Walls

Walls

by
B.D. Adams
© 2009


Mel Scarpetti was so tired of the wall that kept hitting him in his face? Huh? Why couldn’t the “bad guy” just jump up and scream, “I did it!!” Does that happen? Hell, no! These were Mel’s thoughts as he snapped on his latex gloves to examine this new crime scene.

Scarpetti was his name, and police work was his game. He smiled a little at this thought. He’d been a Detective for ….. sheesh! For twenty years. Mel groaned at this thought …. getting older, but still loved the work.

This scene was pretty much the same as the others. The forensic guys were there now, so Mel stood aside to accommodate them. One victim (one man), middle-aged, living alone with one bullet to the back of the head (execution style). One glass of wine, with only the victim’s prints. Nothing stood out … very ordinary, as murders would go. ‘This guy is good,’ Mel mulled over in his mind. Nothing, nothing that said anyone else had been there. Oh, some stuff had been scattered, but nothing that was substantial!

If there was a friend who might show up ... that would be the only way to determine burglary, as well as murder! A couple other scenes had had that blessing, so this was probably the same MO. Unfortunately, that would take more time to confirm.

It was a warm, late-Spring afternoon and Mel needed to get some air … hell … he needed to smoke! He lit up when he was a few doors down the street. He found a stoop that looked inviting and had a seat. He really needed to think about this murderer!!

“Hey, Mel!” shouted a uniformed cop, as he approached, “They have somethin’ for ya!” Mel deadened the cigarette butt on his shoe’s sole and rose to go back to the apartment. What could they have found?

Back in the apartment, Frank, the other Detective, was all flabbergasted. “You ain’t goin’ to believe this! Look in the trash,” he said with a wide smile. Mel took a glance then he envisioned his “wall” as a little chunk chipped off to show the hint of light. There was one of those Polaroid cameras in the trash can, and along with the camera was a picture!

Mel still had one of his gloves on, so he picked up the photo and scrutinized that this picture was taken as the camera fell into the can. The room where the camera fell was the bedroom with double doors, which opened onto the living room where the body was. This was incredible! Our first clue! How could our “Mr. Clue-less” not have known that a picture was taken? And, the other question …. how did the camera get tripped. As Mel thought, a rather furry cat was being held up to him. And, as Mel discerned about the camera’s flash, light glared … almost flashed … into the apartment from a window being vertically opened across the street. They had already established that the time of death was the same time, as now, the day before. The trash can was by a desk, which was by a large window. How ironic!

Mel and Frank began to really survey the photo. The picture showed the shooter as he positioned the gun barrel (with a silencer) at the back of the victim’s head. The victim was on his knees. The shooter’s face was only in a ¾ profile … however, you could see his left forearm and a dragon tattoo was seen very distinctively that encircled his arm! Mel could only imagine how many tattoo parlors he’d have to go to because of this clue!

The ME (Medical Examiner) Techs had arrived to take the corpse. Mel and Frank moved so they could get the gurney to the body. The ME’s wore short sleeved white jackets, and as Mel glanced at one of the guys, something grabbed his attention. Mel tapped Frank’s arm, and held up the photo for the both of them to see, as the one guy strapped down the body. The guy in the picture and the one Tech with the gurney had the same dragoon tattoo!

Mel’s wall began to crumple away!!