This story is part of an ongoing series.
The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography.
Feedback and
constructive
criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.
This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.
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Part 14 - Smoke And Mirrors
"Hold your fire!" I yelled out. "Do not fire! Do not shoot!"
There was no further sound from the bedroom, but an eerie orange-pink light. Teresa went to the edge of the door and peered in as Kalsu and Patrick began coming up the stairs, then she went in the room, followed by Laurer.
"Clear!" Teresa called up. "Commander, you gotta see this." I went upstairs, holstering my service weapon.
When I went into the room, a strange sight greeted me. There were two blowup dolls, but they were clear plastic and not really anatomical. Attached the them were small blowers, pumping heated air through them, and orange and pink lights illuminating them.
"Sir," said Kalsu as he came into the room, "there's two more just like this in the den downstairs."
"What was that gunfire?" Cindy asked.
"This." I said, pointing to the remains of tiny firecrackers that had been attached to a tripwire across the door. "It pops, and they're hoping we'll start shooting."
"What the hell is the purpose of all this?" asked Joan Laurer, mostly to herself.
"Can we get Amber on a parole violation for the firecrackers?" Cindy asked hopefully.
"No ma'am." said the Parole Officer. "Those little things aren't considered to be an offensive weapon, even if they were thrown at Police during a riot."
"As to the purpose, Detective Laurer," I said, "it's obvious it's to fuck with us. Just as a prank to embarrass us, or a more sinister warning, I'm not sure."
"Maybe to distract us, sir?" asked Teresa Croyle.
"Could well be." I said. "But why? And by whom? Don't try to tell me that Amber has the brains to figure out and set up something like this."
"Bettina might." said Cindy. "But my money is on that Rogue Team that we were expecting to meet."
"Okay, call your families." I said. "Tell them to watch out for anything out of the ordinary, and for them to lock their doors, and stay inside with a cellphone near them---"
*BUZZ!* *BUZZ!* *BUZZ!* *BUZZ!*
It was Teresa's Police iPhone, which was on vibrate mode. Meanwhile, I was getting an earful of the 'break' noise on the radio.
"Break break break! Duty Desk to Commander Troy." said the Duty Desk Sergeant.
"Go for Troy." I said into the radio, unplugging the earpiece so that all could hear.
"Sir, we have shots fired at the Quick Stop at Jefferson and Riverside." said the Duty Desk. "Multiple casualties."
"Roger that." I said. "I'm on the way." I turned to everyone and said "Laurer, Monroe, stay with the Parole Officer and Commander Ross. Take photos of these... contraptions... then take them to the Station as evidence. Leave everything else of Amber' untouched, and make it look like we were never here. Don't leave any bugs; they'll find them. Kalsu and Patrick, you come with Commander Croyle and me to the crime scene..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Police were directing traffic along Jefferson and Riverside, not letting rubberneckers stop or even slow down. The Quick Stop parking lot was cordoned off, as was the parking lot to of the defunct skating rink, but of course I was allowed to drive past the barriers. I parked in the skating rink lot with several other Police vehicles, one of them being Tanya's van.
The scene was an eerie landscape of flashing lightbars and LEOs scurrying about. I saw an ambulance and two EMTs in the parking lot, right at the corner of the streets, and other Police vehicles. Yellow crime scene tape was already up around the parking lot, and more blocking off the side of the store near where the bodies were behind the building.
Tanya herself was in her 'Tank', the tracked wheelchair. She was wearing an armored vest and a Police helmet, like everyone else but me (ubiquitous Tilley Hat). Kalsu and Patrick were behind me, and watching warily; they were my bodyguards. Teresa was checking with the Uniformed Officers manning the perimeter.
"Whaddya got, Muscone?" I asked gruffly as I came up to my Captain of Detectives.
"Four dead." Tanya replied. "Three right here near the corner, and a fourth on the other side of that dumpster. Looks like he tried to get behind the dumpster, but may have been shot before he got there, and he died there."
"Who called it in?" I asked.
"We got four 9-1-1 calls." Tanya said. "The guy working the counter inside the Quick Stop, and three people in the area on cellphones. They were here when the first Patrol cruiser arrived, and we've interviewed them. Their stories match in that an old car came up Riverside... going north... and sharply turned into the parking lot. The color of the car was described as everything from gray to tan, and I'm thinking the lighting here may be part of the problem, there."
"I agree." I said. "Keep going."
Tanya: "The car rushed around to the side here, shots were heard, then the car took off onto Jefferson, going east. The employee behind the counter said he didn't really see what happened other than the car coming into the lot. Others said it went on around, and again reports differ on how long it was there. One eyewitness said it stopped for quote 'a few seconds', while another witness said it pulled up, and had hardly stopped when the car screeched off and went onto Jefferson and kept going."
I nodded. "Okay, I'll go look at the bodies. Kalsu, Patrick, stay here with Captain Muscone, make sure she doesn't get shot." They acknowledged the order and stayed with Tanya as I went into the alleyway behind the store. Powerful temporary klieg lights illuminated the area. I observed Detectives Julia Rodriguez and Theo Washington down the alley, in plainclothes but wearing armored vests, which pleased me.
"Hello, Bobby." I said to Bobby Patrick, one of the CSIs. "Are you related to Daniel Patrick?"
"Third cousins, sir." said Bobby. "Our grandfathers were brothers. Sir, this is our newest CSI, Garst Gailey. Started May 1st. Chemistry degree." Gailey was a youngish man, likely not long graduated from School and the Police Academy."
"Chemistry degree? I like you already." I said, shaking Gailey's hand. "Where are you from?"
"Honor to meet you, sir." said Gailey. "I graduated from Missouri, and worked in The City for two years before Captain Muscone snagged me. Glad she did; things are ugly over there right now."
"Yeah they are." I said. "They're ugly here, too. Any idea who these cats are?"
*Whirrrrrrrrrrr*
"Prints just came back." said Tanya as she rolled up to us. "Toddler, Camo, Jesus Freak, and Mr. Handsome."
"Ohhhhh, nooooooo." I said softly. I pulled back the tarp covering one of the bodies to see the lifeless face of 'Jesus Freak'. One bullet had gotten him right over his left ear, and gone through his head.
"Sir," said Technician Gailey, "all four victims were shot two or three times in the upper body, and at least once in the head."
"What do you make of that, Mr. Kalsu?" I asked the SWAT Officer, who was right behind Tanya.
"Sir," said Kalsu, "that sounds like what we were trained to do in the military: double tap to the chest, then one to the head. Looks like the perps fired three or four shots to the chest in these cases."
"I agree." I said. "Very efficient executions. We rarely see this in gang warfare---"
"Commander! Over here!" I heard Detective Julia Rodriguez call out. I went over to the other side of the dumpster. Lying in a sitting position against it, his body but not his face covered with a tarp, was Mr. Handsome.
"I'm trying to understand this, sir." said Julia. "The others pretty much fell where they were standing. But this guy managed to get behind this dumpster. The problem is that he must've been hit before getting here,
but there is no blood trail from where the others were, nor from anywhere else.
"
"You're right." I said. "Excellent observation, Ms. Rodriguez. Mr. Washington, what do you make of that?"
"The only thing that make sense to me, sir," said Theo, "is that this guy was already down here, or close by. We're getting videocamera data from inside the store and around the area to confirm what we were told by witnesses, that one guy was inside, buying a beer and cigarettes. Maybe he came out the back door here, and walked into the ambush."
"You're right that he was already close by, already down here when he was shot." I said.
"I hate to burst your bubble, Theo," said Tanya, looking at her tablet, "but the video is already uploaded to the evidence servers, and this guy here did buy beer and cigarettes... but he went out the front door and went around the corner where the other three were, in the shadows."
I said "Okay, let's get someone to pull his body forward, so I can see the wall behind him."
"Sir?" Julia asked involuntarily.
"The wall behind him, Detective." I said, careful not to make my voice too harsh or condescending. Garst Gailey and a Uniformed Officer that had gloves on and was helping collect evidence came over at Tanya's radioed-in request, and they pulled the body forward as Theo videoed everything.
"Ah" I said as I squatted to the side of Mr. Handsome's body. "Get this on film, Theo. Two bullets went right through the man and slammed into the concrete wall. What does that tell us?"
"He was sitting there when he was shot." said Garst Gailey. Julia, Theo, and Tanya nodded vigorously in agreement.
"I'm trying to understand this, Ms. Rodriguez." I said, playing on her words from a moment before. "Make me understand how this happened?"
"Not enough data yet, sir." Julia said thoughtfully as I glanced over at the vine-covered fence.
I got out my Police iPhone and speed-dialed Mary Mahoney Milton. "Terry Halston is already getting video data, sir." she said. "I'm helping him with it, and Myron is helping from home."
"Outstanding." I said. "Listen, have Myron stop. Call me paranoid about the security of the lines he's using to plug in. And don't have him come in. You work with Halston like you're doing now. I want him and you to get all the video from the parking lot of the old skating rink building. Whatever you can get, from any angle, pointing in any direction. How copy?"
"Loud and clear, sir." Mary said. "We're on it." We disconnected the call.
