip your dealer, and maybe can work out a deal for you." "No problem, porkie, I'll be glad to give up those cucaraches.' "Please go on," said Doc, "Ilove some talking with tough talking ladies." Ramoos just glanced at Doc. "Never mind him, just tell us who your supplier is, please?"
"Man, I'll bet he's got more balls than your friend, and he's dead." "Dead, how?" "Or maybe not." "You're confusing us Xelica." "First you say he's dead, and then he's not. How is that?" "He's not alive, either." Ramoos looked at Doc. "We've got a couple of guests we'd like to introduce you to." "Huh? Who's that?"
"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us," said the chief, poring over the list of files. "There must be over 300 hits here." Doc whistled softly, Ramoos just looked on. "How the hell are we going to cover all of this?", asked Doc. "We don't...we just choose a few lucky customers. Let's work on the convictions first..." said the chief.
"Let's see we've got a young white male already. Let's diversify. Here we go...she sounds Hispanic. Xelica Ximenez...hmmm, exotic dancer, who would've guessed?" "Where is she?", asked Doc. "She is downstairs."
Doc and Ramoos had Xelica escorted from her cell. Doc looked at her through the 2-way, "Whoa. Daddy wants to play." "Easy Doc. Let's be professional and treat her like a lady," said Ramoos. "Yeah, sure, like a convicted drug-using, exotic dancer lady." "Easy Doc, you can get laid later, right now we're interviewing her. I suggest you stay out here." "I suggest not." "Fine. Hands off." "Right, professional is the word for the day." "Cut it out."
They walked in. Xelica just spat on the floor. "That's not very lady-like..." said the Doc. "Screw you puerco..." said Xelica. "Hi Xelica, I'm Detective Ramoos, and that's...that's Doc." "Screw you muchacho." "Por favor, mujer, please calm down. We just have a few questions about some of your suppliers. We understand you like to get high on a particular kind of drug cocktail, is that right." "You mean the shit that got me busted?" "Yeah, exactly, flip your dealer, and maybe can work out a deal for you." "No problem, porkie, I'll be glad to give up those cucaraches.' "Please go on," said Doc, "Ilove some talking with tough talking ladies." Ramoos just glanced at Doc. "Never mind him, just tell us who your supplier is, please?"
"Man, I'll bet he's got more balls than your friend, and he's dead." "Dead, how?" "Or maybe not." "You're confusing us Xelica." "First you say he's dead, and then he's not. How is that?" "He's not alive, either." Ramoos looked at Doc. "We've got a couple of guests we'd like to introduce you to." "Huh? Who's that?"
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Man for the Job
"Doc" Ratte showed up at the lock-up. "Hey Ratty. How's it goin'? Seein' any pink elephants lately." Chided the desk sergeant. "The e is silent..." said Ratte matter-of-factly. "Have it your way. They're waiting for you in lock-up." Doc said nothing and moved on.
"Hey, Ratte. Glad you're here." chimed the chief. "We've got a pretty bad one here...with some unusual company..." the chief emphasized unusual..."Joe will brief you up." Ramoos told Ratte about the case and the findings. "That's pretty fucking unbelievable..." just where the hell are these zombies?" "I'll take you to them." When they got to the holding cell, Doc stared for about 5 minutes and said, "Are you fucking kidding? The one guy is blind. You say they're alive?" "Well...technically no, the EMT's couldn't find any signs of life, except they are very animated when you contact them." "They seem pretty subdued right now." "Yeah." "Chief, what should we do with them?" Doc said, "Maybe we should let them go and follow them." "Are you out of your mind?!" the chief stated.
"Do they have id?" "No, none..." trailed off Ramoos. "Did you question them?" "Can't even get near them without a major struggle." "Hey, you assholes want to talk?" They just remained silent. "Can't get anything out of them," said Ramoos. Doc leaned over to Ramoos and whispered something. "What are you talking about?", asked the chief. "We don't have any leads, no id, and several ugly murders - not to mention extortion, resisting arrest. We have to get to the people that sent them. Lets take the one that talks in a vehicle - manacled, if necessary - and see if he can lead us somewhere. Maybe somebody will show up for them."
"Before we do that, let's talk to narcotics and see if they have any matches to their evidence. Let's see if that leads us somewhere. If not, we'll try it the hard way. Oh, and no rough stuff, Doc."
"Hey, Ratte. Glad you're here." chimed the chief. "We've got a pretty bad one here...with some unusual company..." the chief emphasized unusual..."Joe will brief you up." Ramoos told Ratte about the case and the findings. "That's pretty fucking unbelievable..." just where the hell are these zombies?" "I'll take you to them." When they got to the holding cell, Doc stared for about 5 minutes and said, "Are you fucking kidding? The one guy is blind. You say they're alive?" "Well...technically no, the EMT's couldn't find any signs of life, except they are very animated when you contact them." "They seem pretty subdued right now." "Yeah." "Chief, what should we do with them?" Doc said, "Maybe we should let them go and follow them." "Are you out of your mind?!" the chief stated.
"Do they have id?" "No, none..." trailed off Ramoos. "Did you question them?" "Can't even get near them without a major struggle." "Hey, you assholes want to talk?" They just remained silent. "Can't get anything out of them," said Ramoos. Doc leaned over to Ramoos and whispered something. "What are you talking about?", asked the chief. "We don't have any leads, no id, and several ugly murders - not to mention extortion, resisting arrest. We have to get to the people that sent them. Lets take the one that talks in a vehicle - manacled, if necessary - and see if he can lead us somewhere. Maybe somebody will show up for them."
"Before we do that, let's talk to narcotics and see if they have any matches to their evidence. Let's see if that leads us somewhere. If not, we'll try it the hard way. Oh, and no rough stuff, Doc."
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Swab
The swab samples did turn up something. Glick presented the results to the chief and Ramoos. "It's basically the same mix of the same trio of drugs and chemicals. Ratios still need to be determined. But, I would say its the same composition found on the hearts." The chief asked, "Anything new on the hearts? Are they still active?" "Yes they are." "Jesus..." "You mean the same compound that's present on the hearts is in or on the zombies?" "Oh, I would say its in them and in their...clothes, for lack of better word. Tattered rags would be more like it." "Yes, we know that..." said the chief "...what's the connection?" "The connection appears to be the unknown toxin...its present in all of the...zombie samples."
The chief asked Ramoos, "What about the stuff Roger turned over?" "The toxin wasn't present in his evidence. Glick was working on that." "Glick responded, "No, it wasn't present in his evidence. But, the drug mix appears to be the same." "Why might that be?", asked the chief. "Well, the toxin appears to be present in very small quantity. So, its probably very potent. It could be a new kind of powerful neurotoxin, possibly fatal in high doses. Its possible that it maintains cellular activity present even though the tissues are inanimate. Based on our observations thus far." "Or not respirating, nor pulsing...like in our friends downstairs..." said Ramoos. "That could be correct. There could be a direct connection - or link - between the toxin and the effect." "Have you tested this?", asked the chief. "Haven't thought of it yet, not until you brought in your prisoners. We'll get to work on it. It may be possible to separate the toxin, but its present in such small quantities it may be near impossible. We might not have enough." "Hmmm..." pondered the chief..."it may not be important...just yet. I'll run it upstairs. But, it is our task to find out where our friends are getting the stuff. You working on this, Joe?" "Hey, I'm just one guy..." joked Ramoos.
"Yeah, I think its time to get you a partner...Ratte just got back from rehab..." mused the chief. "What? That alcoholic cracker?" "Yeah, he might be eccentric. He did volunteer for rehab. But he's effective. He might just be the man for the job." Ramoos just looked at the chief in disbelief.
The chief asked Ramoos, "What about the stuff Roger turned over?" "The toxin wasn't present in his evidence. Glick was working on that." "Glick responded, "No, it wasn't present in his evidence. But, the drug mix appears to be the same." "Why might that be?", asked the chief. "Well, the toxin appears to be present in very small quantity. So, its probably very potent. It could be a new kind of powerful neurotoxin, possibly fatal in high doses. Its possible that it maintains cellular activity present even though the tissues are inanimate. Based on our observations thus far." "Or not respirating, nor pulsing...like in our friends downstairs..." said Ramoos. "That could be correct. There could be a direct connection - or link - between the toxin and the effect." "Have you tested this?", asked the chief. "Haven't thought of it yet, not until you brought in your prisoners. We'll get to work on it. It may be possible to separate the toxin, but its present in such small quantities it may be near impossible. We might not have enough." "Hmmm..." pondered the chief..."it may not be important...just yet. I'll run it upstairs. But, it is our task to find out where our friends are getting the stuff. You working on this, Joe?" "Hey, I'm just one guy..." joked Ramoos.
"Yeah, I think its time to get you a partner...Ratte just got back from rehab..." mused the chief. "What? That alcoholic cracker?" "Yeah, he might be eccentric. He did volunteer for rehab. But he's effective. He might just be the man for the job." Ramoos just looked at the chief in disbelief.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Lock-up
After much violent struggle and resistance the two zombies were dragged through the police station in front of several onlookers. Most of them speechless, some remarking "What the Hell?" and other commentary. When placed in the cell, the zombies immediately became passive and sat down on a concrete bench.
The chief came into the lock-up and was fairly astonished at what he saw. "Sonofabitch...What the Hell goes on!? Those two look like they should be in the morgue, let alone a holding cell. Get an EMT team the hell over here!" "Already sent for them, they should be here in a few..." remarked Ramoos. "Is this Roger?" "Yessir." "Son, I thought you were doped-up out of your mind when you gave us that crazy story." Roger just stared in silence and then said "There's more of them." "What the hell do you mean more? How the hell do you know?!?" "The talking one - the one with eyes - said there would be more of them." "Uh-huh, hmmm...." muttered the chief. "Joe, this is....well...shocking. Just look at these two. They look dead. But they're both sitting upright." "Yeah, that's them. Hard to believe it, but there they are..." inflected Ramoos. "That's the proof right there. Not only that, I guarantee you they are immensely strong and powerful, those two. They gave us a hell of a struggle. Took all six of us to get them in there." "Any weapons? Dope?" "Too much resistance. And the one that talks, he doesn't say much." "Get the squad in there and toss them before the techs go in."
After the struggle that came from the search and a decision was made to separate the two to perform the search. The search took four men on each suspect - turning up nothing. "No ID, either. They're not going to make it..." muttered the chief. "I don't think they care." said Ramoos. "Oh good, the medics are here. Hey check these sorry sonsabitches out. OK?" asked the chief.
The techs looked up in shock after checking the first one with a great deal of resistance. "Hey, we got a problem here or two. We can't find a pulse and the blood pressure is almost nonexistent. We're not picking up a heartbeat nor respiration. These guys are fucking dead!" "That's impossible..." exploded the chief "...these guys fight like a couple of wild animals. They're moving. They're not dead!" "That may be..." responded the tech "...they are animate...but there are no other signs of life!" "Jesus...Mary and Joseph..." muttered the chief. "Holy shit..." responded Roger "...you mean we've dealing with dead people?!" "I still don't believe it..." muttered the chief, looking down. He seemed subdued. "Swab them," he said to Ramoos. "Maybe we'll still find evidence that we need..."
The chief came into the lock-up and was fairly astonished at what he saw. "Sonofabitch...What the Hell goes on!? Those two look like they should be in the morgue, let alone a holding cell. Get an EMT team the hell over here!" "Already sent for them, they should be here in a few..." remarked Ramoos. "Is this Roger?" "Yessir." "Son, I thought you were doped-up out of your mind when you gave us that crazy story." Roger just stared in silence and then said "There's more of them." "What the hell do you mean more? How the hell do you know?!?" "The talking one - the one with eyes - said there would be more of them." "Uh-huh, hmmm...." muttered the chief. "Joe, this is....well...shocking. Just look at these two. They look dead. But they're both sitting upright." "Yeah, that's them. Hard to believe it, but there they are..." inflected Ramoos. "That's the proof right there. Not only that, I guarantee you they are immensely strong and powerful, those two. They gave us a hell of a struggle. Took all six of us to get them in there." "Any weapons? Dope?" "Too much resistance. And the one that talks, he doesn't say much." "Get the squad in there and toss them before the techs go in."
After the struggle that came from the search and a decision was made to separate the two to perform the search. The search took four men on each suspect - turning up nothing. "No ID, either. They're not going to make it..." muttered the chief. "I don't think they care." said Ramoos. "Oh good, the medics are here. Hey check these sorry sonsabitches out. OK?" asked the chief.
The techs looked up in shock after checking the first one with a great deal of resistance. "Hey, we got a problem here or two. We can't find a pulse and the blood pressure is almost nonexistent. We're not picking up a heartbeat nor respiration. These guys are fucking dead!" "That's impossible..." exploded the chief "...these guys fight like a couple of wild animals. They're moving. They're not dead!" "That may be..." responded the tech "...they are animate...but there are no other signs of life!" "Jesus...Mary and Joseph..." muttered the chief. "Holy shit..." responded Roger "...you mean we've dealing with dead people?!" "I still don't believe it..." muttered the chief, looking down. He seemed subdued. "Swab them," he said to Ramoos. "Maybe we'll still find evidence that we need..."
Monday, August 18, 2008
Company
Two days passed. Ramoos's cell rang. "Yeah, Ramoos." "You got company." "Is it them?" "You won't believe this. We think we should follow them in - you go ahead and let them in." "You think it's safe?" "We'll keep you covered, just keep your weapon drawn." "Oh!?" "Yeah, they're almost at the door." "How many?" "Two." "What do they look like?" "They must be the most wasted people we've ever seen...or sick...something's not normal here." "In drugs, there never is." "This is different. Big difference here. You'll see."
There was a rapping on the metal frame of the door...it was vaguely eerie thought Ramoos. "OK, we're letting them in..." Ramoos put down the phone, opened the door and drew his breath. The stench was awful. They looked like they were dead, there clothes were in tatters. One had a grisly slash mark across his throat. They both appeared to male, if gender applies to such things. The one had no eyes. Only sockets. And they were partially closed.
It moaned. The other one growled "Roger", in a very raspy voice. "Who the hell are you? Who do you work for?" The one spoke again, "Roger." "Roger can't come right now. What do you want with him?" "The money." "That's it. He's not paying you anything." Just then the squad appeared from behind. "Jeez! They stink rotten. Phew!" "Yeah well I'm afraid we're going to have to take them with us. Gentleman, we're the police. I'm Detective Ramoos, and you're under arrest. You can come along quietly."
Just then Roger entered the room. "Holy Christ. There here. It's them." "Roger here says you've been making extortion demands and threatened to take him away." "Just then, the one pushed Ramoos - hard - and headed for Roger." "Stop.", ordered Ramoos. The thing just kept heading for Roger. "Roger get the hell out of here. Gentleman (to the squad) take control of these things and get them the hell downtown. It took all five and Ramoos to subdue them, they were extremely strong. "Jesus, they're powerful. I hope the dry cleaners can get the stench out of suit. Take them in guys. Roger! We're going to take you downtown to ID these two. Think you can do that?" Roger called from the other room, "Yeah, I'm coming."
There was a rapping on the metal frame of the door...it was vaguely eerie thought Ramoos. "OK, we're letting them in..." Ramoos put down the phone, opened the door and drew his breath. The stench was awful. They looked like they were dead, there clothes were in tatters. One had a grisly slash mark across his throat. They both appeared to male, if gender applies to such things. The one had no eyes. Only sockets. And they were partially closed.
It moaned. The other one growled "Roger", in a very raspy voice. "Who the hell are you? Who do you work for?" The one spoke again, "Roger." "Roger can't come right now. What do you want with him?" "The money." "That's it. He's not paying you anything." Just then the squad appeared from behind. "Jeez! They stink rotten. Phew!" "Yeah well I'm afraid we're going to have to take them with us. Gentleman, we're the police. I'm Detective Ramoos, and you're under arrest. You can come along quietly."
Just then Roger entered the room. "Holy Christ. There here. It's them." "Roger here says you've been making extortion demands and threatened to take him away." "Just then, the one pushed Ramoos - hard - and headed for Roger." "Stop.", ordered Ramoos. The thing just kept heading for Roger. "Roger get the hell out of here. Gentleman (to the squad) take control of these things and get them the hell downtown. It took all five and Ramoos to subdue them, they were extremely strong. "Jesus, they're powerful. I hope the dry cleaners can get the stench out of suit. Take them in guys. Roger! We're going to take you downtown to ID these two. Think you can do that?" Roger called from the other room, "Yeah, I'm coming."
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Phone
The phone rang. Roger turned and looked at Ramoos. "Yeah, pick it up, please.", he responded. Roger picked up the phone, "This is Roger." He looked at Ramoos and shook his head. "Yeah, I've been away. Look, about the money. I think that there's been some kind of mistake." Roger shut up after that and just listened and started to tremble. Then he hung up. "What did they say?", asked Ramoos. "They say I have to pay $ 600,000!! If I don't pay in two days, they will be coming for me."
Ramoos called the squad. "Did you get that? Did you make a trace? No? Damn. Did you get the part about two days to go? Yeah, uh-huh. I'm calling the chief." Ramoos looked at Roger and called the chief. "Yeah, our guys made contact with Roger. They say he now owes them $ 600,000 and they'll be coming for him in two days. Yeah, uh-huh. We wait? Okay." Ramoos disconnected and turned and looked at Roger. "I'm going to stay with you until they show up. Do you have $ 600,000?" "Shit, no man. I don't even have $ 600 right now." "Can anybody get it for you?" "What? No. No way." "Looks like we'll be protecting you. If these pricks show up, we can nail them for extortion." "You don't know what you're dealing with..." trailed off Roger and slowly backed away from Ramoos looking down.
Ramoos called the squad. "Yeah, the chief wants to sit on our guy. You ready to make it for two days? Yeah, good. Look, when they show up - if they do - we bust them for extortion and dealing. Yeah, get ready. Be ready to take some evidence. We're taking them downtown."
"Got anything to eat?", asked Ramoos to Roger. "No." "Any place we can call for a delivery? It could be a long two days. You might want to get some food into you." "I've got a number for a Chinese place. They deliver." "Good, what do you want?" "The roast duck is pretty good. You might get some egg rolls, too. Here's the number." Ramoos called them, "Yeah, we need a delivery. We need some roast duck, some mushu pork, rice, fried rice and egg rolls. You got egg drop? Yeah? Send a couple of those, too." "Soda," said Roger. "Oh, and send a couple of sodas, too. Large. Coke? No, OK, Pepsi."
"Excuse me, I have to use the rest room.", said Roger. "Yeah, I guess we did detain you, for a while." Roger came out, "Ummm...I real should call work, if I still have a job." Roger made the call, "Yeah, its Roger...ummm, I had a little police emergency. There with me right now. No, somebody has been harassing me for several days now, and the police want to pick them up. Yeah, one them is with me right now." The supe wants to talk to you...he handed the phone to Ramoos. "This is Detective Ramoos. Yeah, we're fairly concerned for Roger's safety and we're with him right now. No, we need him for a couple of days. He's very shook up by this. You're welcome. Do you need to talk to him again? No. We should be through with him in 2 or 3 days. Uh-huh, thank you." To Roger, "Pretty good at covering up, aren't you? They seem to think you're trustworthy. Do they know about the drugs?" "I haven't, I don't see a need too since I kicked it." "Uh-huh..." said Ramoos, and sat down.
Ramoos called the squad. "Did you get that? Did you make a trace? No? Damn. Did you get the part about two days to go? Yeah, uh-huh. I'm calling the chief." Ramoos looked at Roger and called the chief. "Yeah, our guys made contact with Roger. They say he now owes them $ 600,000 and they'll be coming for him in two days. Yeah, uh-huh. We wait? Okay." Ramoos disconnected and turned and looked at Roger. "I'm going to stay with you until they show up. Do you have $ 600,000?" "Shit, no man. I don't even have $ 600 right now." "Can anybody get it for you?" "What? No. No way." "Looks like we'll be protecting you. If these pricks show up, we can nail them for extortion." "You don't know what you're dealing with..." trailed off Roger and slowly backed away from Ramoos looking down.
Ramoos called the squad. "Yeah, the chief wants to sit on our guy. You ready to make it for two days? Yeah, good. Look, when they show up - if they do - we bust them for extortion and dealing. Yeah, get ready. Be ready to take some evidence. We're taking them downtown."
"Got anything to eat?", asked Ramoos to Roger. "No." "Any place we can call for a delivery? It could be a long two days. You might want to get some food into you." "I've got a number for a Chinese place. They deliver." "Good, what do you want?" "The roast duck is pretty good. You might get some egg rolls, too. Here's the number." Ramoos called them, "Yeah, we need a delivery. We need some roast duck, some mushu pork, rice, fried rice and egg rolls. You got egg drop? Yeah? Send a couple of those, too." "Soda," said Roger. "Oh, and send a couple of sodas, too. Large. Coke? No, OK, Pepsi."
"Excuse me, I have to use the rest room.", said Roger. "Yeah, I guess we did detain you, for a while." Roger came out, "Ummm...I real should call work, if I still have a job." Roger made the call, "Yeah, its Roger...ummm, I had a little police emergency. There with me right now. No, somebody has been harassing me for several days now, and the police want to pick them up. Yeah, one them is with me right now." The supe wants to talk to you...he handed the phone to Ramoos. "This is Detective Ramoos. Yeah, we're fairly concerned for Roger's safety and we're with him right now. No, we need him for a couple of days. He's very shook up by this. You're welcome. Do you need to talk to him again? No. We should be through with him in 2 or 3 days. Uh-huh, thank you." To Roger, "Pretty good at covering up, aren't you? They seem to think you're trustworthy. Do they know about the drugs?" "I haven't, I don't see a need too since I kicked it." "Uh-huh..." said Ramoos, and sat down.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Go
"OK Roger, we got the green light. We're tapping your phone and we're going to stake out your place." "I don't think I'm ready to go back there." "Roger, we need you in on this. Remember there's some very ugly homicides involved here. Your participation is needed to solve them. So, please, let's take you home. You'll be protected." "Will somebody be there with me-me?", stuttered Roger. "I'll be waiting inside with you." "Can I have a weapon?" "Know how to use one?" "No." "Then that's not a good idea, Roger." "None of this." "Sorry, it can't be helped."
"When does this all happen?" "The phone tap should be on now. I'm just waiting for the call from our squad." Ramoos answered his cell. "What? You're there. Yeah, that was fast. Thanks." To Roger, "OK, Roger, let's go."
The white van was waiting about a block down from Roger's apartment. Turned out that he lived on the first floor. "Got your key?" Roger opened the door for Ramoos and entered. Ramoos kept his weapon holstered, but had his hand on it. "Aw shit.", exclaimed Roger. "Somebody's been in here." The place was a mess. Ramoos called the squad in the van. Then he called the chief. "Yeah, we're in here. But the place has been tossed. Yeah, hold on." Ramoos then drew out his gun and went through the place with Roger, things were lying around everywhere. Including paraphernalia. Ramoos pointed to it, "Roger that doesn't look good. But, they - whoever the hell they are - found it first." Ramoos muttered "Damn." under his breath.
Roger took Ramoos throught the place. It was pretty small. Not much space. Ramoos got on the phone, "Nobody here. Yeah will leave things as they are until we're safe." Ramoos hung up, Roger just looked at him, dumbfounded.
"What do we do now?" "We wait." "Do you think they know that I'm here?" "I'm kind of hoping that." "Great." Roger sat down while Ramoos made another call to his squad.
"When does this all happen?" "The phone tap should be on now. I'm just waiting for the call from our squad." Ramoos answered his cell. "What? You're there. Yeah, that was fast. Thanks." To Roger, "OK, Roger, let's go."
The white van was waiting about a block down from Roger's apartment. Turned out that he lived on the first floor. "Got your key?" Roger opened the door for Ramoos and entered. Ramoos kept his weapon holstered, but had his hand on it. "Aw shit.", exclaimed Roger. "Somebody's been in here." The place was a mess. Ramoos called the squad in the van. Then he called the chief. "Yeah, we're in here. But the place has been tossed. Yeah, hold on." Ramoos then drew out his gun and went through the place with Roger, things were lying around everywhere. Including paraphernalia. Ramoos pointed to it, "Roger that doesn't look good. But, they - whoever the hell they are - found it first." Ramoos muttered "Damn." under his breath.
Roger took Ramoos throught the place. It was pretty small. Not much space. Ramoos got on the phone, "Nobody here. Yeah will leave things as they are until we're safe." Ramoos hung up, Roger just looked at him, dumbfounded.
"What do we do now?" "We wait." "Do you think they know that I'm here?" "I'm kind of hoping that." "Great." Roger sat down while Ramoos made another call to his squad.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Set-Up
"OK, here's the warrants for the wiretap and for Roger's place..." said the chief to Ramoos. "You know, we had to leave that crap out about the 'zombies'." The chief looked much calmer, maybe we're making progress, thought Ramoos. "That doesn't go any further than this office," said the chief, looking aside some other files on his desk. "Call me the minute you get somebody." "You got it," said Ramoos.
"Hair test on Roger come back?", Ramoos asked. "Yeah. Its positive. This kid's a loser. Better sit on him tight. Protection or not, the DA might still want to bust him." "DA know about this yet?" "Yeah, he has to - homicide being involved. Again, we just left out the part about the 'zombies.'" The chief looked at Ramoos and winked. "OK," said Ramoos, "do I bust him?" "No, not just yet. We need his full cooperation."
"I'll set up the wiretap and requisition the manpower. Let you know in a hour or two when to take this over," the chief said. (To be continued...)
"Hair test on Roger come back?", Ramoos asked. "Yeah. Its positive. This kid's a loser. Better sit on him tight. Protection or not, the DA might still want to bust him." "DA know about this yet?" "Yeah, he has to - homicide being involved. Again, we just left out the part about the 'zombies.'" The chief looked at Ramoos and winked. "OK," said Ramoos, "do I bust him?" "No, not just yet. We need his full cooperation."
"I'll set up the wiretap and requisition the manpower. Let you know in a hour or two when to take this over," the chief said. (To be continued...)
Warrant
Executing the search warrant, Ramoos knocked on the door of the place and announced himself. "It's Joe Ramoos again, I've got a search warrant for your place." "You wouldn't know where they are?", Ramoos turned and asked Roger. "No, like I told you, I haven't seen them in months." "You got the key?", Ramoos asked the landlord. He nodded yes. "Go ahead and open it up, please." The landlord stepped up and opened the door. The lights were on throughout the place.
The furniture, possessions, clothes, everything was strewn everywhere throughout the place. "Goddamned mess..." muttered the landlord. "Mm-hmm..." muttered Ramoos as he looked around the place. The landlord turned to Roger, "This is what I get for renting to a bunch of goddamned dopeheads!" "Hey, man, I had nothing to do with this. They were into it before I even knew about it." The landlord turned around, muttering "Goddamnit..." and walked around the place looking..."at least there's no holes in the walls..." he called out.
"Did the place look like this when you were last here?", Ramoos turned and asked Roger. "No everything was neat. Everything was put away. It didn't look anything like this." The landlord wandered back in. "See anybody, anything?", asked Ramoos. "No, nothing. Nobody, nothing of value. Nobody is here." Ramoos began stepping around the debris and looked around. "It looks to me like there was a struggle. Your friends aren't just missing. I think that they've been taken. Shit. Now we can't use this place for a set-up." Ramoos turned to Roger, "Well, we'll just have to use yours." Roger just thought of it and kept quiet. I got to deal with these fuckers again, he thought. "Will I be protected? Look at what they did here. What if they're dead? They'll probably kill me too." "Oh, I don't think so..." said Ramoos, and thought that was a lie.
"Check it for prints.", Ramoos turned to his backup officer. "Oh, and guys, please don't touch anything. This is now a crime scene." He called forensics on his cell. "Yeah, we need you here. Looks like a possible abduction..."
"I'm sorry Roger, but I think we need you. This thing is starting to look real bad. Real bad..." his voice trailing off as he looked around. "Yeah, real bad. Do you think they were being extorted, too?" "I have no idea. Look at this place. Something had to have happened." "Maybe it was a deal gone bad." "Now these "zombies", did you think they might turn violent and do something like this?" "I don't know, my friends seemed real comfortable with them. But, like I said, they just creeped the shit out of me." "Do you know of any relatives of your friends." "No, I can't say that I do." Shit, thought Ramoos.
The furniture, possessions, clothes, everything was strewn everywhere throughout the place. "Goddamned mess..." muttered the landlord. "Mm-hmm..." muttered Ramoos as he looked around the place. The landlord turned to Roger, "This is what I get for renting to a bunch of goddamned dopeheads!" "Hey, man, I had nothing to do with this. They were into it before I even knew about it." The landlord turned around, muttering "Goddamnit..." and walked around the place looking..."at least there's no holes in the walls..." he called out.
"Did the place look like this when you were last here?", Ramoos turned and asked Roger. "No everything was neat. Everything was put away. It didn't look anything like this." The landlord wandered back in. "See anybody, anything?", asked Ramoos. "No, nothing. Nobody, nothing of value. Nobody is here." Ramoos began stepping around the debris and looked around. "It looks to me like there was a struggle. Your friends aren't just missing. I think that they've been taken. Shit. Now we can't use this place for a set-up." Ramoos turned to Roger, "Well, we'll just have to use yours." Roger just thought of it and kept quiet. I got to deal with these fuckers again, he thought. "Will I be protected? Look at what they did here. What if they're dead? They'll probably kill me too." "Oh, I don't think so..." said Ramoos, and thought that was a lie.
"Check it for prints.", Ramoos turned to his backup officer. "Oh, and guys, please don't touch anything. This is now a crime scene." He called forensics on his cell. "Yeah, we need you here. Looks like a possible abduction..."
"I'm sorry Roger, but I think we need you. This thing is starting to look real bad. Real bad..." his voice trailing off as he looked around. "Yeah, real bad. Do you think they were being extorted, too?" "I have no idea. Look at this place. Something had to have happened." "Maybe it was a deal gone bad." "Now these "zombies", did you think they might turn violent and do something like this?" "I don't know, my friends seemed real comfortable with them. But, like I said, they just creeped the shit out of me." "Do you know of any relatives of your friends." "No, I can't say that I do." Shit, thought Ramoos.
Post-Interview
Back at the interrogation room, Ramoos and Wrablocki (the examiner) walked in and confronted Roger. "Roger, this is Ken Wrablocki, you've already met. This is the post-interview to your polygraph. Um, you should know that this session is being recorded. Do you have anything to say about it?" "No, not really, what do you need to know? Hey, this is getting really old are you going to charge me or let me go?" "Lets just say, for the time being, that you"re under police protection. We understand that you've been getting extortion demands from your former suppliers - you know, blackmail? We'd like to know why they are making these demands. Can you help us?"
"They've been bringing the shit to my place - without my asking for it to be delivered or to make a buy. They say I've made some kind of mistake and that I have to pay for it." "Uh-huh, the mistake being that you took their shit even though it was mistakenly brought to you. Is it possible one of your 'friends' set you up?" "How the hell would I know? I haven't seen those guys in months, much less heard from either of them." "So why did you take the shit?" "Because, they forced it on me. They creeped me out, the zombies, they would just come in and leave it." "Why did you let them in?" "So nobody would see them. Less chance of me getting busted with them. At least, for dope." "How many times did they pull this on you?" "Several, I think." "So, no money exchanged hands?" "Right, they would just leave the dope in front of me and moan and groan. Really creeped the shit out of me." Roger was starting to get agitated again.
"You told Ken they were calling you?" "Yeah, sometimes it sounded like one of them. Lately, its been some guy." Roger was getting more agitated, Ramoos and Ken noticed. "Did you change your number?" "No, I thought this thing might blow over..." "Because?..." "Because I didn't want the shit in the first place. But, no they keep calling and calling. At first, they demanded $ 400 - twice the going rate. Then they raised it $ 500. Then $ 600. Then $ 1000. Then $ 5000." Roger kept raising his voice and getting more and more agitated.
"Then $ 6000. And now its at $ 60,000. I don't know what they're demanding now. I'm not going home without protection." "OK, you'll get it. We just need you to do some things for us," stated Ramoos.
"What kind of things do you want me to do? I don't ever want to go back there - I'm in fear for my life." "All the more reason for you to help us out with our little requests. For one, we need you to take us to this friends place and put him under surveillance. Will you help us with that?" "If I do that then you're going to protect me?" "Oh, we might ask you to go home too. Is your place still owned or under lease by you?" "Yeah." "We may need you to hang out there, too. Give us a chance to do some surveillance. Maybe even tap your phones." Ramoos hesitated, "For your own protection...of course." "Yeah, my own protection..." trailed off Roger as he placed his elbow on knee and jammed his head down into his hand. "Sounds just great..." Roger said sarcastically, "...a real deal with the devil." "Now Roger," cautioned Ramoos, "you're in this because you got involved with these murderous, drug-dealing bastards. You're lucky to still be alive," cautioned Ramoos looking down on Roger sympathetically with his hands in his pockets. "Besides, you might come out of this the hero. You might even save a couple of lives, including your own. You in?" "Yeah, you got yourself a stooge." Ramoos chuckled once, "Never figured it any other way, Roger. No other way out of this one."
Ramoos excused himself and Ken. Outside the room, Ramoos asked Ken "Well?" "Not exactly what I expected, but you're pulling the strings. In my opinion, he's still telling the truth. But, I'm still not buying the zombie part of his story. I still think its bullshit." "I'm not so sure now. Not so sure. We still have the hearts. As far as I'm concerned, they are zombies."
"They've been bringing the shit to my place - without my asking for it to be delivered or to make a buy. They say I've made some kind of mistake and that I have to pay for it." "Uh-huh, the mistake being that you took their shit even though it was mistakenly brought to you. Is it possible one of your 'friends' set you up?" "How the hell would I know? I haven't seen those guys in months, much less heard from either of them." "So why did you take the shit?" "Because, they forced it on me. They creeped me out, the zombies, they would just come in and leave it." "Why did you let them in?" "So nobody would see them. Less chance of me getting busted with them. At least, for dope." "How many times did they pull this on you?" "Several, I think." "So, no money exchanged hands?" "Right, they would just leave the dope in front of me and moan and groan. Really creeped the shit out of me." Roger was starting to get agitated again.
"You told Ken they were calling you?" "Yeah, sometimes it sounded like one of them. Lately, its been some guy." Roger was getting more agitated, Ramoos and Ken noticed. "Did you change your number?" "No, I thought this thing might blow over..." "Because?..." "Because I didn't want the shit in the first place. But, no they keep calling and calling. At first, they demanded $ 400 - twice the going rate. Then they raised it $ 500. Then $ 600. Then $ 1000. Then $ 5000." Roger kept raising his voice and getting more and more agitated.
"Then $ 6000. And now its at $ 60,000. I don't know what they're demanding now. I'm not going home without protection." "OK, you'll get it. We just need you to do some things for us," stated Ramoos.
"What kind of things do you want me to do? I don't ever want to go back there - I'm in fear for my life." "All the more reason for you to help us out with our little requests. For one, we need you to take us to this friends place and put him under surveillance. Will you help us with that?" "If I do that then you're going to protect me?" "Oh, we might ask you to go home too. Is your place still owned or under lease by you?" "Yeah." "We may need you to hang out there, too. Give us a chance to do some surveillance. Maybe even tap your phones." Ramoos hesitated, "For your own protection...of course." "Yeah, my own protection..." trailed off Roger as he placed his elbow on knee and jammed his head down into his hand. "Sounds just great..." Roger said sarcastically, "...a real deal with the devil." "Now Roger," cautioned Ramoos, "you're in this because you got involved with these murderous, drug-dealing bastards. You're lucky to still be alive," cautioned Ramoos looking down on Roger sympathetically with his hands in his pockets. "Besides, you might come out of this the hero. You might even save a couple of lives, including your own. You in?" "Yeah, you got yourself a stooge." Ramoos chuckled once, "Never figured it any other way, Roger. No other way out of this one."
Ramoos excused himself and Ken. Outside the room, Ramoos asked Ken "Well?" "Not exactly what I expected, but you're pulling the strings. In my opinion, he's still telling the truth. But, I'm still not buying the zombie part of his story. I still think its bullshit." "I'm not so sure now. Not so sure. We still have the hearts. As far as I'm concerned, they are zombies."
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Examiner
After the polygraph test, the examiner made a verbal report to the chief and Ramoos. "We asked the subject, Roger Slaymore, if that was his real name. The results show that he answered truthfully. When asked if he had purchased and used drugs he answered truthfully." "What was his answer?", asked the chief. "Yes to both." "What about his friends - his drug associates?" "When asked if they had given him the contact and connection information, he answered truthfully again." "What was that?" "Yes." "Yeah, he's starting to sound like a real loser." Ramoos asked, "Did you ask him if he was still in contact with the friends?" "Yes, I did. He answered no, which was truthful." "Did you ask what became of his friends." "He said he just didn't contact them again, which was truthful, nor did they contact him." "Shit..." muttered the chief. "What about the dealers, is he still in contact with them?", asked Ramoos. "He said they were in contact with him, and that he did not want to contact them." "Did he say why?", asked the chief. "He said that they were extorting him and making exorbitant demands on him, which appeared to be the truth." "Appeared to be, what the hell is that?", questioned the chief.
"He said that the zombies were making phone calls to him - or somebody purporting to be a zombie or associated with them. In this case, I have to say that either he was telling the truth or he is a very skillful liar." "Shit..." mumbled the chief again, "which means we might have absolutely nothing." "I have to say that I did ask him about the extortion and the demands. At this point he got very agitated - which is a very good indicator that he's being truthful - even though I don't believe parts of his story." "You mean the zombies?" asked Ramoos. "Yes, the zombies, even though he appears to be dead serious. Sorry, that wasn't meant to be a pun." Ramoos chuckled under his breath, "I haven't seen any myself." Wait a minute, thought Ramoos, what about the hearts...? "You better move on that bust," the chief told Ramoos.
"Did you ask details about the extortion, the demands?", asked Ramoos. The examiner looked at his notes, "They first called demanding 400 dollars, then 500, then 600, then a thousand, then 6000, now the bill is at 60,000. I asked him if they demanded more. He said no, at that point he decided to ask for protection. He appeared to be telling the truth during this sequence of questions." The chief whistled, "So, we might be able to nail these pricks with extortion, too."
"Did you get his urine test results?" "All negative," responded Ramoos, "do the hair test?" "Yeah, get a sample and do a post-interview with this character. Then set up that bust." "Hey, I'm only one guy." joked Ramoos. "Yeah, we should get you a partner. All the more reason for you to get moving on this stuff.", said the chief. "Do you need me for the post-interview?, asked the examiner. "You volunteering?", asked Ramoos. "I guess I just did."
"Wait a minute. You asked about the murders, the hearts and other crimes?" from the chief. "Yes, we did. The part about the hearts stunned him, though. Stunned me, too. So he's being truthful in that part." Ramoos to the examiner, "Did you tell him that, technically, the hearts are still alive?" "What!?" exclaimed both the chief and the examiner. "The hearts are still "alive" technically, they're just not moving, except at the cellular level. Glick showed me." "Sonofabitch," muttered the chief. "Is that in your report?" "Right there," Ramoos pointed and the chief craned his head neck down. "You're right. Thats not normal, is it?" "Glick didn't seem to think so." "Have you got anything else on this?" "No, I haven't heard back from Glick. And, I've been babysitting our boy Roger."
"He said that the zombies were making phone calls to him - or somebody purporting to be a zombie or associated with them. In this case, I have to say that either he was telling the truth or he is a very skillful liar." "Shit..." mumbled the chief again, "which means we might have absolutely nothing." "I have to say that I did ask him about the extortion and the demands. At this point he got very agitated - which is a very good indicator that he's being truthful - even though I don't believe parts of his story." "You mean the zombies?" asked Ramoos. "Yes, the zombies, even though he appears to be dead serious. Sorry, that wasn't meant to be a pun." Ramoos chuckled under his breath, "I haven't seen any myself." Wait a minute, thought Ramoos, what about the hearts...? "You better move on that bust," the chief told Ramoos.
"Did you ask details about the extortion, the demands?", asked Ramoos. The examiner looked at his notes, "They first called demanding 400 dollars, then 500, then 600, then a thousand, then 6000, now the bill is at 60,000. I asked him if they demanded more. He said no, at that point he decided to ask for protection. He appeared to be telling the truth during this sequence of questions." The chief whistled, "So, we might be able to nail these pricks with extortion, too."
"Did you get his urine test results?" "All negative," responded Ramoos, "do the hair test?" "Yeah, get a sample and do a post-interview with this character. Then set up that bust." "Hey, I'm only one guy." joked Ramoos. "Yeah, we should get you a partner. All the more reason for you to get moving on this stuff.", said the chief. "Do you need me for the post-interview?, asked the examiner. "You volunteering?", asked Ramoos. "I guess I just did."
"Wait a minute. You asked about the murders, the hearts and other crimes?" from the chief. "Yes, we did. The part about the hearts stunned him, though. Stunned me, too. So he's being truthful in that part." Ramoos to the examiner, "Did you tell him that, technically, the hearts are still alive?" "What!?" exclaimed both the chief and the examiner. "The hearts are still "alive" technically, they're just not moving, except at the cellular level. Glick showed me." "Sonofabitch," muttered the chief. "Is that in your report?" "Right there," Ramoos pointed and the chief craned his head neck down. "You're right. Thats not normal, is it?" "Glick didn't seem to think so." "Have you got anything else on this?" "No, I haven't heard back from Glick. And, I've been babysitting our boy Roger."
Report
"Are you out of your mind?!", exclaimed the chief at Ramoos. "What the hell is the word 'zombie' doing in your report?" "I know, I know...maybe I should I give the guy a polygraph." "You damn well should, you might throw in a drug test and a saliva test, too!" "I'll ask him he's willing to submit..." The chief cut off Ramoos, "I don't give a goddamn if he's willing or not. Somebody that tells a story like that just isn't normal. Drug-dealing zombies? And then the guy used the stuff, too. Not too mention the link to those hearts in the morgue. You take that guy over to his friend's place. Set up a bust. Get these fuckers off the street." "Yes, sir. Should I leave now?" "You bet your ass you can leave now. Get the hell out of here and get moving on these sonsabitches."
Ramoos went back to the interrogation room where Roger was still waiting. Roger spoke up, "You know, I've been here a long time. I have to take a piss." "Oh yes you do," responded Ramoos. "But, in a cup, Roger. OK?" "You mean a drug test." "Mm-hmm," mumbled Ramoos nodding his head.
Roger came out of the stall and handed the still warm cup to Ramoos. Ramoos fixed the chain-of-custody stickers. "Sign this Roger, OK?" Roger signed, then asked if there was anything else. "Well, lets go back to the room. Then I'll go get this checked out. You look clean, are you? You been screwing around?" "I haven't used any of that shit lately. I've been avoiding them...you know...them. But they haven't been avoiding me." That might work to our advantage thought Ramoos.
Ramoos came back into the room after delivering the sample to the lab. They were doing a rush job on it. "Roger, we're going to give you a polygraph...right now." "What if I don't want to?" "The chief thinks it would be best." "The chief. The chief of police?" "Yeah, I just had a conversation with him. Seems like this case of ours has taken an interesting turn. I hate to tell you this, but you might be involved in a very ugly murder case." Holy shit, thought Roger.
Ramoos went back to the interrogation room where Roger was still waiting. Roger spoke up, "You know, I've been here a long time. I have to take a piss." "Oh yes you do," responded Ramoos. "But, in a cup, Roger. OK?" "You mean a drug test." "Mm-hmm," mumbled Ramoos nodding his head.
Roger came out of the stall and handed the still warm cup to Ramoos. Ramoos fixed the chain-of-custody stickers. "Sign this Roger, OK?" Roger signed, then asked if there was anything else. "Well, lets go back to the room. Then I'll go get this checked out. You look clean, are you? You been screwing around?" "I haven't used any of that shit lately. I've been avoiding them...you know...them. But they haven't been avoiding me." That might work to our advantage thought Ramoos.
Ramoos came back into the room after delivering the sample to the lab. They were doing a rush job on it. "Roger, we're going to give you a polygraph...right now." "What if I don't want to?" "The chief thinks it would be best." "The chief. The chief of police?" "Yeah, I just had a conversation with him. Seems like this case of ours has taken an interesting turn. I hate to tell you this, but you might be involved in a very ugly murder case." Holy shit, thought Roger.
Them
"I understand that and wish to help." The guy stammered. "You got a name?" "Its Roger. Roger Slaymore." Ramoos chuckled under his breath. "Is that a real name, an assumed name or something else?" "Its my given name. Look here's my i.d." Ramoos looked at the license, he chuckled under his breath again when he saw the "Heart Donor" legend. At least he was prepared to give of himself, figured Ramoos, he might be telling the truth...
Roger appeared to be calming down. "How'd you get involved in this?" "You know, friends and acquaintances. I was at one of their homes, and then they brought out the dope. You know, like all of a sudden. There it was on a coffee table. And then they started inhaling it." "You mean like smoking it?" "Not at first, no. But later they showed me how to do that. That first night they ran out of it." "Did you try some then?" " At first, no, I told myself I wasn't going to do that. But, I did try some later." Guilty, thought Ramoos. "So what happened then?" "They made a call." "Cell?" "No, it was a hard line. They have one in that house." "The one who made the call hung up shortly after. He just looked up, and with this strange look on his face he said 'They're coming.' It was kind of creepy the way he said it, like that little girl from the movie 'Poultergeist' when she said 'They're here'." "About what time was this?" "I'm not sure, something like 10 or 11 PM." "A little while later there's this lame rapping at the door. But they didn't rap on the door. They rapped on the aluminum frame surrounding the door. It was eerie sounding."
"Who was it?" "It was th-th-them." Roger was getting nervous again. "Two of them. Neither of them said anything. They just...just groaned. They looked like corpses. I have seen dead bodies before. That is just what they looked like. One of them even looked a little green. Either that or they were very sick, stoned or both. It made me sick to look at them. I don't know how the others could deal with it. Then one of my friends pulled out some cash and handed it to one of these things. The way its hand closed around the money was just unreal. It tucked away the cash in a pocket. By the way, the clothes were very seedy. From another pocket it pulled out a baggie with a white powder inside. It moaned pathetically when it handed it over. My friend just pulled out of its hand with a little effort. The thing looked at him and groaned again. My friend said 'Thanks. Come by anytime - when its dark'. And then he just snickered. Then thing one turned around and thing two followed. My friend moved to the door and let them out into the night."
"I then pleaded with my friend to give it up and not to call these fuckers back in. He said, not tonight, no. I asked him what the fuck those two things were. 'Not people. At least not living people.' I said My God, what the hell are those things then? 'Zombies. The undead. Oh, and by the way, they're also our suppliers'." Ramoos just blew air out of his nose and wondered how the hell he was going to report this.
Roger appeared to be calming down. "How'd you get involved in this?" "You know, friends and acquaintances. I was at one of their homes, and then they brought out the dope. You know, like all of a sudden. There it was on a coffee table. And then they started inhaling it." "You mean like smoking it?" "Not at first, no. But later they showed me how to do that. That first night they ran out of it." "Did you try some then?" " At first, no, I told myself I wasn't going to do that. But, I did try some later." Guilty, thought Ramoos. "So what happened then?" "They made a call." "Cell?" "No, it was a hard line. They have one in that house." "The one who made the call hung up shortly after. He just looked up, and with this strange look on his face he said 'They're coming.' It was kind of creepy the way he said it, like that little girl from the movie 'Poultergeist' when she said 'They're here'." "About what time was this?" "I'm not sure, something like 10 or 11 PM." "A little while later there's this lame rapping at the door. But they didn't rap on the door. They rapped on the aluminum frame surrounding the door. It was eerie sounding."
"Who was it?" "It was th-th-them." Roger was getting nervous again. "Two of them. Neither of them said anything. They just...just groaned. They looked like corpses. I have seen dead bodies before. That is just what they looked like. One of them even looked a little green. Either that or they were very sick, stoned or both. It made me sick to look at them. I don't know how the others could deal with it. Then one of my friends pulled out some cash and handed it to one of these things. The way its hand closed around the money was just unreal. It tucked away the cash in a pocket. By the way, the clothes were very seedy. From another pocket it pulled out a baggie with a white powder inside. It moaned pathetically when it handed it over. My friend just pulled out of its hand with a little effort. The thing looked at him and groaned again. My friend said 'Thanks. Come by anytime - when its dark'. And then he just snickered. Then thing one turned around and thing two followed. My friend moved to the door and let them out into the night."
"I then pleaded with my friend to give it up and not to call these fuckers back in. He said, not tonight, no. I asked him what the fuck those two things were. 'Not people. At least not living people.' I said My God, what the hell are those things then? 'Zombies. The undead. Oh, and by the way, they're also our suppliers'." Ramoos just blew air out of his nose and wondered how the hell he was going to report this.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Protection
Ramoos answered his cell. "We just had a guy turn himself in. He made a very strange claim and turned over some evidence. We've got him in the interview room right now." "And this pertains to what?" "The evidence is some white powdered narcotic. He claims its a mix of cocaine and meth. Isn't that what you're looking for?" "Be right there."
Ramoos immediately went for the two-way window. He met the other detective there. "This the guy?", asked Ramoos. "Yeah, we collected his evidence and its in forensics now." "You said something about a strange claim?" "Yeah, a wild story. Don't know if I believe it. He's seeking police protection. If his evidence turns out positive, he's gonna get it." "What is it?" The detective turned and looked up at Ramoos, his pupils at the top of his eyeballs and said "You go talk to him."
Ramoos entered the room and eyed the guy. He thought he looked like some average height, average weight, caucasion joe regular. He looked pretty regular. "I'm Detective Ramoos. I understand you're requesting police protection. How can I help you with that?" The guy looked up at Ramoos and stared straight at him and started to tremble just a little. He hesitated a little. Ramoos thought he might not confess to a drug rap. He was wrong.
Stammering the guy was obviously scared shitless and said "I've recently begun buying drugs from the zombies." "Uh-huh, the Zombies is that a gang or a rock group?" "No, no, its neither...its, its - you know - zombies, the undead, the unliving, a living corpse, you know, like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and voodoo and shit like that."
At first, Ramoos thought the guy was off his rocker. The guy kept staring at him and shaking. "Voodoo and zombies and shit like that... How do you know they're zombies that you've buying from?" "Like you just said, I've been buying drugs from them. I've seen them. They're not normal. They don't even look like they're alive. Some of them are so fucked-up that they can't even talk. They are as creepy as shit." "OK, sounds like you're pretty certain, but I'm not believing you. Zombies aren't real. They don't exist, except in creepy, low-budget horror movies."
The other detective then opened the door, ducked his head in and said, "It's positive, Joe. You can collar him if you want. But, I think he's fucking nuts." "Thanks, but leave us alone for a little, OK?" The other detective sighed, pulled his head out and closed the door.
Ramoos turned back to his interviewee, "OK, looks like you're right about one thing, you are buying drugs. But, you turned them over to us, we could bust you if we wanted. Problem is, no sane person would believe the rest of your story. Which leads me to ask, are you high on drugs right now and are you in your right mind?"
The guy replied, "Sir, I just handed you eveything I got. I haven't touched that stuff. They just delivered it to me with some bad news. I didn't even ask them to bring the shit to me. They just did it. That's how they operate. I'm just scared out of my wits."
At this point Ramoos wanted the guy to confess how he got involved with the "zombies". But, decided to leave out the parts about the murders and the hearts. "That interests me. It would interest any cop to know how these pricks operate."
Ramoos immediately went for the two-way window. He met the other detective there. "This the guy?", asked Ramoos. "Yeah, we collected his evidence and its in forensics now." "You said something about a strange claim?" "Yeah, a wild story. Don't know if I believe it. He's seeking police protection. If his evidence turns out positive, he's gonna get it." "What is it?" The detective turned and looked up at Ramoos, his pupils at the top of his eyeballs and said "You go talk to him."
Ramoos entered the room and eyed the guy. He thought he looked like some average height, average weight, caucasion joe regular. He looked pretty regular. "I'm Detective Ramoos. I understand you're requesting police protection. How can I help you with that?" The guy looked up at Ramoos and stared straight at him and started to tremble just a little. He hesitated a little. Ramoos thought he might not confess to a drug rap. He was wrong.
Stammering the guy was obviously scared shitless and said "I've recently begun buying drugs from the zombies." "Uh-huh, the Zombies is that a gang or a rock group?" "No, no, its neither...its, its - you know - zombies, the undead, the unliving, a living corpse, you know, like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and voodoo and shit like that."
At first, Ramoos thought the guy was off his rocker. The guy kept staring at him and shaking. "Voodoo and zombies and shit like that... How do you know they're zombies that you've buying from?" "Like you just said, I've been buying drugs from them. I've seen them. They're not normal. They don't even look like they're alive. Some of them are so fucked-up that they can't even talk. They are as creepy as shit." "OK, sounds like you're pretty certain, but I'm not believing you. Zombies aren't real. They don't exist, except in creepy, low-budget horror movies."
The other detective then opened the door, ducked his head in and said, "It's positive, Joe. You can collar him if you want. But, I think he's fucking nuts." "Thanks, but leave us alone for a little, OK?" The other detective sighed, pulled his head out and closed the door.
Ramoos turned back to his interviewee, "OK, looks like you're right about one thing, you are buying drugs. But, you turned them over to us, we could bust you if we wanted. Problem is, no sane person would believe the rest of your story. Which leads me to ask, are you high on drugs right now and are you in your right mind?"
The guy replied, "Sir, I just handed you eveything I got. I haven't touched that stuff. They just delivered it to me with some bad news. I didn't even ask them to bring the shit to me. They just did it. That's how they operate. I'm just scared out of my wits."
At this point Ramoos wanted the guy to confess how he got involved with the "zombies". But, decided to leave out the parts about the murders and the hearts. "That interests me. It would interest any cop to know how these pricks operate."
Back
Back at the scene, Ramoos met with two of the investigators. "Clues? Prints? Anything? We got a couple of dead kids here. Not to mention an atrocity." Gill, the senior investigator, responded, "Well, we think we found some footprints, but they are very eroded. We found some traces of a white powder. Possibly a narcotic." "Where is it?, asked Ramoos. "Its in forensics." "I guess the results aren't in..." said Ramoos. Gill's cell rang just then. "Gill, uh-huh, yeah, thanks." "Its positive, detective". "They're writing their findings right now." "What is it?", inquired Ramoos. "They just said its bad and its nasty. They said to come on down."
Ramoos turned and left immediately for the lab. Ramoos went to the lab and found the chemist as soon as he arrived. "Whoa, hey, heard you're hot for this one." "I heard it was bad and nasty. What is that?" "It looks like a mixture, it tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamine and one more possible substance". "What's the third thing in the mix?" "We don't know yet, we don't have enough sample to make positive tests. We're doing further analysis." "Does it match anything in the remains?" "It appears to be the same junk. We can't be sure if they came from the same source yet."
Ramoos, "Have you i.d.'d this before?" "Well, we're checking our notes and logs and databases. Its odd, we don't seem to have a record of this one." "So its a new source? A new dealer in town?" "Possibly, or it could be some local like those pricks who mixed fentanyl and heroin a year or so ago, caused all those deaths. We don't know yet? You got any ideas?"
Ramoos was taken aback. Usually, Roger, the chemist didn't take that much interest in drug cases. "Why do you ask?" "This could be a significant danger to the community. The third substance in the mix, it looks like it could, well, a poison or toxin of some kind. It just has to be dangerous. Whoever is making this shit is some kind of prick. He - or she - or whoever they are - should get the lethal injection. I know its kind of premature. But, I looked at the prelims and I didn't like 'em."
Then, Ramoos's conversation with Glick just kicked in. "Hey, Glick, the ME said something about puffer fish and the poisonous shit they got inside of them." "It sounds impossible...how they could get their hands on such shit is difficult to imagine. But, we'll definitely check it out."
Ramoos turned and left immediately for the lab. Ramoos went to the lab and found the chemist as soon as he arrived. "Whoa, hey, heard you're hot for this one." "I heard it was bad and nasty. What is that?" "It looks like a mixture, it tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamine and one more possible substance". "What's the third thing in the mix?" "We don't know yet, we don't have enough sample to make positive tests. We're doing further analysis." "Does it match anything in the remains?" "It appears to be the same junk. We can't be sure if they came from the same source yet."
Ramoos, "Have you i.d.'d this before?" "Well, we're checking our notes and logs and databases. Its odd, we don't seem to have a record of this one." "So its a new source? A new dealer in town?" "Possibly, or it could be some local like those pricks who mixed fentanyl and heroin a year or so ago, caused all those deaths. We don't know yet? You got any ideas?"
Ramoos was taken aback. Usually, Roger, the chemist didn't take that much interest in drug cases. "Why do you ask?" "This could be a significant danger to the community. The third substance in the mix, it looks like it could, well, a poison or toxin of some kind. It just has to be dangerous. Whoever is making this shit is some kind of prick. He - or she - or whoever they are - should get the lethal injection. I know its kind of premature. But, I looked at the prelims and I didn't like 'em."
Then, Ramoos's conversation with Glick just kicked in. "Hey, Glick, the ME said something about puffer fish and the poisonous shit they got inside of them." "It sounds impossible...how they could get their hands on such shit is difficult to imagine. But, we'll definitely check it out."
Friday, July 18, 2008
Analysis
"I thought one of the EMT's said the hearts looked like they had been preserved?" said Ramoos. "Yes, that's what we thought..." said Glick. "There's a lot of dirt, soil and other detritus in and around them. Maggots and other insects should have been feeding on these. But there's no sign of them. We're doing chemical separation and analysis next door."
"Any suspicions?", asked Ramoos. "It could be anything. But, whatever the hell it is, it makes a great bug repellent." "Toxic?" "Well, any unknown chemical is by definition, hazardous. That includes poisonous. But, it may be perfectly safe to handle, under certain conditions..."
"Such as...?" "Well, the puffer fish has a well-known toxin - tetrodotoxin. If handled and prepared correctly, you can eat the flesh of the puffer fish without harm. It can paralyze and kill if not."
"Do you think its that? Were these people poisoned with the toxin?", asked Ramoos. "I don't have the answer to that, I'm afraid." "Hmmm..."
"Any suspicions?", asked Ramoos. "It could be anything. But, whatever the hell it is, it makes a great bug repellent." "Toxic?" "Well, any unknown chemical is by definition, hazardous. That includes poisonous. But, it may be perfectly safe to handle, under certain conditions..."
"Such as...?" "Well, the puffer fish has a well-known toxin - tetrodotoxin. If handled and prepared correctly, you can eat the flesh of the puffer fish without harm. It can paralyze and kill if not."
"Do you think its that? Were these people poisoned with the toxin?", asked Ramoos. "I don't have the answer to that, I'm afraid." "Hmmm..."
Undead Hearts
The phone rang and Ramoos answered, it was Glick, the medical examiner at the morgue. "It's the hearts..." and his voice just trailed off. "Can you come here?". Ramoos answered yes and took off suspecting some clue to be examined.
It was just getting dark as he arrived at the morgue. He walked in and met with the medical examiner. He thought the examiner looked strangely stiff, perhaps shaken. "What is it?" asked Ramoos. "Their not dead." "Huh, what the hell do you mean?" "Well, they're not showing any movement, but the cells...still seem to be active." "How the hell could that be?" "We don't know, its a mystery. A god damned mystery".
"What's your evidence?" "Its over here." Ramoos followed the examiner to the fridge. He opened it and pulled out a box of slides. The box was labelled with the case number and date and some odd looking notes. He thought he saw the word "undead". "What the hell is that on there?!" exclaimed Ramoos.
Silent the examiner placed one of the slides under one of the microscopes and peered in the eye sights. He slowly moved around the slide and the focus. Then he just stared, silently. After several seconds of this, he pulled up. "Take a look..." said the examiner.
Ramoos bent down and looked in the eyepiece. For a moment he thought he was imagining this. The cells appeared to be moving. He stood up and looked at the examiner with a question mark on his face.
"Its one of the adults."
It was just getting dark as he arrived at the morgue. He walked in and met with the medical examiner. He thought the examiner looked strangely stiff, perhaps shaken. "What is it?" asked Ramoos. "Their not dead." "Huh, what the hell do you mean?" "Well, they're not showing any movement, but the cells...still seem to be active." "How the hell could that be?" "We don't know, its a mystery. A god damned mystery".
"What's your evidence?" "Its over here." Ramoos followed the examiner to the fridge. He opened it and pulled out a box of slides. The box was labelled with the case number and date and some odd looking notes. He thought he saw the word "undead". "What the hell is that on there?!" exclaimed Ramoos.
Silent the examiner placed one of the slides under one of the microscopes and peered in the eye sights. He slowly moved around the slide and the focus. Then he just stared, silently. After several seconds of this, he pulled up. "Take a look..." said the examiner.
Ramoos bent down and looked in the eyepiece. For a moment he thought he was imagining this. The cells appeared to be moving. He stood up and looked at the examiner with a question mark on his face.
"Its one of the adults."
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Exam
It was just after dawn when Ramoos walked into the morgue. The attendant was just finishing up his exam of the now separated bundle of hearts. "Human...?" asked Ramoos. "Yeah..." he replied with a kind of guttural drawl. "How long were they there?", asked Ramoos. "Well, we're still looking at that, there seems to be some chemical preservative in these...parts." "Formalin?" "No, we're looking into that as well as we can..." "Any indication of how long these have been in the ground?" "Again, we're still looking at that. The preservative or preservatives appear to have slowed down the decay and aging of these remains. Could be weeks, could be months." "Years?" "Up to a year, I'd say." "You don't have much for me, do you? How about race, age, gender?" "That's a mix. There's definitely a child present and four adults. Two male, two female. Race, we don't know...yet."
Ramoos responded "Child..." under his breath. "Yeah, a kid." "Bastards..." "How was this...this...atrocity done?" "Well, a couple look like they were removed after death. Come over and look at these." Ramoos followed the attendant over to the exam table. "These three - you see the cut marks - were probably removed from an already deceased person, including the kid." The attendant continued, "Now see these two here, the arteries and aortas appear to be ripped. They appear to have been removed while the victims were still living..."
Ramoos just looked at the last two hearts and whispered "How...? Why...?" The attendant just stood - frozen - looking down.
Ramoos responded "Child..." under his breath. "Yeah, a kid." "Bastards..." "How was this...this...atrocity done?" "Well, a couple look like they were removed after death. Come over and look at these." Ramoos followed the attendant over to the exam table. "These three - you see the cut marks - were probably removed from an already deceased person, including the kid." The attendant continued, "Now see these two here, the arteries and aortas appear to be ripped. They appear to have been removed while the victims were still living..."
Ramoos just looked at the last two hearts and whispered "How...? Why...?" The attendant just stood - frozen - looking down.
A Bundle
Detective Ramoos pulled up to the scene where the emergency call had come from. There was a patrol car and an ambulance on the scene. In the background he could see some of the crew were on their knees, retching their guts out. He walked up to the one standing officer and asked "What the hell is it"? Not speaking, eyes wide open in terror and disgust. The officer took him over to the black bag. Ramoos asked, "Aren't you going to open it?". The officer just slowly shook his head back and forth several times. Then he turned away and retched. "Christ," muttered Ramoos. He then bent over the thing and pulled the zipper. The stench made him choke. He put his left hand to his mouth and nose. It was a bundle of dried out hearts. They appeared to be human, or human like. They looked dried out and covered with brown earth. They had all been severed at the major arteries. Some looked like they had been torn. They had been loosely tied together with a thin vine that he did not recognize. The vine appeared to be old, brown and somewhat dried and tough. He briefly felt a wave of nausea and coughed into his hand.
One of the EMT's had stopped retching. Ramoos approached him and asked if he was doing any better. The EMT said he felt a little better. But he wasn't going to forget this. "We'll get you therapy if you need it". "Thanks, but I think I'll be all right", responded the EMT.
"Pretty shitty find, isn't it?", asked Ramoos. "I have seen worse...but not lately", said the EMT. "Do you think that these are human remains?, asked Ramoos. "Definitely", responded the EMT. "How long do you think they've been here?", asked Ramoos. "I don't know...it could be weeks, months even, they look like they might have been, well preserved..."
One of the EMT's had stopped retching. Ramoos approached him and asked if he was doing any better. The EMT said he felt a little better. But he wasn't going to forget this. "We'll get you therapy if you need it". "Thanks, but I think I'll be all right", responded the EMT.
"Pretty shitty find, isn't it?", asked Ramoos. "I have seen worse...but not lately", said the EMT. "Do you think that these are human remains?, asked Ramoos. "Definitely", responded the EMT. "How long do you think they've been here?", asked Ramoos. "I don't know...it could be weeks, months even, they look like they might have been, well preserved..."
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