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Posts: 184
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Alright here it is true believers the first issue of Defenders of Justice!!!! Read on and enjoy!!
POLICE REPORT:
{Jonathon Dark was murdered on the third level of the 68th street parking garage, across the street from Precinct 16 @ 0300 hours on 31 October. Two .440 Cor-bon slugs were retrieved from the body by the medical examiner. These bullets match casings found at the scene by the forensics team. No witnesses or potential suspects have yet to be identified.}
John closes the vanilla file folder and thinks a moment. He knew a lot of undesirables hung out at Club 21 on the lower east side of the city. That’s where he would begin his search. He had no other leads as yet so the nightclub was his best bet.
“I should pay Trish a visit” he thought aloud.
John knew he would have to be careful in that neighborhood. He couldn’t afford to stand out in any way. He pulled on a pair of worn jeans with holes in the knees and a ragged looking t-shirt. Then he donned a rat chewed jacket and a dark stocking cap.
He rode the bus and got off a block away. Then he pulled a cheap cigar from his jacket pocket and lit it with an even cheaper lighter. As he entered the club, the smell of marijuana cigarettes and booze filled his nostrils. John made a beeline for the bar and ordered a jack and coke from a big burly man who was wiping down a mug.
“Where’s Trish” John asked casually?
The bartender nodded to the other side of the dance floor and went back to wiping glasses. John turned his head in the direction indicated. Patricia Jenkins was serving drinks to a couple of guys in cheap sports coats, both of whom John recognized as undercover police officers who used to work for his dad, Jake Lawrence and Tony Stonecipher if he remembered correctly.
It had been a number of years since he had seen them. John had been a teenager shadowing his father at work for a school project and they had been introduced. He wondered for a moment what they were doing in the club. Did they have the same idea he did about looking for information from the lowlifes?
He waited at the bar until Patricia returned with an empty tray and he waved her over. If she was surprised to see him she didn’t show it.
“Hello Trish” John said smiling.
“Hi John” she replied “sorry to hear about your father. He was a good man.”
“Yeah he was” John began “what do you know about the two guys you just served drinks to.”
“Not much I guess, they are here a couple of times a week normally.”
“What do you mean, normally?”
“They haven’t been here for about two weeks and then four days ago they showed up. They’ve been here every night since. Can I ask you something John?”
“Fire away” he answered.
“Why haven’t you called me? It’s been six months since I’ve heard from you. Even after you came back for your father’s funeral you didn’t once call to even say hello.”
“Patricia” he said using her full name “I just couldn’t face you, not after how we left things. And then my father was murdered. Since then I’ve just been trying to cope” with that he took a sip of his drink.
“I hope liquor isn’t how you’ve been coping” she chided “you know I would’ve have been there had you asked.”
“I know” he whispered.
Just then a fight broke out across the room. The two cops were brawling with a couple of goons wearing ball caps. Then John saw one of the men pull out a knife from his pocket. As tipsy as he was, John jumped off the bar stool and closed the distance across the club in seconds. His right fist connected with the back of the man’s head causing him to stagger forward dropping the blade.
The other man went for his gun but Jake Lawrence whipped his out first and leveled it on the man.
“Drop the gun” Jake shouted “and hands on your head!”
Tony had already cuffed the other man by this point and was nodding his thanks to John. The two officers shoved the other guys ahead of them toward the exit. Before they made it to the door however an overweight man blocked their path.
“Move out of the way” Tony said flashing his badge “this is official police business.”
“Not down here it ain’t” the big man said, a .357 magnum revolver in his hand “this is my neighborhood. And those are my boys.”
Tony and Jake exchanged glances before releasing the cuffs. They knew that they had little choice while their own weapons were holstered. The big man began to laugh so hard his belly shook like a bowl full of jelly.
Then a glass crashed into the side of his head splashing alcohol all over the man’s expensive looking Italian suit. His face contorted in rage as he turned in the direction from which the glass came. John Dark smashed both fists into the guy’s face as hard as he could. The big man simply shrugged the attack off and aimed his gun.
Then there was a deafening roar as a 12 gauge shotgun went off. The big man’s head exploded splattering them all with blood. The two cops and John both turned in amazement. The burly bartender ejected the shell out of the barrel and placed the gun back under the bar.
“Thanks” Jake said as he went to place his suspect back in cuffs.
Tony did the same and they continued out to the parking lot towards there waiting Ford Crown Victoria. Jake turned to John once they were outside and shook his hand.
“Thanks for the assist. Your dad would be proud of you. One questions why you are down here in this dump however?”
“I thought for the same reason you were” John replied.
“John, leave the detective work to the professionals” Tony interjected “I know you want this guy, so do we. But it wouldn’t do for you to be killed as well.”
“I can take care of myself” John said turning away from them.
“We know” Jake said “you proved that tonight. If you were really serious about catching this S.O.B. you would join the force. We could always use another good man.”
“I’ll think about it” John lied.
“Do that and keep in touch. Don’t worry we are trying to find this guy. Stuff like this just takes time.”
After they left Patricia came out of the shadows and placed a hand on his shoulder “there right you know? Why not join the department and follow in your father’s footsteps.”
“I just can’t Trish” and with that he left Club 21 and headed for home.
Back at his father’s house, in the basement, John addresses his best friend Mark while planning his next move “I think I’m going to have to spread my wings a bit. The cops have no leads and the club is being watched by crime bosses. I won’t be able to return there, at least not for awhile.”
“So what are you going to do John? I mean I can go to the club if you like” Mark said.
“Don’t worry about it. Trish can keep me informed on that end. I need you to help me design some weapons.”
Mark wasn’t sure he heard his friend right “what do you mean weapons?”
“Something special, use that imagination of yours. I want something that will scare the lowlifes.”
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