Chapter 10
Carter
Pulling up to the scrap yard downtown, right in the heart of the D, I'm greeted by Nick and a large coffee.
“What time was this one found?” I ask him as I take a sip of the warm liquid gold I needed at this hour.
“Found at 3:00 this morning, man. In the trunk of another car brought in to junk.”
Nodding I take a few more sips and walk into the entrance, finding the scene set up and forensics taking pictures of the body on the ground in the middle of the yard. Walking over, I nod at some of the familiar faces I am used to seeing at these scenes. This never gets any easier.
“Female, about nineteen or twenty. Multiple stab wounds and an execution bullet to the forehead,” Nick says as I look on from above.
“There has to be a connection with the others we've found in the last six months,” I say to him. He just nods and keeps writing his notes. “Bet Chantal was happy about you getting this call again so early,” I say to him on a small laugh trying to bring some light to the somber early morning.
“I don't even want to talk about it,” he says with a shake of his head still writing in his notebook.
“We need to get a handle on this, Nick. We need warrants for the books here and who brought these vehicles in. They have to leave a fingerprint when they get paid,” I tell him as I look around the scrap yard at the piles of shit just stacked everywhere.
“What do you make of these girls? I'm thinking this isn't hookers with a pimp that has a hard-on for killing his prime stock. I'm thinking this is trafficking. They are all young girls, mid-teens and early twenties. Lots of that shit been going down around here but it's never centralized to one location,” Nick says spouting the smart as fuck shit he just knows.
Nodding my head, I look to the sky and take a breath. I have a feeling it's going to be a long haul with this shit.
Carl walks over to us as the body is zipped up and loaded to take the coroners for examination. “I’m gonna do my damnedest to get you a quick report so you guys can put a stop to this shit,” he says as Ed walks over sipping his coffee.
“We got a hell of a detective group on this case, Carl. We’ll find these sons of bitches,” Ed says while squeezing my shoulder.
I look over to Nick and his head is up watching the exchange. He's scrutinizing the whole thing too. He's got the same churn in his gut. Something smells sour in this whole thing and I'm planning to find out just what.
“You boys can go ahead and head back to those pretty ladies you've got waiting at home. We can handle this and brief you as it comes in.” Ed walks to the front of Nick and me as we stand together.
“Nah, I plan to be part of every piece of this. You need all the help you can get after all. Don't want to burn yourself out being the one man pony show detective,” I tell the snide fuck.
Nick just nods his head and walks back over and around where the body was, taking more notes while ignoring my little standoff with Ed.
**********
Nick and I walk back over to our cars. I jump in and he grabs the passenger side to escape the cold.
My mind is spinning with all the things that have gone on here and the few bodies that have been discovered over the last year. Something isn't right. There's more here, and someone is covering our investigation. It's time to look at this from a different angle.
“Something is most definitely fucked up about this entire thing. It's becoming way too much of the normal around here and no one in the county seems to be phased anymore,” Nick says turning his head to me.
“Glad you're feeling the bullshit meter up as high as I do, man.”
“What are you thinking? I see a plan forming in that pretty little head of yours,” he says on a small laugh.
Nodding, I stare out the windshield for a moment in thought as I watch the comings and goings. It's about 4:30 in the morning now and the city will be coming to life soon enough.
“I'm thinking I need to look at it from a new angle, go where I know corruption isn't. I think those around us we are trusting are in deeper than we thought, bro. I think I'll send a text to Scott in Dearborn and see if he's still on right now. He's got more experience with this whole trafficking shit being that it's pretty prominent in the malls there at the moment,” I tell him as I pull my phone out.
“Good idea, get out of the actual city and dig surrounding areas.”
**********
Nick rides with me out to meet with Scott. He's getting off duty at 7:00, which is in about an hour. Hitting the small diner on Telegraph just down the street, we go in for some food and wait for him.
“Known Scott a lot of years. He’s trustworthy and I think he can help shed some light where we weren't looking before,” I tell him as we settle in a small booth.
“I trust you, man. I just hope there's something he can tell us to spin us on the right track. I have a feeling shit’s about to get deep,” Nick remarks with a slight worry in his eyes.
I know he's getting more nervous about some of the shit we get into more now. His wife is having twin girls, they all depend on him and his coming home every day. Hell, I’m more nervous now too that I have my Starfish back and am finally hitching her to me always. No more vigilante shit for me. But I'm not about to turn a blind eye to shit going down around me.
What if that was our kid? What if that was my sister, cousin, or fucking neighbor?
Getting rid of each crooked greaseball one at a time is the only way to feel like this county is finally perking up. But for every one of them that's put away, more come out of the woodwork with something new.
Hearing Scott's diesel truck pull up, I peer around the booth and see him out the window. He's changed from his on duty uniform, and is joining us for some early morning breakfast before heading home to his wife and six kids. Dude has it made with that brood and beautiful wife Lindsay. Their story is much like mine and Andrea's. They were apart for a good amount of time, but are better than ever now that they have each other again.
That shit is written in the stars.
Walking in with a beanie covering his bald head and shit kickers on his feet, he takes his gloves off and heads to our table with a head nod once he sees me.
Standing up, I greet him with a man hug, clapping his back. Haven't seen this guy in a while, he's been doing some lifting.
“It's been a bit, Avery. How are you, big man? Lookin’ a little leaner these days, you training again?” he asks.
Laughing, I step back and let him slide in the booth. “Nah, just done some bag work here and there. Nothing like the training days that's for sure,” I say at his nod.
“This is my partner Nick,” I introduce him as Nick leans over to shake his hand.
“How’s Linds and the kids?” I ask him as he picks the menu up.
“Good, they're real good. Loving the new place just as much as I do. You gotta come out to the country man and leave all this bullshit. Get further away for your goddamned sanity,” he tells me.
“Andrea and I will have to come out and check it out when the weather gets nice. Get a feel of some country spring air.”
He nods. “You'll love it, trust me. I don't even mind the commute honestly.”
“Nick here probably wouldn't let me go too far, would ya,” I say on a laugh to Nick.
He just shakes his laughing and I see him mouth ‘fucker’ as he looks over his menu.
“So, we are on another homicide case. Been a few of the same and shit’s blocked right and left with the investigation. Have a bad gut feeling that it's happening on purpose. Can't shake the feeling. We need to come at it from a different angle and we think there's some connection between the trafficking going down around. Hoping you could tell us if anything weird has gone on or if you have any new ideas. Your smart as shit, man, and really the only guy around besides Nick here that I trust.” I lay it all out for him.
Scott nods and looks like he’s really mulling over some of the info I've given him. Taking the beanie off, he rubs his bald head a few times and then turns to me.
“How far down the rabbit hole you want to get?” he asks me straight out, his eyes searching mine for an honest answer.
“I'll go as deep as I need to,” I confirm.
Nick shifts in his seat and I know he's worried I'm gonna start getting back into the stupid shit I used to for cases. His eyes drag over to Scott, and I know he's really looking to see if he's trustworthy. He's pretty good at seeing the genuine over a charade. Scott's the real deal and just wants to do good, create a legacy for himself. I don't like bringing him on shit he doesn't need to be in, but I need an ally.
“Let me do some digging around and get in contact with some of my undercover friends around the area. You want deep, you're about to swim Avery,” he tells me. My stomach drops and my blood runs cold. I just nod and take a sip of water to quench my suddenly dry mouth.