Erotica Harem

Please don’t ‘read between the lines’ with my comments. I say what I think free of insinuations. I am a retired martial artist and retired police officer, thus I look at things differently.

I dislike the rating system. If required to do so to submit a review, be advised that I rate conservatively. I am direct but always respectful.

This is one person’s opinion. Keep writing and always have fun!


Title: Pretty Boy Dead

Chapter: 41

Author: Jon M

Plot: Det. Parker confronts his partner about alleged use of force. They argue. Will Parker come out?

Style & Voice: 3rd person via Parker. Well done

Referencing: Goooood

Scene/Setting: Detective room

Characterization: Gooood, but see comments

Grammar: Good, a typo or 2

Just My Personal Opinion: NICE ending/hook




The assembly gathered in front steps of Police Headquarters and milling about the wide concrete courtyard early Tuesday compared to a media circus as reporters from local TV stations and cable news awaited a news conference set by the APD police chief. Parker walked parallel to the crowd and headed toward the side entrance marked for employees. 1st sentence is too long and needs power/impact/emotion. Also, who's POV r we in? Also, re-read the beginning....something wrong....maybe "in front of the steps..."



Someone recognized Parker scooting past and cameras swung around, microphones thrust forward heading toward him like a swarm of bees. I never saw such a scene in real life in San Jose. I guess the TV and movies got it from somewhere. Cameras clicked rapid-fire as the reporters surrounded him.



"Sergeant Parker, Sergeant Parker," a lean, antagonistic young woman commanded, shoving her angular frame forward. “Is it true you’ve apprehended a suspect in connection with the Piedmont Park murder?"



"We’ve detained a young man for questioning," Parker answered, nudging through the cluster. "The suspect’s not been charged with any crime."



Questions rained from all directions. “Have you linked the suspect to Councilman Mitchell Keyes and Jason North’s murder?” Another reporter blurted. ‘What about a connection to the death of Keyes’ aide?”



Parker paused and glared at the reporter. “I cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation.”



Another journalist decried, "Sergeant, you've had the suspect in custody since last night. Why hasn’t the suspect been charged?"



"Investigating homicide is a laborious process," Parker said, adding, "our responsibility to the citizens of this jurisdiction is to be accurate and thorough, nothing less. That's exactly what we're trying to do. Now, if you'll excuse me--"



"Yet the suspect you have in custody sustained serious injury during his capture, Sergeant." There's a snitch in the house!



The mass hushed and all eyes looked back at the newsperson who called how about 'cried' vs. 'called', more powerful out the statement. Parker scowled at the Calvin Slade. The insolent man basked in the glow of scooping this morning’s headline alleging a connection between City Councilman Mitchell Keyes and the recent murders of two young men. In response, Parker had received a call from the lieutenant before sunrise and ordered to come in early. Slade’s by-line had forced swift action from top brass officials as the suspect Perelli hauled in last night had city leaders demanding answers.



Slade pushed his dumpy frame forward. "Would you care to confirm or deny such accusations, Sergeant?"



Parker glared at the reporter. "The suspect refused a request to voluntarily come downtown for questioning,” so? a person can declline to come in voluntarriy. Can't force him w/o legal cause. he said, edging toward the entrance. "It’s not been determined yet how his injuries were sustained."



Everyone began tossing questions at once.



"Why haven't you released the suspect's name, Sergeant," cried a voice within the restless cluster. "Exactly how bad are his injuries," another echoed.



The atmosphere turned chaotic. Parker can wrong word here his employee ID card in the reader on the wall and fled through the steel door as another reporter shouted, "When will we get an official statement from the department?"



[]



The sergeant rushed along the side corridor and dashed through the main floor of Headquarters, descending to the lower level. Anger swelled inside him, but he steeled his fury as he bounded into the hole. Perelli sat at his desk with his back to Parker as he crossed the room, ignoring White's White???? pleasantries.



Parker confronted Perelli. "What the hell happened last night?"



"What are you talking about?" Perelli shot back, angry eyes glaring as Parker rounded the desk.



"This is me you’re talking to, dammit. Stop with the bullshit. You roughed up our suspect and I want to know why? Why didn’t you say anything before I went to question O’Connor, huh? Were you afraid I’d bust your?” Perelli sneered. “Well, I would have."



Parker lowered his voice. “Look, I partnered with you five years ago because no one else would after what happened to your former partner. I’ve respected you, Perelli, your sharp eye, your experience on the job. This isn’t like you.”



Perelli's expression remained stoic. The lines in his forehead narrowed as his jaw twitched. “The guy resisted arrest, Ken, what would you have me do?” Perelli cleared his throat. “I read him his rights, so no harm done. Only have to read rights before questioning, not at the time of arrest. Waht u see on TV and in movies is 100% bullshit. Besides, O’Connor would have split by the time you sobered up.”



Parker ignored the jibe. "You busted his ribs, Vince! O’Connor’s just a kid, not some hell bent banger out on the streets!" Tension raged between them. "You handcuffed that boy and beat the crap out of him," Parker accused. Perelli lowered his head. “Why, Vince? I want to hear it directly from you. Tell me why you felt it was completely acceptable to rough up a suspect in custody?” If it's true he resisted arrest force is proper. Normally one tends to take the side of one's partner, regardless of age of the suspect. A good homicide cop knows age is not relevent. and hell bent above I think should be hypenated.



Perelli stared hard at the floor without uttering a word, his face turning red. Parker leaned in close to his ear and whispered. “What did you hope to achieve, huh? Did beating the crap out of that boy make you feel any better about yourself?”



Parker stepped back. Perelli remained silent as missing "a" couple of detectives in the squad glanced over.



“Was that your brand of justice,” Parker demanded, getting to within inches of his partner’s face, wanting to…needing to be heard. “O’Connor didn’t deserve a beating to within an inch of his life, Perelli!" if the beating was that severe he should be in the hospital.



Parker stood back, threw up his hands and turned away from his partner. He stared at the cinderblock behind his desk, the wall lined with commendations of valor, displaying years illustrating the detective’s allegiance to enforcing the law, driven by the fear of facing the toughest part of his existence; life outside the precinct, alone. The cryptic subsistence of a closeted homicide detective haunted by the death of a companion he could share with no one, forever faced with the threat of discovery and what that might mean to his career.



And for what…pride? For the moment he didn’t know how he felt, but he did know that doubting Perelli made him sick to his stomach. Nothing had prepared him for such a life altering consequence. He had accused his partner, his trusted friend and colleague of several years, a man with whom he’d lay down his own life, of using unnecessary force, of intentionally causing harm to an unarmed suspect in custody. just cuz some one is unarmed doesn't mean he's not a threat. Resistence, true resistance, deserves proper force. What proof does Parker have? If just suspicion, he's so far off base to accuse a cop, a partner.



"Perelli, we've been partners for a long time," Parker said, finally, feeling the heat beneath his collar. "The one thing you’ve always stressed, forever pounded into my fucking head, was to never, ever let your emotions compromise doing the job." Parker turned and gripped the edge of the desk, the whites of his knuckles pressing through his thick skin. "You went too far, Vince,” he said. “The boy might die."Is he in the hospital?



Perelli’s fists slamming onto the surface of his desk drove the detective to his feet. "What the hell did you expect me to do, Ken?" He spit out the words as the muscles in his jaws contracted and the veins of his neck bulged. "I might have been a little rough, so what? Do you know what that little shit did when I arrested him? Do you?"



Parker stared in disbelief.



"He fucking laughed at me, Ken! That's right," Perelli mocked. "The son of a bitch laughed at me!"



Their exchange drew the attention of others in the room. Aiming to avoid a scene, Parker moved to lay an arm across his partner’s shoulders. "Look, I know it’s been hard for you lately,” he whispered, attempting to assure him. “No one knows more than I do.” Parker’s tone took on an edge. “Regardless, you shouldn’t have taken it out on the kid."



Perelli rolled his chair away from Parker and stood. "You can't possibly know how rough it's been, Ken. You have no idea what it's like to be treated like a leper by your colleagues, like a walking dead man. To have others avoid shaking hands. Having your friends stare at you like your some kind of freak.” I forgot the era? Has be gotten HIV? or AIDS? from the needle stick chapters ago?



Perelli blocked Parker’s attempts to reach out to him. "Don't touch me," Perelli cried, tears brimming from eyes red with fatigue. "I’ll tell you what it's like," he shrieked.



White and Mendenhall approached. Parker waved them off and attempted to get Perelli to retake his chair. The elder man pushed him away.



"It's like you don’t even exist! Everyone’s afraid to touch you or come near you. My friends hardly speak to me anymore, Ken. Do you know what that’s like?" Perelli caught his breath and swallowed hard. "It's a fucking nightmare," he whined through tear-soaked eyes. “Worse than you can possibly imagine.”



The detective turned and glared at his colleagues, lawmen he’d worked with most of his career. Many had gathered at the sound of raised voices.



"You don’t think I notice,” Perelli accused. “I pass through these halls every day with you leering at me, talking behind my back, all of you! Whispering 'there he is', or 'oh, his poor wife."



Perelli scoffed, wiping at the drool from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah right, my poor fucking wife!" He covered his face with his hands and paced in circles. "I don't even know Jane anymore,” he cried. “Lying next to her is like cuddling up to a block of coal."



"I'm sorry," Parker offered, wishing on some level that it had been he who had felt the needle that night. “It happened, all right? Sucks I know, but there’s nothing we can about it but follow your doctor’s orders.” He drew in a deep breath to steady his nerves. "It still doesn't justify what you did, Vince. You really hurt that boy."



Perelli shot a look of betrayal, torment in his eyes. "My actions,” he decried. “You expect me to feel sorry for what I did? Well, I don’t! The guy has ruined my life" Need a period.



"Vince, it’s out of our hands now. Justice will be decided in the courtroom, not by our hands.” Parker reached out, but Perelli pulled away.



"You’re defending the fucking queer?" Incredulity laced Perelli's tone as he scanned the room for support. "Any one of these guys would have reacted the same," he declared, ignoring the downcast eyes of those nearest. He turned and faced Parker. "I expected more from you, Ken. You’re my fucking partner."



Perelli started to walk away, but turned back suddenly, betrayal etched across his face. "You son of a bitch,” he snapped. “All this time and I thought I knew you. Knew you like my own son." His eyes narrowed and filled with tears. "But I don't know you at all, do I, Ken?" A wicked grin brushed across his quivering lips. He stepped forward. “How could I have been so fucking naïve?"



Parker felt his body go weak and his face flush. It struck him that Perelli might reveal his secret; emotions so private that Parker himself harbored deep within and away from those who cared about him most. He had tucked away that skeleton from public scrutiny and condemnation long ago, perhaps on some level even from himself.



At that moment, Parker wanted to flee, but something held him firm, like a consciousness that had matured since Michael’s death. Accepting his sexuality had left him exhausted and mentally drained following the rollercoaster of emotions in the weeks since the accident. He had grown weary of the lies and deceit, tired of hiding who he was and disenchanted with the easy excuses at the ready when someone got too close to knowing his sexuality.



Kendall Parker simply didn’t want to hide anymore. OOOOOOOOOOh, EXCELLENT hook!!!!