Crash

Word Count: 948

Officer Albert opened the door of his Studebaker and stepped out, the red and blue pulsing lights reflected off the shining parts of the wreckage before him. He placed the brown cap on his head and walked over to the sergeant on duty who turned as he approached.

"Detective, thanks for coming." Sergeant Tracy said not looking this mercenary detective in the eye.

"What've we got here, Trace?" The detective asked as paramedics dragged the body out of the burning catastrophe. The building that the vehicle had hit gave way revealing inside the merchandise of a television store tailored to the rich. Some of the colour televisions had been looted by ruffians and thugs. The vehicle itself was halfway through the building.

"Looks like one of the gangs ran Mickey off the road. Too much tension recently, if something doesn't happen here a entire war could break out between the big bosses in the city." They walked purposefully over to the devastated building. One man was on the ground with a broken television next to him being cuffed by the sheriff.

"Sheriff Raymond." He said addressing the man.

"Yes, who are you?" The sheriff asked standing up and dusting has hands off on his pants.

"Detective Albert." The detective said extending his hand and then shaking with the sheriff. "I was asked to look into this case."

"A flat-foot? Not likely, this is my case."

"The sergeant tells me that this could cause an all out war between the gangs of the city. If you want this situation fixed I would suggest you tell me what you know." Detective Albert said taking his hat off and running his fingers through his hair smugly.

Reluctantly the Sheriff agreed to let the hired hand help, "Alright, but you don't talk to the papers, you say a word about this case to them and you'll be out'a here without pay. Got that?" Detective Albert nodded. The sheriff called over a deputy who had a revolver. "This was found inside the vehicle. It belonged to Mikey."

The sheriff led Albert to the side of the street where three people were standing. One was an old lady, she was in the television store when the accident happened. The second was a man who was well dressed, he was a member of the gang opposing Mickey’s and the prime suspect in the case. Finally there was Joey, the boy wasn't even twenty yet but he is Mickey’s brother and was in the car that had crashed and survived with little more than a cut on his forehead.

The well dressed man laughed as the Sheriff and Detective approached, "They sent a gumshoe to look at an accident." He said with a thick Boston accent. "Looks like the city don't know what they doin'." He scolded Albert when he caught his eye.

"What's your name?" The detective demanded.

"What's yours?" The man said coldly.

"Don't get smart with me kid." Albert said threateningly.

"You wanna know? The names Louis." He looked back at Albert and Sheriff Raymond coldly.

"What happened here?"

The mobster gestured to the building, "Looks like Mikey had a lil' too mucha drink." He looked pointedly at Joey. The old woman sighed with disgust.

"Two vehicles, one of them the one in the building now, had passes earlier, this one was being chased it seems." The woman said ignoring the cold look of Louis.

"I'll admit to that, but we never chased'em into a wall." Louis said with a hint of agitation in his voice.

"What about you?" The detective asked Joey.

"Never saw it coming." Joey said. "For no reason these thugs had started chasing us, shooting. I was leaning out the window shooting when we ran head first into the building. Like I said, never saw it coming."

The mobster Louis shook his head, "You were in our territory. You had no right to be here. We were guarding what was ours." he said with absolute anger in his voice.

"My brother had the rights to this block, and my gang this whole city. You're a gang of troublemakers, not businessmen like us." He raised his voice and held the wound on his forehead trying to stop the pain. He gritted his teeth tightly.

"Sheriff Raymond," The detective said with authority, "Arrest Joey Steinback for the murder of Mikey Steinback." The sheriff didn't move, everyone looked directly at Detective Albert. Even Louis was taken aback.

"I beg your pardon?" The sheriff said in shock.

"Joey's brother, as he just said, was in charge of an entire city block. If Mikey died, Joey should inherit his brothers duties." The detective paced back and forth in front of the three witnesses.

"The vehicle was buried halfway through the wall. If, as Joey suggested, he was shooting out of the window when the accident occurred he would have been caught between the window and the falling wall."

"Finally," The detective said concluding, "To support this I remind you that Joey's revolver was found inside the vehicle. It is my belief that Joey shot his brother and then drove the car into the wall to make that look like the crash was caused by the other gang."

Louis nodded appreciatively as the sheriff arrested the boy and shoved him into the back of a squad car.

Detective Albert said a word of thanks to the old woman and slipped back into his Studebaker. He turned the key and spun around leaving the wreckage in his rear view mirror. He drove off wondering who would be waiting for him back at the office, and how the city would pay him for his services.