Nick, A Story in the Style of Film Noir - 1. Chapter 1 - Hit and Run

I was just out walking my dog. No thought in my head except that of the cool evening air and quiet of the street. The neighborhood doesn’t see much action after 6 PM, the few old office buildings have fewer remaining tenants and nearly every storefront is boarded up. A much better neighborhood is only a few blocks away and they tell me things will turn around soon, but in the meantime I enjoy the quiet and the low price of my apartment.

So, I was just out walking my dog. He’s far from pure bred, but big, threatening when convenient and a good friend now that I’m alone. Our routine is to walk a couple of blocks east to a park in the better neighborhood. We hadn’t gotten far when a man came running around the corner. As he crossed the street in the middle of the block a low, fast, black car came screaming around the corner. There wasn’t even time for the guy on foot to look over his shoulder. The car zeroed in on him and ran him down before he made it to the sidewalk. His body bounced over the top of the car like a rag doll and lay limp in the street as the car sped out of sight.

Even in the evening light and from a distance I knew I didn’t need to hurry to the man’s side. I’ve seen a lot of dead bodies over the years, it goes with the job. I’m a cop. Still, I hurried, being pulled by Jake, my dog. The guy was so dead he wasn’t even bleeding much, just a battered body in the road. I checked for the pulse I knew I wouldn’t find, then stood over the body in case someone drove down the street.

My cell was on its last bit of battery after a long day, but it lasted long enough for me to call in the accident. The local precinct cops arrived in a couple of minutes, the ambulance shortly after that. It must have been a quiet night.

I showed my badge to the uniform and asked to use his car radio – I had to call in the homicide I had witnessed. The uniforms were happy not to have to write this one up. Me, I knew I had to head down to headquarters where I’d probably spend most of the night being the not-quite-willing good citizen fed into the machine that is a police investigation. Ironic to be on the other side this time. I was just out walking my dog.

The crowd of police and officials had grown when I got back onto the street after putting Jake into the apartment. Lights had been erected and a guy was taking photographs. I walked over to tell them I was heading downtown to make out my report. The photographer looked up and I saw his face in the harsh lights. It was Phil. He’d done the shoot for a number of the cases I had worked on. Nice guy, nervous when he wasn’t behind the lens, stone cold when working. We’d even ventured out for drinks a couple of times. We didn’t really connect, but it was good to know another member of the tribe in the Department. I waved to him and said I’d probably be seeing him later on the case. He just winked.

I got my car out of the garage. It was once a fine automobile and I keep it in good shape. I inherited it years ago at a time when I didn’t have two cents much more a car. And I’ve kept it even in times when I really needed the cash and didn’t need a car. But it’s my Jag and I love it. So does my mechanic.

It’s not far to Headquarters. My usual parking space was still open, I had only left an hour before. The captain was still at his desk and looked surprised to see me walk in. “Did you hear about the vehicular homicide? I’m the witness.”

“Damn, that’s one unlucky s.o.b. A cop as an eye witness. I think Murphy is up next. You want to fill him in before you write up your report? He’ll take lead on this. Did you know the guy?”

“Nope, never saw him before. I’m not sure how great a witness I’m going to be. This was definitely a hit and looked professional. I’ll bet the car is already in a chop shop. No license plate, dark-tinted windows, probably stolen.”

“Yeah, well fill in Murphy. He can get things going tonight. Maybe you’d be better leading this one, more in your line of experience anyway.”

“Thanks, Cap, I think.”

Murphy, bright, eager, son of cops who were sons of cops, waited outside the captain’s office. He was still a good-looking kid, hadn’t gotten the potbelly and red face that marked his family – yet anyway. He still looked awkward in plain clothes having passed his detective’s exam a few months before. He didn’t have the uniform to add authority to his years. Still he’d be fine.

“So, Murph, you’re the man tonight? I don’t know what you’re going to find but let’s grab some coffee and get started. Line up a conference room and your laptop.”

One thing the Department had done right, it had invested in technology. It was cheaper than hiring enough detectives to handle the growth in crime that our growing city was generating, but still positive. We’d be able to fill in the reports, synch up with the city, state, and federal databases and pull together a more complete file in a couple of hours than ten guys could in ten weeks. Great stuff, but we were still falling behind the bad guys. I wonder if they know. Probably.

Murphy interviewed me like I was a regular citizen – good practice – and I didn’t give him too much trouble. I checked over his report – pretty good – added a few adjustments – then sent him off to hook into the network.

I only had time to check my voice mail when he called over to me that he’d found three reported car thefts matching the description of the car I saw, one right from a dealer’s lot. It seemed odd to have three nearly identical cars stolen in the past 24 hours. Have to think on that later.

I couldn’t do anything until we got the coroner’s report the next day so I headed home. The street had returned to its normal empty state by the time I got there. I got Jake back out to finish our walk, he was more than ready, but didn’t mind the interruption in our routine.

By this time of night the park had been abandoned by families and romantic couples and was taken over by small groups of teens with nothing better to do and some lesser citizens who provided temptations to the idle. Both kinds glanced at me and carefully watched Jake. I might have mentioned he’s big and threatening when convenient. And it’s always more convenient to have trouble give a wide berth. Jake did what he came to do and we went home.

The message light on my answering machine was flashing. “Nick? Are you home? Can you come over?”

It was Eddie. He must be between boyfriends – again. Eddie and I, we’ve known each other for years, and while we’ve never been more than friends, we always make the sparks fly when we get together. He’s thin, cute, enormously talented as a designer, and hot for cock. He always says the right things, can always get me hot. But it ain’t love, doesn’t need to be. I don’t hear from Eddie when he is in love and he never called when I was with Brian. But he’s made more than one lonely night a hell of a lot of fun. And Eddie is also on the inside of the seamier side of our city. He says it’s his family connections. I just think he’s got a thing for hoodlums – and the occasional cop.

I called him back. “Lonely tonight?”

“Oh, Nick, thank God you called. I had thought I was losing my charms.” Eddie always was the tease. “Actually, I have someone new in my life – Ramon – oh my, the kink he is in to. I’ll have cuff marks for weeks. The real reason I called – though now that you mention it, a refresher from the Nick dick would be very nice – Bobby called a while ago and he’s scared shit of something – you remember Bobby, three boyfriends ago – nice smile, killer bod, hired out as muscle for collectors and the like. He called me – imagine the nerve after the bastard left me for a girl – he called me and asked if he could hide out. I told him yes – ooh that bod – but I thought I’d get a hold of you – lovely image – and clue you in, in case Bobby’s fears visit my house.”

Over the years, Eddie had given me some of my best leads, whatever his sources were. I trusted his instinct that trouble was heading his way.

I got there in fifteen minutes and parked in a lot across the street. Eddie lived in rougher neighborhood than I did, mostly warehouses and bars. He had a little house on a side street that would have been a cute cottage - front porch and all - in a better place. Eddie hadn’t done much to the outside, but once through the front door you entered an enchanted realm somewhere between a sultan’s harem and a Victorian tea shop – lots of pillows and fringe.

Every window was dark, not even the porch light was on. I walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened immediately, Eddie rushed me inside and closed the door. Only after he closed the door did he turn on a light.

“Why so mysterious, Eddie?”

“Nick, I’m so glad you’re here. Bobby will be here anytime, he wanted to wait until night and wanted me to keep the house dark. He must really be in trouble.”

Eddie kept peering through the heavy curtains, looking for Bobby. It wasn’t long when he said, “Here he comes, he must have walked.”

Bright lights forced through the narrow slit in the curtains. A powerful engine raced and was getting closer. Eddie jumped back from the window just as there was a huge bang and the sound of splintering wood. I ran to the front door and opened it to see an SUV backing down the porch steps. I leapt back into the house as the porch roof partially collapsed. The big truck pulled away and roared off down the street.

“Where’s Bobby?” Eddie asked.

I stepped back onto the ruin of the porch, sliding past the hanging roofing. The section over the doorway was partially intact. By the time I got to the street the SUV was long gone. Eddie appeared with a flashlight. Among the wreckage of the porch was the wreckage of Bobby. I could see his legs protruding from the splintered wood.

We pulled the pieces of roof and railing off the body. Eddie might be a shrinking violet most of the time, but he was all business tonight, clearing the way to Bobby. Eddie cradled Bobby’s head as I looked for the pulse on the second dead guy of the night. Eddie’s eyes were full of fright, but he choked it down. He stayed with Bobby’s body when I went to call for an ambulance, the local cops. I also called Murphy, he’d need to come over – this accident was too much like the one I had seen earlier.

Different cops and medics, same procedure. Phil was back for the photos. He didn’t say anything, but his eyebrows arched in a question when he spotted me. Murphy arrived and took what little information that Eddie and I could offer. There weren’t any other witnesses on the street. Murphy had checked for stolen cars before he left and found four or five that might match the SUV I saw. Too convenient, again.