Gender Benders

         Being the last to enter the captain’s office, Jason closed the door behind him. He looked over at Captain Mallory and then to Quintin. Then he walked over and sat down in one of the chairs across from the captain’s desk.The room was quiet, so the chair made a much louder squeak then he expected. He felt like a child about ready to be scolded, and if he could disappear into the cushions of the chair, he would be happy about it.
         The captain quietly sat looking at each of his detectives. As if trying to find the correct words to say without upsetting two of his best officers, he sat a little longer than usual. He realized they had put a lot of work into a new case that was developing into something major. So, he waited until the words came to him.
         “This is how it is, guys,” he started. “The chief is getting a lot of shit from the politicians, and as shit runs down hill, I am getting it from him. He wants to bring both the SVU and CSU into the fold. CSU has been with us from the start, so that should remain the same, but the SVU will begin fresh, using the evidence we have so far and adding their own as they obtain it.”
         “So where does that put us, Captain?” Quintin asked. “Are we out off the case, or just coat hooks to put something on when shit gets to hot?”
         “No, detective, you will not be the ones to take blame when the case is stagnant. At least you will not be while I am in charge here.”
         Quintin turned to his partner and said, “Jas, you take the three blinds to the right, and I will take the three over to the left. Start shutting them until they are all closed. It looks like we have a fucking audience out there.”
         Jason nodded, got up, and started pulling the blinds down. He felt the same way as Quintin did. They were the ones being briefed, fuck the rest of the assholes.
         “Okay, now I want to say something, captain. No, you are not the captain for now. I want to say something to you, Mike,” Quintin stopped for a moment, then he continued. “We have been friends for a long time, and we have had each others back on many cases, but this one is totally different from any I have been on in my entire career. There has been no evidence turned up at the crime scenes. To me and the CSU, the scenes looked staged, or cleaned up so well that they might as well have been staged. I find something very strange in all of this. The boys, the body parts that are missing, and the lack of reasons or ideas behind the mutilations gives us jack shit. The lack of trace evidence for the CSU to even come up with a theory speaks volumes. And the lack of sleep is mind fucking me,” He hesitated. “But I can tell you this, once we have more people involved in this, the more leaks that will spill out to the public. And when that occurs, this squad and department will be fucked.”
         Captain Mallory smiled and looked over at Jason Guiliano, his youngest detective, and asked, “So what is your opinion?”
         “Umm ... What he said,” he responded.
         “You pussy,” the captain retorted, sighed and added, “All right, this is my take, gentlemen. I believe that we have something here that is going to explode into our faces like cow patties on a farmer’s field. We are going to have so much shit being thrown around that we are going to be covered in it up to our fucking eyebrows. It is the nature of the beast. The upper brass is going to look for scapegoats, and we are the sacrificial lambs.”
         The captain went silent for a moment, then he continued, “You guys go ahead and get your rest. I am giving you both a few days off. The days off are not optional, it is mandatory.”
         Quintin was about to comment, but he held off from replying. He knew Michael well enough to realize this was his way of giving an order. Though he was a captain, Michael Mallory was not one to pull rank. He simply stated he what wanted, and he allowed the rest to play out. The rest was for those that the statements were directed toward to obey them without dissent.
         “Anything else, gentlemen?” he asked. “It is not like I chewed your asses out. So, if you have anything else to say, you may do it now.”
         Both detectives looked at each other, shook their heads, and looked back at the captain.
         “Okay, Guiliano, you may leave now. Jordon, I need you to stay.”
         Jason got up out of the chair, looked back with confusion on his face, and headed out the door without comment.
         After he closed the door behind him, Mallory looked at Jordon and asked, “So, do you trust him? I mean truly totally trust him?”
         “What is this all about, Mike? What is going on?”
         “You were wrong, Quintin. There is evidence that we have obtained, but only a few know about it. And what we have will make you cringe.”
         Detective Jordon leaned toward the captain, his curiosity was getting the best of him. He could feel Mallory’s eyes upon him. He knew Mallory had hooked him, and he knew Mallory knew.
         “Okay. Are you going to tell me what it was, or am I to guess?”
         “The only few that know about this are my wife, myself, and the killer, provided this came from the perp and not some twisted fuck that is getting off sending it to me.”
         “You mean this came to your house in the mail?”
         “Yes, and it has instructions for further correspondence.”
         Quintin laid back in his chair. He was slowly taking in what was just told to him.
         “So, I ask you again, whether you trust your partner or not. Because what I am about to tell you, is for your ears only, and I do not need the leak that you referred to earlier.”
         “He is a good cop, Mike, but on this case I would rather not have him know everything. He has a young kid, and this shit is driving him to the edge,” Quintin replied. “I would rather not see him get in too deep. He needs space.”
         “That is good enough for me, Q,” Mallory stated. “You and only you will get what I receive from now on, and I do not expect anyone else to know about it with the exception of a friend in the FBI.”
         “You have got to be shitting me,” Quintin exclaimed. “The fucking FBI. Come on, Mike, they are like fleas. Once the dog is in their neighborhood, they own it.”
         “Don’t worry about this flea. He is an old friend, and discretion is his middle name. Seriously.”
         “So what is his involvement going to be?”
         “Minimal. He is good at encryption, and we need someone to decipher the note that was sent to me.”
         “Decipher? Holy shit, this is not like what I think this could be like. Is it?”
         “Zodiac, Quintin. Yes, it is like that. And we need for this to be quickly decoded. I have this feeling the perp is just beginning. One boy a week is his goal. I can feel it, and it is giving me a shitty taste in my mouth.”
         “Jesus Fucking Christ.”
         Quintin was still lying back in his chair with his jaw slightly ajar, when he leaned forward and asked, “Are you sure about this? I mean this is totally fucked.”
         “It is beyond fucked, it is . . .,” He hesitated to find the words, but none came out.
         “You know they are going to ask why you, if they find out.”
         The captain leaned forward and said, “No shit. With how things are now days, the public might be cynical enough to think I have something to do with it.”
         Quintin shook his head and replied, “No way. Believe me, we will not allow that to happen. All of us know you better than that, and we will not allow head hunting against you because we can’t find . . . haven’t found any evidence.”
         Mallory looked across the desk at Jordon, realizing that Jordon was one of the only people he could trust. Quintin and he had gone back for years, being partners, going through life’s problems, and being promoted alongside of each other had developed a bond that few had within the force. 
         “If anything comes my way, I will give you a call, Q.”
         Quintin nodded, got up out of the chair and walked toward the door. He understood this conversation was over.
        He looked back for a moment to see the captain looking at a picture of his family that was sitting on the desk. Quintin knew the captain was troubled by this case, but he did not realize just how personal it had become to him until now.