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The smile falls off my face as I return to my work, my thoughts full.
Three years ago, my father was brutally murdered while on an undercover mission, dealing with a vicious motorcycle gang called “Sins of Man”.
At least, that was what I’d pieced together from the journal I’d found hidden in his man cave.
He’d written down three names. Josiah Cane, Tanner Smith, and Rueben Blake.
I’m sure that those three are responsible for his death. My digging revealed that they were the three in charge of the Sins of Man gang, with a ruthlessness that intimidated most. I spent many nights agonizing over how horrible it must have been for Dad to die at their hands.
In some ways, my aunt is right. I’m only here because I’m hungry for revenge. I want to finish what my dad started. He’d reported to this very precinct, and that was why I’d wanted to come here.
Despite the years that have passed, I still miss him. I lived with Dad until I was fourteen. He got an important job opportunity right around the time my aunt Rosa convinced him that the best education a smart kid like me could get was at a preppy private school near her place.
I’m not sure which came first, but I was suddenly bundled off to go live with my aunt. I didn’t mind since my dad came to visit often, and we still spent every holiday together. I excelled in high school, and I truly could have done anything else and succeeded.
Instead, I chose to get a criminal justice degree and go to the police academy. Both of these things I passed with distinctions.
I worked hard to get here in the shortest possible time so I could get on the tails of those murderers.
I finish my work, and my eyes zero in on the chief’s office. It’s almost lunch time, and I know he’s in there. I just have to corner him before he can escape.
Ronnie’s watch beeps, signaling it’s lunch time, and I’m out of my seat like a bolt, speed-walking toward the door. Ronnie sees where I’m headed and rolls his eyes.
He knows what’s happening, because this isn’t the first time I’ve done this. Everyone in the precinct knows I’m “Burke’s kid”. They knew my father, so they weren’t surprised when I began to try to dig into the case of his death right after my first month.
As it turns out, the gang case is about to be closed, since there have been no leads for a while. Keeping it open for three years was the most they could do.
I’ve been trying to get a hold of Chief Noah long enough to have a proper conversation, but he always finds a way to wriggle out of my grasp.
I think they can smell my hunger for revenge, and they’re just letting me down easily by avoiding the topic.
I burst into the office and catch Chief Noah in mid-bite of his sandwich. For a moment, there’s true pain in his eyes as he sees me and realizes he won’t get to enjoy that sandwich after all.
He puts the sandwich down almost mournfully.
“Afternoon Chief! I hope I’m not bothering you. I really wanted a few minutes to talk.” I give him my best smile.
Chief sighs tiredly. “It’s not a great time, Burke junior. I have a meeting to get to very soon.”
Liar. You have no pressing plans.
I’m sure he regrets being friendly when I first arrived, telling me I should feel free to ask him for anything since he knew my dad.
I let the lie slide. “I know you’re busy, Chief, but I just wanted to talk about my dad’s case again.”
He begins to stand up, and I can tell he means to make his escape. “I’ve told you already, Burke. There’s nothing I can do. The case has stretched on for too long, and we haven’t been able to find anything…”
In desperation, I block the door to keep him from leaving. “No, wait! What if I have something?!”
Chief stops in front of me and cocks his head to the side, his expression one of exasperation. I’m fully holding him hostage in his own office now, and I can see that he’s almost at the end of his rope with me.
“Burke…” he begins, but I cut him off.
“I mean, I have something!” I hadn’t wanted to reveal it like this, but no one would even talk to me about it. This could be my only chance.
“You know how in my dad’s case no one could find the goods from the deal?”
Chief Noah frowns at me. “How do you know that? The information from your dad’s case is classified. Ugh, Nancy and her big mouth. Have you been talking to Nancy about this? You need to stop probing for information about this…”
