C.: Hey, d.c. how fast can you run a mile?
d.: Well, when I ran my best marathon, I averaged a nine minute mile. Why do you ask?
C.: I did the workout you gave me. That was a tough brick! I road twenty miles on my electiric bicycle and then ran one mile! And I ran it twice as fast as you did.
d.: Well, you are a cat, and cats are fast, but a four-and one-half minute mile is fast for anyone.
C.: d.c. what’s nine times two?
d.: Eighteen, why?
C.: That’s how fast I ran my mile, in eighteen minutes. That’s twice as fast as you ran yours. Now, I’m exhausted. I’ll just read Chapter Three of THE MAGRUDER MYSTERIES MURDER 8: THE INERT INGREDIENT while I rest my tired bones.
CHAPTER THREE: THE DETECTIVE
Jay put his dumbbell down and looked at his bag phone in disbelief. He wanted to keep his athletic body in tip top shape, even after working twelve-hour shifts for twenty straight days. Why was his good friend from his hometown calling him on his only day off? What could possibly be so important as to disturb him during his only sabbatical from work in almost three weeks? What his friend had to say, though, disturbed Magruder more than the timing of the call.
***
In 1999, a bag phone would seem to be obsolete. Most people disdained the bulky, battery-operated mobile phones when lighter, more portable cell phones came into vogue. Still, third-grade detective James David Magruder was glad to have a way to communicate with those not in his immediate vicinity. Even after a promotion from the plain-clothes police division to detective third-class; the young cop couldn’t afford anything more than the bag phone his department supplied him with. That’s the impression he gave his friends and coworkers.
However, there was another reason why the detective chose this mode of communication: his provider wouldn’t let him keep the same number if he switched types of mobile phones. Magruder kept the bag phone with him at all times. Only he knew the reason why he did this, because he wouldn’t share it with anyone else. A landline was out of the question, though.
If he installed a landline in his spartanly decorated apartment, it would make him more easily located. That could lead to his ultimate and painful demise if the wrong people were able to find him. He wouldn’t be protected by his well-armed coworkers if he wasn’t working. It might also be detrimental to a young friend, one Jay felt wasn’t deserving of such a fate. After he moved across the sprawling metropolis of Houston, Texas, Magruder felt more confident that he wouldn’t be found because he’d made it harder to do so by those who meant to harm him and his young friend.
Magruder listened carefully to what his friend at the Harris County Morgue had to say. As he hung up his bag phone, he knew what he must do. He felt that he had no choice but to protect the truth about how the Houston Police Department’s most recent murder victim had died. So, Magruder put his nine-millimeter pistol in its holster and strapped it to his shoulder. After covering the handgun with a sports jacket, he drove his recently restored classic ‘64 and one-half Mustang to the Harris County Morgue. It was the only way he knew to protect the disturbing truth.
***
Jay was oblivious to the fact that he was conspicuous because his classic muscle car made him easy to follow. He didn’t notice the ancient green and gray step side pickup that was following him at a distance because his mind was on other things. The stalker knew better, though, than to get close enough to the detective that he could use his handgun. Jay Magruder was an expert marksman with a handgun and a rifle, according to the information the small man had been able to gather from one of Jay’s coworkers: Jay’s proficiency with a rifle and handgun, his usual haunts, and his most obvious perceived weaknesses, as well as the people he held closest.
Jay’s coworker had been “influenced” to share the information the same way the telephone technician had been influenced to change clothes with the small man. Murdering a cop, though, may have led to an investigation, so Taylor let the man go with a warning that he knew the cop’s, his wife’s, and his daughter’s daily routine. He recited the information accurately from memory to the cop, letting him know that Taylor knew exactly where his whole family would be at any given time. If the cop breathed a word of this to anyone, his whole family may mysteriously disappear, Taylor warned. The cop knew better than to cross a government official with hardened criminals in place to do his bidding, as well as legitimate law enforcement officials who were too scared not to comply with the small man’s orders.
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