The Death Of Jackson Harris

Chapter 12

I never knew true stress until I was put on this case. My body physically ached from how much tension I was in. I couldn't think straight. It's been two months; if anything, my paranoia was through the roof. I couldn't sleep at night and often slept at the office. This case has affected me in many ways, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Jessica has expressed her worries each and every night, and it takes everything in me not to snap at her. She was just worried about my well-being, I couldn't be an asshole to her. Meanwhile, Jacob was king in our department. He's constantly given new cases and has solved each and every one. My Captain couldn't be more proud, and whenever we make eye contact, the disappointment on her face is visible. Her disappointment has even affected Grace who has always been on good standings with the Captain. It was a hard time for us. We constantly get phone calls which open new files and the files keep stacking on top of each other. Grace constantly has to take breaks to not strain her eyes from focusing on all the papers she reads. I felt bad I was bringing her down with me.

"Hey partner, how did it go?"

"Another crying family member, another murder case, another day with no leads. All the same. Anything new with you?"

"Let's see, a man called today and said his neighbor was Jackson Harris, and when I asked what he did, he said his neighbor cut his plants. So, no, nothing helpful."

I sighed and sat down on my desk chair, throwing my small notepad on top and rubbing my neck. We really were going to die on this case. There was just too much information with so little evidence. I really think no one was going to be able to figure this out. That wasn't my ego speaking, that was reality. I have viewed every little piece of evidence we have, and it doesn't lead anywhere. I don't even have an MO for him because all his murders are different including his kidnappings. All the little evidence we had just kept repeating in my head, and I felt like I was repeating myself. 

"Okay, what if instead of looking out, we start looking in? We both have a feeling there are some crooked detectives here. To pull something like this off, you need to have some serious power. No one man can do all this damage and escape with nothing. There definitely needs to be some help."

"Okay, where should I even start?"

"The medical team on standby," Grace said and pointed to our whiteboard where she had pictures of the medical professional who helped Phillip Allen. "They have alibis, but that doesn't mean they don't know something."

"The issue with inside jobs is that as soon as they grow suspicious, word gets out and the case will get harder than it already is."

Grace sat in thought for a while before she began typing away on her computer. Curiosity filled me up and urged me to get up from my seat and walk over to her. I raised an eyebrow but didn't dare stop her work. The last time I interrupted her when she was on a roll, I swear I almost died. Grace was looking up people who worked in our building and typed out their names in a separate document, also printing out their pictures. She gathered up all her papers in the end and walked over to the bulletin board, hanging up all of them in an order of names and pictures of the people she had written down. Finally, she handed me the long list of names and smiled at all her work.

"Okay, while reviewing all these cases, I found some sketchy stuff regarding these people, and the best part, most of them were involved in some of our cases. For example, you can see the first detective on your list is Detective Kenneth."

"Detective Kenneth? Isn't he one of the older detectives?"

"Yes, but he was involved in our very first victim's case. The little girl whose brother was murdered in the bedroom right next to hers."

"I didn't see his name in the list of detectives that worked that case when it first occurred 12 years ago."

"That's because he wasn't listed in there. But, his name was brought up in the notes taken by the detectives that were known for working that case. So, going directly to Detective Kenneth might be too obvious, and we can be revealed. However, we can question the detective that had written his name down in his notes."

"Grace this is great! Who was that detective?"

"Well. . . he actually isn't around anymore. He suddenly transferred after he wasn't able to solve the case. But he's in the next town over. It's only a two-hour drive. Why don't we ask the Captain? If we get her permission, I can give him a call and ask to meet up."

"Grace you're a genius. I'll go speak to the Captian right now. But first, we have to discuss this. It's very frowned upon to suspect fellow detectives so we need to be prepared in case word gets out. Are you willing to go through that, Grace? We can be exiled by our fellow detectives."

"Screw them. If they are helping a psycho killer like Jackson Harris, they aren't my fellow detectives. Let's hide our list though. If they are in this building, I don't want them sneaking into our office and looking at this. It'll be best if they continue thinking we are hopeless."

We began putting away everything from her bulletin board and anything that could cause suspicion. We left the office a mess, but if anyone unwanted walked in, they'd see we had no leads. Grace and I went to Captain Gray's office who immediately told us to walk in as soon as we knocked. Her face was shocked when she saw it was us and she immediately cleared her throat and sat up. Both Grace and I didn't notice that Jacob sat on Captain Gray's couch who, in turn, looked at us curiously.

"Captain Gray, may we have a word?"

"Of course. Detective Moore was just leaving."

"Ah, yes. Excuse me," Jacob excused himself and closed the door behind him. 

"Captain, we have exhausted all possibilities but haven't found anything," Grace said. "My pile of files won't stop growing no matter how many I get through by the end of the day."

"This is what you came to tell me?" Captain Gray asked, anger slowly rising on her face. 

Grace elbowed my side, and I winced before dropping the files on the Captain's desk. 

"Yes, also, I'd like to request the rest of the day off. I feel rather ill and have a terrible migraine. I can't even drive."

The Captain looked through our papers, and slowly, the pieces were coming together. She looked up at us and for the first time in a while, a small smile crept up on her face, and it was directed towards us. She approved of the mission, and that was all we needed. At first, I didn't understand why Grace was putting up the act, but when Captain Gray went along with it, I didn't question it one bit and stayed silent.

"Very well. I do see how stressful the situation is. Maybe a day off will help clear your minds, and you can come back and actually give me useful information. Have Detective Miller take you home. You guys are dismissed."

The Captain returned our papers and glanced at them once more before waving us off. I hid the papers in my coat, and we walked out of the office, immediately running into Jacob. He watched us with a questioning look but didn't say a word and instead stepped out of the way. Grace and I walked back to our office while Jacob went back into the Captain's office. I closed our office door and sighed in relief. 

"Let me see what the Captain wrote," Grace said and grabbed the papers from my hand. "Huh, that's unexpected."

"What is it?" I asked and grabbed the papers from her.

Detective Jacob Moore was written at the bottom of the list.