A Matter of Justice- Chapter 1

A Matter of Justice

Chapter I

12:30 AM

July 12

         He woke up on the sidewalk, with someone shining a light in his eyes while kicking his leg. He didn’t have a clue where he was.

         “Wake up! Get up!”

         At first he thought it must be his father, waking him for school. There were two of them and they took him each under an arm and hauled him up. His legs felt like jelly. One guy held him up while the other one took his picture. All he wanted to do was to go back to sleep. He had a vague idea that he was drunk. The men didn’t say anything else, but put handcuffs on him and pushed him into the back of a car. He fell back to sleep. The next time he awoke he was being hauled out of the car, and the two men were walking him into a building. Bright lights shattered his eyes. They took his picture again and messed with his fingers. He found himself in a room with bars and a bed. He mercifully blacked out again, into a dark, dreamless sleep. His nightmare would begin later.

* * * * *

1:00 AM

         There was blood everywhere. Detective Tom Hawkins surveyed the scene. Officer Giles was showing a Polaroid picture to the lady of the house.

         “Is this the guy who attacked your husband?”

         “Yes, that’s him.”

         The uniforms were the first on the scene and Perkins arrived a few minutes later. He had already interviewed the wife, and handed Hawkins his notes. Hawk took the picture from the officer.

         “Mrs. Davis, you claimed that the man who attacked Mr. Davis was wearing, uh let’s see here…” He consulted Perkins’ notes. “Yeah, jeans, a black T-shirt, a baseball cap and was sporting a ponytail. Is that correct?”

         “That may have been what I said, but I was so upset. I didn’t know what I was saying. That’s the man who did this!”

         “Mrs. Davis, this is a 16 year old boy. He’s wearing a WHITE T-shirt, BEIGE shorts and if his hair were any shorter, he would be bald. How do you explain the difference?”

         “I told you I was upset, and I still am! My husband is dying! Brutally attacked in the middle of the night with our own butcher knife from our own kitchen! I don’t know what he was wearing. Maybe he changed his clothes before you caught him. Did you think of that? Do I have to think of everything?”

         She was rapidly becoming hysterical. Hawk made another note to check the area for discarded clothes.

         “All right, Mrs. Davis. Just calm down.”

         “NO! You get out of my way! I need to get to the hospital to be with Harold. MOVE!” Tom would have blocked her way, but at her tone, stepped aside.

         “Mrs. Davis, I will see you at the hospital.”

         “Suit yourself. I have nothing more to say to you.”

         “What a bitch!” Sergeant Perkins said under his breath, to no one in particular.

         “I agree. But let’s not let it get around.” They both chuckled at that.

         “I don’t understand, Perk. The kid doesn’t look anything like the guy she described. He didn’t have any blood on him, or his glasses. This room is covered from floor to ceiling, and so was she. How did he escape with nothing?”

         “Maybe he did change his clothes.”

         “Maybe, but Giles and Stone said he smelled like a brewery when they picked him up. He didn’t have any open containers, so he must have been drunk while he was changing his clothes. Doesn’t make sense. He was asleep on the sidewalk, two blocks from here. He must’ve passed out. Look, hang out with the lab people while they finish up. I’m going to the hospital.”

         “OK, I’ll take care of things here. See ya later, boss.”

         “And get somebody to beat the bushes around here – say a five block radius – for discarded clothes. You know, dark T-shirt…”

         “Got it, Hawk. I’m on it.”

         “Thanks Perk.”

* * * * *

5:30 AM

July 12

         “Mr. Davis, can you hear me?”

         Tom was in the victim’s hospital room, looking around and feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Machines were beeping and Mr. Davis was bandaged and hooked up to what looked like an octopus.

         “Can’t this wait? He’s just come out of surgery. Why don’t you leave him alone?”

         “Mrs. Davis, I need to talk to him about the attack. If we wait, we run the risk of his forgetting, or worse.”

         “How dare you! Of course he will be fine. Don’t listen to him, darling. You’re going to be out of here in no time.”

         Harold Davis shot a puzzled look at his wife, before answering this bear of a man, standing at the other side of his bed.

         “Who are you?”

         “Mr. Davis, I’m Detective Hawkins with the Naples Police department. I would like to ask you a few questions, if you’re up to it.”

         “I told you, it will have to wait!” Mrs. Davis had an annoying habit of raising her voice for emphasis.

         “Joanne, please get water stop screech?” Harold couldn’t talk louder than a whisper. His words were slurred and incomplete.

         “Well, I’m getting the nurse. You should not be disturbed right now.”
She pressed the call button.

         “Yes? May I help you?”

         “Nurse, there is a detective here bothering my husband and he’s just come out of surgery. Can you please get him out of here?”

         Nurse Tammy Armstrong came bustling into the room and cast a glance at the Detective. She had seen him when he came on the floor, a couple of hours ago. She couldn’t help but appreciate this handsome detective. He was over 6 feet and broad shouldered. His thick dark mustache and dark curly hair needed trimming, but nothing could detract from his good looks.

         She smiled at him and said, “Sir, I’m afraid I will have to ask you to leave. The patient needs his rest.” Her smile disappeared.

         “That goes for you too, Mrs. Davis. You can come back this afternoon, during regular visiting hours.”

         “But I am his wife, and I need to be here.”

         “We’ll take very good care of him, don’t you worry. If we need you we’ll call you. Now, why don’t you go home and get some rest yourself?”

         Tom decided if he couldn’t interview the victim, he might as well go and interview the suspect. Mrs. Davis flounced out in a huff. Tom followed a little more slowly. He had no inclination to ride down in the elevator with her.

         “Rough night, Detective?” Tammy came out of Mr. Davis’ room and found Hawk leaning against the nurse’s station.

         “Pretty much. How is he really?” He nodded his head toward the Davis room.
         “He’s OK, really. He had minor internal damage. Lucky for him, the knife missed all the important stuff.”

         “Technical talk?” He was chuckling.

         “I didn’t want to use nurse-ese and go over your head.”

         They were both laughing now. She has the prettiest green eyes. I wonder if she’s… Tammy interrupted his thought.

         “So basically Mr. Davis has a lot of stitches. He should heal up fine and be out of here by the end of the week. His biggest problem is that he’s a diabetic, and we will watch to be sure he heals properly.”

         “So if I need more information, I can call you?”

         “Anytime Detective.” Tammy was trying to look business-like.

         “Uh, but what if you’re off duty? Will your husband get upset?” I am sooo smooth. Duh.

         Tammy was hoping that he would get around to asking for her home number.
         “I doubt it. I don’t have one. What about your wife? Doesn’t she object to all your weird hours?”

         “I’m the boss in my house. What I say goes. Besides, I’m not married.”

         She wrote her home number on her note pad and gave the top sheet to him.

         “So I guess we’re all set. No one to disturb, huh?”

         “Right. So, maybe I can call you even if I don’t need any more information? About Davis, that is?”

         “Sure. But right now I have to get back to work.”

         “Uh, Nurse Armstrong?”

         “Yes?”

         “What’s your first name?”

         “Tammy. And what should I call you, Detective?”

         “Hawk. My name is Tom Hawkins, but everyone just calls me Hawk.”
Note to self: Don’t screw this up. She’s a keeper.

         Hawk found it difficult to keep a relationship going, since most of the time he was married to his job. He had reached the ripe old age of 34 without ever having tied the knot. He really wanted to find a nice girl and settle down, but there just didn’t ever seem to be any time. He tucked the note in his pocket, and left the hospital, and headed for the station.

         Now let’s see what the kid has to say.

* * * * *

         Harold Davis smiled at his nurse. He was drugged, but he could still spot a beautiful girl. He was grateful that she had cleared the room. The last thing he wanted right now was to have to listen to Joanne whine and bitch.

         “I’m going to give you something for the pain, and then you should try to get some sleep.”

         “Thank you. You’re a life saver. You married?”

         “If you need anything, press the call button. OK?”

         “Maybe after I get out of here, you can be my private nurse. At home. My wife works and I’ll be all alone.”

         Oh brother. What a skeez. Maybe his wife is the one who stabbed him.

         Smiling at her own joke, she looked at Mr. Davis and said, “Mr. Davis, I don’t do private duty work. Now, get some rest.”

         Harold Davis drifted off to sleep with thoughts of the lovely green-eyed, brunette giving him a massage.