Homicide: Life On The Street

If you printed out yesterday's blog, keep it; it will be a collector's item. For the first time since SYLG was created, I did not post yesterday. The streak is over. The king is dead. In my defense, work has been mondo-busy this week, and last night was the icing on the cake. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you . . . my first substantial detective story.

Yesterday was my last night before two glorious days off, and I was looking forward to the break. My "system" is finally clicking, and most of my cases have been either solved or filed away until I get a break. All of my pending paperwork was caught up, and I was living large. Then the call came in.

Police radio told our desk man that one of the districts had a shooting, and the victim was in a bad way. Fire department medics were working on him at the scene, but they weren't optimistic. The desk man tells me that I have the case. "Cool," I say to myself, "My first shooting." As I'm getting ready to go out to the scene, radio calls again: my job is now a homicide. Now I'm thinking, "Crap. Homicide Division is getting this one."

In a homicide, the divisional detectives go to the scene, and pretty much keep things under control until the guys with the expensive suits and the fedoras come out. My sergeant, two other detectives and I grab some cars and go to the crime scene.

The scene was straight out of a Law & Order episode. (Don't ask me which one, since there are about 200 L&O series now.) The street was almost completely dark, and lined with vacant warehouses on each side. Ironically, a church was at the end of the block on the other side of the intersection. The closest homes were over a block away. In short, it was the perfect place for a murder. (I'll have to remember that the next time Linda gives me grief. Just kidding, Lin!)

The uniforms greet us and take us to the body. It looked like he was shot numerous times in the torso, and there were shell casings everywhere. Somebody was pretty pissed off. We decide to canvas the neighborhood for witnesses. A futile effort at best, but we had to try. Our suspicions were confirmed when, after questioning residents of about 20 homes, "nobody saw nuthin'." Swell. When we returned to the scene, Homicide showed up and dismissed us. All in a day's work.

As we're driving back to HQ, my cell phone rings. It's the desk man. He says, "Are you almost back, because we have a robbery waiting for you up here." When it rains it pours. I didn't get out of work until 0130!

I can't imagine how busy we'll be in the summer.