Chapter 16: “It’s not gas.”

Jeff walked past Mr. Kim, who was holding Wen close to him. Both father and son were so absorbed by the commotion across the courtyard that they barely noticed Jeff. It wasn’t until he walked directly in front of them that Kim finally looked up.

“Hey! You must be psychic!” Kim called out, his voice tinged with forced cheerfulness, trying to mask the unease etched across his face.

Jeff barely acknowledged him. He muttered under his breath, “I’m too damn unlucky to be psychic,” as he lit a cigarette, the spark briefly illuminating the lines of stress on his face. His nerves were frayed, the suffocating weight of the situation pressing down on him like a vice.

He rolled his eyes as he saw Hale step out of the apartment. The smug expression on the detective’s face told Jeff he was about to get an earful.

“Well, look who it is,” Hale said, his disdain oozing through every word. “I knew you’d show up sooner or later.”

“No shit, asshole, I live here,” Jeff shot back, his words clipped with irritation. As Hale got closer, Jeff offered him a cigarette, catching the detective off guard. Hale hesitated before declining, “No thanks, I don’t smoke.”

Jeff took a long drag before narrowing his eyes. “Let me ask you something. How many bodies do you make in all?”

Hale smirked, amused by what he assumed was a ridiculous question. “We’ve been pulling crazy dead people out of here a lot.”

Jeff stepped closer, his tone sharp and biting. “Exactly how many is a lot, detective?”

The smirk on Hale’s face faltered, his confidence momentarily shaken. He began to answer, but as he tried to recall specifics, his mind blanked. “Well, the three today, of course, and then…”

His voice trailed off, his brow furrowing as he struggled to grasp at the details. Something was wrong, and it was written all over his face.

Jeff nodded knowingly. “I know. That’s fucking crazy, right?”

Hale’s discomfort turned to irritation. He didn’t like being on the back foot, especially not with Jeff Eccles. “Stay right there,” he barked before stepping back toward the apartment. Standing in the doorway, he called out, “Hey, Doc, can you come here for a minute?”

Dr. St. John emerged moments later, peeling off his latex gloves as he walked toward them. His towering frame cast a shadow over both men. “Hey, Eccles. Long time. You’re back on the force?”

Jeff frowned, the déjà vu hitting him like a brick to the chest. “Did we do this once already, Doc?”

“What do you mean?” the coroner asked, extending his hand to shake. Jeff reluctantly took it, his mind racing.

“You’re right,” a voice interrupted. Steve appeared from behind, his face bruised and one eye swollen nearly shut.

Jeff froze, his tone shifting to concern. “What the fuck happened to you?”

Before Steve could answer, Hale interjected with venomous rage. “This is your fucking fault!”

Jeff instinctively dropped into a defensive stance, his fists clenched. “Back the fuck up! What are you talking about, my fault?”

Steve quickly stepped between them, his tone authoritative. “This is not the fucking time or place! Both of you, back the fuck off!”

Hale sneered but grudgingly turned and stormed off toward the parking lot, muttering curses under his breath.

Jeff turned to Steve, his voice quieter but still laced with urgency. “What the fuck does he mean, my—” He stopped mid-sentence, the pieces clicking into place. His face hardened. “Oh, buddy, what did you do?”

Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’ll handle that later. Right now, I want to go back to what you were talking about before.”

Jeff blinked, his thoughts snapping back to the surreal moment. “So you remember it too?”

Dr. St. John looked perplexed, his brow furrowed. “Remember what?”

Steve nodded slowly, turning to the coroner. “You did ask him something like that before… only it was during the day.”

The coroner’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. “The tea lady suicide!” he exclaimed, his voice echoing across the courtyard.

The name triggered a flood of memories for Jeff. “Mrs. Brightstone!” he blurted out, the horror of her grotesque death flashing through his mind like a macabre slideshow.

Dr. St. John frowned. “Was that her name?”

Steve shook his head, his confusion mirroring Jeff’s. “Why can’t I remember this?”

Jeff exhaled sharply, his frustration boiling over. “I don’t know that yet, but I’m working on it.”

Steve offered a weak suggestion. “Gas leak of some kind?”

“No,” Jeff said firmly. “It’s not gas. It’s way fucking weirder than that.”

Dr. St. John glanced at the two men, clearly unsettled. “Gentlemen, I’ve got three bodies to finish up with. You got what you need?”

Steve nodded, though his gaze lingered on Jeff. “Yeah, Doc, go ahead. You take ’em.”

As the coroner walked away, Steve muttered under his breath, “It’s not gas.”

“No,” Jeff said again, his voice quieter but resolute. “It’s not gas.”

Steve motioned for Jeff to follow him. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

The two men entered the apartment, and Jeff immediately gagged, the overwhelming stench of death and decay hitting him like a sledgehammer. He swallowed hard, forcing down the bile that rose in his throat.

The scene before him was a tableau of carnage, a nightmare made flesh. Blood coated the walls in violent arcs, pooling on the floor in thick, congealed puddles. Body parts were strewn haphazardly, as if a tornado of flesh and bone had torn through the room. The severed faces of Joey D and Nick Caprio sat in evidence bins, eyelessly staring blankly into the abyss.

Jeff’s knees buckled, and he instinctively grabbed the doorway for support. “Holy shit,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart.

Steve’s voice was steady but grim. “Yeah. That’s what I thought too. What the fuck, Jeff?”

Jeff couldn’t tear his eyes away from the grotesque display. “Let’s go to the station,” he said, his voice hoarse and shaky.

Steve raised an eyebrow, a hint of dark humor creeping into his tone. “Aren’t I the one that’s supposed to say that?”

Jeff didn’t respond. He simply turned and walked out, his mind reeling. Whatever was happening at Cornice Place, it was beyond anything he could have imagined.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***