The Thoughtful Detective

Chapter 1 - Panther Lodge

Author's note: Colton Dawson is the narrator of this story. Most chapters will be told in his perspective.

Colton is a mindreader. Sentences with *stars* around them are other people's thoughts that he has extracted. Any pending questions you may have will be answered in upcoming chapters.

Thank you for reading! 💗

PRESENT DAY

"I'll tell ya what, sweetheart...How 'bout ya turn your pretty li'l face around and head back to your cruiser, yah? Y'all welcome to come back when y'all got a warrant," said the scumbag. He smirked at Eva, as he crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned his towering, yet frail body against the fragmented mesh of his screen door. The stench of cheap cigarettes and beer filled the warm Miami air around us. Eva and I stood in silence for a moment, as we registered our temporary defeat on the doorstep of the scumbag's dilapidated house.

As usual, Eva took the lead. She cocked her head to one side and gave him a sly smile. "Don't you worry, Wyatt. My pretty little face will be returning here with that search warrant real soon. I can't wait for us to meet again," she said. She chewed her gum noisily; a habit that I had become accustomed to over the years. It was a purposeful tactic to appear confident; unruffled. It adequately complemented her "don't-give-a-fuck" attitude.

Wyatt made a low, scratchy noise, a solid effort at an obnoxious chuckle. I scanned his face intently for a moment, waiting anxiously to extract his thoughts. His eyes darted from Eva to me, and then back to Eva. His expression was both smug and defiant.

I concentrated hard, but not a single thought emerged from Wyatt. His mind was utterly blank.

He was going to slam the door on us any minute now. I've been a detective long enough to know the drill. I needed to get a rise out of him to have a chance at salvaging the situation.

I cleared my throat. "Hey Wyatt, do you like coffee?"

He turned to face me and placed his hands on his hips in an exaggerated manner. "C'mon now, Mr. Dawson. That's nice of ya to ask me on a date, but ya ain't my type. My heart belongs to Ms. Vasquez. She's all kinds of trouble, and I love me a troubled woman." He winked at Eva, as he ran his hand through his disheveled, ashy blond hair.

I watched as Eva's hands balled up into two fists. I needed to move quickly before her emotions jeopardized my intent.

"Ha! Don't flatter yourself, Wyatt," I said, as I waved my hand dismissively. "I just wanted to tell you about this wonderful little coffee shop on Tenth and Sixth Avenue. They use fresh beans from Colombia. You would never expect gourmet coffee from a café inside of a budget motel, but man, is it ever good! 'Panther Lodge' is the name of the motel. You should stop by sometime."

Wyatt winced ever-so-slightly at the mention of the motel. Eva was observant. She would've definitely noticed it as well.

"I ain't heard of no Panther Lodge," he said in a low voice. A second later, his thought transferred over to my mind. It was loud and clear:

*Shit, how did they find out? That girl at the motel better keep her yap shut, or I'm completely fucked.*

Bingo. I got the confirmation I needed.

"Well, Vasquez, I think I'm ready for a good meal, and then I'm going to call it a night," I said to Eva. I faked an animated yawn and turned to Wyatt. "Have a good evening, Wyatt," I said with a grin.

He gave us a nod, but his eyes were full of contempt. He turned around and went inside the house.

After he shut the door, Eva spat her gum forcefully on his screen door. It went right through a hole in the mesh and onto the surface of his wooden door, landing with a thud.

"Hijo de puta!" she cursed in Spanish.

"Indeed," I agreed. "The Panther Lodge is about a six-minute drive from here." I motioned my head towards the direction of the motel.

"Let's go!" Eva replied, with a gleam in her eye.