[ WP ] You 're a famous murder mystery author . A fan of yours starts to take inspirations from your books to murder people . The police recruit you to hunt him down .

It was a rather usual night at my desk, tossing a tennis ball into the air and catching it while trying to jump start my brain. 
 
 This, of course, was to the intense consternation of my dog who was watching. 
 
 Until his ears perked up and he trotted off to the door. I live alone, I have n't ordered food, all the possibilities ran through my head and then the doorbell rang. He barked and I jumped to my feet, trotting off in my own way to the door. 
 
 It's a strange sight when you open your door at 11 at night to find six uniform police officers standing there. 
 
 So I cracked a joke to make everyone feel at ease. 
 
 `` Who'd I kill?'' 
 
 That was the wrong thing to say. I figured that out while there was a blue knee in front of my face and I was face down on the floor. 
 
 Panzer? That bastard just laid down and chewed on the tennis ball. 
 
 ***** 
 
 They brought me into the police station and marched me to some ranking officers office. 
 
 I was made to sit, so I did, and waited patiently. 
 
 `` Where were you last night?'' 
 
 `` Drunk in my home. Dog can provide an alibi.'' 
 
 She rolled her eyes and leaned forward. 
 
 `` Do you know Patrick Telford?'' 
 
 I shook my head, the name could not have meant less to me. At all. 
 
 `` He was murdered last night and someone removed his eye and placed his wedding ring inside. He had been cheating.'' 
 
 That made Patrick Telford very interesting to me. Because I had killed him. On paper. And to me he was Gary Hennity. And nearly half a million people knew it. 
 
 I know, I'm bragging. 
 
 `` Where were you?'' 
 
 `` Drunk at home. Check my computer, I was writing all night.'' 
 
 `` We will.'' She said with a very strange smile, `` until then, you can wait in the cells.'' 
 
 Neat. Maybe they'll help break this writer's block. Inspire me with their gruesome tales of murder and mayhem. 
 
 `` With the drunks.'' 
 
 Ah. Bitch. 
 
 ***** 
 
 After two hours and some vomit on my shoe I was released from the cell. No wiser certainly and even more lacking in inspiration. 
 
 I was once again in the office, missing one shoe since it `` smelled like rancid shit'', and waiting on the friendliest cop I'd ever met. 
 
 `` Who would want to frame you for murder or murder from one of your books?'' 
 
 That was a fun question. 
 
 `` Anyone. Rabid fans, angry ex-wives, one forlorn college boyfriend - we all experimented, right? - a waiter I never tipped, my mother, a bowl of steamed carrots. You'll need to be more specific.'' 
 
 `` I can see why you think so many people might want to frame you.'' She said it dryly and that made me laugh. On the inside. 
 
 I shrugged. 
 
 `` There's a dead man in my morgue and you are the only link to him. Your book. So why would anyone want to do that?'' 
 
 `` I do n't want anyone dead. I just kill them on paper with ink. If someone wants to kill them like I do they'd probably be some crazy fan. I have all their mail if you want. It amuses me on cold, lonely nights. Also sometimes the dog piddles in the house and I need to clean it up.'' 
 
 She looked thrilled. 
 
 Then something clicked in my brain. All that time in the cell and it had n't before. 
 
 `` Wait, you said they removed his eye. Which eye?'' 
 
 `` Right.'' 
 
 I snorted. She did n't. She could n't have. 
 
 `` It's not a fan.'' 
 
 ***** 
 
 `` Can I do it?'' 
 
 He shook his head. He did n't say much. Big guy too. Burly. 
 
 `` Please?'' 
 
 Again. 
 
 `` Pretty please?'' 
 
 Once more. 
 
 `` I'll write you into my next book...'' 
 
 He did n't shake this time. He just slowly turned and looked at me. Raising one eyebrow. I could see the smile playing at his mouth. He was a fan. You can always tell. He sighed heavily and seemed to ready himself for the brunt of the abuse. 
 
 Then he nodded. 
 
 `` Yes!'' 
 
 I hit the switch and the siren wailed, lights flashed, and I giddily jumped in my seat. It only lasted a few seconds until he turned it off. 
 
 I shifted in my seat and tugged at my pants. 
 
 `` Sorry about that, just got a cop boner.'' 
 
 He laughed, then stifled it and turned away. We were bonding. 
 
 A few minutes later they marched her out in handcuffs, tears were running down her face. Shaila, my editor. I got out of the car and looked at her, really looked at her. 
 
 `` Twelve years Shay, why?'' 
 
 `` Because sales were slipping and you needed to get the new one done.'' 
 
 It was like someone had hit me in the chest with a hammer. She had killed a man to urge me to write. Then I threw up in the street. 
 
 They might tell me it was her but there would be a little blood on my hands. 
 
 A massive hand rested on my back. The big cop. His face said he understood. That was strangely comforting. 
 
 `` How did you know?'' He said. 
 
 `` Right eye. Only two people knew which eye it was. I told her it was about the corruption of marriage and had to be the opposite eye and she told me our readers were n't that smart and to make it the left to match sides.'' 
 
 He grunted. 
 
 I suppose we were done bonding. 
 
 ***** 
 
 There was n't much fanfare after the whole thing. 
 
 Sure it made the news and my sales did jump, I even finished the book. 
 
 Shay would go to jail, she confessed to the whole thing. 
 
 I went to his funeral. Telford's. It was pretty sobering. 
 
 Then I got the call in. So I went to the police station and sat across from the Lieutenant, since I had learned her rank, and the big guy. 
 
 Howie. They called him Howitzer. Creative. 
 
 `` You did us a solid. We appreciate it.'' The Lieutenant, Laskie, said. Like she did n't quite mean it. Then she leaned forward on her elbows again and looked at me. 
 
 `` Look, I'm against it. I'll be honest. But the Captain thinks you have some knowledge, being an ex-cop and all that, with a seriously unique knowledge of crime. He wants you to consult on cases when we need help. Unique cases. Tough cases. Sometimes even cold cases. I would prefer if you said no but I expect that will only make you more likely to say-'' 
 
 `` -Absolutely. I will be your knight in shining armor.'' 
 
 She glared. 
 
 I grinned. 
 
 And that is how this all started.
