The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

February

"And you say this is where the fire started?" Roy Brickman observed as he stood and studied the burned top of Linus' bureau.

The man scaled his right hand against the scarred wood grain while trying to figure out inside his own head just what sort of incident could have taken place inside his friend's apartment.

"Yep, that's it." Linus, still wearing his sling around his left arm, and clothed in a pair of blue jeans and a sweater came back into the living room with two unopened cans of Lowenbrau in hand.

Roy took the beer and popped open the cap. Linus responded in kind before leaning against his recliner and sipping ever so slowly. Roy took a couple of drags before strolling about the small apartment. "I know you quit smoking years ago, but do you think perhaps you may have left a lighter on the dresser by accident?"

Turning around with a haughty grin, Linus replied, "Roy, it was the fur, plain and simple."

Roy quit walking and faced Linus. "You say fur, but I just don't see fur igniting into flames."

"Yeah, isn't that funny?" Linus callously remarked before sitting himself down in his recliner.

Roy sat himself down on the couch adjacent from Linus and sipped some more on his beer. For a while both men just sat and brooded in complete silence. The fizz from the beer inside the individual cans was the only sounds that were being made. That, along with frequent sighing every so often.

Roy sat and studied Linus who refused to make eye contact with his Captain. He would just sit and caress the tip of his can while his blank eyes were steadily fixated on the dingy carpet. Roy was staring at Linus Bruin, but it was a completely different version of the man; a version that made no sense whatsoever. He could have used and thought of every cliché imaginable to describe the man, from 'empty shell' to 'soulless', but something was terribly amiss with Linus, and Roy felt completely helpless.

"Shirley wanted me to give you her best." Roy suddenly spoke up.

Grinning somewhat, Linus replied in a melancholy mood, "Bless her heart. I actually yelled at her the other day inside Cummins' house. I meant to apologize to her for that."

"Well, you know her; she tends to look the other way in such matters."

"Yeah...yeah she does." Linus drifted away.

Roy watched the man trail off once more before he sat back in his seat and cantankerously grunted, "You know, this is bullshit."

Linus abruptly awoke and asked, "How's that?"

Placing his can down onto the table next to him, Roy firmly stated, "I didn't come over here to sit and listen to the winter wind blow. You and I need to get this out in the open right now."

Linus sat his can down onto the floor before rubbing his broken arm and rolling his eyes. The man kept trying to evade Roy's eyes, but no matter what, Roy was just as persistent.

"Now, you may have dodged O'Dea, but I need to know what exactly happened so we can put an end to this nightmare once and for all." Roy nearly shot up from out of his seat. "I was thinking about calling in a few favors, just like the last time, but unless you give me something tangible to work with involving this incident then my efforts won't be worth a damn."

Linus sat and rubbed his hands together as though they were agitating him. "Do you know that it took hours for me to finally get that man's blood off of my hands and nails? He muttered.

Roy was caught off guard momentarily, as if he too were mesmerized with Linus' hands. "What exactly did O'Dea say to you?"

Sighing, Linus responded, "Do you recall last year when—

"Nope, nope," Roy cut right in. "We're not playing 'Time Machine' here. You're going to face a grand jury!" He raised his voice. "A grand jury that is only going to see you as the bad guy! I need to know what happened inside that house, and I need to know right now!"

"Roy—

"Forget about it, Linus!" Roy got up and began walking back and forth across the carpet. "Why can't you just come right out and say what went on?"

"Because I'm not going to my grave with everyone thinking that I've lost my mind." Linus simply blurted out."

down at Linus. His reaction to the man's words would have suggested that the wind had

the hell is that

lives that...that we hoped to God we'd never

about that Charles Manson, bigamist cult

know what happened inside that house, and why I had to put that man down? Then here it

prelude to what,"

something. But deep down, I never wanted to admit it out loud. Even on my way over to apprehend Mercer that night I felt it. I can't tell you how many times I wanted

his ill-fated story. Something wanted him to keep on telling his tale, while something else inside of him wanted to walk out

wanted to just sit there inside that car, but I kept on going. I kept on going up the

all, there was not a single pause or stutter in his speech. But when Linus just suddenly stopped, that was when Roy found it difficult to keep his own body from trembling. Linus was at

remember holding that woman's bloody body in arms. God,

skipping a

Don't even blame Isaac Mercer. That poor, ungodly kid." Linus' voice softened. "I remember his father walking in and holding his dead child in his hands. That poor,

made him so wretched, Linus? After

for almost

pacing all over again. "All I'm hearing from you is what you remember about a guy that nearly killed his fiancée, son and yourself. I'm hearing how sorry you felt for that guy. Hell, if I can't get any information out of you, then perhaps I should head down to

his head, Linus firmly remarked, "Leave her alone! If you cherish me, then

right then and heaved a huge sigh before glancing all over the living room in a hopeless

"You know, I used to

still pointed at him. At that very second Roy saw something

be dammed." He muttered with a dry throat. "You don't wanna be saved. You want to go down. Don't

did he even budge, and that response alone gave Roy the visceral

I sat down and talked. He, much like yourself, just wasn't there." Roy explained.

home, Roy." Linus

of will power Roy may have possessed at one time had all but been exhausted. Without another word spoken the man walked over, grabbed his trench coat from off the coat

the station." Linus said aloud with his face still out the window. "You've got a long journey

Roy stood and studied Linus for about four seconds before the television that was sitting in the middle of

Chainsaw Massacre.' Linus remained at the

"Don't be alarmed. It's been coming off and on all by itself for the past couple of days. Don't ask me why. It just

unease at that stage.

and stops at that one particular

the steel, sliding door shut. Roy was stunned into stillness as the scene vanished right before the television itself went back off again,

festered inside Roy's memory was Linus' backside that was staring right back at him as he walked out the man's door. He couldn't even recall Linus' face without looking at an old picture; just his backside that wouldn't turn

"Captain," Shirley Donaldson knocked on and carefully opened the office

around to face both his perfectly clean desk and a blushing Donaldson. "Well, Donaldson, I figured you would be home by now." He

"I, uh, I just stopped by to see how you

you can see, I'm all packed up and ready for

see that." Shirley remarked while gazing around the office's bare walls. "Well, sir, I just wanted to give you this before you

small box down onto his desk. Roy glanced

the bullet out and strangely examining

back and forth in place. "I remember when I graduated from the academy; my father gave me that bullet. It's was first made way back in 1881. And every person that ever owned it has never had to use it. So I'm giving it to you, sir. It's given

very moment. From front to back the man stared at the bullet

said, "I don't quite know what to

on beaming. "Just don't use it in one place."

before getting up out of his chair and