Rage of Envy Rewrite Project

d6 pt 8

Agent Galloway sat looking at the case board across the room. On the table in front of him was a stack of files. He could see the pictures clearly on the board, their innocent faces and their dead bodies. Galloway looked at the stack of the victim’s files.

“No one is innocent,” he thought.

Galloway started to separate the files in groups then by alphabetical order according to their last names. Anna Morgan had compiled the information with the help of Rachel Fisher, the information they got from the school and Kristin Fisher’s cell phone.

Kory Galloway stopped in his tracks. Staring him in the face were the files on Shawn and Dean Galloway…..

“I was wondering when you were going to find those,” said Tom.

Galloway looked up to see Tom Ferguson in the doorway.

“You going to psychoanalyze me now?”

“Just wondering if you should be working this case. That why you never mentioned them?”

“It wasn’t important.”

“Everything is important. We should have talked about it,” said Tom.

“I was hard on them. After their mother died I crawled into a bottle.”

“And you haven’t crawled out, not completely. You know you have a reputation for being gung-ho and bucking authority?”

“You been checking up on me, Tom? You know nothing about me. I can keep it together.”

“Not until you confront this thing with your boys. Why don’t you let me go through those files? You can sort your feelings and look at this with fresh eyes.”

“I think we should put a bolo out on Fisher and Michaels associates.”

“Professional reasons, or personal?”

“The rest of the team doesn’t need to know they are my boys.”

“When they find out it won’t be from me,” said Tom.

Galloway did feel exhausted as he drove to the motel, but he still searched the streets for the boys. He stopped at a liquor store and bought a bottle of bourbon. He sighed as he got to door 2B at the Acorn Motel in Bixby. He took off his shoes, opened the bottle and took an old folder picture from his wallet.

“I found them Trudy. But now what do I do? They hate me. I would hate me. How do I make them see things are different?”

After chugging a good swig Galloway fell back on the bed with tears in his eyes and the picture clenched in his hand. In complete physical and emotional exhaustion, he fell asleep.



There was a knock on room 2B at the Acorn Motel in Bixby. Kory Galloway wasn’t sure it was there until it happened again, a little louder. He checked his phone. 10:30 pm. He was glad he had fallen asleep in his clothes.

Another knock, more insistent.

“Who is it?” he asked.

“Rachel Fisher. I wanted to talk to you.”

Galloway opened the door. Rachel stood there in a slinky black dress holding a bag. “I brought Chinese.”

Galloway stepped aside and let her in. Rachel set the bag on the table and started pulling out Chinese takeout cartons.

“I didn’t know what you liked so I just got three kinds of chicken…”

Galloway sat on the bed, rubbing his temples. “I’m not hungry…”

Rachel pulled out a bottle of bourbon. “Something to take the edge off?”

“Why are you here, Miss Fisher?”

“I’ll bet you been a lot of places. All I’ve ever seen is Carroll County.”

Rachel poured two glasses of bourbon and handed one to Galloway. “I’ve been checking you out. Two of Kristin’s friends, Shawn and Dean, have the same last name as you.”

Galloway took a drink. “Coincidence?”

“I don’t believe in coincidences, Kory.”

Galloway stood up and took both cups and set them on the nightstand. “What doo you want, Rachel?”

“A girl has to do things to get what she wants. I’d be willing to do a lot to get out of Carrol County.” She stepped up to Galloway and put her hands around his neck and kissed him.

Galloway’s hands went to her waist. “I must be old enough to be your father.”

“After 21, age is just a number.”

Galloway kissed her as he lifted her off her feet. Her heels fell off. Galloway took her to the bed and deepened the kiss.