Doug steered “Different Flavors” into an open slip at the marina and watched from the flying bridge as Stan handled the lines and secured them to the dock. Oceanside looked to be a friendly place based on the waves and smiles they’d gotten from various people as he’d piloted the boat through the harbor and into the marina. Idly Doug wondered if he and Stan, his best friend and lover (although their wives were clueless about the latter part of that) might find another new playmate while they spent a few days here. That thought led him to wonder if any of the bodies they’d dropped overboard in their travels had been found. He doubted it. They’d all been dropped in the ocean miles off shore and there’d been no news he could find about any series of murders. He smiled to himself, confident that their adventures were still secret and secure and they were free to find a new playmate.
First they needed some lunch and to make sure the boat’s fuel tanks were topped off. He wanted to make sure that, should they be able to find a new playmate, they’d be able to leave and not have to stop until they were much farther up the coast. He searched his memory and tried to figure out if they’d dropped any of their used toys in the water near this stretch of coast. He didn’t think so, but he also decided it didn’t matter.
When he went below, Doug found Stan putting on a shirt. Before his torso was covered, Doug thought about how tan he was… how in shape he looked given their shared age. Stepping into the head, Doug relieved himself, put on some fresh deodorant and cologne and then selected a shirt of his own to wear. He liked the fact that it matched Stan’s somewhat, but not so carefully that anyone would think it was intentional. They were careful not to let their relationship be obvious or identifiable until after they’d chosen a targeted playmate and even then only after they had good reason to think the potential playmate would enjoy their bisexuality.
Doug smiled at the thought. How different they were from what society considered “normal.” Even for criminals they were different. A bisexual committed couple who very carefully kept their sexual secret between them; long married to beautiful women; leaders in their commercial industry of data management. The victims they’d killed had only two things in common: the fact that they were born on the 14th day of whatever month and that they were shared between Doug and Stan sexually. Of course, the latter didn’t occur until after they’d been identified as potential playmates with that birthday and had indicated that they were game for whatever might come along. All of them ended up poisoned and dropped in the ocean; seven of them so far this year. It was Doug and Stan’s sixth year taking what they referred to as their “honeymoon” cruises.
While Doug thought about their victims, Stan was thinking about any potential investigation that might occur. While both men were married and had families and had a lot to lose if they got caught, Stan owned the company that generated the revenue which allowed them to enjoy these annual cruises together. They had enjoyed partying together for years as they travelled up and down the coast and even to the Bahamas once. This was the first year they’d decided to simply dump their used up playmates over the side. They were careful not to leave any physical evidence in or on the bodies and he was confident that the ocean would wash away any evidence that might be on the bodies anyway. From the investigative standpoint he felt that it would be challenging, at best, for a detective to identify all the victims, much less find any link between them. After all, they were of different ages, genders and race. The only thing they had in common was being born on the 14th. There was no motive for the murders except that of convenience. Stan couldn’t think of any way the police could link the victims back to he and Doug and dismissed the concerns from his mind. Instead, he gave his lover an appraising look, liked what he saw and took him by the hand to lead him up above decks. It was time for some food and to begin their search for a new playmate.
- - - - - - - - - -
“I just don’t get it,” said Detective Lieutenant Dick Coleman into the phone. He was talking to CGCIS agent Lieutenant James Griggs. “How would anyone select the victims by their date of birth and even then only by the day?” He thought about it for a second and Griggs didn’t say anything to interrupt his thoughts. “I mean, think about how many people they’d have to talk to and have enough conversation with to get the target’s date of birth out of them. Even if they were lucky it could take talking to three or four dozen people to find a single target. And to find a target that was willing to come to their boat with them?” He let that trail off.
“Well, I have some bad news for you, Detective,” replied Griggs. “I ran the missing persons reports for all the states involved and there are three additional people missing – all from harbor cities – that aren’t part of our investigation… yet.”
“We found four bodies,” said Coleman. “So a total of seven potential victims so far?”
“Yeah,” replied Griggs. “All late thirties to mid-forties in age. We’ve got male and female victims; black and white victims… although one female could claim Hispanic. Nothing ties them together that we can find. No common employment, commercial services… except that several of them had the same cell phone service providers, but there are only so many of them available so we’d expect that.” He paused and thought, as he had many times in the past weeks, his frustration almost getting the better of him. “What could the motivation possibly be?”
“We likely won’t know that until we find the murderer,” said Coleman. “We don’t know the significance of the 14th to the killer and we don’t know how he identifies his victims.” Now it was his turn to think. He realized that neither of them was saying anything that hadn’t already been said and it was all obvious observation. He also knew that what they were trying to do was go back and forth with info about the case until one of them was inspired to a new thought. “All we really know is that he, or she, is transient, likely using a boat to travel between ports and killing people who are born on the 14th of any month.”
“We know that the victims are poisoned and dropped overboard,” added Griggs, “although we don’t know how far off shore and we don’t know if the murderer is working alone.”
“That about sums it up,” replied Coleman with an exasperated sigh.
“Great,” said Griggs. “Give me a call if anything else comes up, eh?”
“Will do,” replied Coleman. “Don’t bang your head on the wall too hard.”
“Right,” said Griggs. “You neither,” and the two men hung up. Coleman sat staring at the phone and then at the investigative file. What were they missing?
- - - - - - - - - -
It was the afternoon of the 15th before the squad had gotten a chance to celebrate Sean’s birthday. Born on the 14th, Sean had worked his birthday – like he had worked every other birthday since joining the police department. It wasn’t anything strange or new to him. Having been in the service for three years and now with Oceanside PD for just over four years, he couldn’t remember having his birthday off in that time. It wasn’t a big deal to him. He celebrated when he could… and this year he had his whole squad to celebrate with.
The dockside restaurant was called “The Slippery Gull.” None of the squad members knew the origin or reason for the name and none of them could think of any relationship between seagulls and slipperiness… except their poop. That line of thinking stopped real fast when one realized they were trying to figure out justification for naming a restaurant that.
The owner of The Slipper Gull was a strong supporter of the Oceanside PD and never charged members of the agency for using the private dining room in the back. There were two of them: one downstairs and one upstairs. The one upstairs obviously had the better view of the marina, harbor and – farther out – the Atlantic Ocean. When Eddie had contacted the restaurant and asked to use the private upstairs room if it was available, the owner had reserved it for them immediately, declined the usual reservation deposit and asked what needed to be on the buffet. He went out of his way to make the officers feel welcome and it was one of the reasons so many of them patronized his business whether they were on duty or off.
As the rest of the squad mingled, chatted and ate, Eddie had a moment to look out the window at the marina. A really gorgeous yacht caught his eye; it had to be well over sixty feet long, five or six decks tall and looked well maintained. He looked for and found the name: “Different Flavors,” registered out of Westport, Massachusetts. He’d never heard of such a place, but there were plenty of places he’d never heard of… and any that were on the water seemed to end up with boats docked in Oceanside at one of the marinas. As he watched, two men cleaned the deck of the yacht. Eddie wondered if they were hired hands or owners…
“Hey, Sarge!” came Sean’s voice from near the buffet. “You going to enjoy the party? Or just stare out the window all day?”
Eddie laughed as he turned away from the window. “Just taking a break to let what I’ve already eaten settle,” he replied. “I’ll fill another plate soon enough.”
“Fair enough,” said Sean. “Just don’t be sittin’ there thinking about work. That’s not allowed for here and now, K?”
“Roger that,” replied Eddie with a big smile of his own. It was hard NOT to think about work when you were at a party exclusively attended by your work mates; in this case, members of his squad. Well, plus one: JP had the evening off as well, so she’d accompanied Max to the party. No one minded or said a word. JP used to be part of the squad and that made her family. The fact that she was Max’s significant other also made her welcome. The squad being the sexist pigs that they were, the fact that JP looked good in her tight jeans and low cut t-shirt ALSO made her welcome.
Eddie turned back to the window in time to see the two men on Different Flavors leaving the exterior deck and heading into what he guessed was a salon. As he watched, the first man got through the door and the second was right behind him. Wait… did that second guy just reach out and grab the first guy’s butt? Shaking his head, Eddie dismissed his own prejudice and smiled. More power to them, he thought. It’d be nice to spend some time on a yacht like that with someone I loved and enjoyed physically. For Eddie that someone would have been his wife, Ann. For the two guys on the yacht? If it was each other, it wasn’t Eddie’s place to judge whether that was anything but reality.
- - - - - - - - - -
Doug jumped at the unexpected touch on his butt. Stan giggled and Doug had to join him. They were no more than a couple feet inside the salon but it was enough to get out of the public eye. Doug turned in response to Stan’s touch, and embraced his lover. They were both sweaty and needed to get cleaned up after the hours they’d spent making sure the yacht was “ship shape.” Knowing the pleasures they’d share in the main state room’s large shower, they headed that way hand in hand.
Stan smiled to himself as they walked along. This was the kind of moment they could only enjoy on these cruises. It was something their wives didn’t know and would never understand. It was a side of them that they kept well-hidden and only exposed to the occasional playmates they found to enjoy together. Hopefully, thought Stan, they’d find a new playmate here in Oceanside within a few days. If not, Annapolis and Baltimore were just up the Chesapeake Bay and then they could come back out into the ocean and travel up the New Jersey coast. He was sure they’d find someone soon to play with…
Discuss Episode 5:10 (this episode) on our forums
Editor’s Notes & Officer Survival Concerns
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:10:
How often do you think we law enforcement professionals encounter criminals and we’re completely unaware that they are criminals? I’d be willing to bet it’s a lot. On those occasions, our “spidey sense”… that tingling sensation that makes the hair on the back of our neck stand up – it speaks to us and alerts us to the fact that something is wrong. That intuition can be invaluable and should never be ignored. If it happens to you, act appropriately within the law and your agency policy. Stay safe. Once again, we’d like to thank Elbeco Uniforms for sponsoring this episode!
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:9:
Holidays definitely represent unique challenges for us in law enforcement. There are the usual drunk drivers and crowded highways, but there are also problems unique to each jurisdiction and even to each shift. Know yours. Learn from the experienced officers. TALK with your patrol partners and squad-mates about how various calls should be handled. Plan as much as you can… before the unexpected happens. Once again, we’d like to thank Elbeco Uniforms for sponsoring this episode!
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:8:
The incident with Max, the drunk driver and the vehicle rolling away is, like so many other incidents described in The Oceanside Chronicles, a true story. Instead of being drunk, the driver had been quite elderly and as he tried to get out of his car – on a busy residential multi-lane road – he stumbled and fell, and his car began to accelerate away down a hill. The officer involved had to really turn on some speed to run and catch up to the rolling car; get in, stop it and put it properly in park. The old man wasn’t hurt but he was pretty embarrassed. A retesting order for his driver’s license had been issued. Keep alert for the unexpected (as always).
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:7:
For this episode we need to thank Elbeco Uniforms for their sponsorship and support. Stay safe!
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:6:
Police Week is an important part of the law enforcement family experience. If you’ve never gone to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, you should make the time to go visit. It’s an energy filled place and, especially this week while you can visit with tens of thousands of your Thin Blue Line family members, it can truly move you.
Thank you to Elbeco Uniforms for sponsoring this episode.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:5:
We often don’t pay attention but uniform comfort can play a big role in how efficiently we do our jobs. Elbeco makes a wide variety of uniform designs to fit every need.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:4:
We’d like to thank our sponsor, Elbeco, for supporting this on-going fiction crime-drama. Check out their full line of uniforms and apparel on their website.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:3:
With the end of spring and launch of summer there are usually a lot of bar openings, special events on beaches, etc. They all bring with them particular risks and threats that we can only avoid or minimize so much. Temptation grows to play hero, lone gunman, whatever. Remember the Ten Deadly Errors and stay on your guard. The imperative is going home whole and healthy at the end of your shift.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:2:
No officer survival comments on this one except this: We ALL have emotional turmoil that enters our life. It IS very distracting. We can’t safely work distracted like that. Talk to someone if that’s where you are in your head. Get it sorted out. DO NOT go to work that distracted and unfocused. It can get you killed.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:1:
Few outside our profession can relate to the fears and complications associated with any shooting situation. They’re not usually aware of how politics can impact police work in all the wrong ways. As we can see in this story, the significant other (JP) of an injured officer (Max) is having her doubts about the relationship due to her own fears of lost stability. We also get to listen in on the conversation between the Mayor and the Chief and see how their concerns are different. Be that as it may, the Mayor’s concerns WILL impact how the Chief acts or reacts because ultimately he answers to the Mayor. Please remember to visit our supporter for this episode: Elbeco Uniforms. Great products to cover you in all your uniform needs.
