"32 and Dead" by Enhinti

Scene 14
Eric looked over the master room of a nice suburban house. He opened every drawer and turned the bed over. Under the bathroom sink he found a small shoe box, with a loaded gun inside.
“Calleigh,” he said into his ear bud, “I got it. A 32.”

 

Scene 15
Natalia was stopped at a red light, when the call came over the radio.
“Sarah Mitchell, dark sedan, License plaint…”
The car described turned left right in fount of Natalia and headed onto the inter state.
“What the?” cried Natalia. “There she is! I’m in pursuit…”
Natalia flashed her lights and pulled up behind the car, but the car sped up putting more distance between them.
“Pull over!” Natalia said over the loud speaker, but the car swerved around other vehicles and sped down the high way. Two squad cars came up in answer to Natalia.
“Pull over!” said Natalia.
Out numbered, the car slowed to a stop on the side of the inter state.
Turn off the motor, put your hand where I can see them, and slowly get out of the car,” said Natalia.
She and the other officers approached the car as the driver door opened and a skinny brown haired girl stepped out.
“Sarah Mitchell?” said Natalia.
“Yeah? What?” said the girl.
“Get down on the ground!” cried Natalia.
“Ok! Ok!” cried Sarah. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you,” said Natalia.
“You pulled all that to talk?” cried Sarah.
“Hey!” said Natalia, “keep your hands where I can see them!”
“Ok! Ok!” cried Sarah. “Sheez! You need to lay off the caffeine!”

 

Scene 16
“You!” cried Sarah. “What do you want?”
H gave her a pitied look as he really felt for the girl. She was the cast off of people who had better things to do then take care of their own child. She had been the perfect target for a violent drug dealer, and now the toy of a notorious pimp.
“Miss Mitchell,” said H.
“I’m clean!” Sarah cried, angrily. “I haven’t done anything since getting expelled! I don’t drink, and I’m over 18. Why do you keep bugging me?”
“You’re a dancer now, at Club Red Flamingo?” H asked in a gentle voice.
“So what?” Sarah cried.
“So what?” said Natalia. “Joe Mazzaro was found dead in his apartment this morning. You dna all over the place- wet!”
Sarah quickly masked the short look of startled surprise. “I’m over 18, OK?” said she. “I’ll sleep with who ever I want!”
“For a price,” said Natalia.
“What?” said Sarah.
“Joe Mazzaro was a pimp, Sarah,” said H.
“But you knew that,” said Natalia.
“So what!” cried Sarah.
“So why were you running?” Natalia asked.
“I wasn’t running,” said Sarah give her a fastidious look. “I was driving. I didn’t see you.”
“Don’t give me that,” said Natalia.
“I’m a lousy driver, OK?” cried Sarah. “I’ll go to traffic school!”
“Were you there when Joe got shot?” H asked.
“Which time?” said Sarah, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. “Because he missed the first time.”
“When was this?” H asked.
“I don’t know,” said Sarah. “About a week ago I guess.”
“Nothing was reported,” said Natalia.
“That’s cause Joe don’t like cops,” said Sarah.
“I can imagine.”
“What happened?” H asked.
“It was after closing and there’s like this thing in the window,” said Sarah,” and I’m all ‘What’s that?’ and Joe he like falls on the ground, and there’s like this bang. And the mirror broke.”
“I see,” said H.
“You think who ever tried again?” Sarah asked him.
“That is, if there was a first time,” said Natalia.
“Look,” said Sarah, irritated, “I didn’t do anything wrong, OK?”
“We’ll see about that,” said Natalia.
“In the mean while,” said H, “get comfortable. You’ll be staying here a while.”
“Thanks,” said Sarah standing up. “But no thanks. I would rather go home and clip my toe nails.”
“In that case,” said Natalia, “evading police, resisting arrest…”
“Ok! Ok!” Sarah cried, plopping back down in her seat. “Sheez!”
“And you wouldn’t mind us checking your apartment?” H asked.
“Knock yourself out,” said Sarah.

 

Scene 17
Calleigh was standing at the firing line in the Ballistics lab, with Cynthia’s 32 in her hands. Two shoots hit the target and mushroomed in the long container behind it.
“Tell me the good news,” said Eric coming in and leaning over Calleigh at her microscope.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Calleigh. “This is a round from Cynthia’s gun, and this is the bullet that killed Joe Mazzaro. Take a look.”
“No match,” said Eric glancing into the scope.
“Right caliber but no match,” said Calleigh. “Eric it is possible that some how-s”
“Calleigh, we combed that place,” said Eric. “This was hiding. She didn’t want us to find this gun. Her finger prints and dna are all over it. If it’s not the murder weapon, I don’t know-”
“Ok,” Calleigh replied. “We still have her car to check out. Maybe she stashed another gun there.”
“Let’s go,” said Eric.
“You go,” said Calleigh. “I have to put this away.”
She sighed and stared at the bullet. Everything pointed towards Cynthia’s guilt, until that one little piece of evidence just blew their case apart.

 

Scene 18
“Hey, Kyle,” said Ryan walking into the morgue.
“Hey,” said Kyle.
“Dr. T,” said Ryan.
“A hundred thousand greetings, Wolfe,” said Trenton.
“This the victim?”
“Hal Wilcox,” said Kyle. “Married, 64, and paralyzed from the hip down since 99.”
“C.O.D?” Ryan asked.
“Go ahead Kyle,” said Trenton.
“The bullet entered here and penetrated his left lung,” said Kyle. “It filled with blood. He bled inward, and couldn’t breathe.”
Trenton’s gloved hands continued to dig with in the victim’s chest and eventually emerged with a little piece of medal.
“And here is the little rascal,” said ME. “Go ahead and wash that for me, Kyle.”
Kyle took the bullet from Trenton and rinses it off well with the hose before dropping it into the evidence container.
“Thanks,” said Ryan, taking the container. “I’ll get this to Calleigh. So long, squirt.”
He rustled Kyle’s hair to the boy’s dismay.

 

Scene 19
Calleigh found Ryan waiting for her in her Ballistics lab.
“OK,” she said. “I got your text. This is the Wilson case?”
“Yeah,” said Ryan. “Dr. T pulled this out of the victim’s lung.”
“Nice,” said Calleigh taking the bullet in her gloved hand. “Hmmmmmmm. 32.”
“Ran it,” said Ryan. “No match. Thought you could shed some light?”
“Well,” said Calleigh. “Maybe I can.”
She took another container out and cut the evidence tape. “Yep,” she said, looking at two bullets under the microscope. “They match.”
“From where?” Ryan asked in surprise.
“You’ll never guess.”

 

Scene 20
Cynthia Sanchez sat in the interrogation room. Calleigh sat across from her, and Ryan stood near by.
“Ms Sanchez,” said Calleigh, “we compared the round from your gun with the one that killed Joe Mazzaro and there was no match.”
“I told you,” said Cynthia, “I didn’t kill Joe.”
“What you didn’t tell her,” said Ryan, “was that you did kill Hal Wilcox.”
Calleigh pushed the photographs of the two bullets towards Cynthia.
“That’s right,” she said, “the bullet that killed Wilcox came from your gun.”
“The gun you conveniently hid from the police,” said Ryan. “Your dna, your prints, your apartment.”
“Let’s have it,” said Calleigh.
Cynthia stared in horror a moment as she realized she was caught.
“Hal,” said she, “he found out I was embezzling. His lawyer said it wasn’t enough to bother prosecuting but he went and got my license taken away and ruined my reputation. I couldn’t get a job anywhere. And then that freak fired me for not sleeping with him. I was successful. I had it all and Hal, he took that all away from me. It’s all his fault. He had to pay for what he did to me.”
“Well, congratulations,” said Ryan, “you got your revenge.”
“The next 32 years of it,” said Calleigh.

 

Scene 21
Frank and H waded through the little room that made up Sarah Mitchell’s entire living quarters.
“My G*d!” cried Frank, stepping over dirty clothes and old fashion magazines. “This girl lives in a pig stein.”
“She’s had a hard life, Frank,” said H. “Her parents gave her a one way ticket to destruction.”
He turned the mattress on its side and felt along the inside of the bed frame.
“Well if you ask me,” said Frank, feeling some white power on the dresser, “she needs a one way ticket to destination detox. Crystal meth.”
“And a lot of it too,” said H, pulling out a small plastic bag from its hiding place. His face showed his disappointment and sadness over the girl.
“So much for clean,” said Frank.
“So much for clean,” said H.

 

Scene 22
H was setting up some equipment when Kyle peeked into the lab.
“Da-,” said Kyle, but checked himself. “Lt. Caine?”
“Come in, Kyle,” said H. “What have you got?”
“Autopsy report for Hal Wilcox,” said Kyle, handing the papers to H.
“Good.”
“What are you doing?” Kyle asked.
“Finger print dust on this bag has reveled some nice prints,” said H. “I’m going to find out who touched the bag.”
“Ca’I take the pictures?” Kyle asked.
H looked up from the camera at his young son. “Sure,” he said, with a pleased smile. “Go ahead.”
Kyle focused the camera and snapped the pictures, as H turned the little bag different ways to get other angles. The computer was a few minutes in sorting though the data, before the words “Match Found” jumped up on the screen.
“Scott O’Shay,” Kyle read. “Do you know him?”
“I sure do,” H replied.

 

Scene 23
“Your wife was most cooperative, supervisor,” said H. “She gave us your gun.”
O’Shay leaned back in his chair in the interrogation room and didn’t look down at the pictures H laid on the table before him.
“Guess where you got that nick in your hand,” said H. “You were bitten by your gun.”
“The same gun that killed Joe Mazzaro,” said Frank. “Your gun, your dna. You killed the pimp.”
“Now why would I want to kill the guy?” said O’Shay.
“And your finger prints all over the drugs found in Sarah’s apartment,” said H.
“And who is Sarah?” asked O’Shay, sarcastically.
“The 19 year old girl you were having s*x with, dumb *ss!” said Frank.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Let me tell you how it works,” said H, with a smile. “You give the girl drugs to keep her coming back. Joe figures out his dancer is tweaked and black mails you.”
“Your wife just got finished threatening for divorce,” said Frank. “She’s not going to take kindly to you drugging a 19 year old so you can sleep with her.”
“But you don’t have the money to pay up right now do you?” said H. “You just made some big investments. So instead, you nip it in the bud. One shoot, Joe’s dead.”
“You have always been out to get me, Caine,” said O’Shay, “but it is not going to work.”
“Your gun, your dna,” said H. “You are going down.”
“Listen,” said the supervisor, “it was that girl, Sarah was her name? I was sleeping with her, I admit, and I did give her drugs. She wanted them. But I didn’t kill anyone.”
“You are caught, supervisor,” said H. “And this time, the net will not loosen.”
“I gave that girl the gun,” said O’Shay.
“You gave a drugged out teenager a deadly weapon?” said Frank.
“For protection from that Joe creature.”
“Protection? Bull!” said H. “If she had touched the gun, her prints would be all over it. If she had worn gloves, your prints would have been smudged. You prints are clear, your dna in the hammer, your gun found in your safe, in your home. And no, your wife didn’t touch it either. You killed Joe Mazzaro. And now you’re going to jail for it.”
“I want my lawyer,” said O’Shay.
“Good,” said H. “Book him.”
A police officer entered the interrogation room and took O’Shay by the arm.
“This isn’t over, Caine,” said O’Shay.
“Far from,” H replied. “Far from.”

 

Scene 24
Calleigh, Eric, and Ryan all sat around the locker room, chatting.
“Weird,” said Eric. “The Joe Mazzaro suspect ended up killing Wilcox, and the Wilcox suspect ended up killing Joe.”
“Who would have thought it?” said Calleigh.
“Totally did not see that one coming,” said Ryan.
“Well,” said Calleigh, “we caught both. That’s what matters.”
“Yeah,” Eric replied.
“It just sounds funny,” said Ryan.
Eric closed his locker and Calleigh got up, the two heading towards the exit.
“You coming for pizza, Ryan?” said Calleigh, when she realized he wasn’t following.
“In a minute,” said Ryan. “I want to make a call before I go.”
“We’ll wait,” said Eric.
“Naw,” Ryan replied. “Go on, I’ll only be a minute.”
Eric and Calleigh left, as Ryan took out his cell phone. He found the business card in his wallet, and glanced at the name of a psychiatrist on it. He dialed the number from the card and listened until the ringing stopped and the voice mail picked up, but instead of leaving a message, he hung up.

 

Scene 25
H found Celine Wilcox in the living room of the pent house, exactly where he had talked to her at the start of the day.
“Lt. Caine,” she said. “I just got finished talking to my lawyer.”
“You are going to contest your husband’s will?” H asked.
“Everything that would have gone to Amy is left to different schools and the hospital that saved my husband’s life,” said Celine. “I couldn’t deny that charity. Besides, I’m certain that 6 million dollars is more then enough for me and my baby.”
“You are a good person, Celine,” said H.
“Thank you, lieutenant,” she replied. “But you came here to tell me something?”
“I came here to give you something,” said H. He opened an evidence bag and took out a man’s gold band.
“Hal’s wedding ring,” said Celine. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am,” said H.

 

Scene 26
“Officer Boa Vista,” said Sarah.
Natalia was standing out side the Department building when the girl walked up.
“Are you clean?” Natalia asked.
“Har, har,” said Sarah. “I haven’t been high for days and now I have another misdemeanor drug charge and my license suspended thanks to you.”
“Well,” said Natalia, “next time a cop tells you to pull over you’ll think twice before pulling that stunt again.”
“Whatever,” said the girl.
Two officers stepped out of the front doors each holding an arm of the ex supervisor.
“So,” said Sarah, “it was him. He shot Joe. I danced for him.”
“Oh, we know,” said Natalia.
“I ain’t no hooker, lady,” said Sarah with a frown.
“Sarah,” said Natalia. “You can go to detox and really get clean and get an honest job and have a real life. You don’t have to ‘dance’ for middle aged men. You don’t have to sleep with your employer.”
“I know,” said Sarah, irritated. “Just leave me alone, Ok?”
Before Natalia could reply, another squad car pulled up and the officers from it tried to pull a rowdy man from the back seat. When Natalia looked back at Sarah, the girl was half way up to O’Shay.
“Sarah!” cried Natalia.
Sarah put her hand in her purse and pulled out a pistol. She raised it to point at the supervisor’s head.
“Gun!” cried one off the officers with O’Shay.
“You killed my Joe!” Sarah cried, her eyes focused on the ex supervisor.
“Drop it!” cried Natalia. She pulled her own gun out and pointed it at the girl. “Drop it or I’ll shoot!”
“I hate you!” cried Sarah. “I hate you!”
There came a shot like a thunder clap. Sarah dropped the gun and rolled over onto the grass.
“You’re supposed to protect me!” cried O’Shay.
“Shut up!” cried Natalia. “Get him out of here! And get a medic!”
She knelt down beside the fallen girl and pressed he hand into her bleeding stomach.
“Sarah,” said she. “Listen to me! I need a medic. She’s bleeding out!”
Another officer ran at the call.
“Sarah!” cried Natalia. “Sarah!”
“Here!” said another coming with a first aid kit.
“Too late,” said Natalia, in dismay. “She’s gone.”
She picked up the gun that the girl had nearly killed O’Shay with and examined it. It was another 32.


Roll Credits!

 

I am going to lock this thread because of this. You are welcome to start a new thread for this story once you've posted that you've read and understand.

Thanks.

-LLK