Title: A Murder Hunt
- Sequel to ‘A Murder Mystery’
Author: Bernadette
Rating: PG Bad Language
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Category: Four Corners Detectives AU
Main Characters: Ezra and JD
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Notes: The April 2005 Challenge (the Mystery Challenge) - offered by Jesfrealo. Write a story where a mystery plays a key role in the story. Have one or any combination of the guys be the detective(s). It can be funny or serious and in any open universe. Extra points if you make an unusual pair of the guys work together to figure out the mystery (so not Chris and Vin or Buck and JD...). Have fun!!
Summary: Detectives Standish and Dunne hunt for a killer
Spoilers: None
Email: egorstandish@gmail.com 

Author's note: A BIG thank you and a bear hug to the person who nominated this story for a 2008 & 2009 MoM award!

Warning: Josiah Sanchez is the bad guy in this story!

 

Part 1

Detective Ezra Standish slammed the door of the black SUV closed, not caring about the noise it made. Damnit, if he had to be awake at this ungodly hour of the day then so did everyone else. He wasn’t going to be the only one in a bad mood. It was a Saturday for Christ’s sake; a day for sleeping-in not for working, and sleeping in is what he did best – apart from his job and gambling.

Damn town. Why did he have to move here of all places? Obviously because someone had told him, it was a nice place to live: quiet, secluded, quiet, and most importantly quiet. That’s what he had wanted but it wasn’t what he got. He’d been here almost eight months now and was ready to leave. This town wasn’t quiet. It was hell. If it wasn’t the crime driving him to insanity – for some reason they committed ninety-eight per cent of the crimes during the night in Four Corners – it was the townsfolk. They were strange, alien like even. It was almost like living in Petticoat Junction, Green Acres or on Gilligan’s Island. He wouldn’t be surprised if, years ago, aliens had abducted some of the children who’d lived in Four Corners and did something to their brains – something that caused their personalities to scream, “Redneck wannabe”! No doubt, parents dropped the rest of them on their heads and more than once. Must have been a common thing around this place. He could almost picture the scene at the local hospital.

“Hello Mrs. Greenacre,” the doctor would say. “Here for the usual . . . dropping your baby on its head?”

“Yes, doctor,” she would answer. “Third time this week actually.”

“Had to bring my own son to the hospital the other day.”

“First dropping on the head?”

“Yeah, we were so proud.”

“Good for you, I hope you have plenty more incidents. Couldn’t happen to a nicer person . . . “

No. It wasn’t the town and it certainly wasn’t the townsfolk. Most of them were the nicest people he had ever met. He was the problem. He wasn’t use to ‘nice’, hadn’t grown up with ‘nice’, and didn’t know how to deal with ‘nice’.

What he had done twelve months ago wasn’t helping him either; it had almost driven him crazy at the time. A breakdown had left him in a hospital for the mentally insane. He had told the doctors that he was fine and only needed a few days rest but he had known that he wasn’t okay. How could he be fine after what he had done? He still woke up in the middle of the night with the images of what had happened playing in his head like a bad horror movie. Mood swings caused by the nightmares made him feel bitchy, like a woman during her menstrual cycle, like his mother on a bad day.

He would have gotten a different job but didn’t know what else to do. Being a police officer was in his blood; his father, (killed in the line of duty) and grandfather had both been police officers. Besides, doing a different job wouldn’t have stopped the dreams. So instead, he decided that a small town with a low crime rate would be best. Four Corners did have a low crime rate – until he arrived. Violence seemed to follow him to the small town of Four Corners.

He stormed up the driveway with his brown knee length coat billowing behind him. When he reached the front door, he didn’t hesitate. He banged on the door until his hand hurt.

“Get up, JD! We’ve got work to do!” Standish counted to three and then banged on the door again. “Now JD, I haven’t got all day to wait for you.”

Standish looked to his right when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a light come on in the darkness. At least he’d woken someone up; Dunne’s neighbour. He didn’t care. He turned back to the front door when he heard the lock turning. The door opened to reveal a very sleepy JD Dunne.

Furthermore, a very naked JD Dunne.

Standish removed a digital camera from inside his coat and took a photo.

“We’ll see how you like having your photo up on the bulletin board . . . ,” Standish then turned around in embarrassment. “Go put some clothes on, JD.”

“What . . . Ezra it’s nearly six in the morning,” Dunne was rubbing his eyes with both hands.

Standish, who was waving his hands behind his back at Dunne said, “JD, you need to put some clothes on!”

“What? Oh shit,” Dunne’s eyes widened in understanding. He covered his groin with the only thing he had – his hands, “I didn’t . . . you were yelling . . . I didn’t have time . . . shit, I’ll go and get dressed.”

“Do it quickly, I don’t have time to wait.”

“Jeez, Ezra, what’s the hurry?” Dunne asked.

Standish turned his head to look at Dunne. “Sanchez escaped.”

“Escaped?”

“Yes, now hurry up.”

When Dunne turned to hurry back inside Standish took another photo.

“You can’t put that photo on the bulletin board,” Dunne was arguing. He had tried to take the camera from his boss on the way to the car but Standish had been too agile for him and had twisted his arm behind his back, turning his wrist at the same time, twisting it until he yelled ‘uncle’.

“Why not?”

Dunne was staring hard at his boss who was driving. He knew Standish didn’t like to drive but didn’t know why. He waited for Standish’s green eyes to look at him but his eyes didn’t leave the road, they were staring straight ahead and the knuckles gripping the steering wheel were turning white.

“Why not? Because I was naked, that’s why not.”

“I didn’t get a full body shot, JD,” Standish lied. “Besides, you told me that once a photo is taken it has to go on the board. You said that it helps with the men’s morale or something.”

“I said once the photo goes on the board you can’t take it off!” Dunne noticed that Standish was slowing for a green light. “The light’s green, Ezra.”

“I know, just making sure that nothing’s coming the other way.”

“Why don’t you like driving?” Dunne asked him.

“That’s none of your damn business,” Standish snapped back at him.

“Ezra,” Dunne turned in his seat to look at the older man. Standish was only five years older than he was, making him thirty-three in age but he looked older. The eyes were haunted, his soft handsome face tired beyond its years. Something bad had happened to this man, something so bad that he had refused to discuss it with his friends. “Why don’t you just let me drive?”

He wanted to say, I need to do this, JD. I have to spend some time behind the wheel. Doctor said it would be good for me. Of course, the man’s a quack. But instead said, “You were too busy covering your d--”

“Ezra, tell my why you don’t like driving a car.”

“No.”

Dunne turned back to the front to stare out the window and said, “One day you’re going to tell me what happened.”

It was only then that his boss turned to look at him but Dunne didn’t see the sadness in his features.

 
Listening to: The Gadflys
 
Watching: Supernatural