The Death Of Jackson Harris

Chapter 1

A heavy sigh escaped past my freezing lips. It was in the middle of winter, and while I love the cold more than the heat, I really wished I had something to warm me up. I quickly unlocked and got in my silver Lexus car, rubbing my hands together before turning the engine on and immediately turning on the heat right after. My body shook and begged for some warmth, and after a couple more seconds of suffering, my body welcomed the heat from the heater.

Another day in my boring and seemingly useless life. I looked out my car window to see a family playing in the snow. Snow here wasn't uncommon, but my body never got used to how cold it could get. The family ran around; happily, the little girl throwing snowballs at her older sister while the father laughed, and the mother held a baby in her hands and watched her little girls. The Jetsons, a normal happy family with the occasional problems that any regular family would have. Being a detective had its perks sometimes. I knew practically everyone and had most of the people's trust. I have done nothing for the people to hate me, and while some say our system is corrupt, I have done nothing but obey the law and do my job properly.

I swallowed down the jealousy that wanted to burst out and turned my head away. I did feel alone; at times, the feeling was stronger than on other days. But it was there for sure. I haven't met someone I wanted to grow old with, and the one person who came close to that position isn't right. Jessica Johnson. She was a true beauty with her black hair and pale skin. Her green eyes shined beautifully, and at times you could see a hint of blue, but that was only when the sun shined just right. She was a sweet woman and truly did care for me. I cared for her, too, of course. I just didn't see myself in the future growing old with her. But still, I asked her out, and one thing led to another, and we are heading to almost a year.

She was a very understanding woman and knew how much the job meant to me. She never complained or whined about spending more time with me. But I could tell that she cherishes the time we spend together deeply. I felt bad for leading her on, but I was lonely and needed someone. I was just glad about how understanding she was, but at the same time, I hated it. She was the type to forgive me if she found out my true feelings when really she should stop talking to me altogether. I realize that I may be using her, but I hope to try harder and make myself realize what treasure lies before me.

"Have a good day, honey."

Her words that she spoke before I left the house rang in my head over and over, making me wince in guilt. All I did was kiss her cheek, give her a smile, and say goodbye. She just thought I wasn't the type of man to show my feelings often. She didn't see anything wrong with my lack of affection. Maybe that's why she gives me more than enough affection. We didn't live together, but she did spend more than enough nights to make it seem like that. It did help my loneliness, and it seemed to help her too. Back at her apartment, she also had no one. Her family lives away, and it's just her here. 

"Finally," I sighed and parked my car, taking a deep breath before turning off the car and getting out.

The cold air smacked me in the face once more, and I shivered. My cheeks instantly felt the sting, and the process of the tint of red began. I grabbed my things and locked my car before walking towards the building. I could see a fellow detective already bringing someone in, and my eyebrows furrowed. Already? It was barely eight in the morning, and this man looked drunk with an angry face. He spit out slurs and rambled on and on about how he would rule over us. And then he spoke the famous name.

"It wasn't me, idiots! It was Jackson Harris!"

My fellow detective, Jacob Moore, rolled his eyes and rushed the man inside. I followed after them and instantly relaxed as the warmth of the building swallowed me whole. Jacob struggled but managed to get the man towards the hall where prisoners were held for questioning. I couldn't help but shake my head once more. Only eight and causing trouble.

"Dead body found next to that man."

I looked beside me to see Gracelynn Lewis, a hardworking detective that could kill you simply with her words. She was underestimated half the time but always shut people down and proved them wrong. She was my partner for some time, but our captain gave us separate assignments, and we were never paired again. 

"Surely it wasn't him was it?"

"Are you kidding? The man needed help to stand up when we got there. He's too drunk, but Jacob wants to question him and see if he can get any information."

"Has he checked street light cameras?"

"They were down at the time. Think it's a coincidence?"

"If there's one thing I learned while working here, it's that there are hardly any coincidences."

She chuckled and nodded her head as she said, "Well, anyway, the captain is looking for you. The man is determined to make us believe it is Jackson Harris, and the captain is frustrated beyond belief. Good luck."

"Great," I mumbled and watched as Gracelynn left in the direction that Jacob went, most likely going to join him for questioning. 

I dropped off my stuff at my desk before dragging my feet toward the captain's office. Before I could knock, a hard and serious voice demanded I enter. Opening the door, I could immediately see the stress in the captain's eyes. Ophelia Gray is a strong and determined woman that no one messed with. 

"Close the door, sit."

I did as she said and sat on one of the chairs in front of her desk. Her eyes were focused on her computer, and my eyes briefly swept across her desk. Many files, folders, and papers were scattered around, but each folder had a number on the corner to number each one and show how many files there were in total. Right now, Ophelia was holding folder number fifty-two. 

"Do you see all this mess? Fifty-two folders, and there is still a bit more information to gather. I'd say there will be at least fifty-four that you will need to look over. I can't believe-"

"Excuse me, but what do you mean by that?" I couldn't help but interrupt.

"Oh," she sat back in slight confusion as she just realized that she hadn't really explained anything. "You've proven yourself plenty of times, Miller. I need you to be the one to take care of this case."

"And what case are you talking about, captain?"

She bit the inside of her cheek and rubbed her forehead before saying, "The case of Jackson Harris."