Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Body of Evidence

This particular case had to deal with a missing body. Someone named Brad Watts. This didn’t sit well with Whitehead. I was unaware of his uneasiness till we ended up at the mortuary. Turns out Whitehead saw Night of the Living Dead as a kid, never been quite right about it since.


















Luckily, I wasn't at the precinct when Momma came around for her usual charity work. This time was the annual MPD benevolence fund raiser carnival. Momma has a way of getting her volunteers to “volunteer” for exactly what she wants. This year I was hoping not get volunteered. Don't think I could handle 25 request for Elvira.

Whitehead wanted to rule out zombies. It was gonna take some “digging” to find the body. Our next lead took us to his buddy Matt. He confessed to taking Brad but his story didn’t hold much water and wasn’t much help. But we got him on body snatching and sat on him.

Greenback got a lead on another suspect, his ex-girlfriend. Turns out his stalker ex-girlfriend gave us a lead of her own. Her unauthorized surveillance pointed us to Garden Meadow apartments.


We had to go to the projects to do more “digging”. Got several doors slammed in our faces. Of course no one wants to talk to the police in these neighborhoods. With no cameras or people willing to help, we had to find some eyes and our luck was turning.


It’s true; Whitehead does look like a rascal. We checked out the stair well as our tip had conveyed. Our survey of the scene got us evidence that turned our accidental death into murder.



We decided to check out where Brad worked which then led us to some of his own charity work, which in turn had us on a little chase.


To Whitehead’s relief, we finally found the body. But it didn't coincide with our theories. All his organs were missing. What kind of person would steal a dead man’s insides??

We found out whoever stole Brad's body to begin with was looking for a key. The key to all of this led to a locker where Whitehead had himself a cathartic moment about zombies and his cat Pickles. Not sure what he was thinking naming his cat Pickles.

In the end, we were able sort it all and close the case. To say the least, Brad’s mother was very grateful.

On another note, Momma’s charity was a total success and she even got me to perform. It wasn't Elvira. Can’t help but think she might of had some help.



Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Troubled Water

It’s difficult when your past comes to haunt you.

Momma let me know that an old friend of mine got picked up as a suspect for armed robbery. I had already caught wind of it but I hadn't spoken to ol’Jimmy in over 15 yrs. Not sure I how I felt ‘bout seeing him again let alone helping him out. And, I hate getting up in other people’s dishes but for Momma's sake I looked into Jimmy's case, and that meant going to the 9th to get some answers.

I wasn't the only one dealing with demons.

Lt. Rice's mother had stormed up into the 7th after her license was revoked. She was determined to find out why and wasn't leaving without good reason. Had the whole department ducking for cover.

It’s bad when your professional life mingles with your personal life. It's even worse when your personal life collides with your professional life.

There really isn't much i could do 'bout the past, but i could try and help a friend in need, which, i did and got more than i bargained. However, it wasn't only Jimmy I was facing, there was also Margo. Won’t lie that seeing Margo may have stirred things up a bit but I was good 'bout hiding the fact. Whitehead didn’t help much he just had to dig up the past.

On top of that, he claimed I was that guy. A sucker for every stray i come across. And to prove his point he borrowed money from me. His response: See, that guy... shoulda snatched back that money. But i guess he had a point.

After getting Jimmy out on bail, me and him ended up at the Rinky Dink. Margo and Momma joined us. The band convinced us to get up there. It was like old times, he was a bit rusty but it felt good to be up on stage with my old band mate. The morning after was not so good.

scent of the wind, it’s as bad as it sounds

Whitehead was impressed by my skills with the department issued phones. It’s one of the few things i know how to manage with it. Best thing about this phone as far as i can tell. I use the feature to record music, never figured i would be using to record a conversation.

Unfortunately, the good times couldn’t last. Sutton came up with some evidence that made jimmy out to be a liar and me a fool. Turns out there were a lot Jimmy wasn’t saying and Margo was caught up too. And jimmy ended up risking more than just his freedom.

Wish i hadn’t gotten caught up in the nostalgia it could have saved me some grief and saved Jimmy a trip to the emergency room. I ended up putting my oldest friend in jail. Whitehead says he may have been on a bad path and i saved him from doing something a lot worse. I believe that is a pretty piss poor version of the cup being half full.

As for Lt. Rice, she resolved her issues with Miss Estelle, something ‘bout the glass being clearer. Lt. Rice also feels that if the state of Tennessee will allow Miss Estelle to drive, that’s their business.


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The things we carry

I was in for a doozie. Just as me and Whitehead were gonna go out on a call to the Carver theater, Lt. Rice holds me back for a sec. Turns out the man who shot my father had requested early release on account of his brain cancer. It falls under Louisiana’s compassionate release law. This did not settle well with me at all. I had to meet the man and give my peace, so I decided to go to Angola in New Orleans. Momma decided she was coming along, too. I wasn't much thrilled about her going but Momma insisted.

This left Whitehead alone with Lt. Rice. She offered to fill in for me in my absence. He was not too keen to the idea but Lt. Rice assured him he was leading the case. Begrudgingly, he agreed. Even Sutton was amazed by this idea.

You’ve been real clear about what you think of my work ethics.

My trip to New Orleans was anything but a vacation. I had personal business and momma, sweet as she is, not the greatest of companions for these long trips. I have to admit she is impressive to talking her way out of a speeding ticket.

Meeting the man that shot my daddy was not any easier either. I was there with a set mind to get some closure, momma, on the other hand, had a bit of an emotional moment. Still, I was not there to be hog washed. I wanted this man to come clean to some unanswered questions.


To my disappointment, momma came clean to some things I was not aware of but feared could be true. Daddy was on the take. She said he never spent the money but did it to keep us safe. I wasn’t so sure and it caused me a lot of grief. So, I did some digging and I found a familiar face.


I was able to forgive this man and forget the memory of my daddy’s death. I decided to focus on daddy’s life and what a great father he was to me. I put Tim Mason behind me; I had lost too much time being angry.

Apparently pigs were flying while i was gone.

There is always seems to be more than meets the eye to every case. Between a pothead concession kid and renting out the Carver for adult sex parties it makes you wonder what Memphis is really hiding these days. Their case even had ties to the King himself, but it all came down to the Carver itself. The fire at the Carver had to do with some original prints of King Creole and Viva Las Vegas. It would have been more than a shame had they really gone up in flames.

And it turns out ol’ Whitehead and Lt. Rice can work well together, which was a surprise to both of them. They were able to solve the case and see each other as less of a threat. It’s good to know these two can see past their differences.




Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Flesh and Blood

Been on the force long enough to see some strange things. Sutton on the other hand is still a bit wet behind the ears.

Sutton was first on the scene of a db, unbeknownst to him. Not the best thing to come across for a routine noise complaint. There was noise and someone complained.


Turns out our vic was a lawyer. How many people haven’t wanted to dispose of a lawyer? It was peculiar but it led us nowhere closer to a suspect, just some services being done off legal books and that’s shady, even for a lawyer.

Sutton got himself more than he bargained for. Someone had dropped him tiny package in the form of a baby in his backseat. This case was getting stranger by the minute.



Sutton took to the baby like a mother hen.
It was quite sweet yet disturbing.


Lt. Rice showed her mothering skills and that she could sing and give orders to a lullaby tune.

Even mama was called in as reinforcement. It perturbed me that she and Sutton took to making there own sewing circle and I was part of their conversation.



We continued to work the case as usual. Canvassing the area, asking questions, collecting evidence and such but never expected to be lead to a group home, or a nunnery. And much to Whitehead’s chagrin, he had to give up a large bag of freshly made snicker doodles.

Grilling a nun is a might tricky.

Never really thought a nun would lie, but this one was proving she had more to hide than her dealings with a shady lawyer and new born baby. And, the more we dug the more that was exposed. Not everything was what it seemed and not everyone was willing to divulge.


We had to follow the nun and that almost got me and Whitehead run over. Luckily, she repaid us with a batch of snicker doodles. Which, Whitehead took upon himself to claim for himself.

As cases go, we were able to wrap this one up. The baby was reunited with her family and turns out she loves Elvis just as much as I do.

Lt. Rice isn't the only one who can sing a baby to sleep.


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Lost: you were always on my mind

Never a dull moment ‘round the 7th precinct, things are getting upgraded.

Looks as if everything is getting an upgrade, except maybe Whitehead. Had ourselves a little friendly wager to see how our shooting skills were. Hate to mock the old crank but Whitehead was on the rusty side of his game. He blames our “new” guns. Sometimes it’s just too easy to mock the old man.


Seems my gun was doing just fine.
In Whitehead's case, I suspect the wind affected it?
Or maybe the fluorescent lights were causing a glare.
Maybe the sound of gunfire was distracting?


He swears he's a crack shot. He wouldn't be a
SWAT sniper but I wouldn’t call him a bad shot.


We got issued new phones, too. I could really do without a "smart" phone, mine was working just fine but it’s mandatory. Hope old Whitehead can adapt. He’s got Neanderthal thumbs. I wonder if there is an app for that. Whitehead's take on the new department issued phone: "That’s all i need, something else that doesn't work."

Our case was a bit of a stretch this time 'round. Concerned father looking for his daughter, turned out to be a bit of a puzzle. We had no real leads or hard evidence. Whitehead had his doubts that Lt. Rice would even let us investigate but I figured it was worth a try. Luckily, she was feeling gracious and let us go with our hunch. That should have tipped me off that something else was on her mind.

Hate to admit the new issued phones came in real handy. Was able to get info on a suspect and take a photo to give us cause to keep digging. It lead our first suspect, a real class act. Honestly, he was just a run of the mill asshole. Unfortunately, being one is not against the law. Luck would have it we had enough to hold him mean time.


Soon our case was piecing itself together; the only problem was Whitehead was stuck on his inability to “adjust” to his new gun. It was not sitting well with him. He had to qualify on the range in order to retake the lieutenant’s exam. His reasoning “It's Rice, the way she keeps hounding me. She’s all in my head.” I mention that Sutton was the best shot in the department but Whitehead would rather wait for hell to freeze over before he went to him with hat in hand. Stubborn old crank.

Another thing to crop up was Lt. Rice. Something was frustrating her and she was taking it out on us. She was ready to have us move on but I had enough to keep us on the case. The only problem was she was acting stranger than usual. Her moods swung faster than a screen door. I got Sutton to looking into it.

"We have suspects but no hard evidence. We got a murder, no body. Do we even have a damn case?"

Personal is personal till it starts leaking all over the office. I had to step in. Turns out all she really needed was a little venting. Her and her daughter hadn't talked in over a year and now her daughter was getting married. For once the Lt. was out of the loop. I could see the hurt on her face, made me a bit uncomfortable. Women’s emotions are a bit testy at times. But we cleared the air. We were also able to solve our case.


Is that your way of asking me for help?

Whitehead swallowed his pride and asked to see Sutton’s "style".
Hope Sutton wears his vest to the range;
Whitehead can get pretty testy there.

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Sutton may look goofy but he's capable. Turns out Sutton did have some pointers for the old crank.

"Shooting is not in the hand. Its in the mind."

Sutton family secret: Keep an empty head.

Who knew there was so much wisdom in such an empty head?


Not everything can be as clear cut as Sutton's advice. Life can be messy and there's not always a solution. Yet, sometimes things have a way of working themselves out. I helped a girl find hope to start again. Sutton was able to clear Whiteheads mind. And Lt. Rice was able to make amends. Not all things are perfect but we can always work to find those things we’ve lost.