The Case of the Murdered Man

I am not worthy of any tributes."

A woman I recognized as a widow, whose husband was murdered stood. She called out, "Detective, we feel your pain, we have all lived through similar situations. Many of us lost loved ones and we never had a chance to say 'Goodbye'. You helped us find some form of closure by just doing your job with compassion. On behalf of all the others like me in this room, I say Thank You for all you've done and we share your pain."

Someone on the dais grabbed me and guided me to a chair.

Another individual took the microphone, "Detective Holmes, I represent the late Senator Guido's wife's trust fund. We have been told of your wishes to open a hunting and fishing camp. I'd like to present you with a check for $10,000,000 to help accomplish this goal."

My future was now secure. Damn, I wish Maria was there to enjoy it with me. I never got the chance to tell her my retirement plans and asked if she want to be a part of them.

I don't really remember very much after that.

The next thoughts I had were in my bed. Somehow someone had gotten me home and put me in my room.

My life was in a daze, slowly spiraling down again as depression gained on me.

+++++++++++++++

Judith was sitting in her office. She was on the 20th floor of a newly renovated high rise. This building was the current location to have your office is you were "anybody." She was somebody now. She had worked hard and was now a senior partner in her law firm.

She was looking out the window at the snow and dark clouds. She hated winter and was looking forward to her vacation trip to Beliese.

Her secretary opened her door and asked, "Would you like to speak to a Todd and Jenny Holmes? They claim to be the children of your ex-husband. They are young but very concerned."

She picked up her phone and pressed the blinking light.

She was greeted by what were the voices of a couple of teenagers. They asked, "Are you the ex-wife of Detective Percy Holmes. Sometimes called 'Sherlock'?"

"Sherlock" boy he hated being called that. As she confirmed her identity, she remembered Percy fondly.

For the next hour she was bombarded by information by the kids and requests for her help.

Under the constant barrage, she agreed.

As she hung up the phone, she wondered if Percy was still go in bed.

+++++++++++

Time passed, I don't know how much. I just alternated between the chair in the den and the kitchen for another glass full of something to drink. I can remember the people trying to help me, but I just sunk lower and lower.

"What the hell are you doing to yourself, you asshole? "I heard.

While I tried to remember the voice, I heard, "Get your ass out of that chair, Percy. I'm going to get you in the shower. You stink."

Then I recognized the voice coming out of the fog. It was my ex-wife Judith, the big time attorney.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, "You divorced me and moved to Boston to join some big law firm."

"Can't you leave along to die in peace?" I begged.

"Your son, Todd, somehow figured out who I was and with the help of a Jenny called me," she roared back.

"So get out of that chair and into the shower," she ordered. "I've got to get you cleaned up before I call the house cleaning service and get them started on this pig pen."

She dragged me by the arm out of the chair and into the master bath. She started tearing my clothes off ignoring my protests. "You haven't got anything I haven't seen before," She reminded me, "Remember we were married once, and I wasn't that impressed by your equipment then."

Oh yeah! I remembered her now! She was a real bitch with a mouth to match. She shoved me in the shower and turned on the water. I yelled! She hadn't waited for the warm water to reach the shower.

By the time the water reached a comfortable temperature, she was in the shower with me washing my hair with her clothes still on. She was being very careful not to get sprayed.

"Don't get any ideas, buster, I just didn't want to get my outfit wet. This is a $2,000 suit and a $300.00 hair styling."

Whoever built this shower enclosure put a state of the art spray system in it. A person could pick which direction the spray would come from, front, back, side to side, top, and even up out of the floor. Judith had it set like a normal shower, the water coming out of the front spray head. She was still bitching at me as she washed my head.

Honest I don't know how it happened, but my hand "accidently" pushed the "All On" button for the shower. In 30 seconds my ex went from a reasonably dry individual to looking like a drowned rat.

She was spitting mad, and I was laughing my ass off. Her hair was a wreck, her makeup was running all down her face, and her clothes were ruined. She looked at me ready to kill and then looked at herself and started laughing too.

"Percy you're an idiot, but I've missed you," was her answer and she started kissing me. Somehow she ended up as naked as I was and we washed each other. Some of her parts got really clean.

As much as I wanted to, she said "No." We got dried off and dressed.

She took me into town to one of those damn hair salons. I wanted to stop at a barber shop, but that was not in her plans. I got the full treatment, hair styling, shave, manicure, pedicure, and worst of all a wax (damn that hurt!).

But it was fun. We behaved like we used to do when we were first married. It took my mind off Maria.

Later that night we were sitting in front of the gas fireplace sipping brandy that Judith had found in the cabinet, "Would you like to talk about it?" was all she asked.

We sat there all night and talked. Well actually, I talked and she listened. As the sun was coming up, she said, "You really loved her, didn't you? Too bad you and I never got that far."

We curled up in each other's arms on the sofa and slept almost all day. That night we went out to dinner. Not anyplace fancy like she was used to, but a low class greasy spoon with great cooking.

We ate like pigs laughing and joking the evening away.

We stopped at the drug store and bought some antacids for later.

We slept together that night. No, we didn't have sex, we just cuddled. It was the best night's sleep I had since the shooting. I still missed Maria, but holding Judith helped ease the pain in my heart.

Later in the week we started making love. It took almost another week before I stopped calling her Maria in the heat of passion.

+++++++++++++

I enjoyed my time with Percy. When I first walked into the house and saw him sitting in his chair almost tore my heart out. When I divorced him, I left a strong self assured man. When I returned last week, I saw just a shell of that man.

My heart went out to him.

I held a quick conference with the kids and they both greed to stay with friends while I worked on their father.

After getting settled in, I bullied Percy into taking a shower and cleaning up. As I undressed him, I began to think that I might have bitten off more that I could chew.

I remember getting in the shower with him because he was just standing there. I still had all my clothes on when I kicked off my shoes and started washing him. I was bitching him out while trying to stay dry when it happened. The god damn water was coming from everywhere. I was soaked and really mad.

I was still trying to get the water and my hair out of my eyes when I heard him laughing. A quick glance reveled that Percy was laughing at me. I was about to kill him, but that damn laugh was infective and I soon found myself joining him.

I peeled off the wet clothes and we started washing each other.

No we didn't have sex right away. It took about 4 days before I gave in. I discovered that Percy could still ring my chimes. Helping him regain his humanity definitely had its benefits. The only downside was that at the height of passion he was calling me, Maria.

It took another week before he was calling my name.

The last night, I knew that I could fall back in love with him. Actually I wondered if I ever got over him from when we were married. I knew I had to go back to my life in Boston.

The next morning I started packing.

++++++++

One morning I woke to find her packing her suitcase. "You've healed as much as I can help you to. It's time for me to go back to Boston and continue my life."

I pleaded with her, I cried real tears, but in the end, I drove her to the airport for her flight.

"Percy, call me if you ever need to talk, but remember I'll never replace Maria and I don't want to try, "was her parting statement.

As I watched her walk through the TSA check point, I had a lump in my throat, but I realized she was right. That night I phoned Todd and Jenny and thanked them for finding Judith for me and asking them to come home.

++++++++

Todd was finished with high school and Jenny was finishing her last semester before graduating. I was alone in a big house with a lot of memories. I made the decision to follow my dream and open a hunting/fishing camp. I took a local real estate agent to lunch and explained my wants and desires. He agreed to start looking.

That's how I found myself in northern Vermont standing in front of a boarded up camp. It had a huge main house and 8 small cabins. It needed a lot of work, but it was back in the woods and had a small lake that was perfect for fishing. It just needed a little TLC to bring it back to life. Well I had the time, the money, and the desire to bring it back. All I needed was the help of a few good contractors and the locals were always looking for extra work.

I bought the place.

+++++++++

It took a long time to renovate the lodge. Well maybe not as long as it seemed, but finally it was completed. I hired a mover and took all the stuff from my house in the city up to Vermont. Jenny and Todd helped with their stuff.

It was a sad time when I stood looking at the empty old house and remembering all the good times I spent there with the kids. I remember the first and only Christmas Maria had together there. I got that lump in my throat again.

I locked up and dropped the keys off with the realtor as I drove out of the city. I was on my way to starting my new life.

I was no longer a cop, just a regular retired guy.

I spent the winter at the camp mostly alone. Todd and Jenny were away at school and I only had the construction workers who were renovation the out buildings and guest cabins. I'll admit I was lonely, but I kept busy.

My first job was to find hunting and fishing guides who knew the area and could produce results. I did that by hanging around the locals and making friends. I ate three meals a day in the local dinner. I spent more than one night at a local watering hole. Pretty soon I was known as an ok guy. Then I worked at hiring.

Some of the locals helped me learn the woods by walking or snowmobiling around the area. They took me to what they considered the "best" spots to hunt game. Some of the other guys took me out on the frozen lake and pointed out all the fishing holes.

By time spring rolled around, I had hired a small cooking/wait and housekeeping staff for the lodge. I had promises from some of the locals to guide for me. I had hired a couple of teenage boys to run my little marina.

I was already to go except I didn't have any customers. I blitzed all the hunting and fishing publications with full page ads proclaiming my camp. I advertised in some travel mags offering summer vacations.

Something must have worked because we started getting customers. It was a trickle at first, but it grew. After fall hunting season we slowed down to nothing.

One of my employees suggested winter sports like snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and ice skating.

I advertised again and we got some takers.

By the time we were open for a year we were a year round operation.

Jenney graduated from college and came north to help. She was a business major and really helped out. Todd was still in college but spent every break helping us. I noticed that Dean Begy, the young patrol deputy who adored Jenny also spent a lot of his four day weekends with us.

One day while out fishing with me, he asked if he could marry Jenny. I gave him the prerequisite hard time until he noticed that I was smiling. I wished him the best and welcomed him to my little family.

I'm not sure when he asked Jenny but suddenly she was all over me, showering me with hugs and thanking me, and telling me I was the best Dad in the world.

I guess giving my permission was what she wanted.

We blocked off a week of reservations and had the wedding at the lodge. None of us had large families so it was mostly the locals who came. Everybody brought a dish to pass and a good time was had by all.

You know that old expression about not losing a daughter but gaining a son? Well in my case it was true. Dean quit his job and moved up here. He was hired by the Sheriff's Department and put on road patrol.

Judith came up for the wedding and stayed a couple of days. She knew the Jenny and Dean from the time she helped me with my recovery from Maria's death.

She was happy to see them wed. Judith gave me a hard time while she was there.

When she left, I missed her. She was a "pain in the ass", but at one time she was my "pain-in- the ass".

++++++++++

Jermaine hid in the darkness, he was upset because he had to travel to another part of the country. He liked the Southwest. There were lots of illegal aliens to prey on. He was able to capture and kill whole families and not need to worry about them being missed. Most didn't belong here. He loved destroying their hopes and dreams of a new life in a new country.

He became a great hunter of them. He enjoyed capturing and then cutting them up. He kept them alive as long as possible. One time he staked a family out for the animals to eat.

He enjoyed that.

He waited until all the lights went out in an isolated farm house. These people were good, hard working, church going individuals. He had watched their routines for about a week, hiding in some nearby woods. Tonight he was going to kill them. He felt a hardness start to form in his pants. Tonight would be a good night.

After he was done enjoying himself, he'd take their old car and use it to travel to another part of the country. "Vermont, "he thought, "That would be a nice place to visit. Lots of hunters in the woods soon." He would enjoy good hunting.

He remembered a small hunting/fishing camp that he had gone to as a kid. Maybe it was still there.

+++++++

Percy was wandering around the lodge looking for something to do. Jenny had the business processes of the lodge completely under control, the kitchen and wait staffs were functioning at their usual high level of efficiency, the guides were doing their thing, and I had nothing to do. I was bored. This retirement thing was getting old. I decided to take myself into town and see what gossip was being spread around at the local diner.

I hopped in my Xterra and headed for gossip central and some pancakes and coffee.

I slowly drove into town and walked into the diner and started to sit at the counter when I heard, "Hi ya Sherlock," It was a voice out of my past mocking me.

Luckily it was a friendly voice.

I looked around and spotted an old friend from the FBI. He was sitting with the Sheriff. The fed was in his usual suit and the Sheriff was looking shocked.

"Hi asshole! "I responded. I walked over and joined them. We did the usual greeting that old work friends do. A waitress took my order.

After she brought me some coffee I asked, "What are you doing here? You're in a suit so you're not on vacation, you're sitting with the Sheriff and he looks upset. I guess this isn't a social call."

He looked at me and asked, "Remember Jermaine Jones?"

I nodded in the affirmative.

"He's still alive and headed this way."

"Shit, "was the best I could reply. "Master" the serial killer was still around.

The fed explained about all the killings they could attribute to Master. The killings in the deserts of the Southwest and his latest killing of an elderly couple in Ohio and the finding of the couple's car in NY State's Adirondack mountains. Master's trail pointed directly toward this part of Vermont.

I started feeling sick to my stomach. I just made it to the men's room before I vomited. After splashing some cold water on my face I returned to the table. The three of us spent the next two hours discussing all our options. Our food never got touched. The Sheriff agreed to update the State boys. We needed all the help I could get.

That night I got my .50 cal Desert Eagle out of the gun safe and cleaned it. I felt that I would need it again before the year was out. Dean walked into my office and spotted me cleaning the gun. He took one look at the expressing on my face and asked, "He's back?"

I just nodded, "The feds think he's headed this way."

And then I explained my meeting at the diner.

Dean took a .44 mag out of the safe and started getting it ready. He had heard enough about Master from Jenny and I that he knew to arm himself. He loved Jenny and nothing would hurt her again.

He also got a small light handgun out for Jenny.

The next morning I called a meeting of all my guides. I explained about my meeting with the feds. I told the guides that from today on they worked in pairs. One guide helping out guests and the other watching for Master and his traps. I ordered them to carry heavy caliber rifles and large hand guns, and to keep them loaded.

I got a little flack from some of them until I explained what master was and how high his body count was.

They stopped complaining.

I don't know how they found out but two of my summer time waitresses who were from down state were picked up by their parents before the week was out. I walked out to their rides to give them their final checks and could see the fear in their eyes. I reached in my wallet and gave each of the girls an extra $200.

It was a nice gesture but it still left me shorthanded. I got on the phone and explained about my waitress shortage to my townie friends and they agreed to put some help wanted signs in their windows. I also asked the local weekly newspaper to run a help wanted ad. I hoped I could get some results quickly.

A week went by and I finally had a response to my ads. A young woman about 30 years old asked for an application. She was attractive, polite and looked a little familiar. No I know I didn't know her, but she reminded me of someone. Oh well I guess after almost 30 years as a cop everybody looks a little familiar.

I took her into the dining room and was explaining how we do things when I heard a loud crash from across the room. Everybody turned and looked. My son Todd had dropped a tray of food. He was pointing at our new waitress and started hollering "Tara! It's me Todd and that's Dad next to you."

I caught her just before she hit the floor. She'd fainted.

+++++++++

Tara was out of work and almost out of money. She was down to her last $40.00 and half of that would need to be put in her gas tank. She was in a small town in northern Vermont and employment prospects didn't look good.

When she stopped at the town's only traffic light, she noticed a "Help Wanted" sign in a window.

"What the heck, I might as well stop and see what the job consisted of," she concluded.

Well that's how she found herself at a hunting lodge filling out a job application. In the prior experience box she listed waitress at a few of the diners she had worked at, Checkout clerk at a super market, and stock clerk at various stores.

"Not very impressive," she thought.

Well what did she expect from someone who had never finished high school.