Lonestar Crime

I looked around the lake shore, admiring the #viridity of the trees and grass. Today was my last day of freedom, for tomorrow I would be Special Agent Annie Thibodeau, FBI. "I thought I'd find you here," a female voice said and I turned to see my friend, Jaci Garcia. *** "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Came to find my new partner," she answered. "I'm not a police officer any more." She grinned. "Neither am I, but I am looking forward to our next #escapade." "You're not? What are you doing now?" "Same thing you are," she replied. *** I blinked. "You joined the Bureau too?" She nodded. "Hard to say no when the assistant director asks you personally." "Same here," I said, glancing back at the boat half submerged with one #scull floating alongside. "Come on, let's go. The memories are getting to me." *** "I know what you mean," Jaci said. "Shall

I came out to the lake once a week, sat on the edge, and stared. We'd recovered a lot of bodies during the case to stop Pandora's Children, a cult of serial killers, almost a year ago, but the rest had become #benthos, fodder for the bottom feeding life under the water. *** When we learned that the cult members had escaped, the captain tried to #constellate a task force, but the FBI took over, claiming that the killer cultists would cross state lines. Turns out they were right. Special Agents across the country are trying to track them down. *** I took a leave of absence to clear my head, but found myself trying to #ingurgitate as much as I could about cult culture, to learn the dynamics, and what drove them. The cult leader may have been dead, and her daughter in jail, but I knew someone would take over. *** I remembered one of the cultists had claimed the Indigenous term "Orenda" as a religion, and I almost thought about getting a #periapt to protect myself, but I d

"What about the rest of you?" I asked. They shook their heads. "Take them out to the "Why not?" I asked. "Dana told her you were coming," Aurora said, her behavior more #effervescent than before. "Hope was incensed and killed them all for letting you get that close. She sent everyone away hours ago. They're probably all over the country by now." "Shit." *** "We'd better call the captain," I said. "Have the CSIs go through this place with fine tooth comb. Collect everything." You don't really think that's going to be a #panacea, do you? What do you expect to find? Hope probably stripped this place before we had the warrant." *** "I'm not giving up. We'll find them," I said and then slapped my forehead. "Get Aurora back here. Now!" "What?" Jaci asked. "I'm going to have a #sapid talk with her. She knows more than she's letting on." "

"It's ready," Jaci said and held it up. "Let's go see the captain." Jaci knocked on the door and he beckoned us in. "You have it?" he asked. Jaci handed him the warrant. "That was a #longueur alright. Get Judge Silver. He's expecting you. The cavalry will be waiting." *** By the time we left Judge Silver's office, it was #gloaming. Twilight had fallen and we were on our way to the house of Pandora's Children, where we would shut down the serial killer cult once and for all. It would take months, years, to figure out where the bodies were. *** We'd already found hundreds in the #littoral, but what of all the other serial killers. Where did they bury their bodies? Capturing them all would be the easy part. The interrogations would be harder, but all the families deserved closure, and we would give it to them. *** We pulled up a few houses down and they had #hydrangea shrubs out front. A handy landmark if we needed it. Arraye

"The British people have funny words," Jaci muttered, tapping in the answer. "And FYI, I know exactly what to put in the warrant." "Well haven't you been a busy little #bee, multitasking. What are you going to put in the warrant?" "Credible threat of murder from a CI." *** "Do you think it'll work?" "Depends on the judge," Jaci said. "I think Judge #Silver is our best bet. He was helpful last time." "When we get back, you write up the warrant and I'll brief the captain. You'll have to get him to approve it anyway." "You think he will?" *** We got back to the precinct as two uniforms tried to wrestle one large guy into a cell. "Get off me. You're not putting me in the cell with that #queer." I pushed him up against the cell and said, "Next time I hear that word out of your mouth, I'll shoot you." "Bitch!" *** "That's assaulting an offic

Alcoholiday was the kind of club that my #mother would have frequented in her younger days. It was a place where one's inhibitions became exhibitions. We walked inside, and even this early in the evening we could see that there were already some questionable activities. *** There were private rooms where we couldn't see what was going on, but there was plenty on display in the booths, alcoves, and on tables. I saw a woman was providing oral sex to two men in one alcove, and a man giving a #petrissage among other things to a woman in another. *** We walked toward the stage where the band was setting up. Dana saw us, scowled, and angrily signed something. It was almost too fast for me to read. "What did she sign?" Jaci asked. "She called Sarah a #quisling." "I'm hardly a traitor," Sarah huffed. "I saw sense." *** "Maybe you should hang back," I said. "Hell no," responded and strode up to Dana. She signed, 'You

"Where's the club? What's it called?" Jaci asked. "It's on McCart. A basement club. It's called #Alcoholiday," Sarah answered. "I've heard of it. Cops are frequently called to deal with angry drunks or sexual assaults there." "Why am I not surprised," Jaci muttered. *** "Do you know what days she plays at the club?" I asked. Sarah shook her head. "You'd have to check with the club. I know the band is called #Ragpicker and the Bums. She's the lead guitarist." "That's an odd name for a band," Jaci replied. "Who's the lead singer?" *** "The lead singer is Dana Weals. She used to be known as #Rainwater," Sarah answered. "I have all of her albums," Jaci said. "I always wondered what happened to her. She just dropped off the face of the Earth." "Actually, she joined Pandora's Children. She got out too." *** "How did she get out?&