Werewolf Of FeverPeak

Chapter 10 - A Friendly Visit

The Halloween-decorated streets were eerily quiet as Aiden made his way toward Lonny Jensen's house. The afternoon chill bit into his skin, but it wasn't the cold that sent a shiver down his spine. Ever since Clara had mentioned Jensen during her interrogation, something about the man gnawed at Aiden's gut. He wasn't about to let Summers or the commissioner close this case without digging deeper.

Lonny Jensen lived a few houses down from the Buckers in a small, rundown place with a sagging porch and a yard cluttered with rusted tools and forgotten furniture. The house felt as if it had been waiting for Aiden to come knocking, like a secret buried too long. He climbed the creaky steps, his mind buzzing with tension, and knocked firmly on the weathered door. After a moment, he heard the sound of shuffling feet, and then the door cracked open. There stood Mr. Jensen, a chubby, middle-aged man with a balding head and tired, sunken eyes that hadn't seen a decent night's sleep in years. His clothes were wrinkled, hanging loosely on his frame, and he smelled faintly of sweat and stale beer.

"Mr. Jensen?" Aiden asked, his voice steady. Jensen squinted through the crack, his face lined with suspicion. "Who's asking?"

"Detective Aiden," he said, flashing his badge. "I have a few questions about the Buckers." At the mention of the Buckers, Lonny's expression darkened, but he stepped aside, allowing Aiden in. "Come on, then. Make it quick."

The inside of the house was just as neglected as the outside. Newspapers and old magazines cluttered the coffee table, and a faint smell of mildew hung in the air. A flickering lamp cast jagged shadows on the walls, giving the place an eerie atmosphere. Lonny dropped into a worn armchair with a grunt.

"What do you want to know?" he muttered, his tone guarded. Aiden remained standing, unwilling to get comfortable. "Clara Bucker mentioned you were helping her parents with some repairs around the house. Did you know them well?"

Lonny snorted, a sneer twisting his lips. "Fixed their damn deck. That's all. They weren't any friends of mine. Just did the work because I needed the money."

Aiden watched him carefully. Something didn't feel right-there was a twitch in Jensen's eye, a shift in his posture. Aiden leaned in slightly, his tone sharpening. "You're holding back, Lonny. Something about this doesn't add up."

Jensen's eyes flicked away, searching for an escape. Aiden pressed further, his patience thinning. "You expect me to believe a man like you-the same man last seen at the crime scene-doesn't know anything about the murder?"

Lonny's face hardened. His gaze sharpened as he spat back, "What do you know about me, huh? You don't know a damn thing."

"I know more than you think," Aiden said, locking eyes with him. "I know you were in the military. I know you served with Commissioner Richie in Afghanistan."

Lonny's demeanor shifted instantly. His shoulders slumped, and the hostility faded for a moment. With a heavy sigh, he reached over to a dusty bookshelf and pulled out a framed photograph, thrusting it into Aiden's hands.

Aiden glanced at the photo of a younger, leaner Lonny in fatigues, standing beside a much younger Commissioner Richie. Both men wore expressions of grim determination, their eyes haunted by the things they'd seen. In the corner of the picture, an insignia read "Ozark Certified."

"That's me and Richie," Lonny said quietly, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Back then, we were brothers. Fought together. Killed together. But that was a long time ago." He trailed off, shaking his head as if trying to shake off the weight of the past.

Aiden handed the photo back. "So, that's your connection to Richie. But what about the Buckers? What's your tie with them?"

Before Lonny could answer, a soft, unsettling voice interrupted. "Is it time for dinner, Daddy?" Aiden turned toward the staircase. Lonny's son stood halfway down the steps-a small, pale boy with dark, hollow eyes that locked onto Aiden. His gaze was unnerving, far too intense for someone his age.

Lonny coughed nervously. "No, not yet, son. Go on back upstairs. I'll call you when it's time." The boy lingered for a moment, his eyes never leaving Aiden, before he turned and silently disappeared up the stairs. Aiden felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Lonny's demeanor shifted again. He turned back to Aiden with a dark, sarcastic grin. "What's the matter, Detective? You got what you came for, or do you still want to pry?" Aiden stepped closer, his patience wearing thin. "What happened to his mother?" Aiden asked in a nervous, low tone.

"His mother was a beautiful woman. She couldn't handle our boy, so she took the car and rammed it into the nearest tree. You got any more pointless questions, Detective?"

Aiden, annoyed at this point, stormed closer to Lonny. "Okay, Lonny, here's a better question: Where were you the night the Buckers were killed? No more games."

Jensen's grin twisted into something uglier. He let out a wet, hacking cough that grated on Aiden's nerves. "Me and my boy? We had ourselves a nice dinner that night," he sneered. "Then we went home like good little neighbors. But if you want the truth, why don't you ask their daughter about her dead mommy and daddy?"

Aiden's fists clenched, his self-control hanging by a thread. He wanted nothing more than to slam Jensen against the wall, but he knew better. Lonny was trying to provoke him, to throw him off. Aiden wouldn't bite. Instead, he leaned in close, his voice low and threatening.

"I'll be watching you, Lonny. Don't think for a second you're in the clear. You might have a friend in Richie, but you're not so lucky with me. I know you're hiding something. And I'll find out what."

Lonny's eyes flickered with a mix of fear and defiance, but Aiden didn't wait for a response. He turned on his heel and strode out of the house, leaving the thick tension behind him.

As Aiden stepped back into the cold afternoon, his mind raced. There was something deeply wrong with Lonny Jensen, and whatever it was, it ran deeper. As he wondered to himself, he received a text from Summers but completely ignored it as the sun began to dip beneath the trees!