Hamilton

Chapter two

"Police," Hamilton began as he started to panic. "We need to call the police."

"He has a red hand mark on his left cheek," Sarah pointed out. "Most likely had been slapped."

"We should leave it to the police," Hamilton suggested as he pulled out his phone and dialed 000. "Hello, yes, I'm reporting a dead body. My name? Oh, um, Hamilton Walters. In a small alleyway intersecting Pine street. Five minutes? OK."

Hamilton hung up and looked at Sarah. She was still staring at the body.

"It's a small hand print. Do you think it's a woman who did this?" Sarah asked, but did not wait for Hamilton's answer. "But he looks like a pretty big guy, there's no way a small woman could take down such a big guy in a alleyway. Then again, he wasn't murdered here. The body is roughly a day old."

She leaned in and sniffed the body, then wrinkled her nose. "Hmm, he stinks, but I was wrong. Two hours old at the most. He was dumped here. By someone who could pick him up. So maybe a woman body builder or a man with really small hands."

"How do you know this?" Hamilton asked, confusion apparent on his face.

"Look," she pointed to his hair. "It's ruffled. Someone has picked him up and dropped him here. Also, the way his legs and arms are positioned. That's not how a body would naturally fall. He was definitely placed here."

"No," Hamilton shook his head. "How do you know this?"

"Oh, that's what you mean," Sarah said finally catching his drift. She locked her grey eyes with his and smiled. "I, am a crime detective."

Hamilton knitted his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were a receptionist."

"One's more of a hobby."

"Which one?"

The sound of police sirens rang loud and clear before Sarah could reply.

"Quick," She told Hamilton. "We need to go."

"But the police are coming."

"Exactly, which is why we need to leave," she reasoned with him.

"I don't understand."

"When the police find us, they are going to question us as we are the ones who found the body," Sarah began. "It will just be a bore and a waste of time."

Hamilton was fine with boring and he had too much time anyway. Anything Sarah said didn't really seem to affect him and she could see that. Which is why she pulled out her last card.

"You said you would walk home with me."

As much as Hamilton hated to admit it, she had caught him. He highly disliked breaking promises. Even if it meant avoiding the police. So with his lips pulled into a thin line and his hands in his pocket he marched forward alongside Sarah to her house.

***

Sarah lived apartment 22 just across the road from a Chinese restaurant called 'The Gaping Fish'. Hamilton worked there on weekends and was one of the only two non-Asians working there. The other employee was a girl named Gabrielle. She only worked there part time to pay off some of her university fees. She didn't understand Hamilton who worked there for fun, but rather enjoyed talking to him none the less.

Sarah had a small apartment. It was really just a bed, desk, whiteboard, wardrobe and bathroom. Hamilton couldn't really complain, but at least he had a kitchen.

"I knew this would happen," Sarah mumbled more to herself than to Hamilton as she dumped her coat onto her bed.

"You knew that guy would die?" Hamilton asked her, in awe and confusion. "But how?"

"I didn't know that he specifically would die," she told him as she flipped the whiteboard revealing a pin board full of photos and maps. "But I knew someone would tonight. And as for how, I've been watching someone."

"Who?"

"The only Caucasian girl that works in that restaurant across the street," She said pointing to a familiar looking girl in a picture on the pin board. "Gabrielle Craster."

Hamilton had his fair share of surprises that day, but this one hit him the hardest. "Gabrielle...Gab...I work with her I work with her on weekends. She can't possibly be the killer."

"No, she's not, but she's involved somehow. I just can't link it all up," Sarah stared hard at the board. "I'm missing something. Something important."

Hamilton stared at the messy board. Nothing on it made sense, but it would have been impolite to tell her that. So instead her continued on the 'I work with Gabrielle' case. "What a coincidence. I work with someone involved in a murder."

Sarah peeled her eyes off the board and stared at him. "Did you think all of today's occurrences were just coincidence? Do you think a random stranger would really bump into someone else and just buy them coffee and let them walk them to their home? Don't you think it's all a little...suspicious?"

Hamilton gaped at her.

"I did it all on purpose Hamilton."

"But...the sky, it helps you think. You lied about that?"

She shrugged. "You lied about why you looked up. Also, I suggest you never gamble. You adjust your glasses every time you lie."

Hamilton had no idea what to say so he just took a step back and sat down on her bed.

"Oh, how could I possibly forget?" Sarah started as she opened her cupboard and pulled out a packet of Oreos, "Cookie?"

***

Officer Burton tugged at his belt as he exited his car. Twenty years of junk food and lack of exercise contributed to the size of his waistline and what his wife believed to be impotence. Burton said nothing for the sake of keeping the family together. The truth was he just couldn't get turned on by her anymore. She was old and saggy everywhere.

"What have we got here?" He grunted.

"Twenty-seven year old man sir," a police called Madeline Dunn replied. She was in her early thirties with cocoa coloured skin and curly chocolate coloured hair. Now that's a woman that could definitely prove Burton was not impotent.

"What else we got on him?"

"His name is Cody West," Dunn began. "He lived up north. Probably came down here to watch a movie, judging by the contents in his wallet."

Dunn passed Burton the wallet and he grabbed it with his meaty hands. He seemed to be trying to hold her hand as much as he could as she tried to do the opposite. She did not doubt his skill as a policeman, he was one of the best in the field, well, before he gained that belly, but Officer Burton was notorious for trying to seduce women half his age. It hardly ever worked though.

Burton pulled out a string of shiny packets from the wallet. "Um, yes, there is nothing else of real importance in this wallet. Were there any other items in his pockets?"

"Actually, the wallet fell out of the pocket which is the only reason we were allowed to pick it up. We have to wait until forensics come to check the actual body," Dunn explained patiently. "On that note, the wallet would not have fallen out on its own. Someone has touched the body. Flipped it, to be exact."

"Oh yeah? And who would have done such a ridiculous thing?" Burton snorted as he adjusted his belt again.

"The prints came up with two people sir," Dunn paused. "Sarah Burton and the person who reported the crime. Hamilton Walters."

***

"So, what now?" Hamilton asked finally breaking the half hour silence he and Sarah shared.

Sarah turned to him. He had been devouring the Oreos as Sarah had been staring at the board. This was the first time she had pulled her eyes away for half an hour.

She smiled. "Tomorrow's Saturday."

"Which means...?"

"You're going to work."