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LOVE LIKE HIS: Chapter 24 – SUNDAY MORNING - An Original Story by Papa-pepper

80
8 years ago
in#fiction

CHAPTER 24: SUNDAY MORNING

Ray is getting ready. He feels strange getting dressed up just to go to a church meeting. In prison, options were limited, so everyone basically wore the same outfit that they wore every day, and they all matched. Not only that, but Ray struggles with the idea that Jesus ever “dressed to impress.” His whole message seemed to focus on more weighty matters and deeper issues of the soul. Man is superficial and focuses on the exterior, but God is concerned with the heart.

Anyway, Ray chooses to compromise. Gary had bought him several nicer looking shirts besides a few actual dress shirts, so he decides to wear a collared polo shirt and some tan pants with cargo pockets. He won’t be all the way dressed up, but it should still be more acceptable than jeans and a t-shirt.

As he finishes his morning routine of shaving and combing his hair, Ray contemplates what the message may be like today. Except for a few on the radio, he has only really heard “jail-house” preaching. He suspects that things will be far less serious and confrontational in a regular church, but he hopes that things will at least be serious and deal with the real issues of life.

Gary will not be picking Ray up today.

Ray is already getting used to just having Gary drive him around, but tomorrow his job will start, so Ray will need to start driving himself. Gary told him to drive himself to church today to start getting used to it. Ray knows that he will need to start driving and being less dependent upon Gary as time goes on anyway.

Driving used to be such a casual thing for Ray when he was a kid. He’s jump behind the wheel in those days without even thinking about. Driving was carefree and easy, and more of a “fun” activity than a serious situation. After everything that happened though, Ray will be much more cautious.

He grabs his keys and heads out the door.

Elsewhere, Detective Cromwell is waking up. His face is sticky with drool, and the carpet has definitely made an impression on his cheek and forehead. He’s home, so that at least counts for something.

Cromwell has spent enough of his mornings with little memory of the previous night, so he’s gotten into the habit of not even pondering much about what may have occurred. Only the drool spot is wet on the carpet, so Cromwell makes his way into the bathroom.

Though Cromwell’s health is fading, his senses are still keen. Besides his clothes reeking of cigarette smoke, Cromwell notices that his trigger finger also smells like smoke when he begins to wash his face.

Gun smoke!

This realization snaps Cromwell fully awake more that the cold water ever could have. A quick glance of his suit turns up an absence of blood, but that really doesn’t help. Had he found Gary and Ray? What happened? Was it someone else?

Cromwell frantically checks the clip… it’s empty!

Fumbling around in his pocket, the detective pulls out his phone. If something bad had gone down, someone would have tried to call him, right? His phone is there, but it is also dead. Cromwell heads to the bedroom to plug in the phone while he tries to recollect.

The only memory that he is a being is bar.

Which bar, or for how long remain a mystery. Stupid brain! Cromwell attempts to recollect again, but he’s still coming up empty. He turns the phone on, but there’s nothing. No missed calls, and no new texts.
Options are limited, but he’ll have to figure this out quick. Never being one to risk not having the upper hand, the detective pulls open a dresser drawer with a screeching squeak. Most people would keep ammunition in the top drawer, maybe under their underwear or something. Cromwell, though, keeps his in the third drawer down, because it’s got a squeak.

The chances of someone breaking into his house and robbing some of his ammunition are slim, but Cromwell is all too familiar with the destructive damage that a bullet can do, and he’s not about to take any chances.

Fully loaded, Cromwell takes off for Gary’s place.

Perhaps he didn’t leave town. Perhaps he’s even still alive!

THE END OF CHAPTER 24.

TO READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, CLICK BELOW:

MY NAME IN PEPPERS

(I didn't have any lights....)

Thank you, and stay tuned for LOVE LIKE HIS : Chapter 25 - Coming soon to a steemit near you

Also, if you enjoyed this chapter, let me know by leaving a comment! Thanks

Awesome Handcrafted @papa-pepper logo kindly donated by @vlad - Thank you!

fictionstorywritingreligionwriters
8 years ago
papa-pepper80
via steemit
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