Author: Lex
Title: Trenton Murder Mystery
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Notes: Joe, Stephanie and Tank track a serial killer. Most of this story was written in late 2002.
Trenton Murder Mystery
Chapter 1:
Mitchie Morelli leaned back on the barstool and stretched her back before taking another sip of beer. It felt like she'd been sitting for hours. This was her bachelorette party and she realized that she should be happy but it felt like a wake. She remembered Jerry's words to her as she'd waited for her best friend and cousin, Roxie, to pick her up. He'd been watching something on television. She couldn't even remember what now.
"Are you coming home tonight, Michelle?" he asked. He was the only one who called her Michelle, all of her friends called her Mitchie but Jerry felt that the name was undignified. "Who says you have to be dignified?" Roxie had asked when she'd told her. Jerry says I have to be, Mitchie thought. She gotten used to not saying things just because they crossed her mind.
"No," she'd said smiling. "I'm gonna stay with Roxie. You can't see me before the wedding, remember."
"You be careful," Jerry had advised. "I don't trust Roxie to take care of you. After we're married we're going to have to have a talk about her." Mitchie knew what "talk" meant. This could well be her last night with Roxie. She'd sighed heavily and Jerry had shot her a look.
"Remember, Michelle. No one loves you like I do." No one loves her like he does and no one ever will. She thought. She took another sip of her beer. If only she'd said something sooner she wouldn't have to go through with this now. She was trapped. The wedding was tomorrow. There were refunds that would not be refunded if she canceled. Her mother would be so disappointed and might never forgive her. This was how men were, she thought, and at least he loved her. Mitchie's attention was diverted when Roxie stumbled drunkenly onto the barstool next to her.
"Oh my god, Mitchie, I can't believe that you're actually going through with this!" Roxie squealed hugging her best friend. Mitchie had watched Roxie's predictable move from one beer and dirty dancing with the masked stripper to alcohol soaked memories of the teen years that made them both cry. Her last night as a free woman, someone had said. Live it up.
Mitchie had never been the kind of person to live it up but she had tried her best and, in the end, she'd had fun. She'd been raised in a good Catholic home with her stable Burg family. She had never been impulsive about anything in her life and though she was about to embark on the next chapter in her adventure she ached to see the world and run through fields with no shoes on. Jerry would never approve of going outside without shoes. "You'd pick something up," he would say. Mitchie wondered briefly if maybe she shouldn't find a field before walking down the aisle and giving her whole life to Jerry. The realization that she would probably never make another decision for herself, no matter how minor flashed through her mind. She turned her attention to Roxie and pasted a smile on her face.
"I thought that you liked Jerry," Mitchie said teasingly knowing that Roxie couldn't stand him. "And here you are trying to talk me out of marrying him. You really wanted to win that bet bad, didn't you? You're gonna pay up, kid." Mitchie stabbed her finger in the air at Roxie. She watched as Roxie's expression changed from tears to laughter as she remembered the bet that they'd made that Roxie would marry first.
"We'd better work hard at remember how much the bet was for." Roxie said laughing. "It's gonna be different, Mitchie," she said sobering. "It's not gonna be the same with us." She started to cry again. Mitchie almost joined in the self pity. If only Roxie knew how different, she thought sympathetically.
"What's going on here?" Mitchie turned to see her Uncle Joe's, wife approaching them. Stephanie Morelli jangled the bowl filled with keys that she was carrying. "You girls need to lighten up. Marriage is not the end of the world. It's just the end of your sex life." Mitchie laughed hollowly. If only her aunt knew. Death would be no change. Roxie's eyes widened.
"Kidding," Stephanie said. She handed the bowl to Mitchie. "I've arranged for rides for everyone with some friends of mine. They're big and bad ex-Army guys so they're double teaming in the cars for their own protection. Can't have them manhandled by a bunch of drunk women. I didn't do any car assignments you can just stumble out to whatever car you want. They're all black Broncos. Boring but reliable." Stephanie hugged Mitchie and Mitchie's eyes filled with tears. She felt as though she'd been crying all night.
"I really appreciate..." she paused. "Everything, Steph. I owe you a lot."
"Nothing a decent aunt wouldn't do," Steph said. "Not that I'm old enough to be your aunt." She hugged Mitchie again. "It's going to be great, Mitch." She sighed heavily in Stephanie's arms. Stephanie pushed her back so that she could see her face.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"It's nothing, Steph, really. Cold feet," she explained smiling half heartedly. Stephanie cupped her chin in her hand.
"You just remember, Mitch, if this is not what you want you can back out. No one would hold it against you," Stephanie stared into Mitchie's eyes but the uncertainty remained. If only Steph knew how many people would hold it against her.
"Thanks, Steph. No, this is what I want. I'll be there tomorrow. Look for me. I'll bet he one in white." Stephanie smiled broadly.
"Do you want me to grab someone to drive the two of you home? You're staying with Roxie, right?" Stephanie asked. Mitchie shook her head.
"Thanks, Steph, but I think I'll walk. It's not far and this was nice but I kind of have a headache and I'd like to clear my head and hear myself think." Steph nodded understandingly.
"You do what you have to do," she said meaningfully.
"I will," Mitchie hugged her again. She looked around for Roxie to let her know that she was walking but Roxie had wandered off. She shrugged and grabbed her purse. Roxie was too drunk to worry about what had happened to her friend and would probably collapse the minute she got home. Mitchie smiled as she saw a well built man lift her Aunt Steph's Grandma into one of the Broncos. She shook her head and laughed. The table dancing must have worn Grandma Mazur out. Maybe it was running around asking the waiters about their packages that had done it. Whatever it was, Grandma Mazur was out for the count. She'd have to tell Roxie if she was awake when she got home. She knew that Roxie would think that Grandma Mazur was playing passed out so that she could be carried by a hot guy. Who could blame her.
Mitchie followed the street until it came to the corner of McCoy, Roxie's street. Roxie lived in an apartment building halfway up the street. Mitchie turned and thought she saw something move in a alley next to Pinos. Rats. Trenton was full of them. She'd heard stories about rats in the kitchen in Pinos but she chose to believe that a kitchen that could put out food that breathtakingly wonderful probably looked like heaven on earth with fountains and white geese and works of art hanging free on non existent walls. Nothing short of their own Pied Piper would make the damn things go away and Mitchie had a phobia. She made her way over as far as she could to walk on the curb. No rats were going to get near her. She kept her eyes straight ahead not daring the look down the alley as she passed it.
She heard a swift movement behind her and started to move faster when she was pulled back. The movement was quick and efficient and gave her no room to scream. By the time she might have recovered enough to shout for help it was impossible. Her head had been removed cleanly in one knife stroke from her body. Her assailant dropped something on the body and then melted into the darkness.