Soul Mates: Still Waters Run Deep

By A.J. Bruner

Love is more than a word, it's more than an idea. It has the ability to take many forms, cause us great pain and great happiness, but is love more powerful than betrayal? Once you know something, is it ever possible to un-know it? Carmine was a rookie detective when his world came crashing down around him, thanks to his murderous brothers. A series of events unfolds, centered around him and his immediate family, that threatens to rip apart the great city he swore to protect. His life turns around when a woman from his childhood, who now has a special skill-set, swoops in to help out and he falls in love with her, but can she be trusted? Can the two of them and a small group of their friends triumph over an organization that is over two thousand years old and that has become twisted by the greedy, aged men now sitting on the Council? Join Carmine, celebrated character from Soul Mates: Perceptions of Love, as he tries to prove that love can conquer all or die trying.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.J. Bruner
• Release date: Apr 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463346266

A.J. Bruner

A.J. grew up in a small town in Indiana. His paternal grandparents lived just south of Detroit and he would spend time there now and again. On the opposite side of the curve, his maternal grandparents lived in "small town, USA". He would often use his imagination to occupy his time. During Junior High he discovered the writings of Margret Weis, Laura and Tracy Hickman and Stephen King. Weis and the Hickmans would paint outlandish fantasy tales about dragons, wizards and elves and on the other side Stephen King would take him to a dark place where things went bump in the night. It wasn't long after this that he began to write his own short stories. It wasn't until he sat down and focused on one topic that he was able to bring readers the first book in the Soul Mates series; Perceptions Of Love. More works have since followed, including Legends of Dragons, which is A.J.'s first trip into fantasy writing of a different kind.

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DEDICATION

Thanks Mom.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter 1: Sleeping Village

Chapter 2: Electric Land

Chapter 3: Bad Company

Chapter 4: Commotion

Chapter 5: Smoke on the water

Chapter 6: The Fire Inside

Chapter 7: Walk This Way

Chapter 8: Iron Man

Chapter 9: The Chain

Chapter 10: Run With the Pack

Chapter 11: Dirty White Boy

Chapter 12: Go Your Own way

Chapter 13: Turn To Stone

Chapter 14: Bad to the Bone

Chapter 15: Shoot to thrill

Chapter 16: Kick it Out

Chapter 17: Miracles out of Nowhere

Chapter 18: All Along the Watchtower

Chapter 19: Rock Steady

Chapter 20: Flesh and Blood, Sacrifice

Chapter 21: Bad Medicine

Chapter 22: Photograph

Chapter 23: Still of the Night

Chapter 24: Behind the Wall of Sleep

Chapter 25: Stick to your Guns

Chapter 26: The Rain Song

Chapter 27: Magic Power

Chapter 28: Walk of Life

Chapter 29: When the Levee Breaks

Chapter 30: Point of Know Return

Chapter 31: Landslide

Chapter 32: You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away

Chapter 33: Happiness is a Warm Gun

Chapter 34: Kings and Queens

Chapter 35: Communication Breakdown

Chapter 36: Love is Like Oxygen

Chapter 37: Witchy Woman

Chapter 38: In the Air Tonight

Chapter 39: Blinded by the Light

Chapter 40: Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

Chapter 41: The Sounds Of Silence

Chapter 42: Send for the Man

Chapter 43: Nick of Time

Chapter 44: Madman Across the Water

Chapter 45: Rock of Ages

Chapter 46: Something to Believe In

Chapter 47: Jump

Chapter 48: Tom Sawyer

Chapter 49: Imagine

Chapter 50: Break on Through to the other side

Chapter 51: A Woman left lonely

Chapter 52: Let it Be

Chapter 53: One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Chapter 54: Paranoid

Chapter 55: Hot Blooded

Chapter 56: Move It On Over

Chapter 57: If You Want Blood You’ve Got It

Chapter 58: Midnight Blue

Chapter 59: Dude, Looks Like a Lady

Chapter 60: Battle of Evermore

Chapter 61: Dancing in the Dark

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Chapter 1: Sleeping Village

Carmine looked around the room as other officers were gathering evidence. He nodded to his partner, Jack, as he stepped through the doorway. They were a seemingly happy couple according to the neighbors. No yelling or fighting was ever heard coming from the apartment. Carmine stated in disbelief. Jack was lost in thought as he surveyed the room. It was hard to imagine all this blood coming from just two people. It had to be every drop of the eight pints the human body holds that came from both victims. Carmine continued relaying information as Jack moved around the scene. They were married for twelve years, no children. Husband was a CPA and his wife was an Avon Rep. No signs of a struggle or forced entry. Front door was locked as were all the windows. The victims are: Jeff Bradley, thirty-eight and Lisa Bradley, thirty-seven. According to the landlord, the couple has lived here for the past ten years. Their rent was always on time and other than maintenance reports, nothing else out of the ordinary. Jack leaned down to examine the woman’s body closer. How many stab wounds? he asked. So far it looks like a total of thirteen, but we’ll know for sure after the autopsy. Carmine cited. And how many for the husband? Jack sounded curious. Preliminary count suggests at least ten, but it looks like one or two overlap or were made with a larger blade. Jack stood up and motioned for Carmine to follow him outside. The exited the building and Jack sent a patrolman to fetch them some coffee as he pulled his cigarettes from his inside pocket. She was stabbed thirteen times, all individual wounds, nothing overlapping. He was stabbed at least ten, but with several injuries overlapping. What does that tell you Car? That the wounds were made by two different people Carmine said. Not exactly partner. The female victim’s cuts were all at a straight, downward angle and the cast-off indicates she was already on the floor with her attacker straddling her midsection. As for the husband’s wounds, did you notice how they were all in a cluster? Carmine nodded, but shrugged. I’d say his wounds were self-inflicted. Jack stated as he took a drag off his cigarette. The patrolman returned with the coffee. Jack and Carmine thanked him and walked back to their car. So they were self-inflicted. Are you saying this is a murder/suicide? Carmine’s disbelief was easily notable in his tone. He stared at Jack shaking his head. Jack looked back at him in silence, giving Carmine time to process everything they had witnessed at the scene. Carmine flipped through his notebook as he read the information out loud. No forced entry, wife’s injuries all consistent with a single attacker in the same position. Husband’s injuries are similar, but with overlapping wounds, indicating the attacker had complete control of the weapon the entire time. Jack knelt on the sidewalk near their car. The wife is underneath me and I’m stabbing at the same downward angle with each motion. He stands up and faces Carmine. Now I’ve got the weapon in my hand still and now I begin stabbing myself. The wounds that indicate overlap are caused from the speed of the thrusting. Jack demonstrates as Carmine watches. Indeed, a few of Jack’s thrusts did overlap. Carmine’s eyes got wider. Jesus Christ Jack! You’re right!. The two men climbed into their car as the two victims were loaded into the Coroner’s van. Carmine stared at the back of the van for several minutes as they pulled away. Look kid, these things happen every day. It’s our job to find out the: who, what, why, when and where. You can’t come in to any crime scene with any prejudice or opinions until you’ve surveyed the area and documented evidence. Jack’s voice had that mentoring quality to it that was starting to get on Carmine’s nerves. He briefly wondered how such a cynical man like Jack, with almost thirty years carrying a Detective shield, had managed to keep the peace at home and remain happily married the entire time. Carmine turned his head and looked out the window as it began to rain. He liked when it rained in the city. He felt as if all the dirt, grime and ugliness was being washed away, if even for a little while. Jack briefly looked at his partner as they drove back to the precinct. He’s young and he’s got a lot to learn, but he’s catching on fast Jack thought to himself. His thoughts turned towards his wife and their dinner plans that evening.

Chapter 2: Electric Land

Jack kicked back in his desk chair and propped his feet on his desk as he listened to Carmine going over the details of the autopsy results. After almost forty years wearing a shield, there were few things that surprised him anymore. He had witnessed the brutal nature of human beings many times over. At the same time, he felt a sense of pride in his job. His retirement was right around the corner and he honestly felt no regrets in his life or his duty. His last promotion to Supervisor Detective Squad had been a great accomplishment within his family. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather never made it to Detective before they had all been killed in the line of duty. The fact that he had gone beyond didn’t surprise him when it came to his record, but what did surprise him was the fact in almost forty years, he had never fired his gun and never taken a bullet. He hoped the trend would continue for a few more weeks. Carmine was his last rookie Detective to get settled in before his retirement. He had watched Carmine’s career since his first collar when he was a beat cop. He had risen through the ranks quickly, earning several commendations along the way and making more than a few waves throughout the department. He was a bright kid and the youngest Detective in the Precinct’s history. Jack knew it wouldn’t be long before Carmine was promoted into his position. The only thing standing in his way was his life outside of work. Jack always believed that in order to do this job well, you had to have an anchor outside of work and family was the best one to have. As of yet, Carmine didn’t have a family, not even a girlfriend. His father had disowned him after an arrest that really cemented his career. It must be tough coming from that kind of family Jack thought. They all expect you to go into the family business when you get older, but when you turn from it and become a cop, talk about making waves. No doubt those waves were more in the tidal category. Carmine tossed a balled up piece of paper at him just then. Hey, old man, are you paying attention? Carmine laughed. Yeah kid, sorry. With old age comes nostalgia, wait until you get there, it’ll happen to you too. Jack smiled. The two had grown very close in such a short time. One would almost think they were family. Well, that wasn’t far from the mark Jack thought to himself. How many times had Carmine come over for dinner, or dropped by to watch a game with them, more than any of Jack’s kids had since they graduated college and started their own lives. This time a pen hit his chest and fell to his lap. Jack looked at Carmine again. Snap out of it Jack. You can get all nostalgic just as soon as we finish this paperwork. What do you mean we there pup? Jack winked and got up from his chair to grab a cup of coffee. He patted Carmine on the back as he walked by. Carmine nodded and picked up his pen. Just a few more things to sign off on and they could close this case up.

Jack made his customary stop by the Wall of the Fallen after grabbing his cup of coffee. Three generations of O’Bannons were staring back at him. Once again, Jack was thankful there weren’t four. He walked back through the double doors and headed into the Captain’s office. He and Michael had been through a lot together, but Michael had been more ambitious, which is why he made Captain. Jack had turned down more than a few promotions over the years though. He grudgingly accepted the supervisory position a few years ago to satisfy Michael and the Department’s insurance carrier. It seems they don’t like covering men pushing sixty that aren’t tied to a desk. Jack stepped inside the office, closed the door and sat down on the couch in Michael’s office. He waited for him to finish his phone call while he sipped his coffee.

Carmine closed the file folder and dropped it in his Outbox. He and Jack had taken more than their fair share of cases the past few weeks, sometimes even doubling up. He knew New York was a busy, crime-ridden city, but he was also sure there were several other detectives with which to share the caseloads. He felt as if he and Jack were doing all the work. Not that he was complaining, since the work was keeping him busy, but he’d missed dinner with his mother last week because of work. He felt terrible about it, but was certain that the night would have ended the same. His mother would try to convince him to apologize to his father, he’d say no and she’d break down in tears again. His mother was a very strong woman, but very emotional when it came to family and especially her youngest boy. Carmine didn’t have any contact with his brothers or either of his two sisters. His father refused to speak with him as well and he never visited the old neighborhood. After the incident that caused the rift, his Captain had him transferred from the 5th Precinct in Lower Manhattan to the Manhattan Detective Borough. That case made Carmine’s career and put him on the fast track. His name had crossed the Commissioner’s desk more than once after that.

Carmine sighed heavily and switched off his desk lamp as he looked around for Jack. Gone again to say hi to his family Carmine thought. He turned off Jack’s lamp and grabbed both of their coats. He saw Jack coming back towards their desks out of the corner of his eye and tossed Jack his coat. The two men left the building with nothing on their minds except Jack’s wife’s home-cooking. It would be a wonderful evening and tomorrow would be a new beginning for Carmine. They both stopped beside Jack’s car and stared down the street, both of them attempting to see into their futures through the blur of streetlamps and flashing lights that comprised the Electric Land they called home. Jack was so lost in his own mind that he didn’t even hear the shot. Carmine lunged at him with his weapon drawn. Jack spun on his heels, falling against his car door and sliding to the ground. This time he heard the shot and he felt a sudden burning spreading through his chest. He couldn’t make out the voice, but someone was speaking. A few seconds later, as reality slipped from Jack’s grasp, more shouts and voices could be heard getting closer, but Jack couldn’t focus on their faces. He slumped to the side and fell to the ground. His last thought was that there would be four generations hanging on the wall soon enough.

Chapter 3: Bad Company

Carmine stood in front of the door to Jack’s apartment for what felt like an eternity. He was confused, angry and bewildered with no idea what to say to Joyce. He tried to knock again, but stopped before his hand reached the door. His anger was growing to the point where he wasn’t sure how much longer he could contain it. His mind replayed the shooting over and over. Carmine saw the look on Jack’s face as he went down. He saw the shooters turning to run, but this time Carmine hadn’t drawn his weapon and the assassins got away. He shook his head; no he thought to himself, that was not what happened. He looked down at his hands where he could still see traces of Jack’s blood and he could no longer hold back the tears as he crumpled to the floor in the hallway.

Who hired you? a Detective yelled. It was Chris Callahan and he was in the Interrogation room with one of the shooters. The other one was lying on a cold slab in the morgue with a bullet hole through his heart. Chris was not the right man to leave in that room alone with that guy. He had been cited several times and even suspended a few more times for maltreatment of suspects under his care. Chris’ father had retired from the department when Chris was a rookie, but he had still picked up more than a few bad habits from his old man. Chris pulled back his arm, posed to take a big swing at the guy. Three men rushed into the room to restrain Chris and remove him. They pulled him back into the locker room and tossed him under a cold shower. Teddy Merchant stepped into the room next. He and Carmine were the good cops amongst the Detectives. Teddy pulled his hanky from his pocket and wiped the blood off the guy’s face. He removed the cuffs and handed him a cup of coffee. Let’s take it from the top, shall we? What’s your name? Who do you work for? Was this a contract hit? Teddy sounded impatient. The man glared up at him as he knocked the cup off the table and spit on the floor near Teddy. Emotions were running extremely high and though Teddy was fairly even-tempered, he knew that wouldn’t last much longer. These two men had declared war on the Department and every cop in the city was going to make sure their entire world was demolished, especially the person or persons responsible for hiring the two men. Okay tough guy, keep it up and I’ll go let Detective Callahan back in here again. You can either walk out of this room or be wheeled out by the Coroner. Teddy was almost growling at the guy now. His cool, calm demeanor was slipping away faster and faster. There was a knock on the door. Teddy handcuffed the guy again and opened the door. The Captain was standing there and he whispered to Teddy. He looked at the suspect and back at Teddy again, then turned and headed into the locker room. Teddy slammed the door as he whirled around to get in the guy’s face. His anger was boiling over and this guy was about to get the full brunt of it.

The three cops that pulled Chris into the shower were standing inside the locker room door as the Captain came in. Chris was sitting on a bench outside the shower area, dripping water everywhere. They all turned and looked at their Captain. Jack was pronounced five minutes ago at Mount Sinai. Has anyone heard from Carmine yet? The room was silent for a few minutes, but it was broken by yelling and a loud bang from outside the locker room. The five men rushed out just in time to see Teddy hurling the suspect into the holding cell where he slammed into the back wall and bench. They ran over and grabbed Teddy as the Captain kicked the cell door closed. He turned to look at Teddy. Even he couldn’t believe what had just happened. Teddy had the longest fuse of any cop Michael had ever met. He was a big man, six foot four around two hundred and sixty pounds. To see him for the first time, you might think he was a Collection guy for the mob. That’s how intimidating and ominous he looked, but everyone knew that Teddy lived up to his name. He was just a giant teddy bear with a heart of gold. Now, the man standing before Michael wasn’t the Teddy he knew. This man was bordering on complete lunacy. Unhinged didn’t do his behavior justice. Michael knew there was only two ways this whole mess would end: either one of his guys wound up killing the last lead in the case before they could get any information or God forbid, if IA got wind of any of this, the entire Department would be put on Administrative Leave with several of them being handed their pink slips outright. All right … goddamn it! That’s enough! Michael screamed at his men. Knock this horseshit off and let’s get something done right! Michael took a deep breath Teddy, go get cleaned up, Chris go with him. You two need some fresh air. Brick and Tigger, go find Carmine and get him back here. Donnie, you are in charge of this case until such time as I determine if Carmine is able to stand on his own two feet. All the men nodded and went off to do as they were ordered. Brick and Tigger headed down to their car as Brick tried to reach Carmine on the radio. Donnie pulled a chair from the nearest desk and sat down in front of the holding cell, notepad in hand. Teddy and Chris went back into the locker room to change. Michael went into his office and picked up the phone.

The door suddenly opened and Carmine fell backwards into the apartment. Joyce jumped back with a start. Carmine! Are you okay? What’s going on? Where’s Jack? Carmine struggled to his feet as Joyce’s flurry of questions echoed in his mind. His head felt like it was going to split in two, but not before he purged his stomach of everything he’d eaten for lunch. Joyce helped him into the apartment and got him into a chair at the kitchen table. Joyce sat next to him with her hand on his shoulder. She kept glancing at the front door wondering where Jack was. She had never seen Carmine in such terrible shape before and she was beginning to worry. Carmine looked over at her as she patted his hands. He heard his voice in his head saying Jack had been shot. He heard himself saying one of the suspects was killed and the other was in custody. He was there to take Joyce to the ER. None of that came out. His mouth refused to allow any sound to pass. Joyce tightened her grip on Carmine’s hands Car, tell me where Jack is. Her voice was calm, but stern. She often reminded Carmine of his own mother and this time was no exception. We were getting ready to leave for the day. Carmine’s voice was low, almost a whisper, but it sounded deafening in the dead silence of the apartment.

Carmine took a deep breath and summoned all his courage Jack’s been shot, Joy. I don’t know how badly. They took him away and I came straight here to get you. Joyce stood up so fast that she knocked her chair over and almost tripped on it. Carmine reached out and grabbed her hand to steady her. He stood up and moved around the table towards her. No, it can’t be! He was going to retire at the end of the week! Oh God … Car, please let him be okay! She broke down in tears then and fell against Carmine’s chest. He hugged her as she wept and he struggled with his own tears. The crackle of his radio and Brick’s haggard voice broke the moment.

Chapter 4: Commotion

Carmine had left Joyce with the doctors while he spoke with the Captain. In his absence, all hell had broken loose and somehow he was responsible for restoring order. Carmine wasn’t prepared to handle the situation and he knew it. It was as if he’d just lost his best friend. In fact, Jack was his only real friend or had been. He had to get back to the station and take the lead on this case. That was the only way he would be able to put this behind him. He took a deep breath and walked back to where Joyce was sitting wiping her eyes. How are you?His voice was somehow calm and reassuring. Joyce looked up at him then jumped to her feet to hug him again. I’m going to figure out why this happened Joyce. Jack was a great man and I will miss him terribly. If there’s anything you need, please just let me know. He kissed the top of her head. There’s nothing more you can do here. I’ll take you back home, but I’ll come by in a few hours. His voice began to break and he didn’t trust himself to say more. She leaned her head against his chest as they walked back out to his car.

You fucking pigs won’t find out nuthin! Donnie had had just about enough of that. As Teddy and Chris came back out of the locker room, he called them over and whispered to them. The three men walked over to the fire hose and removed it from the glass case on the wall. Teddy and Donnie pointed the hose at John Doe and Chris turned the valve. High pressure water blasted into the tiny holding cell slamming their suspect back against the wall. It didn’t take long before the man’s arms were waving in the air. Chris reluctantly turned off the water as Donnie and Teddy put down the hose, unlocked the cage and went