31
Mikey
“Where is he now?” Captain Shaw asked them several hours later.
“In one of the interrogation rooms sweating it out,” Lucas said. “The arrest was straight forward. We were lucky he was home.”
“Keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
The young suspect may be guilty of the latest murder but it would be impossible for him to be involved in earlier murders. This only compounded in Lucas’s mind that this was the work of a gang.
“So, Mikey is it?” Lucas began when they entered the interrogation room. “You’re a member of the Cobra’s?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man. I know nothing about nothing.”
“You hand is bandaged, it looks fresh. We found blood at the scene and we tested it against your DNA and what do you know, it’s a match.” Maggie said.
“I didn’t do nothing.”
“The DNA says otherwise. What were you doing there?”
“I didn’t kill no-one.”
“But you were there?”
“I don’t know nothing.”
“You killed two innocent people.” Maggie joined in.
“I didn’t kill no-one … I just robbed the joint and cut my hand.” His grimace gave away his accidental slip. They might be able to wear him down. At least they could get him on robbery to begin with.
“You didn’t murder them?”
“No, man, I don’t want to go to jail again.”
“Admitting to robbery will send you back, Mikey. You may as well come clean about it all now.” Lucas continued.
“I didn’t murder nobody.”
“Isn’t your brother a part of the Cobra’s? Was this your initiation?” Lucas decided to change subject and draw him into another confession.
“I didn’t kill no-one. They were dead when I got there. Their throats slashed and there was lots of blood.” He smiled like an ally cat chasing its prey.
“So, this is the way it’s going to be? Denying the murder?” The suspect shrugged. “There have been many similar murder/robberies that have occurred over many years. You yourself wouldn’t have committed all of these crimes but we believe members of your gang have and this was your turn.” Lucas again.
“I told you, man, I. Know. Nothing.”
“If it wasn’t you who initially robbed the place and murdered the owners, why would the actual killer leave anything behind to be robbed?”
“How would I know? I only robbed the joint. I know nothing about no murders.”
“If you tell us what happened, confess to murder, tells us about other members of the group who have committed these crimes, we could offer you a deal.” Maggie played good cop well.
“I don’t need no deal, I didn’t murder no-one. I stole a few things but that’s it.”
During the entire interrogation their suspect squirmed in his seat, bit his nails to still his shaking hands and fidgeted constantly. All signs of guilt and coming down from a high. He needed a hit. The boy was not going to confess to murder, just small-time robbery. It wouldn’t get him a lot of time inside. He wouldn’t give himself up or other members because it would be his death sentence. Lucas had run out of patience.
“These people were callously murdered. Had their throats cut for a few thousand dollars and some jewellery.” With one swift movement, Lucas grabbed Mikey’s shirtfront and lifted him out of his seat so they were face to face. His face felt flushed, his anger at the maximum. “How can you sit there and be so calm after what you’ve done?”
“Let go of me, man, I didn’t do nothing but take a few things! Are you deaf, copper?”
Lucas had heard enough so he shoved the suspect against the wall. His face so close he could smell the putrid breath of their suspect.
“Confess, scumbag!”
“Lucas,” Maggie yelled. “Let him go.” He was deaf to her words, all he could see was red and a punk who needed to confess. “Lucas!” Her hand rest on his shoulder and he went to shake it off but instead dropped their suspect who crumbled to the floor. Mikey stood and brushed himself off.
“Can I go now?”
“You’re under arrest for the robbery you confessed too. You’re going to jail.” Maggie told him.
“Then take me and get me away from this psycho.” He bobbed his head towards Lucas.
An officer arrived to take the perp. He shuffled from the room and was led down the hall to lock-up.
“I had him, Maggie, he was going to confess to murder.”
“No, he wasn’t and you know it. He wouldn’t have given himself or anyone else up. He’d be a dead man if he did.”
“Fuck! I know you’re right. We’re never going to catch these guys, are we?” Lucas said slumping into a chair.
“I don’t know. More evidence is needed. He was there, we know that but the blood doesn’t tell us how he participated. It could be he robbed the place after the perps left but it begs the question that we asked him, if he robbed later, why was there anything left after the first robbery and the murder. You would think that they wouldn’t have left much of value so it definitely could be him. No-one in the gang will ever give up themselves or others. The only way to catch them is if they slip up somehow. This guy cut himself. Maybe next time someone else will too. Leave behind fingerprints, I don’t know, something. The next suspect we get might be easier to crack.”
Lucas shrugged. He was too tired. His need for revenge, to catch the killer who murdered his parents was fading. He thought he had gotten over it when he destroyed their file but with the new murder it brought it all back but now it was time to let it go again.
Later that night, Lucas pondered over the case. Remembering his parent’s so vividly again with their throats slit and their eyes dead reminded him of the trauma it caused. It was almost as traumatic now as it was then. They had no leads, no evidence, nothing that could point them towards the Cobra’s even though Lucas’ instinct told him they were responsible. As he thought earlier that day it was time to move on from their murder. They would keep working the recent cases but if another came in they would have to move onto the next one. If another case came up he would work it to the full extent again but he feared the case would get colder than an iceberg, just as they all did.
It had been long enough. It was time to stop dwelling. He wrote what he decided would be his final entry in his journal. And although they probably would never catch who killed his parents, they may still catch one or more of the gang in the future. His parent’s death had to be laid to rest and he did this by making the final entry. It was time to turn the page and consolidate his feelings about vengeance and justice. Closing the book and his heart over the matter would help him move on. It was time to face facts and concentrate his effort on killers he could catch.
Time went by, months passed and Lucas got into a routine again. The past put behind him. Shut away in a box to be forgotten about. As always he threw himself into work and started to feel better about life. Carrying revenge around seemed to bring him down and now he’d let it go, his burden seemed lighter and contentment started to creep into his life. When he had an itch he went and picked up a girl to scratch it. Although life felt lighter, he still wasn’t ready to allow someone into his life, to get close to him. This part of his life may never change. Suffering another loss would still be his undoing. His life couldn’t change. The progress he’d made was enough.