Undercurrents

by Farmer847

They used to be able to talk things through. But a strange new undercurrent is causing friction in a once solid friendship. Add in a bizarre killer seeking out attractive men to hold hostage and kill on a weekly basis, sprinkle in some ill-natured media hype, add a dash of pressure from the brass, and our boys are about to have a recipe for disaster on their hands.

17. Chapter 17

With the cold wind and rain beating on his face as he turned around, Steve risked a brief glance across the crowd of gapers, immediately noting the man his Sergeant had pointed out hiding behind an older gray-haired woman in a red scarf.

With nothing but a row of shrubbery between them, he pretended to walk closer to their murder victim, take on a different angle. At the very last second, Steve picked out a thinned area of buxus bushes damaged by one too many dogs walking past and being allowed to pee on the exposed roots. Using the open gap, he quickly squeezed past the shrubbery and toward the surprised group on onlookers who took a step back in unison, trying to make room for him.

"Excuse me, if you could just remain right where you are…", he tried out of breath, his eyes frantically searching for the red scarf and their smelly suspect behind it.

It didn't take him long to locate the lady, but the rough looking man behind her was now a couple dozen feet down the sidewalk off to the west, sprinting in the other direction at a startling fast speed. Barking a command at the Sergeant to send the troops after him, Steve gave chase immediately, his maroon cowboy boots nearly slipping on the wet concrete of the newly built sidewalk.

"Police, stand down!", he yelled in vein and watched the short and stocky man turn south on Laguna, tripping over a lady and her stroller appearing from the other end.

Ensuring that the lady and her baby were alright, Steve sped up his pace despite the sketchy footing, slowly gaining on his suspect, but losing eye contact when he disappeared behind the Consulate building. Ignoring the confused sideways glances he received from the bystanders that had stopped in their tracks to watch the chase, Steve turned the corner, grateful to still see the man running, albeit even farther away from him now than when they started.

Speeding up once again, he could hear sirens approach from behind, signaling that a uni was coming to the rescue.

His suspect turned east again, almost as if to taunt him and circle an entire city block. Losing sight of the man as he disappeared behind the six-foot fence of the nearby condominium complex, Steve turned the corner at full speed, ready to finish this cat and mouse game, when everything went black.