Monday 8 October 2018

The Good Die Before Their Time

Detectives Parker Langerak, Miraj Alvi and Ethan Bunch were having a relatively quiet day at their new post - they had just taken out an unmarked to go get some lunch, the radio calls were generally benign. They had been transfered to the RCMP station at Cape Garner Island a few weeks ago and had just started to fit in. Other than the few general calls of domestics, there really wasn't much in the way of serious incidents. That was until a call came in that made their blood run cold. "Delta-Six Two, we have a 10-01, confirmed 10-69. Request you 10-18 and secure the scene until we get a 10-16 to the site."

Det. Bunch picked up the mike. "Delta Six Two, 10-4."

When they came upon the scene, Det. Langerak's heart fell. It was a well-known Bugatti that had smashed into a redwood and a porch, the driver's side was caved in quite severely and there was just as much damage on the passenger side. "Holy...s-" he cut off an epithet in mid-breath. "It doesn't look as though he had a chance to brake. Then his heart leapt into his mouth. It was well-apparent that the driver had expired, "Oh...God..." he whispered as he peered in the passenger side. "Oh...no..."

"This is bad..." said Det. Alvi. "I'm going to radio dispatch, and tell them to send a meat-wagon for the driver." It was apparent that he couldn't do anything for the driver, the lividity of the flesh pretty much indicated time of death.

Parker had worked enough vehicular accidents to know just exactly what a high-speed impact with a tree could do to the human body. He'd seen enough people draw their last breaths on scene. Knowing that the potential for a gas explosion from the vehicle was possible, he and Ethan worked to pull the driver and his apparent spouse from the wreckage of the Bugatti Chiron, the risk of explosion outweighed the risk of further injury from moving the vehicle occupants. The driver's spouse was still breathing and Parker realized that it was his classmate, River... "oh...dear god...", he mouthed. The fact that her chest pushed in...and there was little resistance meant that her ribs were shattered. And it was more than likely that she had severe internal injuries. Her breathing was shallow...and her pulse rate was erratic.

"Stay with me, River...you're going to be all right..." Parker demanded.

She coughed weakly, "...Parker...no...brakes..." she managed to get out... "He pumped...brake...pedal...no...brakes."

Parker's blood ran cold. This wasn't a regular vehicle accident, this was murder. It could only mean one thing..."Your brake-line was cut?" he asked. River's eyelids fluttered, she was fading... "Dam it!!! River...stay with me...please...Stay with me..."

"Har-u-o..." River weakly whispered..."My...husb-"

Parker had a lump in his throat a mile wide.

Det. Bunch checked on Haruo's pulse. He shook his head at Miraj. "No pulse...He's gone..."

Parker knew that his attempts to make River stay with him were in naught...her pulse was fading and she was shivering. "My...Hus..band..." her voice was just a whisper.

Parker's eyes spilled over as he tried to get his voice out through the enormous logjam in his throat, "I'm sorry...River...I'm...so sorry..." he whispered to her. "He's gone...but you're still here...you need to live...for your kids..." he tried to give her something to hold on to.

She coughed weakly again...her breath watery, "Kids...grown...I'm going...with...Haru..."

"No...River...no...Please..." There was still a part of Parker that loved River and he was devastated, "No...you can't..."

"My...husb..."

She went limp in his arms...coughing out blood...as the life left her. "No...RIVER!!!!" Parker wouldn't let her go; he held her tight to him, cleaning off the corner of her mouth of blood, all the while whispering: "no...River...no...no..." was all that he could repeat.

Det. Bunch had a sour look on his face, "I want the son of a you-know-what...I'm going to take who ever it is down. It has all the makings of a hit and I want the guy who did this. Whoever did this is going to pay dearly." Det. Alvi nodded, "I'll get on it with dispatch and open up an investigation."

Det. Alvi hoped that whoever it was would turn themselves in for their own sake. It would be better that way, because it appeared as though Det. Bunch was out for blood.

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