Just Plain Murder (standard:mystery, 2132 words)
Author: deacon	Added: May 31 2009	Views/Reads: 3945/2538	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Just a little real life homicide

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

nodded my agreement. 

"Well let's see if they will talk to an old man."  I said it with a
grin. 

"Not a chance, if they recognize you." 

"Hey I do a public service."  Being retired gave me plenty of time to
poke around into things that were none of my business.  Being able to 
string a couple of words together made it possible for me to sell an 
article to the newspaper now and then.  I even had one or two picked up 
by the area news service. 

"Hey Guy," I called out when I reached the bottom of the steps. 

"What you doing out this early?"  It was a police sargent I knew from a
shooting I once written about.  Some kid had shot his windshield out.  
He jumped out of the car and emptied his revolver at the running man.  
He missed all six times.  It wouldn't have been worth a mention except 
that he was the state champion marksman with a pistol.  The piece was 
about how much easier it was to shoot a paper target than a running 
man.  He took it with good humor since I bought him a fifth of Jack 
Daniels as a peace offering. 

"Riding on the bike," I replied. 

"You still got that piece of junk?" 

"Yeah and it still runs.  Probably still running cause God loves old men
and dogs."  I smiled.  "So Nate what's going on here." 

"Mr. Linker found a body this morning when he opened up." 

"What the hell was she doing here after the train was gone?" 

"You talked to Linker already I see.  We got no idea." 

"So how did she get herself killed?" 

"Now you know I'm not gonna' tell you that." 

"So you want me to write that you found a body and are baffled."  I
laughed. 

"I don't want you to write anything.  We are keeping this one off the
radar for now." 

"You know better," I replied. 

"You aren't a real reporter, you can walk away from this if you want to.
Besides you know the drill you were a part of it." 

"Then lets make a trade.  You give me something I can write or I make up
stuff based on having been part of the drill." 

"She did come in on the last train.  Other than that I can't help you." 

"Do you know where she was staying." 

"We are pretty sure she was staying at the Rat." 

"Why do you think that, did she look like she had a few beans." 

"Yeah, she was 'well taken care of'." 

"You got a name?" 

"No name goes out till we notify next of kin." 

"So, she didn't know anyone in town?" 

"She didn't have any family or friends here that we know.  I think she
was here on business.  Now be a good fellow Jake and take a hike before 
the bosses get here." 

"Fair enough." 

I rode the bike over to the Radison Hotel.  It was the only really
classy hotel in town.  All the others were just warehouses for 
businessmen.  The lobby of the Rat was at least three stories tall with 
a walkway that allowed every room on those upper floors to look down 
into the opulent lobby.  Why anyone would want to look was never quite 
clear to me. 

"Lois what the hell are you doing working on a Sunday morning?" 

"My turn damn it.  You know I should have you thrown out for the way you
dress." 

"What?  I can't come in wearing cotton dockers and a plaid shirt?" 

"Not when they are grease stained no.  We wouldn't even let our
maintenance people dress like that." 

"Well then help me out and I'll leave in a hurry." 

"What do you want, as if I didn't know." 

"Who was the guest that didn't check in last night?" 

"How the hell did you know about her.  The detectives just called an
hour ago." 

"Just a freak accident." 

"Sure, you must have their phone lines tapped." 

"Don't I wish," I replied.  "So who was she?"  Lois hesitated.  "Come on
I won't tell them where I got the info." 

"Hillary Evans Wilson," she admitted. 

"You are kidding, what was she doing coming here on a train?" 

"You know who she is?" 

"Of course, everyone knows Hills.  Man this is going to raise a stink." 

"Yeah, one of the most controversial lesbians in the country gets killed
on our train station platform." 

"Well I can't say that she didn't ask for it."  I saw the look from
Lois.  "Come on Lois, I don't care how people live but that is not the 
case with everyone.  Some people object to her stands on gay rights." 

"She is right you know," Lois replied. 

"She probably is but this isn't San Francisco." 

"Well they don't need shaking up.  We do here." 

"So what was she doing here?" 

"She was coming in to organize a protest at the Southern Fundamentalist
Convention." 

"Well that would have got her on TV and it might have gotten her
killed."  I said that but didn't add that some of those groups made the 
KKK look like liberals. 

"Most of her protests weren't against people who carry shotguns."  It
was just an observation on my part. 

"Bastards," she replied. 

I left the lobby of the Rat for my ride to the police station.  The bike
had been run enough so that it started easily and I didn't look too 
foolish riding the block and a half to the station. 

"Miles what the hell are you doing behind that desk?" 

"Twisted my angle in a foot chase.  Man I am getting too old to be
chasing kids." 

"No crap, it's time to pull the plug when you realize you don't really
want to catch them."  I laughed. 

"Got that right, if you catch them it might be: hold a butt kicking, or
kill them.  Either way I would lose."  he waited a couple of minutes 
then added, "What can I do for you this morning?" 

"Hillary Evans Wilson, who is working it?" 

"What do you mean?" he asked. 

"She is the corpse on the train platform." 

"Really, word hadn't come down on the Identity.  How the hell do you
know so fast." 

"Hell Miles, I'm the best you know that.  Plus sometimes even I get
lucky." 

"Yeah, Eddy Lamb got this one.  He is not a fan."  Miles smiled up at
me. 

"Hell you know he slapped that kid in front of witnesses, what was I
supposed to do lie." 

"He don't see it that way." 

"Well screw him, if he can't take a joke."  I laughed. 

"You might as well not bother to ask him." 

"Oh I'm gonna' ask and he is going to answer." 

"Good luck with that Jake." 

"Call  him up and watch a master at work," I suggested. 

It took Eddy Lamb about ten minutes to show up.  His greeting left a lot
to be desired.  "What you want old man, I'm real busy." 

"I'm sure you are Hills is going to be a big case.  You gonna' need the
press to take it easy on you, not put pressure on.  If I was you, I 
would get ahead of this one so it doesn't run over you." 

"You ain't me.  How the hell did you know who the vic is.  Nobody is
supposed to be putting information out but me." 

"Nobody did, I found out through my own sources.  Now here is the deal
Eddy, I can speculate and probably make the national news, or I can 
print the truth but you have to tell me the truth." 

He gave it a few seconds thought then said, "We think it was a random
act.  Robbery gone wrong." 

"So her valuables are missing, you sure that wasn't just a cover?" 

"Hey you ain't the only one with a mind you know.  We are pretty sure it
was just a common robbery.  We have a guy downstairs that we are 
talking to now.  So the big mystery ain't no mystery at all.  She got 
killed cause she was to slow giving up her shit."  He said it as he 
walked away. 

I rode the bike home and wrote it up just that way.  I could have
written it with a hint of conspiracy and had a better story, but the 
truth is the truth.  Not many guys see things the way I do though. 

The police news conference was the next morning.  They explained that a
man in a stolen cab picked her up.  He tried to rob her and when she 
refused to give up the money, he killed her then returned her body to 
the empty train platform.  He hoped that the cops would think she never 
left the station. 

Hey not all murderers are smart like in the movies, some are just plain
stupid.  It would have been a better story if it had at least dragged 
on a day or two longer. 

The end. 


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