The Dark Side

The sun is slowly setting behind the Ozark Mountains, spreading a wide array of oranges, yellows, and pinks across the evening sky. Aa a calm, gentle breeze sweeps across the land bringing the balmy temperature down. Jeff and his attacker are too preoccupied with their standoff to notice the breathtaking view.

The sun's rays bounce off the metal as Jeff raises his gun.

Shoving the weapon into the robber's head, Jeff stares into his cold, soulless eyes and says, "You have two choices. You can either walk away and live to see another day or take your chances with my gun."

The mugger shifts his body back and forth. His tongue moves wildly across his lips. His face does a nervous twitch. He hadn't had a fix since late last night and wasn't sure how much longer he could hang on. Beads of sweat pop across his forehead as he tries to conjure up the courage to see the robbery through. He glances at his weapon and then at his adversaries gun, trying to calculate his next move.

A car zooms past, bringing him out of his befuddled state, intoxicated from the adrenaline rush a short while ago. Jeff feels like he woke from a dream only to find himself in one worse than the one he'd dreamt. Jeff eyes the guy in front of him, his gun, and the man's knife. He then realizes he's at the edge of his yard in plain view of any passerby. The totality of the situation hits him. Jeff's stomach quivers. Bile rises from his throat, making its way into his mouth. He forces the pungent liquid down. He glares at the figment of a man shaking in front of him. He knows the smart thing to do would be to give in to his demand, the way he has to everyone in his past, but the moment Jeff raised his gun to Mitch's head, he felt something shift. Like the evil part of him lurking inside was fighting its way out. He was able to suppress the feeling once but felt it returning with an invincible force. Clenching his jaw, with hate shooting from his eyes, he glares at the man and says, "I've backed down all my life, but I'll be damned if I do it with you." The foul liquid returns. Jeff gulps it down and then asks. "What's it going to be, pal? Huh, what? Are you going to die tonight, or are you going to run?"

***

Joe is looking through the latest forensic report when his partners walk in the door. Their designated workspace is a small area off of the main floor. They have three small desks and matching office chairs. Folding chairs run along the back wall. A pin-up board is to the right of the conference table. A flat-screen tv hangs along the far wall.

"Did you find anything?" he asks as his detectives cross the room. After responding to an attempted B and E, Joe told his detectives to follow up on their original arson burglary case.

"The security cameras were taken offline right before the crimes occurred. Even the street cam seems to have malfunctioned around that time." Jerry says, plopping down at his desk.

"We're looking at a professional job, then."

"Looks that way, boss." Jerry points to the report. Did the crime lab find anything?"

"They found a partial on the gas can. I searched through our data banks but didn't find anything."

"What about the shoe print?"

"They said it's from a man's dress shoe, a size nine. A Walmart brand, they believe. They said they're checking into that now. They also found a gold button. They believe it came off of a man's navy blue suit. They found a small thread in the buttonhole. Kirk said that he would let us know more about that soon."

Jerry runs his fingers through his thinning hair. He used to have a head of thick black hair, but now he has just enough for a combover. A thin one at that. "Why would someone wear a suit to a crime, boss?"

"Maybe it wasn't planned?" Rachel says, tossing her stuff on her desk.

"That blows our profile all to hell." Jerry shuffles through the papers scattered across his desk. Finding what he's looking for, he quickly skims the page. "I doubt if any of this is right, boss." Aggravated, he tosses the paper into the mess.

"Wait, did you just say forensics found a gold button at the bowling alley?" Rachel asks.

"They believe it came off of a blue suit. Why?"

"Jeff was wearing a navy jacket with fancy gold buttons when I checked on them that night."

"He has an alibi around the time of the crime, remember?"

"Who's to say the waiter isn't covering for him?" She thinks a second and then adds, "Maybe the waiter, Bambini, and Jeff are all somehow involved."

"So they all conspire to commit this crime?" Joe laughs. "That's a far reach even for you."

"The cafe is the only competition Bambini's has left in this town." Three dinners closed down this year, and the owners fled the state without saying a word to anyone.

"If you compare fine dining to a sports bar, yeah."

"The place is more than just a sports bar, Joe, and you know it."

"Many families tell me that they have eaten there for years and that the owners are like family to them. They've watched each other's kids grow up and move out, have families of their own."

"Exactly, Jerry. It's a place full of family traditions and memories. Heck, I practically grew up there myself." She and her cousin Emma would beg for something to eat when the girls and her mama lived on the street. The owners would load them up with bags of stuff. They'd even offered the use of their shower and laundered their clothes. Emma and I might not have survived if it wasn't for their kind hearts and their generosity. Her connection is the main reason why she's working so hard on this case."If you asked 100 people where they'd rather eat, I bet they'd say The Pin."

"It is always full, boss, whereas Bambini's only has a few cars when I drive by at night."

"What about your blackmail theory, Rachel?"

"I'm not taking it out of the mix just yet." Seeing the doubt on her boss's face, she adds, "You told me to look at it from different angles, and that's what I'm trying to do."

"By spinning a wild tale?"

"It's possible, Serg. Besides, how many of my so-called wild tales were right?" Rachel is the only one of the three that thinks outside the box.

Joe runs his fingers through his hair, indicating he is nearly convinced.

Rachel is trying to figure out what else to say when she sees Jerry glancing up from his notes, a determined look on his face. I can always count on Jerry to help me out. Rachel smiles

"We never confirmed the meeting with his client, boss."

"I don't recall Jeff ever giving us his name."

"He didn't. Julie said she didn't know who he was meeting with but that he did call twice to confirm."

Rachel and I will talk to the alibi. Jerry, I want you to check Jeff's phone records."

"I'm on it, boss."

Rachel leans toward Jerry and whispers, "Thanks, Jerr."

He winks.