Killer on the Loose

The police of Clearwater had never quite known what kind of crime was in their town. Usually, they just handled lost hikers in the nearby woods, and property disputes turned violent. Every so often though, something big would happen. This was one of those times.

Captain Walter Johnson sighed as he read through the case file again rubbing his temple. This one was going to give him a headache, he just knew it. They hadn't seen a murder this gruesome in years, and that one made the news. Why did it have to be him… Henri. Walter hardened his face as he stood from his desk, file in hand. Before he made it to the door of his office someone else knocked on his door.

“Come in,” he said gruffly. It was probably one of officers coming to ask why they hadn't been released for patrols yet-

“Hello, sir! My name is Liam Cooke! I'm the new hire!” Shit. Walter could feel that headache coming on. His reaction must have shown on his face because the greenie frowned. “Did I do something wrong, sir?”

Walter shook his head, “No, you're just gonna have a hard first day. This town is wonderful in many ways but unfortunately we are not strangers to violent crime.”

“What do you mean sir?” The newbie tilted his head in question.

“Oh, I’m about to debrief the station about it so you’ll find out in a few minutes.”

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Walter’s eyes swept the main room of the department as he entered, Liam trailing behind him like a lost puppy. Desks were situated in groups of four with enough room in between each group to walk through while still packing as many desks in the room as possible. Officers were clumped around desks or leaning against the walls or grabbing coffee from the break room, some clearly more in need of it than others. The department was large compared to other towns with the same amount of people as them, but they had a lot of land that they operated on as the local park services so they had 15 people rather than 10.

“Alright! Settle down and focus up!” Walter called across the room, drawing everyone’s attention. Once all the side conversations had silenced he nodded. “I’m sure you’re all curious why Stevenson’s desk is empty today,” several officers nodded. “Well, I’m here to tell you that he’s not here because he’s no longer with us.” Murmurs exploded around the room. “Quiet!” The murmurs stopped. “Thank you. Now, I also need to tell you that Henri is dead because he was murdered. This is the case we’ll be investigating along with our usual shifts. Copies of the file will be on your desks by tomorrow, please look over them so you are aware of the details.” The silence was deafening.

One of the officers towards the back raised a hand. “Has anyone contacted Silace?”

Walter nodded. “I contacted his brother to inform him of his loss. The funeral will be in about a week when he arrives, he says we’re all invited.” Walter paused before his voice got a bit softer. “I know this is a lot to take in, but we will solve this. His murder will not go unpunished.” He made eye contact with as many of his officers as possible before dismissing them. Ok, if you have a night shift you’re free to go. Day shift, please go to your posts.”

The gathered cops started to disperse to their normal duties, an air of melancholy about them as they did. Walter turned to Liam. “You’ll be using Stevenson’s old desk, it was cleaned out this morning.” He pointed to the one empty desk that was closest to the east wall. “You’ll also be assigned a senior member of our force to shadow for a week, he’ll show you the ropes. For now, just settle in, he’ll come and get you before he leaves for his patrol.” Without waiting for a response, Walter marched back into his office, leaving Liam standing there awkwardly by himself.

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Liam’s chaperone turned out to be a man in his mid-fifties named Deputy Robert Henderson who used to be the Captain. He said he was getting too old so promoted his Deputy a few years back. He’d been on the force for so long no one knew how to function without him around. He knew all the locals, and had just as much if not more power than the Captain due to pure seniority and respect. He was nearing the required retirement age, but everyone knew that he’d find a way to keep serving. He was a creature of habit. Liam had been working with him on the administration side of things for the first part of the week, learning how the filing systems worked, how he was expected to format his reports, how to sign in and out of a shift, all the things he couldn’t pick up on his own or didn’t already know from training. Now, Wednesday, they were getting in Robert’s car and driving around the town, memorizing the street names and directions.

“Don’t stress if you don’t remember them all before your first month, even year. I’ve lived here my whole life, other than college and the academy. I remember when 4th street was Rake street!” He chuckled to himself. Liam looked at him oddly, but turned back to the front window. His eyes narrowed before he turned back to Robert.

“Did all the streets used to have different names?”

Robert chuckled. “No, only the ones in the center of town. They were renamed to make it easier for new people moving here to know where they were, or something like that. The towns gotten a lot bigger since I was your age, and a lot of farmland that me and my friends used to shoot soda cans on is now residential land. It’s a bit of a tragedy, but the forest is still nature’s playhouse.” Liam smiled at that. “None of the young guys at the station really care much about the outskirts of town, where it's still mostly old country. They call it the deserted shift, cause they never see anything.”

“Well that’s because they don’t know where to look,” Liam jumped in, drawing Robert’s eyes and a soft smile.

“I agree, son. They’re all city boys who came here because it was the first place they got accepted and now they’re stuck. They’re all too upset about not getting a spot in New York that they can’t get their heads out of their asses to see what’s right in front of them. They barely respect the locals as it is; well, except Henri. Then again, everyone loved Henri.”

Liam’s brow furrowed. “Henri, sir?”

”Ah, forgot you’re still green. Henri Stevenson is the cop that was murdered and that you came in to replace. He only got here a couple of years ago but he was a local, born and raised. He was one of those people who got along with everybody and made everybody get along. It’s real shame what happened to him.”

”Yeah, I saw the photos…” the low rumble of the car engine was the only sound for a long stretch of time, Robert looking thoughtful and Liam with a face so blank he looked robotic.

After the second loop around the town, Robert looked over at the younger officer. “What’s on your mind kid? Don’t try and lie now, I’m old enough to know when people are upset about things.” Liam’s refute died on his tongue. It was silent for another minute.

”The other officers keep staring at me, the younger ones anyway. They won’t talk to me, move away anytime I try. Honestly you’d think I killed Officer Stevenson!” Liam had a small, wry smile on his face, like he was laughing at the irony.

Robert pulled the car onto the shoulder of the road. He parked before turning in his seat to more directly face Liam. “Son, you ignore them. They wouldn’t be able to pour water out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.” That startled a laugh from Liam. “They’re the reason I told Walter to start sending me all the newbies. No respect for the people they’re protecting. You have more respect than all of them combined.”

Liam flushed red but smiled. “Thank you, sir. Really.” He smiled, and Robert couldn't help but notice the edge in this boy’s eyes. Oh, he thought as he pulled back onto the road to head back to the station, this boy's got something to prove.

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The funeral was dark and dreary, even as those who spoke talked about a boy so shining you couldn't help but bask in his presence. His brother looked like shit, frankly. Not that anybody blamed him. Walter told Liam a story about a family full of loss, a terrible accident taking the mother and slowly stealing the father away until he finally succumbed years later. It really was awful.

Walter was walking back to his own home after the funeral when it happened. He lived on the other side of town from the Stevenson residence but the walk was not without a good view to make up for the time it took to get there. He was just stopping to take in the view of the forest, getting a new life as reds and oranges and yellows flooded the treetops, when what he knew to be a gunshot sounded from the forest. Years of experience fired Walter into the woods and around trees. After a few minutes of dashing towards the origin, he had to stop and catch his breath.

“God I’m getting too old for this,” he muttered as he leaned against a tree.

A twig snapped nearby and Walter’s head snapped up with it. He pulled out his gun and approached the sound carefully. As he got closer he heard frantic panting and… murmured apologies?

Edging around a tree, Walter froze at the sight he saw. Robert was laying on the ground, blood oozing into the ground around him. Liam was crouched next to the man, performing cpr or trying to put pressure on a double ended wound, or both. Walter couldn't quite tell.

Liam looked up and so many emotions flashed across his face Walter couldn't quite catalog them all. Anger, realization, and grief were the ones he could differentiate. He crossed the distance quickly and lowered himself towards Liam like he was a scared animal.

“Son, I need to call for back-up. I need you to keep up the pressure on his wounds until I do. Can you do that for me?” Liam nodded shakily tears in his eyes. Walter could barely keep the shake out of his voice as he made the call.

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The ride to the hospital was tense. The wait in the waiting room more so. Robert was in surgery until evening, and by that point most officers who’d shown up had to go get ready for their shifts. Soon, it was just Walter and Liam.

“Son, you should go and get some rest,” Walter said. All Liam could do was nod. He stood up dispondedly and made his way of the waiting-room, shoulders shaking.

Only a few hours later, a nurse came in and called for family of Robert. Walter walked over.

“Hello, I’m his Captain. What can you tell me?”

The nurse looked sympathetic as he spoke, “His wounds were pretty major, he has several punctured organs and a lot of blood loss. The doctors managed to stabilize him for now but he probably doesn't have much longer to live.” Walter nodded stiffly.

“Can I see him now?”

“Yes of course sir.”

The nurse led Walter to the room and left him at the door. Walter took a breath before he entered.

Robert looked awful. He was pale and his breathing was ragged. He looked thinner than Walter had seen him in years. He walked slowly to the bedside and picked up the chart next to the bed.

“DNR, do not resuscitate, do not incubate. Don't want to be part machine, eh old man?” Walter said jokingly. He sighed and sat down in the chair next to the bed. The beeping heart monitor in the background didn't exactly make for a relaxing environment, but that just meant Walter was immediately aware when Robert woke up.

“Hey there, how’re you doing Rob?” Walter asked.

”Lia-ack!” He started coughing, and Walter grabbed the glass of water someone had left on the side table. He helped Robert take a small sip.

”Don’t worry about Liam, Rob. We got him, we took care of him. You just rest, ok?” Robert let out a relieved sigh and relaxed back into the pillows on his bed, his eyes closed, and the heart monitor let out a long beep. Walter’s head dropped as medical personnel made their way into the room. He stood from the chair and walked out of the hospital. As he got into his car, a single tear fell from his eye.

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“Cooke! You’re with me today!” Walter barked the moment Liam walked into the station. The younger man nodded and made his way towards Walter’s office.

”What are we doing today sir?”

”We are going back to the woods and hunting down the S.O.B who killed Robert.”

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“Deputy Henderson said he wanted to show me the beauty of the forest.” Liam had a smile on his face like he was looking back on a pleasant memory. “But um, we were standing here when I heard the gunshot and suddenly Deputy Henderson was on the ground. I thought it came from over there, but I’m not totally sure.” He pointed towards the center of the woods.

”Alright, you look around this area, see if you can find any more clues. I’m gonna look deeper in the woods. I’ll come back to discuss what you’ve found.”

”Yes sir.”

Neither of their searches went well. They met up with grim expressions, both of them clearly frustrated.

”Are you sure he died here?” Walter said, looking around the area, trying to remember if this was the spot he found them in. He could have sworn they were deeper in the woods than yesterday-

“No, but you will."

Click

Bang

Silence