Death of an Innocent

Death of an Innocent

Suzanne Marsh

Blue and red lights flashed into the foggy night. The once quiet street abuzz with sounds. Sounds that no one wanted to hear; police on the street meant something horrible happened. The first patrol car called in a murder. Several moments later a black Chevy Suburban pulled up, brakes grinding to a halt. Lou Myers, a twenty year veteran of the force alighted from the vehicle. He hated murder scenes; most murders were senseless. Lou, strode over to Patrolman Patrick Haggarty:

"What have we got Pat?"

"Lou, looks like the same MO of the last three murder victims, young, pretty runaways.

Mutilated genitalia, ripped from the neck down, tennis ball in the mouth. We have got

to catch this guy Lou and soon."

Lou strode over to the body, lifted the covering, what he saw sickened him. Here was a waste of life if ever there was one. This kid could not be more than thirteen, fourteen at the outside most. He checked her arms and legs for signs of drug use. There were track marks, the death of another innocent he thought. These kids ran away or were seduced to this type of life. He thought of his own daughters, it could be one of them had it not been for the schools they attended, better influences at home.

Lou shook himself, he decided to pay a light night call at the Cat's Meow Bar. Marvelous Marvin Malloy ran it, the Cat's were actually young girls who prostituted for Marvin. Lou knew that Marvelous Marvin bought and sold girls on whims. He hoped that Marvin would know who this kid was.

Laura Peters, thirteen years of age, wanted more from life than two drunken parents. She ran away from home the first chance she could take with out getting a beating. She had saved enough money to go to New York City, New York. Her plan was to loose herself in the crowded city. She took the first bus out of Trinity, Texas that came through. Instead of New York City, she found herself in Buffalo, New York. She wandered the streets for several days, attempting to find a way to help herself. Instead she found Marvelous Marvin. He promised her a good job, a room of her own in return for her cooperation in his organization. Laura knew she did not have anything to lose. Late that night Marvin entered Laura's room. He forced himself on her, then he gave her the first shot of heroin. She was then branded with a small tattoo that indicated Mavin’s stable of girls. For several weeks, Marvin repeated this ritual to be sure she was his. Then he began prostituting her out.

Lou, later that morning sent for Patrolman Sean Murphy:

"Murph, I am giving you the opportunity to go undercover. The murders are becoming more

frequent, we have got to catch this perp now."

"I'm ready Lou."

"I sure as hell hope so. This last kid was a one Laura Peters, we traced her to Trinity, Texas.

She was thirteen years old. You are going undercover at The Cat's Meow. We are going

to wire you. Marvin would not cooperate with us. I really did not expect him to but it

would have helped. You are going in as the new bar tender, keep your eyes and ears open

we are going to bring Marvin down, but first we need to investigate him in regards to the

murders. He is a prime candidate at this point. Any questions?"

"None that I can think of off hand Lou, when do I start?"

"Today soon enough Murph?"

Sean was elated, this was what he joined the force for. He had several protocols to meet before he began work as a bar tender. He found himself wired, dressed like a junkie and propelled toward The Cat's Meow. His first few days were the toughest.he had ever spent as a cop. He saw young girls coming and going at all hours. It appeared they worked in shifts to accommodate the clientele. Some of them reminded him of his kid sister others were more a Lolita type. Some were fresh from small towns, others were city kids. They all had one thing in common; they sold their bodies for a hit of heroin. There was one kid that got his attention, she argued with Marvin about something. Two days later, her body was found in an abandoned building two doors down. Sean, cornered Marvin:

"Hey Marv what happened to Merrilee? I haven't seen her in a couple of days."

"Look I don't pay you to ask questions, I pay you to tend bar so get at it!"

Sean, thought about the exchange between them; was it possible Marvin was murdering his own girls? Later that evening, once Sean was off work, he contacted Lou. Told him about the conversation. Lou, then decided it was time to pay Marvin a visit. The following morning, Marvin was arrested.

Two weeks later another young girl was found dead. Lou Myers, called Sean Murphy:

"Hey Sean we got another murder same MO, I gonna go to Marvin now. Looks live

Marv was telling the truth, he didn't kill those girls. It is imperative we find the

killer now! The DA is gonna be all over the department unless we actually catch

whoever it is in the act. We ain't got any choice."

Lou drove over to the county jail where Mav was housed temporarily, since the DA was convinced he had the right man. Marv picked up the phone as soon as he saw Lou:

"Lou, what the hell do you want? I'm behind bars, isn't that what you wanted?"

Lou knew that Marv was miserable being locked up but who wouldn't be?

"Marv, I need your help, another young girl was killed her name is Laura Peters."

"Laura? oh no Lou anyone but her?"

"Why Marv?"

"I was getting ready to send her home, she had no business in my stable much less

prostituting, she was thirteen."

"Let me get this straight you were going to send that kid home?"

"Yeah, I ain't as bad as you think."

"Marv I can't get you out, but if we can catch the real killer the DA has no choice

but to release you."

"Yeah, Lou I see where this is going? What do you want to know?"

"Simple, you got any idea who is killing these kids?"

"Not exactly but I have a few ideas."

"Marv give them up now."

Marv, thought for several moments:

"There are three that I can think of off hand. Shane Colby he is a slime ball that buys little

boys as well as little girls. Tom Golden he is trying to build his own stable, he buys any

one that moves. The other one is Jack Cotton."

Lou's bushy eyebrows shot up:

"Marv, Jack Cotton like as in Patrolman John Cotton?"

"One and the same Lou, he has approached me more than once asking how to start his own

stables, he likes them young."

Lou, felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him:

"Marv, are you sure? I trained Jack Cotton when he was a rookie."

"Yeah Lou I am sure."

"Marv, I am going to follow up on these three. I'll do my best to keep you out of prison."

"Thanks Lou."

Lou, the more he thought about Jack Cotton being a dirty cop the more determined he became to put him away in prison, wouldn't hurt his feelings if he met up with 'Ole Sparky'. Actually the more Lou thought about it the more sense it made that Cotton had a lot to gain, nothing to lose.

It was five long days before their plan came to fruition. Sean Murphy, had been tailing Jack for several days. Then one sunny day Jack Cotton, found a young runaway, he seized her. She began fighting, kicking biting, anything to get away from him. Sean could stand it no longer. He stalked up to Jack:

"Let her go now Cotton, you are under arrest for the murder of Laura Peters."

Lou, when he heard that Cotton was arrested made a quick phone call to Marv then the DA. The DA naturally was furious but glad they had not convicted an innocent man. Lou then thought about the deaths of five innocent young girls. He shook himself out of his revere, then thought 'Thank God we caught Cotton before he killed anyone else.