Vice City : The Bud

Chapter 8 - Homeless

Authors Note - please be kind, I'm not a professional writer I do this as a hobby - Leave a vote/comment if you enjoy as every little bit helps

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Chapter8 - Simon Maccarth - Homeless

Ihave a skip in my step today. Maybe it's 'cause I changed thesheets in the bed last night and slept on a mattress for the firsttime in months. Maybe it's 'cause last night I didn't drinkmyself to sleep. Or maybe, just maybe, it's 'cause I know todayof all days I don't want to be hungover. Today's the day I get tosee my son.

Islip on a clean, crisp, shirt and let the freshness of the cottonwake me up. For once I smell clean. No lingering stench of oldcigarettes and dried whiskey stains. Feeling brand new I can eventake the time to style my hair, nothing fancy like they do in theupper parts but something neat. A simple slick back seems to do thetrick and I look at myself in the mirror with a degree of pride. HellI even crack a smile. I get to see my boy, my little man today.Grabbing my jacket and with a quick flick of the lock I'm out thedoor. On my way to having the perfect time off. The first day offI've had in memorable history. I start through the hall paying noattention to the strange splats up the walls and aim immediately forthe exit. That's my first mistake. Should have gone out the backway. As I hit the lobby, when I'm only inches from the outside, I'mstopped by the motel owner who waves me over. I try to ignore him.He's got the phone pressed to one ear.

"Yeah,yeah. He's just walked in. One sec."

Helowers it.

"Maccarth.Phone's for you and I ain't taking a message on this one."

Isigh but drag my feet to the counter.

"Hello,Maccarth here," I say bouncily into the receiver.

"Maccarth? Good. It's police chief Tella here. Need you at a scene in tenminutes time. Graves is already there, he'll give you all thedetails."

Theexpectation in his voice brings up the anger in mine.

"Nottoday !" I spit.

"Excuseme detective ?" He barks.

"Nodisrespect intended Chief but today's the first day I've had offin months."

"Ididn't realise you'd gone soft Maccarth."

"Soft? No Chief. It's that my son is staying with me today and I'vebeen looking forward to this all week."

Icatch a glimpse of something moving in the corner of my eye. It'sthe motel owner who leans in closer so as to hear better. I shoo himaway with a shake of my fist and a tensed jaw. He scurries off downthe hallway like a startled spider, keeping his distance but neverreally leaving the area.

"I'msorry Maccarth but I need you there now. The Bud has killed anotherone."

"TheBud ?"

"Haveyou got today's paper handy ?"

Saton the edge of the front desk is today's paper, I snatch it up andcheck the front page. Sure enough printed across the paper is a largepicture of a girl laying on the floor, her dead eyes wide open, alongwith a title in big bold letters. 'The Bud Has Thorns,' it reads.

"Thisgirl was killed last night ?"

"Yeah,she was," he replies in a angry sigh.

"Howthe hell did it reach the press so damn quick ?"

"Bodywas found at four in the morning after a scuffle was heard. We reckonthe guy who found the girl snapped a few pictures before calling itin. Must have got it to the news pretty damn fast though to get itpublished on the same morning."