His mind was set. His eyes fixed on the murder board. Boxes in every corner of the room and files lying down on the floor covering the memories of his past. Jake stood up and approached the board to examine it. There was no certain suspect, hell, he didn’t even know if any of the people on the board were suspects but he had to try, try for the sake of his lost love. Deciding to take justice on his own hands was a risky move. One wrong step and he could lose everything. His resources, his job and more importantly his chance to find the killer. Night was coming fast. His time to play his part was here. He took his gun and badge, wore his torn leather jacket and departed for the underground club nearby. Heavy rain was lashing down on the rooftops. The wind made the tree branches dance like crazy, howling with anger. The ominous black sky was full of threatening black clouds. Lightning and thunder raged with fury to put the finishing touch.
Jake was soaked to the skin. With tightly closed fist he walked inside the bar and the music suddenly stopped. Everyone knew him. Being the best cop in New York came with certain benefits or disadvantages depending on the point of view. The big bad wolf was in town and along with him came trouble. The silence in the room made his blood as cold as the wind that was coming through the bar’s broken and rusty windows. A thug made a move and raised his glass to drink his rum.
‘’You can’t drink away the silence’’! Jake shouted. ‘’I want answers’’.
But no one replied. He started walking faster and faster and his fists started to open, becoming something like claws. He grabbed the thug who was drinking and slammed his face on the bar table. His head turned to the others and with a furious stare he ordered everyone not to move.
‘’Give me something and I promise I won’t make your life miserable. Deny my request and you will know hell.’’
‘’I’m Duke’’. The thug told Jake, frightened. His pupils dilated as fear sunk in, crawling in his skin.
Jake’s eyes were fixed on Duke’s granting him no escape.
‘’Look man, I’m not a troublemaker anymore and all I want is a drink’’. He said and his hands started fidgeting.
‘’I know your name you scum”. Jake replied. ‘’Duke Richmond, B&E, pickpocket and overall wannabe professional thief. You should still have some contacts, I-want-them”. Jake’s hand grabbed Duke’s head harder and started putting pressure on his forehead.
‘’You-You should talk to Dom. He is at the back. Please stop hurting me”!
Jake- with a sudden move threw Duke on the floor and proceeded to knock on the red door at the back of the bar. Two seconds passed without anyone answering and Jake pulled out his gun destroying the old lock on the door. He kicked the door open and there was Dom, trying to fill his pockets with money before escaping. ‘’Greed is one hell of a sin Dom’’. Jake said with a tone of irony in his voice. ‘’I want information and if it’s satisfactory I am willing to turn a blind eye in this filthy business of yours. So? How about that?”
‘’What would you like to know, Detective’’? Dom replied sarcastically.
‘You know exactly what I want”. Jake said full of frustration. ‘’Who the fuck killed her”?
‘’The hell I know dude’’! Dom shouted in desperation. ‘’It’s a cold case, nobody ever solved it, get the hell over it’’.
A snap followed by a scream could be heard from the small room in the back of the bar. Jake snapped Dom’s pinky. His eyes blank, lifeless like a soulless human.
‘’It would be a shame if I was forced to break more bones. Give me something Dom’’. Jake said with a twisted grin on his face.
‘’Α warehouse. I-I--’’
‘’Spit it the fuck OUT’’! Jake shouted.
‘’I heard that someone took her there, the warehouse at the bay’’.
Jake sighed and left, leaving Dominic on the floor, scared like a child with his back on the wall. Τhe bell hanging on the door rang loudly when Jake opened it to get out. A violent sound of the door closing followed and music filled the bar again. Like nothing happened.
The streets were wet from the rain. A smell of rotten soil filled the air. The rats making their appearance as well in search of food in dark alleys and bins.
Jake put the keys in the ignition and turned it violently. The car howled like a hound ready to hunt foxes. He stepped on the gas and made his way to the abandoned warehouse. The tires were screeching, trying to hold the car on the wet road. The huge headlights pierced the fog like it was nothing. Abandoned buildings and stores could be seen on either sides of the road. Weeds growing on the concrete pavements amidst the gray. After a thirty minute drive, a crimson building could be seen in the distance.
‘’That’s it. That’s the warehouse’’ Jake said to himself.
‘’Let’s go, let’s go faster’’! A voice shouted but Jake didn’t even flinch.
He approached the crimson building slowly with his headlights off. The engine roared for a while before being turned off. He got out and pulled his gun out. Underneath the gun was a small flashlight, giving a glimmering light to guide the way. The building was surrounded by opaque windows, which was quite peculiar for a warehouse. At the front of the building, stood a wooden door full of fungus. It definitely seemed abandoned for a long time. He opened the door slowly while checking all his blind spots, just in case. Overthinking is what made him a decorated detective. Trying to predict all the possible outcomes was part of the job. Strategic thinking and control of situations was his specialty. The inside of the building was more suspicious than the outside. The so called opaque windows were two way mirrors. You could see from the inside but no one from the outside could see inside. A warehouse is supposed to have one use and one use only and that is storage. Why would anyone need two way windows for their bags?
A further investigation of the inside would confirm his suspicions. Red stains were visibly on the dust. Could be blood or just ketchup. “Ιf this building is abandoned I shouldn’t be able to see the red stains. These are new.” Jake stated curiously. He continued his search through the narrow halls of the warehouse. At the end of the hall was a larger room in a cubic shape. He followed the hallway and arrived in the room where he saw a chair. A single chair in the middle of the room. Behind the chair, there was a crimson stained wall. Small splashes of red liquid stuck on the wall to create a rather morbid painting of death. He got close to the wall. A rustic, dusty smell could be felt. He sat on the chair and turned his head behind him. The stains were as someone was shot in the head or so it seemed.
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