Joe Miller walked into the Major Case Squad expecting to see his partner, Bill Kelby, sitting at his desk but the chair was empty. Bill usually got in before him and made the first pot of coffee of the day. No Bill, no coffee. Joe walked over and started the pot. He always had trouble opening the bag of grounds without using his Swiss Army knife while Bill was an expert at it. Bill had been doing it since he was a kid, getting up, and making the brew for his folks before heading off on his paper route.
Something wasn’t right. Where’s Bill? Joe thought.
The water stopped flowing on the grounds and Joe poured himself a cup and went over to his desk. Still no Bill. Captain Reno was in his office but Joe didn’t want to bother him, especially if Bill was running late due to traffic.
Joe received the coroner’s report from the shooting at the Used Car Lot a few days before. It was time for him to finish his report. He had already been interviewed and cleared by Internal Affairs as it being a good shoot. ‘It was unfortunate Detective Joe Miller had to kill the suspect,’ the Internal Affairs report began, ‘but it couldn’t be avoided. Suspect was shot three times in the back because he refused Detective Miller’s verbal commands to halt as he attempted to stab Detective Miller’s partner, Detective Bill Kelby. One of the bullets entered the suspect’s heart which killed him instantly. One bullet entered the spine and one bullet entered the liver.’
Joe read and reread the report. He killed the suspect to save the life of his partner. It was a good shoot. It ended the only way it could have. The other alternative would have been to have had his partner stabbed to death. Joe sipped his coffee and thought pensively about the situation and what Dr. Delmonico said. He was normal at one time and suffered a tremendous loss which pushed him over the edge… The man needed help…not three bullets in the back but if the situation that developed was beyond his control.
‘Joe…’
Miller heard his name and looked up to see Captain Reno standing in front of him. He was so deep in thought he never heard him approach.
‘Joe…I’d like you to step into my office.’
‘Bill isn’t here yet,’ he said as he rose from his chair.
‘I know. I gave him some time off. It looks as though you could use some too. I could give this new case to two other detectives and you could go home and get some rest.’
‘No, I’m fine,’ Miller responded.
‘I suspect you’re not but for now I have to believe you as I have a case for you and I’d like you to temporarily team-up with someone you’ve worked with in the past.
‘Who might that be?’ said Joe curiously.
Joe followed Captain Reno into his office and saw Marlene Jones sitting there in a tasteful blue suit, white blouse, and blue high heel shoes. It was a far cry from the hooker’s outfit he saw her in the last time they met.
‘Hello,’ she said waiting for a response.
‘Hello. I thought you just worked Vice and Narcotics,’ he said matter-of-factually.
‘I do but I was asked to fill in here while Bill is out,’ Marlene replied.
‘Captain, come on…what’s going on with Bill?’
‘He needed time off to get over the trauma of the last few days. His blood pressure has been up and he has been having trouble sleeping. During the time he’s out, he has to have some sessions with Dr. Delmonico. Dr. D. will clear Bill with the Department to come back fit for duty. He needs to come to grips with what happened. Are you sure you don’t need the same thing? The two of you went through a traumatic situation.’
‘Him more than me…No, I’m good. So what’s the case you want Officer Jones and me to work on together?’
‘I need you to go to the Los Angeles Zoo, specifically go to Administration and see the Director of Zoo Relations. There’s been a murder at the white rhino enclosure.’ said Captain Reno.
‘How did it happen?’ asked Joe.
‘It looks like the enclosure cleaner was stabbed to death by the rhino but there are some things just don’t add up.’
‘Such as?’
‘The coroner on the scene reported the stabbing was a downward motion but a rhino would stab upwards,’ stated Captain Reno.
‘Not to be a smart ass, but what if the assistant was down on all fours checking something out like the leg or underbelly of the animal or picking up droppings and it suddenly charged,’ said Joe playing devil’s advocate.
‘Possible,’ said Captain Reno.
‘May I interject?’ inquired Marlene.
‘Yes of course,’ replied Reno.
‘It’s unlikely it was the white rhino because even though rhinos as a species can be aggressive, the white rhino are calmer. I learned that on a zoo tour. They respond to threats by running away, not charging.’
‘So if it isn’t the white rhino, who or what did it?’
‘That’s for you and Officer Jones to find out. Forensics has been out there digging around in the pen since this early morning when the body was found. The muddy footprints found near the body did not fit the enclosure cleaner and there were no footprints near the body,’ replied Captain Reno.
‘You think the body was dumped there but was killed somewhere else? Was anything stolen from the body, i.e. maybe a ring, watch or wallet?’ asked Miller.
‘Nothing was touched so robbery wasn’t the motive,’ said Reno.
‘Maybe the guy owed someone money… had some gambling debts maybe? Owed the mob perhaps?’ asked Marlene Jones.
‘No, he didn’t gamble. Already checked into his vices and except for an occasional beer when the boys met for drinks, he didn’t smoke, drink, gamble, or run around with women or men,’ responded Reno.
‘Ex-wife?’ asked Miller.
‘Nope.’
‘Sounds like a boring guy…so, why would someone off him?’ said Jones.
‘When I talked to his boss about his background outside work, he couldn’t come up with a reason why someone would want him dead. He was a model employee about to be promoted.’
‘What about his co-workers?’ asked Miller.
‘That’s what you’re going there to find out because this doesn’t make any sense,’ commented Reno shaking his head. ‘You need to find to come up with a reason why a model employee with no vices was murdered today.’
‘You mentioned he was a model employee about to be promoted. I see one possibility. Possibly jealousy?’ said Jones.
‘That’s for you to find out. Go to administration. Start there. And if it isn’t a person you’re after, then you have lots of four- legged suspects.’
‘Captain, do you have any idea how big the Los Angeles Zoo is and how many animals live there?…’
‘Excuse me, Joe, but it’s 133 acres and more than 1,700 mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and reptiles live there,’ remarked Marlene.
Both Joe and Captain Reno stared at her like she needed to give it a rest.
Joe continued, ‘Excluding the animals that couldn’t have killed a human like birds, aquatics, most reptiles, and fish, you’re talking about a lot of animals that could plus their trainers, assistants, other enclosure cleaners, veterinarians, and vet techs and plus the entire administrative staff. You want Marlene and me to go there and check out the entire zoo? All we know now is the white rhino more that likely didn’t do it and it probably was a human being.’
Captain Reno was about to say something when Joe interrupted.
‘Plus, do you know how many people visit the zoo in a day? There are also the people who feed the animals too.’
‘All of that has been considered which is why the two of you need to get out there and survey the situation,’ said Reno.
‘Is the body still there? Or did the coroner take it away?’ asked Joe.
‘No, the coroner hasn’t removed it, yet.’
‘Come on Marlene…it’s time for you to get your feet wet. Perhaps literally. Let’s pick up some protective shoes before we go.’
##
Bill Kelby tossed and turned in bed back and forth, culminating with a blood curdling scream in his sleep. His wife, Joanna, reached over and shook him but he didn’t respond. She had already gotten the kids up and off to school. The neighbor offered to drive them during this difficult time.
She got out of bed, grabbing him by the shoulders and yelling, ‘Bill, wake up. You’re having a bad dream. You’re home, in your own bed, and everything is okay.’
Bill opened his eyes and sat up. He grabbed his wife and held her tight.
‘It’s okay. You’re here…with me…at home,’ she said as she stroked his head lovingly.
‘He was standing over me with a knife, ready to kill me,’ said Bill as he continued clutching his wife.
##
Miller and Jones took Miller’s car. She didn’t know if she should make small talk or not. Their last assignment they were thrown together, literally, with him posing as a John and her as a prostitute to catch a man who was killing prostitutes and emasculating Johns. It was close but they got the guy and he was put away for a long time.
Miller didn’t know what to say to her either. His partner, Bill Kelby, had been traumatized badly. He hoped that he could get over this but Miller was worried. They have been together seven years: seven long years…a lifetime in this business. They investigated murders, found out who did it, and brought most of the perpetrators to justice, most…not all. Sometimes it has been them or us. That’s what the last case had been: life or death.
##
To be continued
About the author
Since becoming disabled in 2015, Maxine took up her passion for writing. She has been published several times in the Los Angeles Daily News, The Epoch Times, Nail Polish Stories, DarkWinterLit, BrightFlashLiteraryReview, OtherwiseEngagedLit, CafeLit, Maudlin House, and TheMetaworker.com.
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