****Click here for previous installment of Vivid Black –> Not Sorry
The door was closed to Ray’s office. Henry, seated in the leather sofa matched the sunken, saggy, sad form. They discussed Cliff Lewis’ interview and it was tense and disheartening. Those bits of information put a clear-cut suspect in their radar.
Heavyhearted, Henry pondered, “Can you remember the moment? God, he was barely out of the Academy. Devastated. Dealt a big plate of crap. Didn’t think he’d get over it.”
Outraged, Ray responded bitterly.
“Did you forget that time? He laid Schweitzer out? Devastated is no excuse, and he got over it way to fast.”
“I know. He’s my partner.”
In my “busy-ness” I didn’t write last week. LeeRoy’s song choice for 100 Word Song this week has my brain racing with the potential. Lance made a great choice letting his robot alter-ego do the choosing. Indie Rock Band Free Energy’s song “Free Energy” is really. good.
I’m back with Vivid Black and there’s a lot of stress with Ray and Henry as they got a devastating lead from Cliff Lewis.
To read the entire Vivid Black series so far, Click HERE.
****Click here for previous installment of Vivid Black –> The Darkside
Without a doubt, Cliff Lewis was a tweeker. He constantly scratched and dug. It made Henry and Ray, crawly skinned, prickly and itchy. Lewis had an old injury and couldn’t stab with brutal cruelty like The Zombie Reaper.
Cliff tore at himself, and shared details they didn’t have. He did touch the victims, and saw and heard the killer from behind. Black leather jacket. Black boots and bloused pants.
“Um, he muttered. Cussed. Kept sayin’ stuff like ‘Why him?’ and…well, can I cuss?” Is it misbehavin’ if I cuss?”
Jaw clenching, Ray glared.
“Well, uh he kept droppin’ f-bombs.”
Today’s installment of Vivid Black is brought to you by the word “misbehavin'” as prompted by Velvet Verbosity’s 100 Word prompt. It’s a blog hop so click the picture over there on the left to go check out some of the other entries.
Of course, if you are going to bring up the word “misbehavin'” the song “Ain’t Misbehavin'” comes straight to mind, so enjoy a little Billie Holiday singing like only Billie could.
To read the entire Vivid Black series so far, Click HERE.
****Click here for previous installment of Vivid Black –> Knock Knock
With a stack of papers tucked in a folder, Henry escaped Max’s apartment frustrated and angry. Max acted clueless, stupid but Henry knew better. It drove him crazy, but he had what he needed.
~~~~
Another spray of paper covered the work table. This time Henry and Ray poured over Zombie Challenge lists and looked for anyone who competed in all of them. They found 27 names.
“Well this was a brilliant mistake. Damn. That’s a lot of legwork boss.”
Ray smirked, “Let’s toss it to the tech nerds. They can whittle it down,” glanced sideways, “Then we’ll get some exercise.”
LeeRoy and Lance picked Linda at Mod Mom Beyond IndieDom to choose this weeks song and she chose “Brilliant Mistake” by Elvis Costello. I wrote another installment of Vivid Black using the song title as inspiration.
To read the entire Vivid Black series so far, Click HERE.
****Click here for previous installment of Vivid Black –> The Results
Ray looked up and spun his hand, indicating Henry should come in. Henry swept up the paperwork and crossed the squadroom. When he entered the office he thrust the papers onto the desk, jabbed the results and firmly asserted,
“He works in mining. Mine equipment repair. See? Coal and lube. I’ll get Max to give me the names of the Gauntlet players. If he wants to give me crap, I’ll get a warrant. I won’t back down.”
A shadowed smile and a nod changed him. Ray wore a look of steely determination.
“Get it done Henry. Find this guy. Now.”
This weeks 100 Word Song for Lance and LeeRoy was chosen by yours truly. Selfishly, to move the story along, I chose Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” and we go back to Vivid Black.
To read the entire Vivid Black series so far, Click HERE.
Ray left Leta to primp for the New Years Eve Party at St. Stevens. His wife’s rolls were a fought for item at the Silent Dessert Auction. He carefully wrapped the gooey rolls, washed his sticky fingers and gulped the last of his coffee to wash down the coveted treat.
He reached for his jacket and his work cell rang, dancing across the table. Aggravated, he grabbed it, flipped it open and snapped “What is it?”
The song robot LeeRoy and Lance at My Blog Can Beat Up Your Blog chose one of my all time favorite songs for this weeks 100 Word Song. Landslide was written by Stevie Nicks and originally performed by Fleetwood Mac, so it’s in my song catalog. I found this cover of the song by Bush. The song is famous for Stevie’s rasp but Gavin Rossdale does it beautiful and, well, I love Gavin Rossdale. 😀
Two weeks sped ahead senselessly yet somehow dragged out painfully. Ray was back in Investigations and there were no leads in the Zombie Murders and Sarah Jane’s death felt more senseless. He had to seek separation from his personal connection and allow his team to work the case. He knew he had to use his head alongside his heart. His pain motivated him to keep pushing the detectives.
Henry knocked on the jam and entered nervously.
“Hey boss. I’m so sorry. We’re stuck.”
“Henry, for now, I know my ground and I will wait for you, the team. We’ll win.”
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This week Lance and his robot friend LeeRoy had Kelly aka @nkdgirlinadress pick the song for the 100 Word Song. She chose Mumford and Son’s “I Will Wait”. Love the band and this song is amazing with so much to work with. Lifted several bits of lyric and wove it into my 100 words and Vivid Black gets another chapter.
His remarks struck a momentary silence. Quickly mutters and low chatter buzzed through the crowd while the council nervously whispered behind hands as the pitch rose.
Above the mounting rumble, voices called, “Fight with you!” “You’re the crazy one Ray!” and more.
Dejected, Ray appealed to the Mayor with a silent look. Ben waved him to the bench.
“It’s one of a million pieces Ray. When you’re gone, we’ll come around.”
“I don’t know Ben. I don’t know.”
He turned, completing the circle and slowly walked out amid confused support and condemnation, silently praying common sense would overcome the absurdity.
~*~*~*~*~*~
This post that happens immediately follow Ray’s confrontation with the city and council and the inspiration came from LeeRoy’s 100 Word Song. Lance let his sweet daughter choose the song and she chose “Come Around” by Counting Crows. Great choice too.
The chambers door swung shut like an old west saloon door. Ray felt like the Town Marshall getting ready to face the outlaw gunslinger. He wasn’t sure he would win the fight but the terror that ruled the town had to be drained. Townspeople wanted safety and order where none existed while the case remained unsolved.
A group crafted a special curfew and called it the Sarah Jane Rule to gain his support. It assigned excessive, radical, restrictions and had a remarkable number of supporters. Normally a town has curfew laws requiring teens be off the streets at a set time. Ray considered the so called “rule” that required everyone without a waiver be off the streets by 11:00 p.m., ridiculous.
Sarah Jane made the case fantastically personal for Ray, so he was determined his grief and pain, wouldn’t make him want to impart control that would limit what people could do and feed into their fear. He went through the door into the Equality City Council chamber where the angry beehive of a panicked community converged and gathered fear, hate and power.
Mayor Ben Johnson glanced up from the layers of paper meant to escort the collective to resolutions and conclusions as Ray walked in.
“Lieutenant Ray Jacoby. Thanks for joining us.”
“Mayor.”
“We’ve about talked this thing to death Ray. Anything you have to say?”
Ray stopped in front of the council, parted his sport coat; his right hand went to his hip and his left lounged habitually over his 45 caliber Glock 21. Head tipped and a sardonic grin marred his good looks as he fervently confronted them.
“Are you people crazy? This is America. Equality, Wyoming America. We don’t hide behind a crazy curfew claiming it’s going to take away the terror. Leta and I aren’t hiding behind closed doors peeking out the drapes looking for the bogeyman. We’re gonna stand up and fight.”
He turned, pointed at the crowd,
“What are you gonna do?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I wrote this chapter of Vivid Black with the help of the prompt at Trifecta. They give us one word which we use the 3rd definition as inspiration. The response must be between 33 and 333 words.
RADICAL (adjective)
3rd Definition:
a: very different from the usual or traditional : extreme
b: favoring extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions
c: associated with political views, practices, and policies of extreme changed: advocating extreme measures to retain or restore a political state of affairs <the radical right>
****You can find the previous chapter of Vivid Black here.
Ray stepped into the garden of St. Therese Monastery and quietly wandered toward Leta who stood amid a carpet of flowers. Gently he slid his hand into hers and she calmly returned the grasp of his familiar hand. She turned to look into a his anguished face, crushed with grief.
“Leta. Sarah Jane.” was all he managed.
Gently she enfolded his shaking form into her own, and softly stroked his hair. They both wept.
He slid his hands up, held her face and tenderly kissed her forehead.
“Baby, she didn’t listen. She went out anyway and, and she’s gone.”
She tipped her head back to look in his eyes, pursed her lips, inhaled deeply and as the breath left her, her shoulders relaxed and her face smoothed into serenity.
“Ray, I knew—”
“But how? Brother John Mary said—“
“No. Not like that. I knew. Something just poured out of me and I knew Sarah Jane was gone. She has been so out of control, so defiant and it’s not your fault. Ray? Do you hear me? It’s not your fault.”
The stress and worry of the past day had no where else to go and his shoulders went slack as he collapsed onto the bench next to them. Leaning his head over the back, he let out the breath he’d been holding since he got the call from Waters. Smiling, Leta looked down at him and touched his cheek. Her serene heart and devoted soul, reminded him that her heartbeat was the other half his.
She took his hands and tugged until he stood. His arm around her waist, their hands joined in front, their love and grief carried them to the Abbot’s office where Leta would leave word of her departure.
Tomorrow would be another day, another test. Tomorrow they would learned how to live with the empty ache. Today Ray needed Leta’s heartbeat and Leta needed Ray’s courage to solve the injustice, to find the monster who killed their daughter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Music and how it fills the space in my world has been on my mind a great deal thanks in large part to Lance at “My Blog Can Beat Up Your Blog” and his 100 Word Song prompts. I AM a musician, and have a ridiculous collection of CD’s and my iTunes library loaded with more music than will fit on my iPod. Consequently, and a good consequence I think, when I write, if a song isn’t running through my head already, I finish and then starting spinning through the jukebox in my brain for a song to go with the post.
Fix You by Coldplay came quickly when I finished this piece. It fits the emotion and the need between Ray and Leta.
~~~~
Trifecta is responsible for inspiring this post with their prompt this week. They give us one word and these instructions:
Your prompt this week is the third definition of:
HEART (noun) — 3: personality, disposition ;
Your response must be between 33 and 333 words.
You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post.
The word itself needs to be included in your response.
You may not use a variation of the word; it needs to be exactly as stated above.
He dropped his bags next to the sink, ran cold water, and splashed the heat behind his eyes. Dripping, he saw his reflection peering back at him. He was surprised, by the stranger he’d never seen before.
I’m not evil. I know I disregard the danger. It’s the job. I often drown in good intention. Hell, what did I do wrong?
Outraged he tore at the paper hanging from the dispenser, getting nothing. Exasperated he grabbed, yanked over and over, pulling feet of paper free. Angrily he wadding the paper, scrubbed his face and threw the towel across the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lance and LeeRoy the WordSong Robot let me do the song choice this week for 100 Word Song. I went to my musical roots and picked “The Stranger” by one of my all time favorite artists Billy Joel’s. The song fits nicely with where the story is right now.
In my “busy-ness” I didn’t write last week. LeeRoy’s song choice for 100 Word Song this week has my brain racing with the potential. Lance made a great choice letting his robot alter-ego do the choosing. Indie Rock Band Free Energy’s song “Free Energy” is really. good. 
Day In and Day Out 