The Sins of a District

by Alexander Whittle

  “I have not I’m afraid, we are all still looking,” he replied in a lax tone, he felt sorry for Eli, which would inevitably make it a lot harder when he turns him in.

  “Then you have no reason to be here, be gone,” said Eli turning his back to the detective. He reached for the fire poker and began to gently nudge the hot coals around.

  “I think I know who has her,” Ryan said, Eli lifted his head; he then turned and looked at him expecting answers. “I think Harry has her, no one has seen him in a few days, he has lost his mind,”

  Eli fell to his knee upon hearing the detective’s thought, it made sense.

  “I think he is planning to negotiate,” said Ryan.

  “Is he mad? How can he ever hope or expect to get away with this?!” Eli queried,

  “Harry has gone over the edge in my estimation, and he is too far gone to succumb to rational thinking. The safest thing to do now is to pander to him, give him what he wants, and then deal with him.”

  Eli sobbed at how he could have been so stupid as to not suspect Harry. Still on his knees he unconsciously and unwillingly scanned across the room with his eyes, until they paused at a particular place on the large oak bookcase that was the height of the room. About half way up there was a small blue book that just poked out further than the rest of the dusty archives. Ryan followed his eyes briefly and saw the exact same thing Eli was gawking at.

  “There it is,” Ryan thought to himself, something that could have contained the information that all this was brought on by. Ryan contained his joy and remained coy in the fact that he knew what to look for, there was no sense tipping off Eli. The study phone which had been placed in the middle of the floor at some point during one of Eli’s many drinking binges started to ring. Resembling an athlete Eli dived towards the phone like a loose football and lay on the floor to answer it. It was Ellis; he had invited Eli down to the station house to discuss their next move. The Commissioner didn’t really have one; it was potentially a meeting between two old friends as one informs the other they have no leads on where his daughter might be. Ryan was escorted to the door, knowing full well this could be his only chance to secure that evidence and make the exchange himself.

  About an hour passed and Eli decided it was time to gussy up his appearance. He climbed into his black BMW and screeched out of the driveway in a rush. The patrol car that had been surveying the Walker residence decided to follow the black BMW. As night fell and both cars sped down 29th Street, one desperately trying to catch up with the other, Ryan turned on his lights and emerged from one of the many hidden residential side roads deep in the suburbs of Woodley Park. He then turned back down Garfield Street while still glancing to check in his rear view mirror for Eli Walker. Ryan figured he had one hour, maybe two to find as much as he could. Knowing he was breaking the law didn’t bother him; this had gone far enough in his mind. The detective carefully approached the house, taking extra care to avoid being noticed by the neighbours. It was late on a Saturday night and most of the residents of Garfield Street had better things to do luckily for Ryan. What he didn’t expect however was the automatic light that beamed over the front of the house when it detected movement; this made him re-think his approach. Using some of the nearby bushes for cover he slowly proceeded down the side towards the rear of Eli Walker’s house. He lifted himself over the small white picket fence gate that kept animals out of the backyard and continued on. Hoping to quietly enter the patio entrance that opened directly into the study he was rebuffed, Eli had sensibly locked the door having come home and found it open one night recently. Ryan pulled on the short thread of his tie allowing him to undo the knot from around his neck; he then carefully wrapped the tie around his hand and making sure cover the knuckles. The Washington PD detective then took yet another gander at his position to make sure no on-lookers would see him, before he rashly pushed his fist straight through one of the lower glass panels near the handle. What Eli had done however was leave the key in the lock on the opposite side of the door, this allowed Ryan his point of entry to the study. The sound of the glass breaking was muffled by both the tie and the shards landing on carpet the other side. He turned the key and just like that he was inside, free to pour through the files and office of the man he was trying to bring down. Ryan went directly towards the bookshelf and retrieved the small blue book. He was confused when he opened it however, there was nothing inside but for a hollowed out space with a small photograph in. These were photographs taken many years ago of a young Eli with his then alive and well wife. This confused Ryan who just put the book back neatly choosing to respect his memory of her. He was less than courteous to many of his other books as he one by one pulled them down from the shelves and flickered through the pages, holding some upside down in the hope that evidence may literally land in his lap. When the bookcase was finally empty and all the contents but for a small blue book had been cast to the floor he realised there was nothing there.

  The detective then turned his attention towards the desk; he was able to open all of the drawers except for a solitary one at the bottom. Ryan ran his fingers and hands underneath the large wooden mahogany desk, angling to find a small key taped to the other side. Again, he was not in luck, he did grab a pair of coloured vinyl paperclips from atop the desk and unwound and elongated them. Remembering some of the things he learned in the academy and from when he was a young boy up to no good, he embarked upon picking the lock. One of the paperclips immediately snapped forcing him to find another; by the time he did he had already lingered far too long in the Walker residence, Eli could be home at any moment. He managed to lift both of the pins and unlock the drawer. There was nothing inside except for a brown cardboard envelope the size of a regular sheet of paper. Ryan opened it knowing this should be exactly what he needed, inside were files that dated from before nineteen ninety-five. This contained information on Harry’s past, everything from his foster home time right up to the academy. Ryan read deeper through the files to realise that Harry and Wayne had a history that dated back before the ‘Jane’ case. Wayne had ultimately given his life over the last twenty years to feed the career of one man and the revenge of another.

  “The perfect patsy,” he told himself as he removed another file carefully from the envelope. The words on this page were especially vindicating for Ryan, it showed a picture of Jane from nineteen ninety-four, a year before her murder. She was a young girl who was a runaway with no family on the Eastern Coast and had fallen through the cracks in the system. Eli had met her and read her case file whilst doing some pro-bono work for charity that year, she came to them for help but she found none. The stolen file even revealed her true name, Stacy Crawford. This was what the two of them were colluding to hide all the years. Harry had his insurmountable gambling debts and Eli needed a win in the public eye, Eli paid off Harry’s debts all but saving his life and in return he tried to offer Eli the perfect case to win in court and kick start a promising career, it was the favour for a favour idea. Ryan smiled at finally being able to call her something other than Jane, and at the possibility of tracking down her distant family to provide any closure. Pictures of the van intact used to dump the body, bank statements showing that Eli paid O’Neill money consistently over the twenty year period; it was a goldmine, everything that Ryan could possibly need. Walker was using all of this as protection, with this he could wield Harry how he liked, the evidence incriminates Walker, but the whole thing was guaranteed on Harry’s desire to not go to prison, and it worked for Eli this whole time.

  Ryan’s scoffs of disbelief were interrupted by the phone ringing once more in the middle of the study floor. Ryan knew for sure he had lingered too long at this point and just had to get out of there before anyone returned home and caught him in the act of breaking and entering. It was a rush nonetheless, something he hadn’t felt on the job in an awful long time. Ryan kneeled down and answered the phone, he remained silent. All he could hear was a heavy breathing from the other end of the line
.

  “Who is this?” asked Ryan, all he heard was another deep breath and the sound of a chain rattling in the foreground, “Harry,” he added attempting to coax him into talking.

  “Where is he?” Harry asked,

  “He isn’t here, where is the girl?”

  “...She’s safe,”

  “I have what you’re looking for. Why are you doing this Harry? It’s not too late to turn back,” said Ryan knowing full well neither one could turn back from what they needed to do. There was no answer again from the other end of the line. “Just tell me where to meet,”

  “West Potomac Park...One hour...” said Harry as the phone was hung up immediately following. One hour was plenty, this gave Ryan just enough time to travel across town and send all these files along with the recording to Commissioner Ellis in case something happened to him.

  Finale

  Chapter I

  Detective Ryan Mathers had received his instructions. He was to meet with his former friend and confidant Harry O’Neill at the Ash Woods Park in the early hours of May the fourth. It would be quiet and secluded, away from the prying eyes of the public where they could go ahead with the exchange. On one side it was Ryan holding the evidence that incriminated both Harry and Eli, while on the other side it was Harry, holding Christy Walker captive and her young life in his hands. The hour was nearly up as he drove down 17th Street in the shadow of the Washington Monument to his left, shining like a beacon in the sky as it towered over the people. To his right the light of the moon glistened and bounced off of the reflecting pool and the lavish fountain of the World War II memorial that honoured those who had fallen. All of these sights were capped off by the view of the Lincoln Memorial roughly one thousand yards away, the place where it all started on November the third in nineteen ninety-five, standing as a constant reminder to those who were deeply affected by the events that night. He was close to his final destination along Independence Avenue. The road veered slightly next to the Kutz Bridge that allowed people to view the Tidal Basin. Trees danced with the glow of the street lights as the white blossom lined the banks of the river. Upon arriving at Ash Woods Park Harry was nowhere to be seen, there was a bus loading up with tourists who had been to visit the many memorials in the vicinity, it was the last action of the day as it drove away, leaving just the sound of the breeze and Ryan. He had abandoned his car in a hurry fearing he may have missed Harry’s deadline due to his efforts in sending all of the evidence by courier to Ellis. His footsteps echoed along the paving slabs as he ventured towards the ever impressive sight of the memorial dedicated to those who fought in the Great War. It was smaller than most of the other consecration structures but like a moth to a flame Ryan was drawn towards it. Solid white stone it stood more than seventy feet high while supported by twelve columns inspired by Roman architecture of the Pantheon. The detective walked up the eight steps that curved outwards and stood underneath the light that beamed down from the ceiling of the upper dome allowing him to see the intricate carvings. Ryan felt insignificant in the presence of such beauty. He stood on the edge of the commemoratory composition and looked outwards towards the many tree lines. It stood tall in the middle of a lonely wooded area, almost forgotten. There would be no backup for Ryan should the evening turn sour, it was just him against Harry. The lights of a nearby silver van flashed to grab his attention, he was here. Harry was taking an awful risk in relying that Ryan hadn’t placed a call for backup, he was not to know if as soon as he shone his face that hordes of police and FBI would descend upon his position. It’s in those situations though when things can go south quickly and Ryan knew that, he knew no harm would come to the girl for as long as Harry felt completely and utterly safe and in control of the situation ahead. The headlights of the van flashed once more and the front driver side door opened. A dark spectre began making his way towards the memorial. Unsure as to whether Harry would shoot Ryan on sight, he did the best he could to quickly hide behind one of the many columns. He could hear the footsteps as he counted the eight needed to enter the structure,

  “One…Two…Three,” he whispered ever so carefully to himself, “Four…Five…Six,” he drew his weapon and clutched it by his side, “Seven…Eight!” he said as he appeared from hiding behind a nearby column. Ryan pointed the gun directly at Harry, who also had his weapon drawn, the duo were engaged in a stand-off.

  “Where’s the girl?” Ryan demanded to know,

  “Not a chance, where is the evidence?” Harry replied, neither one wanted to make the first move. It was obvious Harry wasn’t with Christy, and he couldn’t see her through the windows of the van so Ryan couldn’t take the chance in killing him and never finding her, he also couldn’t risk his only leverage.

  “Well isn’t this sweet,” said Harry, he nervously attempted to lighten the harsh mood,

  “Just hand over the girl and you’ll get what you want,” replied Ryan fully aware that it would never get that far, he didn’t bring anything to trade. Harry had a glint in his eye; Ryan feared he was beginning to suspect that he had gone back on the deal after making no attempt to make the first move.

  “You don’t have anything do you?” Harry asked, Ryan readjusted himself, he was in a firing position with his safety released ready to unleash an entire clip of nine-millimetre bullets into his old partner, but his arm was getting tired. He wasn’t a young man anymore, neither of them were.

  As the minutes went by and Harry and Ryan were still in a stalemate, Harry had clearly enough, and began taking one or two steps backwards towards the entrance of the memorial.

  “I hope you’re happy, you have just sentenced that poor girl to death,” said Harry as he lowered his weapon and turned around.

  Bang!

  Ryan fired his weapon to an almighty crack that echoed throughout the vicinity, it was sure to alert anyone within at least two miles. He had hit Harry clean through his left shoulder, he stumbled heavily and propped himself up against the nearest column. The blood streaks had already appeared staining the beautiful white marble and stone red as it coated the pillar. Harry slumped to a sitting position on the floor of the memorial, he still held his weapon with his right hand. He looked more surprised and stunned rather than hurt facing the fact that Ryan had the nerve to shoot him with his back turned.

  “Why?” Harry asked, as he moaned and breathed sluggishly, he was going into a state of shock which could be fatal, Ryan was running out of time to find out where he had stashed the girl.

  “Where is she!?” Ryan threatened as loud as he could, like a lion realising he had the power to roar. Harry tried to move his left arm which was now leaking blood all down the rest of his arm. Ryan was an exquisite shot, he missed the bone as well as any major arteries, and the only thing that could kill Harry was the shock if his body decided to shut down. “Where is she?!” he cried out one last time as Harry laughed,

  “Look who is the big man all of a sudden,” he said coughing on the marble floor,

  “Just give it up Harry…It’s over can’t you see, I’ve already sent the evidence to Ellis, it will be on his desk by the morning,” Ryan told him,

  “I’ll never give up, not till my last breath, he will pay for what he did,” Harry said, his breath and his sanity waned.

  “What made you this? You were never like this, back in the academy you had a sense of decency and morals!” claimed Ryan,

  “He did this,” said Harry, he raised his gun with his remaining good arm. Harry was a quick aim and it startled Ryan, so much so that Harry was able to get a clean shot away from the barrel of his Colt 44. The single shot was followed by two more, this time from Ryan’s nine-millimetre. The three shots echoed one after the other across the park, within seconds it was over. Harry had been shot twice squarely through the middle of his chest and was killed instantly. Ryan on the other hand was hit with a single shot from Harry that pierced his own chest in the upper right section narrowly avoiding his heart, he fell to his side. He didn’t even feel the im
pact of his body landing on the marble floor of the monument, he had already started to go numb. The shot was fatal if left immediately untreated. In the distance the all too familiar whirring sounds of the sirens were heard. Ryan rolled over on to his back as he was ready to succumb to the light that shone from the ceiling of the memorial. It was calling to him, in those few moments he could see the image of his mother waiting for him. Ryan thought it was perfect as he closed his eyes and his body relaxed.

  * * *

  The first officers to arrive on the scene quickly assessed the situation, they quickly recognized detective Mathers. One of the officers applied pressure to the wound on his chest while the other one checked on the deceased District Commander lying a few feet away. It was another minute before the ambulance arrived, the officer had managed to prolong Ryan’s life long enough for the EMT’s to go to work, this gave the detective only a slim chance, but a fighting chance. As he was speedily loaded into the rear of the ambulance Agent Richards and Commissioner Ellis arrived just in time to see him away, even if Ryan wasn’t conscious to speak it was a blessing for them to see him for possibly the final time.

  “Sir, you need to see this,”

  “What is it?” asked Ellis responding to one of the first officers. Both he and Richards walked up the memorial steps to see Harry O’Neill lying there dead in a pool of his own blood.

  “What the hell happened here?” Richards asked, Ellis didn’t have the answer, he was as unaware of what had happened as she was. The Commissioner hadn’t received the envelope that explained everything that Ryan had sent yet.