Robert Ellis: THE LOVE KILLINGS, The Late Night Call

Matt’s cell phone started vibrating. Digging it out of his pocket, he knew that at this hour the caller could be only one of two people. As he read his new supervisor’s name on the face, Lt. Howard McKensie from Hollywood Homicide, his heart quickened.

Matt had been cleared for active duty just two days ago by his doctors at USC Medical Center and by an LAPD psychiatrist working out of the Behavioral Science Section in Chinatown.

McKensie cleared his throat, his voice rough and ready. “Why aren’t you sleeping, Jones? It’s two in the fucking morning and you’re not sleeping. This is what worries me about you.”

Matt glanced back at the wildfire. “Everybody’s up, Lieutenant. The canyon’s on fire.”

“Your place gonna burn?”

“Doesn’t look like it, unless the wind changes.”

“Good,” McKensie said. “Then I need to see you in my office ASAP.”

Matt stood up. “You’ve got something for me already? A new case?”

“Yeah, Jones. It looks like you’ve caught a new case.”

                               — Robert Ellis, THE LOVE KILLINGS

Photo by Fan, Rosa St.Claire

 

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Robert Ellis: THE LOVE KILLINGS, An Opening

Matthew Trevor Jones wanted to kill his father . . .

He had been thinking about it every day for the past six weeks of his recovery, just as he was thinking about it now at 2:00 a.m.

Like most nights since the shooting, he had trouble getting to sleep. But tonight he had a reason more palpable than the pain echoing from his wounds or even the ghosts and demons making their late-night visit to his bed.

He was sitting outside on the back deck, keeping an eye on the wildfire climbing up the hill on the south side of Potrero Canyon Park. Firefighters were on the ground, driving the wall of flames upward, while a second crew was on top of the ridge, protecting the homes and pelting the foliage with water the City of Angels could hardly spare.

Holy water. That’s all the city had left these days...

                                – Robert Ellis, THE LOVE KILLINGS 

Photo by fan Andreas Michael

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Robert Ellis: CITY OF ECHOES, Crime Scene Photos

"Vega opened a file folder and pulled out an email from the New Orleans Police Department that included several crime scene photos of the girl’s nude body staked to the ground, along with before and after shots of her face. Until two days ago Kim Bachman had been an innocent-looking young brunette with light brown eyes. Now her face was mutilated, the moment of her death frozen in a grotesque smile that stretched from ear to ear. Matt stared at the photograph, still unable to comprehend how anyone, no matter what their psychological issues, no matter what their past, could do this to another human being, or any living thing. It almost seemed as if the killer intentionally picked out the most pure, the most gentle, in order to underline their transformation from all that was beautiful in this world to all that was hideous."

– Robert Ellis, CITY OF ECHOES

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