The Dockland Murders

The story of a tough female PI in a dirty US city, given a cold case, which turned into a hunt for a cop-killer.

THE DOCKLAND MURDERS
I stood there, the gun still warm in my hand, barrel smoking from the gun battle.
“Why did he do that, Sarge? I tried my best to talk him out of it.”
“Living with the guilt finally got to him, Patti.”
“Couldn’t he have talked it over?”
“No, the only thing worse than being a dirty cop, is being the son of a loose cannon, and none came looser than Bill Chart, Patti.”
I looked around. There lay the body of Bill's son, my ex-partner, Adrian Chart.
“I had no choice, he pulled first, Sarge," I said through my tears.
“I know, Patti, we all saw it. Nobody blames you. It was his way out.”
The last thing I remember was the Sarge saying in a soft tone, "Take a week off Patti, something like this will haunt you. I know. I have been there myself.” Dazed, I stood there, trying to remember how it had all started . . .
* * *
I'd wanted an office and had pestered the sergeant for months for a place to work. For my sins, I'd got this dark and dingy office with paperwork piled high of old, unsolved murders. The air was dank with the musty smell of old paper, a place where light had long gone missing. This was Middleton Detective Agency. Even hardened drunks avoided this run down area of town. Sitting at the back of the office, I looked in desolation at the pile of old cases, Sgt. Pug Phillips had recently dumped on me.
“Why don’t I get anything good?” I muttered, knowing nobody was listening, or if they were, they didn't care.