Part VI: 2013

Part VI: 2013

Samson

Well, it’s been a hell of a year, I got in touch with Kat, an old friend of mine from high school. We ran into each other one day, and got to talking, and one thing led to another, and we’re dating now. Scott’s death fucked me up, it triggered something in me, and I’ve started having nightmares about the war. Now I see why Scott killed himself, they are intense. I saw so many people die during my time there, including people I care about. They show up in my dreams as zombies, blaming me for their deaths.
Combine that with the actual horrors I’ve seen, and it seems so real, it terrifies me. I drink a lot, seems like that’s all I spend my money on now. Dad has cut off my funds, he says he can’t afford to help me anymore, he says he hasn’t seen a royalty check in over a year, and he needs what he has left to live off of. I tried getting a job, but I can’t seem to hold one down. Problem is, I drink so much after I get home, and end up sleeping through my alarm. Luckily, Kat has been helping me with finances and stuff, she moved in with me. She’s the only good thing going on in my life right now, and she’s been patient with me in regards to my screaming from nightmares waking her up, she immediately comforts me and we fall asleep in each other’s arms, it’s nice.
“Hey babe, how was work?” I ask.
“Eh, it’s work.” Kat answers.
“Do you wanna go somewhere tonight?”
“Nah, I’m beat.”
“Alright, that’s cool. Dinner is almost ready.”
“Ooh, what are we having?”
“Chicken and rice.”
“One of my favorites!”
“Yeah. So listen, Greg invited us to go to a party at the VFW this Saturday, do you wanna go?”
“Sure, sounds like fun, what’s the occasion?”
“Really?”
“What? Am I supposed to know?”
“It’s...it’s Veteran’s Day on Monday.”
“Oh! Right, sorry.”
“It’s all right.” I love her, but she’s such an airhead, always has been. Still, I’m glad I have her. She seemed relieved when I told her about Leo, he must have been horrible to her. I didn’t ask, best not to open that can of worms. After graduation, she tried acting, but she wasn’t as good as she thought she was, so she found a job at one of those designer clothing stores. She has fashion sense, so she’s able to help customers find the right outfit, her bosses are impressed with her, and she gets a raise every six months, so she makes a decent amount.
After dinner, we watched a movie and then went to bed. I don’t drink as much when she’s around, probably because I spend most of the day while she’s at work at the VFW drinking. But I think it’s a little more than that, I think I really do love this girl, she’s been awesome. Who knew that someone I was just friends with could also be a great girlfriend? I haven’t had a girlfriend this awesome since Christy. I wonder how she’s doing? I saw her on the cover of one of those fashion magazines, and I bought one. As awesome as Kat is, I do miss Christy, but I’m happy with Kat, so I guess the past doesn’t really matter anymore. Still, I woke up screaming after having a nightmare of Leo killing everyone in our unit, and I was unable to stop him cause I had no arms or legs. He was laughing maniacally, covered in blood, just shooting everyone.
Tiffany, my CO, looked at me as she was dying and told me she loved me, and why was I letting Leo kill everyone. I told her there was nothing I could do. She said it was all my fault she was dying. Leo looked at me, pointed his gun and shot, and that’s when I woke up. Me and Tiffany did have a secret thing between us, but it was purely mechanical, no feelings involved. Ok, so I did feel a little bit for her, but that’s because I was under the impression that we were exclusive, so I thought she cared about me. Turns out I was wrong, but I was ok with it since I’ve used girls before. It still stung being on the other side, so maybe I cared a little more than I should have.
“Are you alright, Sammy?”
“Yeah, no, it was another Leo dream.”
“Need a drink?”
“Please. Whiskey, I need something hard.” She got up and got the bottle for me. I took a belt, waited, and took another one. “Thanks, babe.”
“No problem.” She puts the bottle away, and climbs into bed with me. We cuddle and fall back asleep. Luckily, I had a normal dream involving a flying car and a tennis racket. I couldn’t drive the damn thing, and I ended up crashing into a house, but it didn’t break, and neither did the car. I got out of the car, and that’s when I woke up to her alarm clock going off.
“Is it morning already?”
“Yeah, but at least it’s Friday.”
“Thank God, I’ll be able to sleep in tomorrow.”
“Why don’t you go back to sleep when I leave?”
“Cause once I’m up, I'm up.”
“Oh, that sucks.”
“Eh, whatever, I’ll just go hang with the guys.”
“Ok, I'm heading out.”
“Have a good day, hun.”
“You too.” I kiss her goodbye and she leaves. She’s been so cool with me, I don’t think I could ask for more. Maybe I’ll propose to her, keep her around. Even though we’ve only been dating around a year, I’ve known her forever. I got dressed, and headed to the VFW. I found Greg, and sat down next to him.
“What’s up, buddy?”
“Hey Samson, bit early today?” Greg asks.
“Yeah, had another nightmare last night, so I ended up sleeping pretty crappily after I fell back to sleep, then the alarm woke me up, so I figured f**k it, what else am I gonna do today?” I look at the bartender. “Beer, please, the usual.” The bartender nods and fills up a glass for me.
“Ah yeah, they can be a drag.”
“Everything set for tomorrow’s party?”
“Yeah, you bringing the missus?”
“Yeah. I was thinking of asking her to make it official.”
“Good for you, man. Seems like you’ve got a good girl there. I wish mine was as patient as yours is, my wife said she understood, but I could tell she was annoyed with me.”
“Is she still with you?”
“Well, yeah, you know that.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“I suppose so, I might have killed myself already if it wasn’t for her. Like that poor homeless guy you adopted, real shame when that happens to vets. A shame in general, but when you put your life on the line in some godforsaken place, it just seems worse.”
“Yeah, my girlfriend at the time broke up with me after graduation, so I was by myself when I shipped out. I had a small piece while I was there though, so it wasn’t too bad.”
“Lucky b*****d.”
“What can I say? Ladies love me.”
“Whatever. Another shot please.” he tells the bartender who pours him one. I didn’t get sloshed, I just kept up with my buzz. I took a bus back, went home, and watched some tv until it was time for me to make dinner. Kat came home, and she was in a good mood, which is weird cause she usually comes home feeling drained. She says it’s hard making everyone look good. I don’t get it, but it’s probably the dealing with picky people all day she’s having trouble with.
“Hey, you’re in a good mood.” I said.
“I am! I got a hundred dollar tip today because I made this fat, old lady feel really good about herself. She was a hard person to make look good, you should have seen the clothes she wanted to buy, they just didn’t work for her, so I helped her. She was so impressed by how good I made her look, she just gave me money after she paid for it!”
“Wow, good job, hun. Glad to hear you found your niche.”
“My what?”
“You have something you’re really good at.”
“Oh, yeah I did, didn’t I?”
“See that? Just because you’re not book smart doesn’t mean you can’t be other kinds of smart.”
“Yeah, I guess I am really smart when it comes to clothes, huh?”
“Yes you are, babe. Come on, it’s time to eat.” I slept ok that night, I kept waking up every so often, but not because of nightmares, I just had trouble staying asleep. The next night, we went to the VFW for the party.
“Babe, drinks are on me tonight!”
“You sure?”
“Hell yeah, I wanna celebrate my tip and get super duper drunk!”
“Alright, well, I’m going to have beer, I don’t wanna get too fucked up.”
“I’ll buy you as many as you want, I want you to let loose too!”
“Know what? I can see you’re really happy right now, so f**k it.”
“Hey, so this is the lucky lady, huh?” Greg asks as he approaches us.
“Woah, your legs are like, super skinny! You need some skinny jeans or something, cause those pants look way too baggy on you!” Kat blurts out.
“Oh, it’s not a matter of skinny legs.” He sits down and lifts his pant legs up, showing off his prosthetics.
“Woah, what happened?”
“Lost them in the war.”
“Woah, I’m so sorry mister.”
“It’s all right, you didn’t know.”
“Kat, this is Greg. Greg, Kat.” I introduce the two.
“Oh, you’re Sammy’s friend!” Kat says.
“Sammy, huh?” Greg laughs. Oh jeez, he’s not gonna let me live this down, is he?
“Yeah, he says you’re a good guy to talk to, you help him.”
“Really? Sammy, I didn’t know you cared!” Jesus this is embarrassing.
“I need a drink.” I say.
“Round of shots for the three of us!” Kat says. We go to the bar, and get our shots. I order a beer, and she orders some girly drink. “So what war were you in?”
“Vietnam.” Greg answers.
“Where’s that?”
“Asia.”
“Asia? What country is that?”
“It’s a continent, not a country, babe. A continent is made up of a bunch of countries and islands and stuff. Vietnam is a country right under China.” I tell her.
“Ohhh, I think I get it now! Wow, that must have been a long ride on the airplane!”
“Honestly, I don’t remember.” Greg says.
“Oh.”
“So, how did you guys meet?”
“Oh, me and Sammy have known each other since we were kids, I can’t believe it took this long for us to go out, I never thought he could be so sweet, he was such a jerk to everyone else, I didn’t know he could be nice at all!”
“Aw, well isn’t that cute?”
“Can we please talk about something else?” I say, annoyed. “Refill, please?” The bartender fills my cup again. I down it in two seconds. “More.” The bartender refills me.
“Why are you so mad, Sammy?” Kat asks, slightly upset.
“I’m not mad, I just feel embarrassed talking about this kind of stuff, ok?”
“You’re embarrassed by me?”
“No, not at all, babe. I love you, I just don’t like talking about relationship things with other people, that’s all.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“No, it’s ok babe. I guess I’m just not used to people seeing me like you do. It’s like you said, I’m a jerk to everyone.”
“Oh.”
“It’s ok, I love that you see me as a good person, it’s what I’ve been working towards. I just have to get used to it. You've done nothing wrong.”
“Aw, I love you too, Sammy.”
“How cute.” Greg says.
“Shut up.” I tell him. A few hours go by and I end up completely s**t faced. Kat was pretty blitzed too, I had to stop her a couple of times from lifting up her top. It was pretty late, there weren’t any buses running anymore, so I decided to call a cab instead. “All right, Greg, we’re gonna head out, it was fun.”
“Nah man, I can drive youse.”
“Are you sure? You seem a little sloppy there.”
“Yeah, no, it’s all right. I’ve done it before.”
“Babe?” I turn to Kat, who at this point was struggling to maintain consciousness, I was helping her stand. It was pretty difficult considering I was having trouble standing up myself.
“Huh?” She manages to utter.
“Yeah, alright.” We get into Greg’s car, and that’s the last thing I remember. I woke up in the drunk tank. Greg is in the hospital with a massive brain hemorrhage. Apparently, I slammed his face into the steering wheel. I don’t remember anything that happened on the ride home. But that’s not even the worst part of it. When we crashed, Kat flew out of the backseat and through the windshield cause she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Between that and hitting the ground, she ended up dying. I don’t know how I can live with myself. I was blackout drunk, caused an accident that killed my girlfriend, and I didn’t even get the chance to propose. I have no idea what I’m going to do, she was the only thing holding me together. For now, I guess I’m going to have to do time. Good, I deserve it, I can’t believe I’m a f*****g idiot.

Luxor

I cannot believe that Stanley is retiring today, I have spent the last few years under his mentorship, and soon I will be the senior detective. I have to admit, I am quite nervous about that. While I am proficient in my job, I am still concerned about my ability to take charge. I am sure I will manage, it will just be an adjustment. “So Jones, this is your final day, eh?” I ask.
“Yep, it’s finally time.” Jones replies.
“What will you do to occupy your time?”
“Maybe I’ll go to Florida or somewhere where it’s warm. This cold weather sucks for these old bones.”
“I will attempt to contact you and check up on you, if you wish.”
“That’d be mighty nice of you there, kid, but you don’t hafta.”
“Yes, but I thought about what you said when you mentioned ending up in a home and being forgotten. You have mentored me through my career, and I would not even hold my rank if it were not for you.”
“Well, that’s mighty nice of you kid, but you got your own life, you don’t need to worry about an old coot like me.”
“You are a friend, Stanley, we have had so many deep conversations together, and you have helped me learn in a way I never thought possible. Thanks to you and Emily, I feel as if I have finally mastered empathy. However, it is still in theory, as far as putting it into practice is another challenge I have yet to encounter.”
“You’ve had some practice, you’ve talked to your share of witnesses and suspects, and you seem to be able to read their emotions correctly, what’s the problem?”
“I have yet to succeed where I failed.”
“Ah, negotiation?”
“Precisely.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll get your chance.”
“Thank you for everything, Stanley.”
“No problem, kid. You’re smart, I think you’ll do just fine without me.”
“I am... apprehensive about your departure.”
“You’re going to miss me?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Well, that’s all right, I’m gonna miss ya too, kid.” He extends his hand, and I shake it. I feel a sadness as it occurs, as this may be my last contact with Jones. “Guess I should be heading out, I’ve got a lot of drinking to do, why don’t you stop by and tie one on with me?”
“May we invite Emily?”
“Yeah sure, why, you sweet on her?”
“Not exactly, however she is intelligent enough for me to hold a conversation with, and we did spend a lot of time together when she was teaching me empathy.”
“You know, she does like you.”
“I like her too.”
“Ok, sure. Come by after work, what’s your poison?”
“Whatever is not too bitter.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Stanley takes his box of personal items and departs. My boss approaches me.
“Alpha, got a minute?” He asks me.
“Of course, captain.”
“Your new partner is a detective from Narcotics, Leon Xero.”
“That name sounds familiar, I believe I encountered him once before.”
“Yeah, well, the Narcotics captain will be bringing him along soon so you guys can officially meet.
“That is acceptable.” The captain leaves, and I search through the files looking for this Leon Xero fellow. He has an impressive arrest record, and his police training grades are better than mine in the athletic and marksman categories. Good, I need a complimentary partner to make up for my weak skills, as I am sure I compliment his weaker skills that I excel at. It is almost time for me to quit for the day, and that’s when I see the Narcotics captain and my new partner approach me.
“Alright, I want you to meet your partner. This is Luxor Alpha, Luxor, this is Leon Xero.” the Narcotics captain introduces us. I will attempt to make a good impression by using humor. Time to try to be friendly, this man is my protege, and I have to work with him, I do not want this to be a sour experience.
“Oh, hey, hello, pleasure to meet you my friend, I researched you when your boss told me he was going to find me a new partner and I must say your physical performances during your training were outstanding, I bet nobody has escaped from you, heh, heh, which I know is also true, because your arrest record is, well, it is a lot, then it is none, then it is a few. Also, you had trouble when you were undercover in narcotics and had to go to rehab. Hah, I hope you do not start killing people now that you have this job, ha, I kid, but, yes, let us get started, I will fill you in on proper procedure and when we get a case, I will call you in.” We head over to the office to get started and on the way, Leon asks:
“Um, how did you know so much about me? How long was this planned?”
“Oh, I did my research in the time it took your boss to tell me he may have found me a new partner to the time he came back to get me.”
“Holy s**t, dude.” I briefed Leon about his job and proper procedures and that Leon will have to attend classes.
“Go home and take the rest of the day off, read your handbooks and come in at nine a.m sharp tomorrow, ok?”
“Ok.” He says apprehensively as he leaves. I gather my belongings and head out the door also. I take a bus, and get dropped off near Stanley’s house. I get there, knock, and Stanley lets me in. Emily is already there.
“Hello, Stanley, Emily.”
“What’s up, kid?” Stanley says.
“Just got my new partner.”
“Jeez, they replaced me already? Guess I’m not surprised, I replaced Bob with you the day of his murder, so I probably shouldn’t complain.” I had a nice time, we had drinks, reminisced, and now I see what Jones meant when he said Emily liked me, as she unexpectedly kissed me. I was unprepared for that, but I did like it. Perhaps if a woman as smart as her can allow herself to use her emotions, then perhaps it is not completely out of the realm of possibility that I may use mine too. The next morning, I arrived at work and waited for my new partner, Leon. He showed up at 9:01. I do not like tardiness. He approaches me.
“Morning Luxor.” he says. Let us see how good he actually is, I decide to test him.
“Salutations my good friend, help me review this case: man walks in to find wife cheating on him with another woman. Asks if he can join in, gets denied, shoots both of them. He claims to not remember a thing that happened. Neighbors claim he should have remembered because between the time that he went into the house and the time the shots were fired was 57 seconds.”
“Does he claim any type of insanity?” Good answer.
“Amnesia.”
“No, not in that short of time, plus, usually passing out precedes amnesia.” Good, he is competent. The captain comes inside the room.
“We’ve got a case. One hundred north Green Street. One dead, gunshot wounds.” Leon and I get into the car and head to the address and when we go inside, we find the scene: a naked woman, bleeding profusely out of her head and genitals, she is on her hands and knees on a bed, facedown, tied wrists and ankles.
“So what is going on here?” I ask as I go inside, but, when Leon walks inside he gets so disgusted that he starts to throw up.
“He’s compromising the crime scene, get him out of here!” I yell, distraught. I was so upset, I used a contraction. So, the uniforms push Leon out of the house until he is done vomiting. “Seems a gun rape happened here.” I say.
“What???” Leon asks, bewildered. I do not understand, this is not the first time he has seen a corpse before.
“Yeah, he either used one or two guns to commit this crime, ballistics will tell us.”
“I can’t do this, I-“ He runs outside and starts vomiting again. he did not return, I believe he may have quit on the spot, as none of the officers were able to locate him around the crime scene. I look around the room, and notice a bloody shoe print. It is far away enough from the door that it could not have been any of us. I take a photo of the footprint, and lift a carbon copy. I ask one of the uniforms for a ride since I cannot drive due to my ocular disability. I go in and immediately report to my captain.
“What can I do for you, Alpha?” he asks.
“My partner has abandoned the crime scene, and quite possibly the job.” I tell him.
“What are you talking about?”
“Upon entering the crime scene, he immediately vomited, and said he cannot handle it anymore. He left the scene and has not been seen since.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate, I’ll try to find you a new, hopefully better partner as soon as possible.”
“Please do.” I leave the office and head to my lab where I start my analysis. The shoe print belonged to a men’s size nine. The same gun was definitely used to commit this atrocity. The bullets were so saturated that I could not find any fingerprints on them. I look up the sole of the shoe, and come up with the brand name. The victim was a prostitute, so if we find the pimp, we should be able to find the john. Several hours later, as I am about to leave, my boss stops me.
“I found you a new partner, he works in Vice, he should be able to help you with this case. His name is Oswald Middleton.”
“Ok, thank you.”
“No problem.” I do my research on Oswald Middleton, and he is far more impressive than Xero, as he is not only proficient in athletics and marksmanship, but he is equally well rounded, matching my scores in other categories. He even excels at negotiations. His arrest record is phenomenal also, as he has a 95 percent closure rate. I do not feel I will have to test this one, good. I see a tall man with glasses approach me.
“Luxor Alpha?” He asks.
“Yes, can I presume you are my new partner, Oswald?” I ask.
“Correct.”
“Excellent.”
“What is the case?”
“Murdered prostitute, recognize her?”
“Yes, her name was Stephanie Fernando, aka Bubbles.”
“Would you happen to know any of her johns?”
“No, but I know her handler.”
“Then let us go. Due to my poor eyesight, you will have to drive.”
“Aw, sweet! My old partner never let me drive!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he’s a crotchety old guy, says he always drives.”
“Well, in my case, you will have no choice.”
“Fine by me.” We head to the car, and head to the corner where Bubbles’ handler usually loiters. “There he is, Big Dawgg.” We get out of the car, and approach the heavyset black man in an oversized fur coat.
“Nah, I thought y’all were gonna leave me alone!” Big Dawgg says.
“I’m not with vice anymore, now I’m Homicide.” Oswald tells him.
“Nah, come on, I didn’t kill nobody!” I check his shoes, clean, and too big to be our suspect.
“We didn’t say you did, guilty conscience?”
“Nah, don’t even play me like that, I told you, I didn’t kill nobody!”
“His assessment is correct.” I tell Middleton. “His feet are too large.”
“Who got kilt?” Big Dawgg asks.
“Bubbles bit it this morning, or last night, we’re still determining.” Middleton responds.
“Ah no, don’t tell me that, she was my bottom b***h!”
“Was she with anyone who seemed...off last night?”
“Preferably someone wearing a size 9 Kobyashi sneaker.” I tell him.
“Man, I don’t look at people’s feet. But there was one dude last night who seemed kinda off, he seemed obsessed with her.” Big Dawgg says.
“Would you happen to know his name?” I ask.
“Man, I don’t ask names, I just take they money. But the dude’s here almost every night hooking up wit one of my girls.”
“Do you have reason to believe he’ll be here tonight?” Middleton asks.
“Maybe. If he killed her, I doubt he’d be back.” A thought occurred to me.
“Does he own a gun? A 9mm?” I ask.
“Yeah, he does carry a piece. He says he uses it for protection, but like I said, dude seemed off to me.”
“Ok, thank you for your assistance.” We go back into the car and head back to the station. I look up gun permits for 9mm, and print out their pictures. We head back to meet with the prostitute’s handler.
“Ah, you guys again? You slowed down business today, nobody likes it when cops hang around!”
“Are any of these men your regular?”
“Yo, that’s him right there, Ronald Hernandez. Creepy m**********r, I swear, if he’s the one who killed Bubbles-”
“You will do nothing, it is our job to bring justice, not you.”
“I- yeah, sure.”
“Thank you again for your assistance. We will be leaving you alone now.” We go in the car, and head for Ronald’s address. We knock, and he answers.
“Hi, can I help you?” he asks nervously.
“I am Detective Luxor Alpha, this is my partner, Detective Oswald Middleton, we are with the Homicide unit.”
“S**t, s**t, s**t, s**t, s**t!”
“That sounds like a confession to me.” Oswald says.
“I concur.” I tell him.
“It was the junk, I swear I didn’t mean to kill her, I loved her!” He begins to cry. Middleton cuffs him and takes him to the car, while I search for, and find his gun. We head back to the station and begin our interrogation. He tells us that he was high on angel dust and heroin, and paid extra to use the gun. He was not planning to fire, but in the heat of the moment, he assaulted her with the gun and pulled the trigger. She was still alive, and he claims that she begged him to put her out of her misery. I am unsure whether that part was the truth. We charge and process him, and he is sent to the holding cell.
“Well, that was a good first day.” Middleton tells me.
“I agree, you are quite efficient.” I say.
“What’d you take me for, a joke?”
“Why no, I was impressed by your statistics, I figured you would excel at the job.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t expect anything other than the best out of myself. My father is in the military, so I was always expected to succeed.”
“I think this partnership will work, you have already impressed me over the previous partner I had today.”
“What?”
“I was assigned a new partner today, and he quit because he could not handle the crime scene.”
“How’d he even get this far then?”
“I do not know, but I could use someone with your skills.”
“Well, it was a nice change of pace, I’ll put in for a transfer. Working with you was a breath of fresh air, and I don’t mean that just because the car didn’t smell like rotting old man.” That was humorous, I actually chuckled. It is difficult to make me laugh.
“Well then, I guess I will see you tomorrow at 9?”
“You can count on it.” He turns around and leaves, and I head to the captain’s office.
“So, how’d it go with Middleton?” He asks.
“Excellent, he was quite efficient in helping to catch the killer.”
“Good. Maybe you guys will be my dream team.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re both geniuses, if anyone can close cases, it’ll be you guys.”
“Thank you for your confidence.”
“Oh, we need a new sergeant since Stanley retired. I recommend you take the exam.”
“Me, sir?”
“You’re the smartest guy here, if I want anyone reviewing a case before it gets sent to me, it’s you...or Oswald.”
“I am honored sir, I will consider it.”
“Ok, but don’t take too long, it’s first come, first pass, first serve.”
“Yes sir.” I headed home more enthused than I have in my entire career.