The Secret Life of Haans Gerhardt

Untitled Part 4

Chapter 5

The next day, as Chief Douglas got ready for work, there was a knock at the door. The chief hurried down the hallway and looked out the peephole to see the face of the police commissioner, William Washington. He opened the door and greeted his guest.

"Good morning, Sir." said Steven as he opened the front door. "Please come in." he added. 

Washington thanked Steven and stepped inside, closing the front door behind him. As the door closed, Steven gestured toward the kitchen. 

"I just turned the coffee pot off a few minutes ago. It should still be hot." he told the Commissioner. "Can I get you a cup, sir?" asked Steven. 

Commissioner Washington looked at Steven, sympathy clearly visible in his big, brown eyes. "Steven, my boy," he said in a deep, gentle voice, "this ain't no social call." 

Steven turned around, having already started toward the breakfast nook in the kitchen for the coffee. "What do you mean, sir?" he asked, confusion evident in his response.

"Well," answered Washington, "I came to you first as your superior to order you to take some time off for yourself and the boys." he explained. 

Steven nodded. "And secondly?" he asked Washington. 

Commissioner Washington then removed his jacket, loosened his black tie, and unbuttoned the front of his white dress shirt, revealing an old, scarred over bullet wound in the left side of his chocolate colored chest. 

"Secondly," he said, "I come to you as a friend, Steven. A friend to tell you to be careful, and not to go after this guy alone."

Steven felt deeply honored that Commissioner Washington considered him a friend, and was grateful for the advice. But one matter still weighed heavily on his mind. If he took time off, as Washington had ordered, then who would pay for Helen's funeral? 

"Sir, if I take this time off, how am I going to pay my bills?" Steven asked. 

Washington had a quick answer. "It will be a paid leave, Steven. I have all the necessary papers here for a paid administrative leave," he explained, gesturing toward his briefcase on the kitchen counter. 

Steven nodded, and Commissioner Washington began to pull out all the necessary forms.

As they worked on the paperwork, Steven asked, "So how did you know I was planning to go after the guy?" 

William looked at him with a smile. "I've seen your file, boy," he said. "I know about your Army days. I also know what I would do if it was my own wife and sons." he explained. "But," he continued, "I also know how dangerous men like this one can be." 

He sighed as Steven looked at him, the desire to kill the man who killed his wife still burning brightly in his eyes. 

"Steven," he said finally, "This bullet hole." he said, indicating the scar on his chest. "It came from the dead man's father fifteen years ago."

Steven looked up from the last of the paperwork, a look of shock on his face. 

"Sir, fifteen years ago, you were..." he stopped. 

Realizing what Steven was thinking, William nodded. "Yes. I was the Chief." 

William's dark chocolate eyes grew misty as he recounted the events of that day.

"The man who left me with this robbed had First National Bank. During the robbery, he took the lives of two tellers, and wounded me." William told Steven. 

He dabbed at his eyes with a paper towel before continuing. 

"My boys got him a week later, but not before he shot his son's mother in front of him." explained William. "My men shot him in the leg as he fled the house. The jury unanimously found the guy guilty of three counts of murder in the first degree. He was sentenced to death for his crimes. The boy was fifteen years old at the time. He vowed that he would kill the man who was responsible for his father's death."

As William finished telling Steven the story, Steven felt confused. 

"So, why did the guy go after my family?" he asked. 

William shook his head. "I think your family was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, Steven." answered William. 

"Or maybe it was for revenge." suggested Steven. "Hurt my family to get to me." he explained. 

William thought for a few seconds, then said, "I don't think so. If it was for revenge, I think they might have gone after my family, not robbed a coffee shoppe."

Steven nodded, thinking about what William said. 

"True," answered Steven, "but that doesn't change the fact that my sweet Helen is dead, and Tommy got shot." he said, anger evident in his voice. 

William sighed. He knew he shouldn't be discussing the case with Steven, but there was a piece of the puzzle that he felt Steven had a right to know. 

"Steven," William finally said. "We think the robbery was for drug money. The M.E. found track marks on the dead man, and we suspect the other guy is a user as well."

Steven shook his head in disbelief. 

"So, my family wasn't targeted, but Helen is still dead, and you're telling me that it was all because a couple of junkies needed money for a fix?" 

Steven couldn't control his temper any longer. He looked at William, eyes burning with rage. 

"I swear to you, Will, if you don't find this asshole first, I'm going to kill him myself." he said coldly. 

William sighed. He knew that Steven meant every word he had said. 

"I pray, for his sake, I do find him first, Steve." he said. 

With that, he gave Steven a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as he stood up from the table. 

"Well, Chief," said the Commissioner, "I need to get back to my office and file these papers to make your leave official. We will do all we can to solve this case quickly so you can bury Helen and try to find some new sense of 'normal' for you and the boys." 

Steven just sat at the table, feeling as if his blood had turned to molten lava. 

"Thanks, Sir. Have a good day." he said flatly, as William showed himself out the front door of the Douglas home.  

Author's Note:

 Please keep in mind while reading this part and the parts to come that I am currently typing word for word what I have written in my notebook. I plan on going back through and editing when the story is finished completely. As always, positive feedback and suggestions are welcome, and encouraged, in the comments. Thank you for your patience, as I know I haven't updated in quite some time.