Riverside's Perfect Murder

The Captain

The knock on her doorframe brought Rita out from the report she was reading.

The captain didn't wait for an invitation; He walked in and said, "Hi, Rita. What's new with the Riverside heist."

"Well, to be honest not much. We know the guy got some money, but we have no way to trace it. It wasn't much, a little over thirteen thousand. There was a lot more in the vault, but our guy didn't stay long."

"He didn't stay long?"

"No. We timed it. The guy was in and out of the bank in two-minutes forty-three seconds, exact."

"And in that time, he shoots three cameras, the bank guard, and steals thirteen thousand and walks out."

"That's correct Cap. And we got zilch to go on. We are pretty sure the money is a diversion, but we can't prove it. We think it was a hit on the guard but can't prove that either."

"Why do you think a hit?" the captain asked.

"The bastard used a bullet laced with Mercury."

"What?"

"Before he walks over and shoots the guard twice in the head, he shoots him in the leg with a hollow point laced with a kind of Mercury. Some nasty shit, I hear."

"And you got nothing on the shooter."

"Nope. We thought we had a suspect, but we can't put him there or connect him in any way. We even searched his apartment. If it really is his apartment." Rita was thinking about Ollie.

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, hell. Damn it, Rita. Are you going to work this case or not?"

Rita met the captain's eyes and slowly hissed, "You can either replace me or get off my ass. I am doing the best I can."

"Holly says you are not cooperating."

Rita stiffened at the reference to her talking to the shrink.

"I don't need to see her."

"The hell you don't."

"Captain, we have been over this. I am fine. I don't need to talk to anyone."

The captain took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Rita knew it was his way of not blowing his top. She waited.

"Have you been able to trace the Mercury's source?"

"Wilcox plant, we suspect." Rita was happy for the change of topic back to the case.

"Any leads there?"

"No. Yes, maybe?"

The captain sat and waited for Rita to continue.

Rita sighed. "The guard, Dave Wilkes, was a bad prick. He beat his wife repeatedly, and we believe there is a connection to four other homicides, but nothing was ever proven. We looked at the wife who got a nice insurance payout and had cash of her own." Rita could see the captain getting excited.

"Now wait. Don't get excited. Rose, the wife, checks out, and so does the money. Long story for some other time. We can connect a few of the murdered girls to people who had access to the Wilcox plant but unless they are all in on it and even then we can't prove a thing. We can't even make a solid connection to anyone and the Mercury if it even came from that plant."

"They used to have Mercury in those old thermometers. Could it be from one of those?"

"James said no. He says this stuff is man-made."

"Did we get a slug? Or what kind of gun?"

"Slugs were all hollow points. They blew apart on impact. Nothing left but fragments. One of the tellers who saw the gun identified it as an Eighteen-seventy-three Colt like in the old west. I guess Jessie James used one back in the day."

Laughing, the captain said, "No kidding."

"Her daddy collected guns, and she went on Google until she found what looked like the gun."

"New or old?" the captain asked.

"Mary Jean thinks it was an old one, not a replica."

"Are they hard to find?"

"Not as hard as you might think. Frank is trying to find out if someone here bought one recently. He has found thirty or more for sale online."

"For how much?" the captain asked.

"About a grand, depending on condition." Rita didn't feel happy, and she was sure the Captain could see it.

"Speaking of Frank, how's he working out?"

"Fine, but you know I don't want him. I don't need a partner."

"Yeah, right? What about Joe? It was odd you asked for him on this."

"Rita perked up a little. He's sharp. I like him. Doesn't say much unless he has something to say but sees everything. You should grab him. He would make a fine detective. Now I could work with him as a partner."

"Wow, coming from you that is a high endorsement."

"Screw off."

"Rita, I came here to tell you I want you to take some time off."

"Captain, we have been over this. I don't need time off. I won't take any time, and besides, I'm in the middle of this case."

"It sounds like this case is cold, and I am not asking you to take some time. I am telling you. You are on a two-week suspension. I want you to take that time and relax, go fishing, read a book, go to the movies, anything but show up here. Got it."

Rita was about to blow up when she got a small smile on her face. "Can you picture me fishing?"

"Rita. I know you are hurting. Have been for a while now. We can handle things here."

"Fishing, huh?"

Laughing, the captain said, "Yeah. You can come back with a trophy for the wall."

"You know I want to be pissed but..." she hesitated.

"Yeah, I know kid."

"Maybe some time away would be good for me," Rita said. A fresh start, she thought.

Rita cleaned off her desk and walked out of the building. She stood out front and looked back at the building she had gone to five, six, sometimes seven days a week for years. She wondered if she would ever walk through those doors again.

Rita took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she smiled, flipped her jacket over her right shoulder looped on her thumb, turned, and said quietly, "See you later, maybe." A fresh start sounds good.