Deadly Connection

 Tossing his keys on the table, Sam shrugs off his backpack, then darts down the pictureless hall to the back. I've been looking forward to our chat all day, he thinks, firing up his computer. He's been chatting with this hot chick for nearly a month, and tonight, he's going to ask her for a date.

Pulling a piece of paper from his pocket, he smooths it out and quickly scans what he wrote. He's been rehearsing the conversation every chance he gets, hoping to get it right. I don't want to screw up the way I did with Shelly. He recalls what a bumbling mess that turned out to be. She gave him a you've-got-to-be-kidding look, laughed, and walked away. He was so humiliated that it took him months to summon up the courage to ask again. That was the loneliest time of my life. He glances at the computer's home screen, takes a deep breath, and says, "Hopefully that will all end tonight."

Sam pulls up his WhatsApp and clicks connect. Using the screen as a mirror, he nervously runs his fingers through his hair, then straightens his wrinkly shirt. The connection continues to ring. Sam nervously shifts in his chair. Please answer before I chicken out again. For the past two weeks he's tried to find enough courage to ask her out. The computer continues to make a strange ringing sound. Maybe she had to work late tonight. 

Darting to the bedroom, he grabs a clean shirt, runs a comb through his short, sandy blond hair, and then checks himself out in the mirror. Much better. He darts to the kitchen for a quick snack. He returns to the computer and finds a missed call from her; he calls her back. Her angelic face appears after the second ring. 

"Hi, love," she smiles.

"Hi, ah, how was your day?" he asks, anxiously eyeing the notes beside him. I need to ease into this; don't rush or sound too desperate, he thinks. Smiling, he glances at the screen again. 

"Uneventful. What about yours?'

"Busy." He shakes his head and adds, "People don't take the heat advisories seriously enough." 

"My surprise will cheer you up."

Sam moves closer to the screen. "What do you have in mind?" He asks, readjusting his manhood. She'd promised sexy time weeks ago and hoped tonight would be the night.

"First you need to click on the photo I just sent you."

He clicks on the link. A picture of her posing naked appears on his screen. "You're hot." He feels his manhood rising to attention as he admires every inch of her sleek, tanned body. 

Smiling, she says, "Now turn around."

He turns to find her naked in his doorway. "Lana?" 

"Goodbye, Sam." 

"Goodbye, but…

She lifts her gun in front of her.

Sam glances at the weapon and then at her. "I don't understand."

"You should've saved my mom when you had the chance." She squeezes the trigger. Two muffled shots ring out.

Sam flops back in his chair. 

****

Rachel and her detectives are working on a cold case at their desk. The recent lull affords them a chance to finally review an investigation that's been weighing heavy on their minds for months. It was a triple homicide and a disappearance on the same day.

"Kirk, Jeff, you go talk to the victim's mother. Jerry and I will see what else I can come up with." Diego fled the country shortly after his brother's death, leaving no traces behind. They always assumed he fled in fear of his life. 

"Yes, sergeant," they say in unison, pushing away from their desks. 

"Hold on a second," the sergeant says, reaching for the ringing phone.

"Sam didn't come into work today? I see." Looking up, she motions for her detectives to go on. "I'll have someone do a wellness check on him. You did. I see. What's the address? We will be right there."

She looks up to find Kirk and Jeff are long gone. Turning, she says, "Jerry, you're coming with me today." With his poor health, his job is mainly research. 

"Why, what's going on, sergeant?" 

"A neighbor found Sam Gallo dead in his home."

***

The sergeant and her crew arrive to find a tearful group of EMTs on the front lawn. Rachel is barking out orders as she and Jerry continue across the lawn. "Jerry, talk to the EMTs and see if they can tell you anything."

"You've got it, sarge."

Rachel heads to the house to find a tall, muscular officer standing at the door. He has a stern look on his face. His arms are across his broad chest. His intimidating stature, deep voice, and humorless, no-nonsense approach have gotten many crooks to confess. Some even soil themselves.

"Officer."

"Sergeant," he nods, then steps aside. "They're in the back."

"Thanks." She walks down the narrow hall to the office in the back. The sergeant reaches the back room to find the ME inspecting the body.

"It looks like he took two at close range to the chest." She examines the wound, looks up, and says, "A 45 would be my guess."

"What is his time of death?"

"According to rigor mortis and body temp, I'd say it was sometime late yesterday evening. I'll be able to narrow it down further once I get him to the lab."

Rachel scans the crime scene, pieces it together in her mind, points to the laptop, and says, "He's about to get on his computer when he hears footsteps behind him. He turns to see who it is, and the intruder shoots him." 

"That sounds like a logical theory since the laptop lid was open but the power was off."

Rachel turns to find a forensic tech behind her. "Are there any signs of a struggle?"

"No, and no signs of a break-in either."

"Sam would've had to have known who the shooter was."

"Nothing appears to be missing, so it's not a burglary gone wrong."

Rachel glances at the victim again. "Two bullets straight to the heart tell me the shooting is personal. Are there any cameras in the area?"

"I couldn't find any in the house, and he doesn't have an alarm." 

"Be sure to check all his devices to see what you can find and." Stopping, she turns and says, I'm sorry, Bill. I forgot who I was talking to." Placing her hand on his arm, she adds. "Just do what you always do. She starts to leave, turns, smiles, and then says, "I'm glad you're back."

"I am too. And, Sergeant, I won't disappoint."

Rachel smiles and says, "You never do." 

 The higher-ups thought it'd be better and more budget-friendly to put a younger tech in the field while cutting the higher-paid techs hours back. After months of giving Bill's replacement step-by-step instructions on how to do his job, the frustrated sergeant storms into their office demanding they bring Bill back. When they denied her request, she threatened to go to the mayor. Born and raised in Berryville, Rachel's deep roots connect her to the most influential city seats. Of course it doesn't hurt that her husband is the police captain, her father is a retired DA, and her stepmother is the mayor's assistant.

Rachel returns to the station to find Jeff and Kirk at their desks. "So what did you guys find out?"

"We were right; Diego ran because he was in fear of his life. I asked for a name, and he said the threats have been taken care of."

"He's back in town?"

"He claims he got in late last night and said he wanted to be here for his mom's final days."

"What about the shooter?"

"Right. I guess Russ, the one who killed Diego's brother, had a car accident a few nights back, killing both him and his brother Jesse."

"Russ and Jesse Demarcus?"

"That's the one. Our initial investigation showed that they were coming home drunk from a bar and slid on black ice, flying off the side of the cliff."

Nodding, Jeff adds. "Forensics didn't find anything to prove foul play."

"Can you tie the two brothers to the crime?"

"A gun was found in Russ's car; I'm going to see if ballistics can run it for a match."

"Well, we caught a case while you two were out. Sam was found shot in his home."

"Sam, the EMT?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Cap just got a call about a Eureka Springs EMT who was found shot in his car."