Kneel

Case 45

  "Gnarly, right?" Ella shook her head after showing the video from the victim's livestream.

  "So, where's Holla's body?"

  "No idea. The killer must have taken it. Hence the big old bloody shoe prints."

  "That's a lot of blood."

  "Mm-hm. About five pints." Ella nodded while glancing at the blood pool. "This, my friends, is a class four hemorrhage. So wherever Holla is, he dead."

  "I know who did it." Dan stated with his hands on his hips.

  "You do?"

  "Yeah. Based on what Holla said in that video. The guy who was coming over was obviously going to be...." Dan waved his hand to Ella.

  "Monopolize."

  "Monopolize, exactly."

  "Who's that?"

  "You've never heard of the Mo-Holla squalla?"

  "Uh-uh."

  "Misha?"

  "In the boat with Chloe this time."

  "C'mon, he's a rapper. Monopolize."

  "Yeah." Ella nodded before Dan started to beatbox. "~Mo-Monopolize, don't apologize. Mo-Monopolize, don't ask me for my size~"

  "~You'll appreciate me when I'm in your mother-fucking thighs~" Dan added in as Chloe and I were just looking at him. "Nothing, huh?"

  "I've never, no."

  "He accused him of killing his BFF, Fat Cannon."

  "Nothing's been proven, but still, biggest beef since Biggie and Tupac."

  "Oh. Yeah."

  "Detective! Imp!" We heard a muffled voice and tapping on class. Looking over, we saw Lucifer in the sound room like an animal at the zoo looking at us through the glass when he raised his hands out at his sides. "Why didn't you call me?"

  "How did he even get in there?" I muttered.

  "It's Lucifer. He gets into anywhere."

~

  "Lifestyles of the rich and tasteless. Looks like Liberace had a yard sale." Lucifer criticized while looking at the golden horse statues.

  "Yeah. Well, Mo's manager, Isaac, lives here. Looks like he's home. Maybe Mo's here, too." Chloe sighed, and Lucifer jiggled the gate to see if it was locked. "What are you doing?"

  "Don't worry, Detective. Now that everything's sorted, I've got all the perks of devilhood and none of the drawbacks. So rest assured, nothing evil will be released." Lucifer smiled with his back to the gate as he snapped the gate open. However, as the gate was swinging open, shots began to fire, and we had to take cover behind the brick pillar. "Oh, Hell!"

  "L.A.P.D! Stop firing!" I yelled, and the shots stopped.

  "L.A.P.D? Why didn't you say so?"

  "Yeah, before you broke my goddamn gate, y'all." The two men came out from behind the black vehicle.

  "I apologize for shootin' at you. Seriously. I'm not a violent man." Mo pat his chest as we now stood in the living room.

  "Well, the Desert Eagle that you just opened up on us says differently." Chloe popped off.

  "Hot pocket?" Isaac offered while carrying in a silver tray.

  "Oh, no thank you."

  "Look, Holla and I had conflict. But we were about to bury the hatchet, supposed to meet up this morning to announce we're droppin' a joint album and tour."