The Case of the Gator

“No, it’s not me. I swear. I was just doing my job.” Mr. Hardy pleaded as through the jail bars. 

“Don’t try to play me. I know you were the one that wanted the alligator to attack at the game.” 

“I don’t have anything to do with that alligator. Believe me, I’ve never seen before in my life.” Mr. Hardy said with a worried face.

“Yes, you have. In fact, he’s your pet.” Detective Johnson said with utmost confidence.

“What are you talking about? That alligator never set foot in my house.” Mr. Hardy questioned.

“Because you kept him somewhere else. Somewhere only you have access too, where you thought no one else would look. In the sewers.” Mr. Hardy began to lose his poker face. “You know the pipelines better than anyone else, and you keep your little pet down there. And on the day of the game, you planted that alligator beneath the field ready to strike.”

Detective Johnson smirked as Mr. Hardy began to lose his fake expression and his eyes filled with evil. Mr. Hardy explained,”I planned this for years, it fooled everyone. All except one.”

“Enjoy prison.” Detective Johnson walked away with great confidence. Another case in the books he thought, his duty was done here. 

“Wait,” Inspector Santos stopped the detective in his tracks,” how’d you know it was him? The plumber?”

His investigation began to replay in his mind. It all came together earlier that day. When Detective Johnson  smelled some dead animals near the sewer system at the school where the football match was held. From then on, he began to form an idea. He went to the state authorities to ask about the sewage system. He studied every single pipe under the ground. Starting at the school, and branching his way out to where any possible suspects have access to it. Then an idea dawned upon him, earlier that week, the school had been checked up by a local plumbing company, called “Bob’s Pipes.” He remembers seeing a commercial where they came up with their famous slogan,”The more you poop, the more I eat.” But Detective Johnson began to wonder What would a plumber want to do with a high school football game? 

Detective Johnson set out and found where the plumbing company was stationed. Without any appointment, he started walking around and exploring. It seemed like just a normal plumbing company, in fact, it seemed it was a family business. Then he heard a creak behind him, and he jumped around ready for anything. It was an old man with glasses and seemed quite frail. He wore an all blue jumper with a name tag that read Bob Jr.  “Hello, did you need your plumbing fixed? We have the best pipes, it runs in the family.” the man said.

“Oh no, I’m not here for… Yes, I need some help. It’s my pipeline.” Detective Johnson said, taken aback by Bob's words.

“Well, what do you need?” Bob had said in a confused manner.

“Well, I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me first.”

“You came to the right place, I know everything you could know about plumbing.” Bob had said in an excited voice, you could tell he had a passion for plumbing. 

“Uh actually… I’m guessing this is a family business.”

“Yes, ever since 1954 my grandfather had-”

“So who else works here? Is there any chance anyone outside of your family does?” Detective Johnson quickly interrupted before letting Bob talk about plumbing. It seemed like he could talk for ages if it was about plumbing. 

“No, only family members work here. Even my grandson works here, Bobby. he’s been cleaning pipes ever since he could walk.” Bob sounded proud. “He’s quite the boy, a great kid, athletic, and smart. Everything you need to be a great plumber.”

“Right.” Bob continued to talk about what it takes to be a plumber but the detective stopped listening. Just when he thought he was onto something, he was stumped. In the corner of his eye, he saw something. It was a family photo of a young boy in a football uniform standing with his family holding a trophy. But he didn’t look too happy compared to the rest of his family, especially his father who was hoisting the trophy in the air. 

“That’s him.” Detective Johnson had come back to reality and he quickly asked Bob some questions.

“That’s your grandson?” The detective asked.

“Yes. He’s quite the ball player. That’s him, he’s the best player on the team. He practices everyday.

“Interesting.”

“Yeah, it’s quite unfortunate but at his last football game there must have been some mistake and it got cancelled because of some stupid alligator. Who would’ve thought? An alligator at a football game.” 

“Thank Bob, you have been ever so helpful.” Detective Johnson walked out quickly and a smirk on his face. 

The detective swung the door open and walked straight out. “Wait, didn’t you need new pipes?” Detective Johnson was long gone and confidently walked towards the crime scene. It was well past the end of the school day, but there were some people on the field. It was the football team, there practice was coming to an end. And there he was, Bobby was talking to the coach on the field. And in the bleachers, there was a man. A recognizable man, it was Bobby’s father, the guy in the photo hoisting up the trophy. He had a gatorade bottle, a note pad, and he seemed quite into the practice although he was only watching. The detective approached him and stopped right next to him. 

“Excuse me, do I know you?” Bobby’s father asked.

“It’s quite a shame isn’t it, I was excited to watch that last game.” Detective Johnson said. 

“Everyone was, it was the championship game. My boy would’ve been a champion. Mr. Hardy, that’s my name.” Mr. Hardy gave a firm handshake and tipped his baseball cap. 

“Mr. Johnson.” 

“So you got a boy on the team too?” He asked.

“Oh yeah, that guy right there.” Detective Johnson just pointed to the crowded players. You could hardly tell who he was pointing to. 

“Who?”

“That guy right there.” 

“Oh, Watson.” 

“Yeah, that’s my boy, little Watson.” Detective Johnson is trying to sound like a proud father. “So, you really think we would have won?”

“The other team sucked.”

“They were undefeated.” 

“But our team is really good.”

“You guys didn’t stand a chance. They’re all built like men, these kids, they’d get crushed.”

“It doesn’t matter now. The game was cancelled, who knows? We may not even have to play them anymore.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” Detective Johnson said.

“Wait, I’ve met Watson's parents before. And his last name, it’s Smith. Who even are you?”

“Detective Johnson. And you are under arrest for allegedly attacking innocent people. Jesus, there were kids at that game, your son.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s over. I called the police, don’t move an inch or you’ll receive a worse hearing than you already got.” 

Mr. Hardy was an alumni at that high school, where he played for the football team. Well, he played from the bench. It was his dream to be the star player, but he wasn’t good enough. He just wanted to win, and he put that pressure on his son. Knowing his son would lose the championship game, he rigged it so that the game would have to cancel, and his son’s team wouldn’t be eliminated just yet. He got careless, he cared too much about his team. In the distance you could hear the team give their team chant as practice ended, and their last words,”Let’s go gators!”