Behind The Scenes

By Luca Vassallo

When the Chicago Police Department tasks one of their most dedicated and hard-working police detectives, Alexander Anderson, with a new case, he doesn't know that solving it will require him to go to alternate dimensions and beyond.

Alexander has a knack for solving complex cases; he's partially a genius. The case itself is hard enough: someone is murdering citizens all over Chicago, and no one knows who's doing it. But what makes this case especially difficult is that every time, the cause of death is poisoning. The police never found a weapon, and the security cameras nearby didn't show anyone killing anyone or dragging a body to where the police found it. The body just appeared out of nowhere.

With the pressure coming down on him, and a very demanding boss, Alexander does what anybody would do: he tries to find help elsewhere. However, due to several ominous findings, Alexander feels like someone's watching him. Alexander must use all his wits to figure out who the killer is before he ends up like the victims.

From debuting author, Luca Vassallo comes the shocking tale, full of twists and turns, that is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887314327

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Sources

Prologue

Chapter 1: Fresh Blood

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

Chapter 2: New Bodies, New Clues

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

Chapter 3: Connecting the Dots

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

XXIV

XXV

XXVI

XXVII

XXXVIII

XXIX

XXX

XXXI

XXXII

XXXIII

XXXIV

XXXV

XXXVI

XXXVII

XXXVIII

XXXIX

XL

XLI

XLII

XLIII

XLIV

XLV

XLVI

XLVII

XLVIII

XLIX

L

Chapter 4: Apprehending the Criminal

I

II

III

Chapter 5: Trapped between Dimensions

I

Chapter 6: The Final Stand: The Next Day…

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

Chapter 7: Endings

I

II

III

IV

V

Epilogue

Author's Note

Acknowledgments

About the Author

cover.jpg

Behind The Scenes

Luca Vassallo

Copyright © 2023 Luca Vassallo

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88731-431-0 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88982-591-3 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88731-432-7 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Sources

Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 35: No More Be Grieved at That Which Thou… Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2022, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50645/sonnet-35-

no-more-be-grieved-at-that-which-thou-hast-done.

Poe, Edgar Allen. THE TELL-TALE HEART by Edgar Allan Poe 1843. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, https://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/telltale.html.

Lovecraft, Howard Phillips, and Winifred Virginia Jackson. The Crawling Chaos By H. P. Lovecraft with Winifred V. Jackson. The Crawling Chaos by H. P. Lovecraft with Winifred v. Jackson, 22 Sept. 2011, https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/crc.aspx.

Prologue

Alexander Anderson

In my life as a police detective, I have faced many strange cases. The occasional murder. A robbery with faceless thugs who got away. But nothing was ever as odd as my last case. What I am about to document here might sound weird. All the different pieces of evidence I found. All the places I had to go. God. For goodness' sake, the way I resolved this case. Jesus. It's crazy! I'm laughing to myself today because of how crazy it is. And the fact that I survived it all! All this is true, however.

For goodness' sake, I would not lie. My name is Alexander Anderson, and I am thirty-six years old. Without further ado, this is my story.

Chapter 1

Fresh Blood

I

Harry Jordan

"Hey, Linda, can you pass me Maisie's report card?" I ask my wife. School just ended, and my daughter is excited to have finished.

Sure, Harry, Linda says. She passes me the report card, which is in an envelope. I open the envelope and take out the report card.

MAISIE JORDAN

GRADE 10

MATH: 70

SOCIAL STUDIES: 76

ENGLISH: 72

SCIENCE: 70

TECHNOLOGY: 80

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: 78

MUSIC: 81

ART: 75

HEALTH: 73

SPANISH: 73

How'd she do, hon? Linda asks as I stare at the page, annoyed.

Terrible! I say. She got all seventies!

Linda gasps. Any eighties? Linda asks.

Only two! I say. In technology and music!

Maisie! Linda yells.

Yeah, Mom? she says.

Can you come down here?

Sure, Mom.

I hear thudding coming from the stairs. As soon as I hear the texting noises, I know why she got these grades.

Maisie walks up to us and stares. What do you guys want? Maisie asks annoyed. She has a hunched-over posture. I can tell that she's been on her phone a lot.

Can you come here, sweetie? I ask her.

She walks over. I stare at her for a second. Then I reach my hand out quickly and snatch her phone right out of her hands.

Hey! she exclaims.

Shush, I say with a dismissive wave of my hand. I scroll out of the app she's using and go to settings, then click screen time. I gawk at the results. You are on your phone for six hours a day?! I exclaim, practically yelling.

Hey, give me back my phone! she tells me.

I turn my back so it's facing her, and I scroll down to the apps most used. The top three are, not surprisingly, Instagram, musical.ly, and Snapchat.

You are not getting this back for a long time, I say.

Why? she asks.

Uh, because your grades are hot garbage, Linda says.

Exactly, I say.

My grades are not that bad! Maisie says.

You have a seventy in everything.

So?

Maisie, this is when colleges start looking at your grades and determining when and if you can get in based on your grades, Linda says. As of now, I don't think you'll get in.

Seventies are not acceptable! I say.

When do I get my phone back? Maisie asks.

When we can find an efficient plan to make sure that you get your grades up, I say.

Maisie turns around and goes upstairs. This time her footsteps are louder and heavier.

I sit down on our couch and turn on the TV. Linda comes to join me.

I think you handled that very well! Linda says, smiling.

Thanks, I say.

Linda leans in for a kiss. I give her a quick kiss on the lips. I sit back and watch TV with my wife. I put Maisie's phone on a table next to the couch.

I'll deal with Maisie's situation tomorrow.

II

Maisie Jordan

I can't believe they would just take my phone like that! Over some stupid grade!

I can't text my friends without my phone, so I can't tell them what's happening. All I can do is sit on my bed and think.

Okay. Calm down. It's not like you're going to die over a phone. I think.

My parents said we had to find an efficient way to improve my grades. I'm not doing screen time. I know that for sure.

As I sit there and think, I realize that my parents might be right. I realize that I never knew the answers all year whenever I took a test. My mind went blank all year. My average on each test of the semester was probably 79. I realize now that that isn't good.

My parents are probably right. I'm too tired to do anything right now. I don't know what time it is, but it's dark outside already.

Only one week after school ended, my parents yelled at me about my grades. I guess there's nothing else to do but just go to bed.

As I roll up my covers to tuck myself into bed, I think about my parents and what I will have tomorrow.

Slowly but surely, I fall asleep.

III

Alexander Anderson

"Good morning, Alexander," the chief of police says as I enter the police station.

Good morning, chief, I say, nodding to him. Any new cases?

Yeah, we had some masked thugs rob a gas station last night, one of my coworkers says.

Which one? I ask.

The one on Ogden Avenue, another coworker says. You know, the one that's only open during the day?

I'll check it out, I say.

Thanks, Alexander, the chief says.

I head into my office and grab a doughnut. Then I head out the door. I get in my truck and drive off to Ogden Avenue. I find the gas station, Marathon Gas Stations. I walk in. I see workers sweeping up the ground, which was littered with glass and debris.

Morning, Officer, one of the workers says to me.

Morning, I say. I understand you had a break-in here last night?

Yes, they got away with all the money in the register, plus about five packs of gum, the worker says.

You want to show me the video cameras? I ask, pointing to the ceiling cameras.

Yeah, I'll do that.

I walk over to the counter. The worker shows me the video feed at three o'clock in the morning. I watch the video. I see the glass breaking while two men break into the building. I see a hammer on the ground.

Could you please pause here for me? I ask the worker.

He pushes the pause button.

Now, zoom in.

He zooms in on the camera. Where do you want me to zoom in? the worker asks me.

His coat, I say.

He zooms in.

I look at the tag of his coat. L. L. Bean.

Now zoom out again, please, I say. I take a picture of the man with his coat. Thank you for your time, I say. I walk out of the gas station and get in my truck. Then I drive off.

IV

Harry Jordan

The ringing of the alarm wakes me up. I reach over on my nightstand for my phone. Friday, June 29, reads on the front of the phone. It's ten o'clock.

Good morning, hon, I hear Linda say.

I look over. My wife is in the bathroom brushing her teeth. I groan. Waking up from a sound sleep isn't pleasant.

Good morning, I say tiredly.

How'd you sleep? she asks me.

Pretty good. You? I reply.

Good.

I manage to get myself out of bed. I walk over to the bathroom and kiss Linda. I walk out of our room to find that Maisie is sitting at the table eating breakfast. When'd you get up? I ask her.

Like about ten minutes ago, she replies.

Have you been thinking about what I said last night? I ask her.

Yes, and I've decided what I want to do, she tells me.

Harry, I'm going out to run some errands. I'll be back tonight, Linda says while walking toward the door.

See you then. Love you, I tell her.

Love you, Mom! Maisie says.

Linda blows us a kiss and walks out the door.

Come sit down, Dad, and I'll tell you what I think we should do.

I sit at the table next to Maisie, ready to hear her idea.

V

Maisie Jordan

I think I need a tutor, I tell my dad.

Okay, sure! I think that's a great idea! he tells me. Do you want to start looking now?

Yeah, I tell him.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket. He goes to Safari and types in, Tutoring for high schoolers. What about this? Dad asks me. He points to a link that says, University Tutor Chicago.

Sure, I say.

He clicks the link. He reads aloud what it says. "University tutor personalized 1:1 tutoring. After a discovery call, we help match you to the best tutor to determine your unique needs. Meet in home or online. Communicate directly with your tutor and schedule your first session. Achieve academic results. Make progress toward your academic and test prep goals.

"‘University Tutor allowed me to connect with a fabulous tutor and teacher. He adapts his teaching style to the individual student's needs and never fails to give them the challenge to build their confidence in the subject areas he tutors.' UniversityTutor.com student.

It says Bloomberg. The business journals feature it, among others! Dad says. I would do this for you.

I'd try this, I say.

I'm going to sign you up.

Okay, thanks. I get up and walk to the living room. I turn on the TV and put on Netflix.

What are you going to watch? My dad comes up from behind me.

I don't know, I say. I go over to US Top 10. Number one is the newly released Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Can I watch with you? Dad asks.

Why? I ask.

Because I just need a break. And I heard that this show was good.

Okay, sure. Fine.

Dad sits down on the couch next to me. I go to the first episode and press Play.

VI

Alexander Anderson

What did you find out, Alexander? a voice says over my radio.

Once I get out of the gas station, I put L.L.Bean into the GPS.

There were two people involved in the robbery, I tell him. One of them was wearing an L.L.Bean coat. I'm going to the L.L.Bean store to find out if the robber purchased the coat there.

It might not have been, the voice says.

It's a start, I reply, determination in my eyes.

I put on some music from the radio. I look at the GPS. I'm enjoying the music, and I've arrived. I step out of the car and enter the establishment. As I walk to the checkout desk, I look at all the clothing and the deals. I have to ignore it. It's not worth it. Come on. Focus. You have a job to do.

Hi, Officer, can I help you? the worker asks me.

Hi, yes, I was investigating a break-in at the gas station last night, and I saw one of the attackers wearing one of your coats. I was wondering if you could tell me who purchased this coat?

Let me see the picture, she says.

I pull out my phone and go to the photos app. I click on the image and show it to her.

Let me check on the security cameras for you. When I was walking around last Saturday before closing, I saw that type of coat on the rack. She walks out of her desk, around the counter, and to the clothing area. She points to a rack. That coat was the last one that the suspect must have bought. The coat was probably bought by the suspect recently, she says. She walks over to this door in the back of the store.

I follow her and walk in.

The worker logs onto a computer and types something. Suddenly, there are camera viewpoints on the screen.

Do you know when the suspect purchased that coat? I ask her.

Probably last Sunday because it was there on Saturday, and it's not there now, and the robbery happened last night.

She types some stuff on the computer and clicks Enter.

Tell me when you see the coat, she tells me.

And this is last Sunday? I ask her, trying to confirm.

That is correct.

I watch for a couple of minutes. Then I stop. Stop! That's the coat.

She pauses the camera recording.

Can you zoom in?

She zooms in on the recording.

I don't know who that is, I tell her. I'm trying to think how I will know who it is. Wait.

Unpause and pause again when he pulls out his credit card, I tell her.

She unpauses it, and after ten seconds, she pauses it again.

Can you zoom in to the credit card? I ask her.

She zooms in more to the credit card on the table. Lucky for me, it's visible and not blurry. I take a picture of it.

Thank you for your time. Have a nice day, I tell her.

Thanks, you too. I hope you find that robber!

I nod my head and head back to my car. When I get into my car, the radio crackles again.

Alexander, what did you find out? the voice on the radio asks.

Important stuff, I say. I found out that the robber purchased a coat at L.L.Bean. I also found out the numbers on his credit card. It's an American Express.

What's your next step? the voice asks me.

I'm going to call the credit card company, I tell them.

Good luck, Alexander. The radio crackles, signaling that the man hung up.

I drive around for a bit when I come across a clearing in the road that I can park in. I go on my phone and go to the American Express website. I click on Customer Service. My phone app comes up with a phone number. I hear the ringing tone.

Hi, this is American Express. How may I help you? a female voice says.

Hi, yes, I'm a police officer, and I'm conducting an investigation in which there has been a robbery, and I need you to tell me whose credit card number this is.

All right, sir, I need your officer badge number.

I say my badge number.

All right, sir, please give us one moment.

I wait for a minute.

All right, sir, you're all good. Please tell me the number.

I open up the photo app and click on my most recent photo. I tell the company the number.

All right, sir, give us a second, the voice says.

After a second, I hear the voice again.

Yeah, that card belongs to Gabriel Miller, the voice says.

All right, thank you, I say.

Goodbye, sir.

I hang up. I pick up my radio and call my boss, Brad

Yeah, what's up, Alexander? he asks me.

I figured out that one of the robbers' names is Gabriel Miller, I tell him.

I know him, Brad says. You don't have to worry about it, Alexander. I'll take care of it. Enjoy yourself. Have a nice night.

Thanks, you too, I tell him. I hang up; it's five forty-five. Time to head home.

I back out of the clearing and onto the main road. As I'm heading home, I notice something. I loop around and try to go back to where I saw it.

Once I get there, I stop. It's under a bridge under some newspapers. Downtown Oak Park, to be exact. Behind a trash can.

It's a dead body.

VII

Harry Jordan

Man, that was a good first two episodes!

The credits just started rolling after the episode we just watched. We ended up watching two.

What did you think, Dad? Maisie asks me.

I turn toward her. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It was good, I tell her.

How could you say that? Maisie asks me. There were demons in the first episode, and Sabrina ran away from her dark baptism in the second! I thought it was a nine point five out ten!

I mean, that scene where they say that the principal is scared of spiders works well, I start to tell her. But then it shows hundreds of spiders crawling in his mouth, which I think anyone would be scared by usually. So his reaction would be genuine.

It's called dramatic effect, Dad! Maisie tells me. Anyways, where's Mom? It's like seven thirty.

I'll text her, I say. I pull out my phone and go to the messages app. Hey, Linda, are you going to be home soon? Love you, Harry. I hit Send.

Suddenly, I get a new text. It's from my brother, James.

Sorry for your loss.

What are you talking about?

Delivered

Read 7:35 p.m.

Haven't you heard?

What?

Delivered

Read 7:35 p.m.

He sends me a video of his TV on the local news station. I click on the video and press Play. The newswoman on the screen starts talking. "We are live in Chicago where resident Linda Jordan was found dead by a local police detective. The cause of death is yet to be determined."

I pause the video and drop to the ground almost immediately. It feels like my world has just crumbled down. Nothing has meaning anymore as I feel tears in my eyes and start crying.

Dad, what's wrong?

I turn to my daughter, my eyes tear-filled. I show her the video.

She gasps. She sits down, puts her arms around me, and hugs me.

VIII

Maisie Jordan

Once I collect myself after hearing the tragic information, I stand up.

Now what? I ask Dad.

I honestly don't know, Dad says. Your mother was my best friend. I loved her. And now she's gone.

I feel tears well up in my eyes.

The best thing we can do for her now is to find out who did this, Dad says.

We should ask the police, I tell him.

Let's do it tomorrow though, Dad replies. That way, they'll probably have more information.

I go up to my room, sobbing a little bit. Slowly, I fall asleep.

The following day, I wake up not to an alarm but of my own accord. I check the date. Saturday, June 30.

Let's go now then, Dad says.

I walk over to the garage and get in the car. I start quietly sobbing.

After what seems like forever, Dad finally gets in the car. We pull out of the garage. Dad searches for the police station on Google Maps. He puts it on Google Maps and connects it to his car. Then we drive off.

Who do you think did this? I ask. My eyes are red from crying.

Some absolute sicko, Dad says. But they're going to find out who did this sooner than later.

I can see the anger in my father's eyes.

We finally pull up to the station. I start to open the car door.

Wait, Maisie!

I turn toward my father.

Let me wipe off your eyes. He gets a tissue out of the glove compartment. He wipes off my eyes. The tissue slightly burns on my eyes. It's nothing compared to the burning I have inside me to find out who did this to my mother.

When we walk into the station, people eye us and gasp. Probably because they know who we are. My eyes must still look red.

My dad walks up to the front desk. Hi, yes, I'm here about the death of Linda Jordan, he tells the officer at the desk.

Relation? the man asks Dad.

I'm her husband.

I'm very sorry for your loss, sir. I'm sure she was a wonderful woman. What would you like to know?

Yeah, I'd like to know what absolute sicko murdered my wife! Dad thunders.

Unfortunately, we don't know yet, the man says.

May I speak to the officer who found her? Dad asks with a slight bit of anger in his eyes.

Unfortunately, he's busy, sir. But we can set up a meeting time for you.

That would be great. Anytime works for me.

The man types on his computer. How about tomorrow at three o'clock?

That would work for me, Dad says.

Great, see you then.

One more thing, Dad presses on.

What would you like to know, sir? the man asks.

What was the cause of death? Dad asks, tears welling up in his eyes.

Poisoning, the man says.

Thank you for your time. Come on, let's go, Maisie.

We walk out of the station.

IX

Alexander Anderson

Wait, how'd she die? I'm talking on the phone with Brad while driving to the station.

Poisoning, Brad says. And get this. There were no fingerprints on her whatsoever.

How is that likely? I ask. Even if this person were wearing gloves, there would still be a resemblance of a fingerprint. There was nothing whatsoever?

I promise you, there was nothing.

Also, if someone poisoned her, she would feel the pain eventually! She wouldn't just go into an alleyway! And wouldn't she know if she was poisoned beforehand? She wasn't at a restaurant, was she? She was out of the house! The husband wouldn't poison her. I don't think!

All good questions, but the cause of death, according to the autopsy report, is poisoning.

Who do you want to assign to this investigation?

I was hoping you could lead it. You can choose who to assign, or you can do it yourself. I don't care, as long as it gets done.

All right, bye, I say. I hang up the phone. I eventually make it to the station. I get out of my car and walk in. Did they say what kind of poison it is? I ask once I get into the station.

Not yet, my coworker says. They probably will soon though.

I take a seat.

All right, we need to figure out who did this, I say. Where should we start? Any ideas?

Where did you find the body? someone asks me.

I found the body covered in newspapers under a bridge, I say.

Talk to the people near the bridge at that time, someone says.

That would be a good idea if I knew who was there at that time, I say. Any more ideas?

No one speaks.

All right, thanks for trying. I'll see you guys later.

I stand up and go over to my office. I close the door and get to work trying to solve this mystery.

X

Harry Jordan

I have to figure out what we're going to do for the funeral, I say.

When's the funeral? Maisie asks me.

Tomorrow morning, I say. You're fine if you stay here by yourself?

Dad, I'm fine.

I walk out of the house. I go into my car, and on my phone, I type in, Chicago funeral home. I look at the results and click on Calahan Funeral Home. I put that into the GPS, drove off, and put on the radio.

This is Chicago News Station, where we tell you all about the local news.

Oh god. Don't tell me I'm going to hear what I think I'm going to hear.

I hear a woman's voice. So, John, about that body police found, do we know the cause of death?

I can't help myself. I start crying.

Yeah, Linda Jordan died due to poisoning.

But do we know who did it?

John says, No, we don't, but that's what we're hoping to find out.

shut up! I yell. my wife is dead! i know! i don't need to hear that anymore!

I turn the radio off. I can't see anything. My eyes are too watery, so I open up the glove compartment