I got a great deal through this story before stopping work for some reason. I seem to recall that I plotted out Sidekicks, but despite that, didn't complete it; I can't recall if I plotted out this particular novel (unlikely), but I did remember some directions I wanted it to go in. This story was very important in the D4D mythology, and introduced some important characters as well as reintroducing old ones. For example, Trooper Broderick first appeared (yes...that family of Brodericks), and Det. Mulroy, last of Sidekicks, returned in a major role--as did the long-missing Officer Felman of Lucifer. A few important relationships were forged as well--Puck Benteen and Psyche Cooper, Troy D'Amato and Lynn Leja, and Trooper Broderick and Anna Clare--at least, they were meant to be forged, before writing stopped. (There are various outdated adult scenes featuring these relationships. The adult scene with Psyche and Puck, actually, picks up where it leaves off in this story--and there's even reference to it afterwards, which is about as adult as I've gotten in one of my PG-13 stories.) There was also going to be an explanation of Puck's past and why exactly he knows so much about Satanism (he gives part of the reason in the slightly earlier Minot, but not the whole unpleasant story). As well, Murders was meant to be the story where the whole Scorpio investigation was blown wide open and turned upside-down, as the long-disbanded task force was to be reassembled, and the long-closed case files were to be reopened by the very people who once ordered them closed...but what little I wrote of it is here to see.
The two aspects of this story which bother me are 1. how I dragged in the Minot cops, they seem rather shoehorned into the plot and out of place; and 2. the subplot involving Puck's past, which despite my intentions just didn't really fit in. Other than that...I think this story went along rather fun, at least until it stalled out. This is one of the most complete incomplete stories in the series. Beware some possible OOC moments. As stated before, the writing of this dates almost positively to the late Nineties, probably between 1996-8.
Front Material/Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7