Rise of The Iron Eagle (The Iron Eagle Series Book 1) (34 page)

Evil and the Details

The Iron Eagle Series: Book Two

Prologue

S
teve Hoffman stood on the front porch of the home he shared with his wife, Molly, looking out over the lights of the San Fernando Valley. It was nearly three a.m., and he couldn’t sleep. It had been nearly two months, and there was no sign of his wife. The nightmares were relentless, and he had to drink himself into unconsciousness or wander the house as he was doing this morning. As he made a cup of coffee and sat staring at the clock, his cell phone rang. “Hoffman.” There were a few moments of silence before he told the caller he was en route. He was already dressed, so he locked up the house and set the alarm. He left a note on the kitchen table for Molly should she return in his absence. It had been there since the night she vanished.

Jim O’Brian was already on scene when Steve arrived and was pacing near the edge of Balboa Park with a cigarette in his hand, talking on his cell. He saw Steve making his way across the parking lot and hung up the phone, took a drag off the cigarette, and said, “I have to hand it to you, Steve, you’re one subtle son of a bitch.” Steve was looking at Jim with a blank look on his face. Jim pointed at Steve’s jacket. “FBI.. really…F…FUCKING…B…I? I mean, Steve, this is a homicide, and it’s in my jurisdiction. I called you for a damn consult. Thank you for advertising to the fuckin’ media over there.” Steve shrugged his shoulders and told him to get over it and asked, “What do we have?” Jim took a hit off the cigarette and started walking across the grass in the park to a yellow tarp on the edge of some bushes. He pointed at the tarp, and Steve leaned down and lifted the edge. Steve looked for a long time, shaking his head. “Who found the body?” Jim pointed to two patrol officers off in the distance. The two men walked over and Steve asked, “Which one of you found the body?” An older officer with a large beer belly and a bad attitude responded. “My partner and I are assigned to walk the park throughout the night. I found him a little past three.” “Did you see anyone in the area when you found him?” He shook his head. Jim asked if he touched anything. “I checked for a pulse before I realized his throat had been slit. I got some blood on my hands.” Jim shook his head and motioned to Steve, and they walked away.

Jim threw his hands in the air. “You know what this means? He contaminated the scene!” “He couldn’t have known when he found the body; he did what any one of us would have done.” Jim nodded and said, “Yea…well, if he’d used a goddamn flashlight he would have seen the fuckin’ blood!” Jim had just finished talking when the coroner’s van pulled up. They saw Jade Morgan jump out with her team and walk toward Jim and Steve with a smile on her face. “So…?” Jade asked. Jim said, “Male, between twelve and fifteen.” “Gang hit?” Jim shook his head. She walked over and spent about ten minutes with the body before walking back to Steve and Jim who were talking on a knoll. It was nearing five a.m. and the faint hint of sunlight began to brighten the horizon. Jade had a somber look on her face as she spoke. “Definitely not a gang killing. I won’t have an official time of death or preliminary cause until I get him on the table.” Jim crowed, “Oh fuck, Jade, the kid’s throat is slit from ear to fuckin’ ear; you know goddamn well what killed him.” She looked at Steve and asked how he was doing. He shrugged and asked for an immediate autopsy. She agreed and told them they would have more information in a day. She walked off and Jim said, “No sense in standing here with our cocks in our hands. You and I know we have a new serial killer on our hands.” Steve looked on as the sky brightened against the ominous rain clouds; a few sprinkles hit their faces. “So, why did you call me, Jim, if you don’t want the FBI’s help?” He was just getting ready to answer when they heard John Swenson’s voice calling to them as he approached the knoll. “This one is messy, Steve; this is the third kid in two weeks, all dumped in parks. It’s your case now. I’m officially turning it over to you and your telepathic sidekick,” Jim said as John approached.

“Another kid?” Jim nodded. “Is it the FBI’s case now?” Both Jim and Steve nodded. “Jade will have a preliminary report later in the day. John you go take a look at the scene and get our people out here to photograph and take control. We’ll meet back at the office later this morning.” John nodded and walked up toward the yellow tarp. Jim took a cigarette out of his top left pocket, lit it, and said, “I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a hell of a day, Steve, a hell of a day.”

Howard Cohen had just finished breakfast and was getting ready to leave his apartment for his office when his phone rang. He answered it and stood silent listening. He hung up the phone and walked out of the apartment and took the elevator to the basement parking structure. He walked around the corner into a dimly lit corridor when he heard a quiet female voice say, “Thank you for coming down, Howard.” He turned to see Molly Hoffman standing alone in half darkness. The only sound that could be heard as they looked at each other was the sound of the rain pounding the street outside the building.

About the Author

Roy A Teel Jr. is the author of several books, both nonfiction and fiction. He became disabled due to Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in 2011 and lives in Lake Arrowhead, CA with his wife, Tracy, their tabby cat, Oscar, and their Springer Spaniel, Sandy.