𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝙻𝚞𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚝𝚗𝚒𝚙 𝙲𝚊𝚏é

The Alley

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I told myself I couldn't keep doing this; going to the speaksey*, seeing dead bodies, and seeing Vincent. Despite persistently bickering with myself and my morals, I have decided to not be a coward and continue to pursue being a detective even if it costs me.

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It is the 13th of May in the 20th century. Since its been almost 4 whole months since the Prohibition Act*, the increase of crime has skyrocketed and thus has left me sitting pretty. Or so it should've, turns out being a detective is harder than I thought when I was younger. When I first started out, I was flying high. My name was the talk of the town, you would hear, "Baker is much too young to be a detective!" or, "I can't wait to see a handsome young man like him helping us." That was back in 1914. I was 21 back then and oh boy was I loved. Now at 27 I am still a detective, unfortunately, and a burnout. Especially after the ban of alcohol trade hit us all, I lost my spark and flew too close to the sun. Even if it was so long ago, I remember the day I realized that being a detective isn't a dream and can be considered more of a living nightmare with a knife in your back every second of the day.

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Date: 7th of August, 1915
Location: [The Office Room] Local Station in Chicago, Illinois

"William, isn't it exciting I am finally going to handle my first murder case! At last! Psst!" He leaned in close so as to not be heard. "I heard others spill that the lad got murdered by one of our men." I whispered, ecstatic to finally be entrusted to such a case. For the past months, I've been entrusted with an earful of petty crimes. Now I can finally get my name in the papers!

"Whatever you say kid." William grunts, clearly displeased. He has been fussy since last morning because he lost his badge. I notice his sore behavior and sigh. "Killjoy much?" I rest my elbow on my desk, my palm props my chin as I sit impatiently. Although I was being assigned to my dream case, I couldn't help but feel a cold sweat. Just when I started to worry I got a call from my boss to prepare to head down to the scene. My headline awaits me!

"Kid, you know that this isn't a simple situation of someone robbing a bank like you're used to, this is cold blood murder." Chief Wilson informed me as we walked from our cab. The brilliance he is able to execute when catching thugs is admirable for a young detective such as I. Though to contrast with his killer skills, he is not the most approachable guy out there. I slightly nodded my head and there we were, before I knew it, at the scene.

###

Approaching my first scene was surely something. It wasn't grotesque, none of the sorts but seeing a corpse can never be exciting to say the least. I'm just ready to get started, to find this murderer and take him down.

"I'm going to run to the john, enjoy yourself since I asked them specifically not to touch it 'til you got here." Chief uttered before shortly departing. I gave him a nod of acknowledgement and went on my way. I asked a couple of cops to let me by and I approached the body. If I remember correctly, he was in his early 40s, homeless, and unemployed. Along in his file, he was written to have a history of drug abuse so him ending up deceased in an alley isn't a shocker.

I bend down to observe the body up close and found nothing. The smell of blood haunted the air, as if it was trying to scare you away. Aside from the blood, the flies and other insects make it worse. Trying to focus with a load of flies buzzing in your ear is nearly impossible. Despite my intensive search, with my white gloves soaked to a crimson like color, I found nothing. With no decisive evidence found, I was losing hope.

'Everyone, especially my boss who I look up to, entrusted me to this, I can't mess this up.' I desperately thought as I continued to examine the lifeless body. I couldn't help but examine the face, it reminded me of my pop. Thankfully, my father was stable and didn't end up dead to murder. Just when I was about to fall into despair, I asked a guy nearby to lend me a pen and I started to poke around the body. The jab wound wasn't large and just one clear cut, must've been well thought out.. just then I saw it.