The chronological order of my stories is as follows:
Todd & Melina series, Interludes 1-5, Sperm Wars series, Russian Roulette series, Case of the Murdered Lovers series, Case of the Murdered Chessplayer series, The Swap series, Interludes 6-10, The Murdered Football Player Series, Case of the Black Widow series, Teresa's Christmas Story, The Case of the Black Badge series, A Case of Revenge series, Trilogy Series, Dark Side Of The Force series.
Caught In The Act, Ch. 1-2.
Feedback and
constructive
criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.
This story contains graphic scenes, extreme 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, racial or racist 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.
Part 8 - From Death Unto Life
It was still October 1st. I rushed up to University Hospital, to the Delivery areas. A slim, older woman was waiting, her face attractive but etched by the pain of loss. She was Pamela Feeley, mother of the slain Officer Pete Feeley.
"They just took her in." she said. I sat down by her to wait, calling Laura and then the Chief... Tanya Perlman was delivering her baby!
Two hours later, the lovely Nurse Jones came out to the waiting room, where Laura, Chief Griswold and his wife, and, somewhat to my surprise, Barry Oliver were now waiting. Barry and Tanya had become friends while they'd worked together in the Crime Lab, and I was realizing that perhaps I'd not observed a few things I should have...
"Mrs. Feeley, I am so happy to tell you that you are the grandmother of a very healthy baby boy!" Nurse Jones said. Everyone cheered as Nurse Jones said "Tanya has asked you Mrs. Feeley, and you Commander Troy, to come to her room for a moment before everyone else does."
We went to the room, to which Tanya had been brought just moments before. Her hair was matted with sweat, her face red with exhaustion but also with a radiant smile as she held the little bundle wrapped in a soft blanket and wearing a blue toboggan cap.
Tears were running down Mrs. Feeley's face as she admired her grandson. He was a scrunched up little prune, as all newborns are, but he was healthy and that was the most important thing. Pete Feeley was gone, but he'd left behind a son to follow him.
After some congratulatory talk and a short discussion of the delivery, I asked Tanya, "So, are you going to name him Peter M. Feeley, Junior?"
"No." said Tanya, her smile acquiring a playful edge as she delivered the next words. "His name is Peter
Donald
Feeley."
I was speechless.
"Yep." Tanya said, enjoying the look on my face. "Peter, after his dad; and Donald after the greatest Police Officer I've ever had the privilege to know. I hope he grows up just like his dad, but just like you too, Don."
"I... I don't know what to say." I said. "That's... I'm... well, I'm really honored." I felt the emotions rising. After Mrs. Feeley held little Pete for a few moments, he was handed to me. It was almost as emotional as the time I held my own newborn son just months before.
"Okay, you have tests to run and things to do." I said as Nurse Jones and two other nurses came in. I handed the baby back to Tanya, kissed her on the forehead, told her I'd come back the next day to visit, then went back to the waiting area, still in a total daze. Laura was smiling a very knowing smile as she saw my face.
"She told me not to tell you." said Laura, who then told everyone what Tanya had named the baby. "Are you surprised?"
"That doesn't begin to describe it." I said, fighting hard to hold back my emotions.
Some moments later, the Chief and his wife and Barry Oliver were invited in to see Tanya. Mrs. Feeley came out and sat down beside me.
"I... I'm just so..." she said, the words hard in coming. "Pete's loss was devastating, it just about killed me... but I'm so happy he was able to leave behind a son... I just wish he could have seen him..." Mrs. Feeley could stand no more, and broke down crying as I took her in my arms for a hug, her arms circling me for support, her body racked by sobs. She was not the only one crying. We both had a few minutes releasing our emotions...
Part 9 - Confirmation
I returned to Headquarters, trying to get back to work and overcome my emotions, both happy and sad. I saw Corporal Pete Feeley's badge in its frame on my wall, and I renewed my pledge to continue to fight for Justice on behalf of Pete and his newborn son.
Later that afternoon, I got the news from Dr. Woodrow, who had joined the Chief, Cindy, Claire, Lorena, and myself in Classroom 'E'. For some reason, the Chief took the far end chair, leaving me the one nearest the door. I didn't argue, but sat down to lead the meeting.
"I can say with certainty that the fibers collected at the practice field are exactly the same as those collected at the crime scene." said Dr. Woodrow. "It's not just the same material, but the same batch."
"And you can show this to a jury?" asked the Chief.
"Yes sir." said Dr. Woodrow. He then went into a few moments of discussion on how he could prove the comparison.
"Okay, I'm convinced." said the Chief. "Crowbar, tell an old police chief what this means."
"Sir, I'd like to hear from my Detectives what these facts mean to their opinions." I said. "Rose?"
"It means the killer walked on that practice field not long before going to Derrick Belle's house and killing him." Lorena said.
"Absolutely. Michaels? Fill in the gaps." I said.
After a moment, Claire said "It was after the rain that day, since the murderer tracked mud into the house. He hid in the closet and probably was there while Shayla and Seth were having sex. He, and I say 'he' because I think it took a man to deliver that fatal blow, since Lt. Ross is the only woman I know who could do that, and she has that perfect alibi..."
Cindy smiled, knowing she was being teased, but also at the thought of Jenna Stiles as Claire continued, "he probably was in the closet and heard the altercation between Derrick and Shayla and Seth. After Shayla and Seth left, he came out, grabbed the poker if he didn't have it in his hands already--"
"Which he did." I said. "Go on."
"So he came up behind Derrick Belle and whacked him over the head." finished Claire. "The only thing I don't understand at all is 'Why?'."
"One more thing..." Cindy Ross said. "After killing Belle, the murderer went back to the University Campus, where he ditched the weapon. In fact, he cleaned it off, or thought he had, then sank it into that trash can, where by sheer luck Old Mrs. Boddiker and her friend Mrs. Athena Jones apparently found it. Damn, that was good luck!"
"True. Excellent work by all of you." I said. "And that suggests the killer is associated with the University in some way. But why?..." After a pause, I said "Chief, I don't have a grasp of the 'Why?', either. We've got means and opportunity, but no motive, as of yet."
"Could Shayla have hired someone to kill her husband?" Cindy asked.
"I think we come back to the same arguments as before." I said, becoming slightly introspective as I talked. "Shayla had more reason to want her estranged husband alive than dead. She needs to keep her money, as she is about to be cut off by the divorce, so spending a hundred grand to have her husband killed would be blow to her pocketbook.
"It also stretches my limits of reason to think a contract killer would act right after the person paying him was in the home and argued with the victim. By rights, he'd call it off for that night and take another opportunity later."
"Not that you have any experience as a contract killer, of course." joked the Chief.
"No sir, at least not yet." I said. "By the way, Dr. Woodrow, feel free to jump right in at any time and solve this case for us."
"Heh!" said Dr. Woodrow. "I'm sitting here in utter fascination of all of you."
"What about Seth?" asked Lorena Rose. "Maybe he and Shayla aren't together... maybe she leaves, he circles back inside, gets in the closet while Mr. Belle is in the bathroom or something, then comes out and whacks him."
"It's an idea..." I said, "except that we've generally ascertained that Seth was where he said he was. His cellphone was pinging the right towers at all the right times, as was Shayla's. We're obviously missing something, so far, but I don't think that's it."
"So she was holding his cell phone for him?" Lorena said, not willing to give up the point. And I had to admit she had a point.
"That's a good point." I said. "And now you're making me work to defend Seth. So here's another try: Derrick caught Seth and Shayla together and he had eyes on them until they left. I suspect it'd be hard for Seth to come back inside and surprise Derrick. Ergo, my belief is that Derrick is looking out for Seth, but doesn't realize that
someone else is already in the closet.
I think that's actually yet another point for Seth's innocence, at least in my own mind.