An Empath's Detective

"I ain't apologizing to no...." The man spluttered.

"Charlie! Get your ass out of my diner before I have Greg throw you out and ban you from ever coming back. Then how are you going to eat? Everyone knows your ass don't know how to cook!" The older server yelled out from behind one end of the counter. She had been close enough to hear the interaction between the three.

Laughter from Charlie's friends rang out once more.

A large and tall grizzly-looking man a few years younger than the waitress, stood next to her with his arms folded across his chest, and a stern angry look on his face.

Charlie muttered something incoherent, under his breath, and stomped out.

The diner owner walked over to the two women, "I'm sorry about Charlie." The stocky server said as she approached. "He's just being his stupid self. Don't let anything he said bother you. Have some more coffee. I have my brother getting a couple of slices of his irresistible strawberry-rhubarb pie for you."

The cook came and set down two plates of pie and smiled at the women, from behind his big bushy brown and gray beard.

"This is my little brother Greg. My name is Brenda," The server said.

"My name is Kerry, and this is Alex," The young woman extended a hand for a friendly shake. "Thanks for the pie."

"No problem. What brings you ladies to our town?" Brenda asked, in a friendly manner.

"I own the cabin on Hickory road. We came up for a few days to relax," Kerry responded.

"You mean old man Patters' cabin?" Brenda questioned, further.

"Yep. He was my grandpa," Kerry stated, proudly.

"Oh my goodness. Did you hear that Greg?" The older woman grinned from ear to ear. "This is Patters' granddaughter. I can't believe it. The last time I saw you, I think you were just a wee little thing of three years. Your grandpa was a regular at the diner. We were good friends. He and Greg went fishing all of the time with my nephews. Every time that man opened his mouth, he had something to say about you."

"I would love to hear some stories," Kerry said. She looked over at her lover a moment. "I know you need to run your errand. I'll stay here while you do."

Alex nodded, "Okay." She looked at the diner owners. "Nice meeting you two. I'll see you later." She placed a tender kiss on her lover's cheek, and left the diner with a wave.

********

After a frustrating first visit to the local police station, Alex slammed the steering wheel with the heel of her hand. "Bastards!" She shouted. Flipping open the cell phone, she called Johnson.

"Johnson here," her partner answered.

"Hey, it's Zach. I tried talking to the cops in Oxford. Apparently all of them down here are misogynous assholes. At first they didn't want to believe I'm a detective, and then they all clammed up when I showed them my badge. I'll need you to send the usual documents out here, to get these pig fuckers to cooperate," Alex grumbled.

"No problem. I'll do it right now, and, hey, maybe a call from the Major would help," Johnson offered. "Oh, I got some information on Moran. Apparently he cashed a money order at the Oxford Bank. Seems our man is just within reach of you. We'll need to work on this sooner than we thought. Sorry it'll ruin your break. I'm going to head out there tonight and crash at a motel. We'll keep in touch."

"Thanks, Johnson. Talk to you soon, then." Alex closed the phone and waited a couple of minutes before re-entering the small station. Looking out across the road at the gas station, she noticed a bearded man, in dirty overalls, staring at her.

He finished pumping gas into a beaten up gray Ford pickup. The truck's plates were covered in mud. Feeling suspicious, she jotted down the truck description, the portion of the plates that she could make out and that of the man on a piece of paper, as the man disappeared into the station's garage.

Suddenly Charlie from the diner emerged from where the bearded man entered. He hopped in the Ford truck, and drove it around the back.

Hmm, wonder what's going on there. The detective thought to herself. Walking back into the police station, she sported a smug grin, "Hello boys. Have you checked your fax machine lately?"

The captain came face to face with her, "I already said we have nothing for you."

At that moment, the phone rang. A young officer answered, and then announced, "Uhhh...Captain, it's for you. It's Major Joseph Harrelson of the FBI."

The irate man grabbed the phone. After a few minutes of saying nothing more than 'yes sir' and 'I understand sir', the captain hung up. Rubbing his face with a hairy hand, he said, "Lieutenant Zachary...my apologies for our behavior earlier. I assure you, now, that my men and I will do all we can to assist with the apprehension of the criminal." He turned to address the rest of the small band of men, "Whatever Lt. Zachary needs, make sure she gets. If I find out that any of you are not following orders exactly, I will fire your ass on the spot from this precinct. If any of you have an issue with assisting the Lt., you have the choice to walk out right now, without pay, until this investigation is over. Afterwards, I will determine if you are to return. Are there any questions?"

The silence in the room was deafening. The guys knew their captain to be harsh, and they were careful not to push any buttons.

The captain grabbed the documents from the fax machine, stomped into his office, and closed the door.

Alex just stood there. She couldn't believe her Uncle Joe actually called this in for her. Way to go Johnson, for having Uncle Joe make that call! Walking up to the young man who answered the call from the FBI, she cleared her throat and said, "I want you to run an APB on the owner of a gray Ford pickup. Apparently this is all I have for the license plate because they were partially covered. And here is the full description of the vehicle and a description of who I believe may be the owner."

"Sure thing," The officer responded.

"Have you had any male newcomers to the town in the past three months?" Alex questioned.

"No, not that I know of. Oxford is pretty small, so if anyone is new to the area, we'd be sure to know about it," the young man explained, trying to be as efficient as possible, and follow his captain's instructions to the letter.

"Alright. Here's my cell phone number. Give me a call as soon as you find any information about the pickup or it's owner," The detective walked out, anxious to get back to her lover at the diner.

*******

The large man paced back and forth, behind the police station. He ran a dirty hand through his flat, oily hair and pulled his cap back on, something that had, long ago, become a nervous habit for him.

"Hey Charlie. How ya doing? Is this the palomino you were telling me about?" The young officer brushed a hand down the side of the horse's neck. "She sure is a beauty. My little girl is going to love her." He inspected the hooves and then said, "Alright, here's the money for her. Would you mind dropping her off at the house? My wife is home. I'll let her know you're coming."

Charlie nodded, "Hey, did I see that city dyke drive away from here earlier?"

"You mean Detective Zachary? She's investigating a robbery and homicide. Believes the suspect is hiding out in our town," the young man explained, still lavishing attention on the palomino.

"Oh. Well, I'll drop the horse off right now. Talk to you later," Charlie took the horse's reign, and led her back into the truck.

********

Brenda sighed. Grateful that the grocery shopping was done, she stepped up to the grocery store register, "Afternoon, Frank. How are things?"

The elderly man, in the red suspenders, smiled, a twinkle shining in his baby blue eyes, "Hi Brenda. Things are good. What have you been up to?" He began ringing up her items.

"Nothing much. Just had to pick up a few things for dinner tonight. Oh, you'll never guess who ate in the diner this morning! Old man Patters' granddaughter came in with a friend," Brenda explained, excitedly.

"No kidding? Patters' little spitfire? What is she doing here?" Frank asked, chuckling to himself.

"Apparently, she and her friend came up for a vacation. They're staying at Patters' cabin," Brenda added. "Well, it's her cabin now."

At the next register, a bearded man's ears perked up, as he purchased his tobacco.

"Hey," Frank remarked. "I think she and her friend were in the store yesterday. A short strawberry blonde with a pretty smile?"

"Yep, that sounds like her alright. And, her tall friend, with the short black hair and intense blue eyes," Brenda commented.

"Yeah, that's them. They were here," Frank confirmed. "Well, I'll be. She's sure all grown up."

The bearded man walked out of the store, an evil smirk planted on his ugly face.

**********

"So, what do you want to do this afternoon?" Kerry asked, as she stepped out of the SUV.

"Well, since it's nice and warm, how about a swim at the lake and some sun bathing, in the nude." Alex suggested, with a wiggle of her dark eyebrows.

"Okay, race ya!" In a flash, Kerry took off running into the forest.

"Hey, no fair!" Alex yelled and, ran after her. Finding the path from the trail of clothes the young woman was leaving behind her, she reached the lake, just as Kerry dove in. She whipped off her clothes, climbed up on the nearby boulder and cannonballed into the water, just as Kerry turned to face her.

"Argh!" Kerry yelled, as she spit out water. Rubbing her face, she looked around, but didn't spot her lover. Suddenly large hands pushed her under the water. Arms flailing, she tried to regain her footing. Finally standing, she spat out more water. Senses on alert, she spun around a couple of times; to make sure she wasn't dunked again. Not far from her, she saw a wet crown of black hair and two cerulean eyes just above the water's surface peering at her, "Ooohhh.... You..." she pointed at Alex.

Alex slowly stood, the water cascading down her hard, nude body. She pointed a finger at herself, silently mouthing with the gesture, "Who me?"

Kerry felt caught in a trance, by this forest goddess whose flawless body called her name. The strawberry blonde waded through the water toward her goal.

Alex jumped back in to swim away.

Kerry followed. After several strokes, she realized she wasn't going to be able to catch up to the tall woman, whose powerful strokes took her twice as far out of reach, "Okay, I give. I give!" She called out. Turning around, she swam towards the boulder and climbed up. She lay down on her back and closed her eyes, allowing the late afternoon sun to dry her body.

Soon Alex joined her, stretching her long body next to Kerry, she snuggled into the crook of her lover's warm neck, "Are you mad?" She asked softly.

Kerry encircled her arms around her lover. A small hand stroked short locks of hair away from the dark woman's face, "Of course not."

They lay there for some time, basking in the sunshine.

Alex recalled the dream she had in the hospital, "I've dreamt about this."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kerry asked.

Alex took a deep breath, before beginning her tale, "For the past year I've had these strange dreams of experiencing absolute bliss. I'm always in the forest or by some body of water and there is someone there with me. I never see her face, but I know it's a woman and I know she has strawberry blonde hair. It was not until the first day we spoke that I had the dream again, and that night I finally saw the woman's face. It was you. In my last dream, we were right here. Lying on this rock in the sun completely naked. But my hair was much longer and I had some scars on my body. Isn't it strange that I've dreamt this for so long?"

Kerry could hardly take in what she was hearing, "Alex, I dreamt of you too. But in my dreams we're usually in some kind of village made up of only women. You're dressed all in leather like a guard or warrior, and you are always by my side. It's like you're my protector, my champion. For the longest time I couldn't figure out the dreams or why I was having them. Then there was that robbery, and you rescued me. When I looked into your eyes, I knew you were the one from my dreams."

Alex looked into her love's soul, "I guess there is something deeper between us."

"Yes, there is." Kerry stroked the detective's cheek. "Thank you for standing by my side this morning."

"You held your own rather well. Be sure to remind me not to argue with you, in the future," Alex chuckled.

The young woman giggled, "I love it out here." She sighed, "The peaceful solitude is so soothing. It'd be interesting to see what it's like in winter."

"Speaking of the cold. The temperature is supposed to drop drastically tonight. Maybe we could make good use of the fireplace," Alex waggled her dark eyebrows, suggestively.

"That'd be wonderful. There should be plenty of chopped wood in the shed. We'll take a look when we get back," Green eyes fluttered closed, once again, as Kerry drifted off into a light slumber.

**********

"I just need to find the key to the shed," Kerry searched her bag. "Ah, here we go!" She held up an older model master key, attached to a John Deere keychain, triumphantly.

Alex slid the door open all the way to allow what was left of the daylight inside, so they could see well.

"I paid someone to stock the place with wood the last time I was here," the blonde explained.

One side of the shed was filled with neatly stacked piles of wood reaching up to Alex's head. The other side of the shed contained two items hidden underneath a tarp.

"What's over here?" Alex lifted the tarp a bit.

"That should be grandpa's dirt bike. He used it to get around through the forest and make quick trips into town. I'm sure it still works," Kerry smiled, softly, touched by her lover's interest in her grandfather's hidden treasures.

Alex removed the tarp completely, and exposed the snowmobile next to it, "Well, he sure was prepared for any season. They look to be in excellent condition."

"I'm going to start dinner, and let you start the fire, after you're done playing, that is," Kerry kissed Alex softly on the lips, and left the dark-haired woman staring at the sexy sway of her hips as she left the shed.

*********

"What did you find out Charlie?" the bearded man asked, as he took another swig of beer.

Charlie eased his considerable bulk down into one of his rickety kitchen chairs, and dug his pudgy fingers into the bucket of fried chicken he brought home. Around a mouthful of greasy fowl, he sputtered, "I told you already. The dyke is a detective. She went into the station asking questions about anyone new moving in the area and about there being some investigation of a robbery and homicide." He licked the grease off his fingers, "Why are you so concerned anyway?"

"I saw her giving me the eye at the gas station," the other man explained. "That's why I had you get the truck."

"Don't fret Cousin Ben. She's just a stupid dyke. Boy, I'd like to get me a piece of that ass. You know what I mean? Mmm hmm," Charlie bit into another piece of chicken. "And, that cute little blonde. I just wanna plow that cunt over and over and make the dyke bitch watch and learn what a real man can do! Oh yeah!"

Ben looked at his cousin with disgust. He couldn't stand his lard ass cousin's pigsty way of living. He only returned to this town because he knew he could keep well hidden until things settled, and then he would continue his journey onto Canada. Living with his cousin Charlie had always been a challenge. He was, quickly, losing patience with Charlie, and he was getting concerned that his cousin's loud mouth would out him in some way. He watched Charlie consume half the bucket of chicken. Bones littered the table, because Charlie didn't have the decency to use a plate, or even a napkin to clean himself.

"Hey, Ben, how about we go out tonight with the boys?" Charlie suggested, belching loudly. "We'll have a few drinks down at the bar, and I can finish telling them how we're gonna go to Canada."

"What?!?" The bearded man's brown eyes filled with fire. "What makes you think I'm taking you with me? And, who said you could talk to anyone about my plans."

"Aw, come on Ben..." Charlie's words were silenced, by a flash of his cousin's rage. His thick, filthy body slumped over the table, his face buried amongst the rubbish.

"You have always been stupid, cousin," Ben smirked, and shook his head, slowly. "Sorry, Charlie, but it was the only way to guarantee my success with the task at hand." He took another swig of beer and walked out to the truck.

Thick red blood pooled around Charlie's head. Eyes still open, he stared, sightlessly, at nothing. The piece of chicken in his hand had fallen to the filthy floor. The hilt of a butcher's knife protruded from the back of his wide neck.

*******

Alex sat on the brown bear skin rug in front of the fireplace. She watched as the flames flickered and crackled the dried wood. A pair of small hands grasped her shoulders from behind and began a gentle massage. The detective moaned at the contact.

Kerry whispered, sensuously, in her lover's ear, "Have you ever role played?"

Alex smiled at the question, "What do you have in mind?"

"I've always had these two fantasies," the smaller woman lightly licked the outer edge of Alex's ear, before she continued. "In the first one, you are my servant. I am your queen and you heed my beck and call. In the second, we play warlord and slave. I am the poor humble slave you have captured for your pleasure." She reached under Alex's arms to cup firm breasts.

The tall woman's grin grew, "And, which fantasy do you desire right now?"

"I feel like being treated like a queen," Kerry nipped at Alex's neck.

A satisfactory sigh was heard, "Okay," Alex responded.

Sea green eyes looked into ocean blue. Kerry smiled, in appreciation of her lover's willingness to take part in her fantasy. "Take off your clothes and strap on your double-headed cock." She directed, then stood to check on dinner.

Alex did as instructed, then, patiently, waited in front of the fireplace. She stood stock still, her head bowed.

"Come here, Zachary," Kerry called out. She sat at the kitchen table, clad only in her panties and an emerald green silk robe. The color accentuated the reddish highlights in her hair. "Serve dinner, Zachary."

"Yes, your Highness," Alex bowed, quickly, and checked to see what her mistress had prepared for dinner. On top of the stove there was a pot of mashed potatoes, a colander filled with asparagus, and a grilling pan holding a couple of NY strip steaks. She dished out the food on one plate, then set it in front of Kerry. "What would you like to drink, your Highness?"

"Beer," the smaller woman answered, decisively.

Alex bowed, again, and fetched a beer from the fridge. She returned to the young woman's side, and awaited her mistress's next command.

"Zachary, in the chest near the door is a collar and leash. Put them on and then sit down in the chair next to me," Kerry directed, and began cutting into the steak.

"Yes, your Highness," The dark-haired woman bowed, again, and sought out the items. Picking up the leather dog collar, she presumed that grandpa Patters had a canine, at one time. She buckled the collar around her neck, grateful that it was a large dog. She clipped the very worn leather leash to the ring in front, and returned to the table. Sitting down in the chair that Kerry pulled out, she kept her head bowed, and held the leash at chest level, draped across her open palms.

"You seem to be a well-trained servant, Zachary," Kerry commented.

Without making eye contact, Alex answered, "Thank you, your Highness."

"Why is that?" The blonde continued. "Did your previous owner train you?"