Most detectives work to blend in with the everyday pedestrian, but Gambino is most at home dressed in a suit and tie with gleaming dress shoes. With his suave Italian looks, he wears it well. However, it only takes drink or anger to bring out the Irish side of his heritage, causing him to turn a signature shade of cherry red. Right now bright red spots highlight his cheeks, announcing his controlled anger to those who know him well. I know him well enough, but his freckled and fresh-faced companion is new to me.
As I approach, Gambino gestures to a man in the crime scene clean-up van. Two men unload industrial-sized power washers and vacuum equipment, obviously preparing for an inefficient bout of manual labor.
“You know, Gambino, any one of a number of magic potions, powders, or spells would do the job more effectively,” I say.
Gambino grunts. “Humph. You know the precinct isn’t ready to use magic craft like that. You can’t change the world in a day, but I’m working on them.”
A familiar exasperation washes over me. It’s the twenty-first century of the Red Ages, and the Gifted have helped keep the Norms safe from Dark Vampires since year one, but still they will not get over their fear and hatred of us. It’s an old, festering wound that I try to ignore. I turn my mind back to the situation at hand.
“Okay, I’ve gotten what I can. What do you have?”
Gambino inclines his head toward his companion. “Officer Warren was exiting the Cock and Bull Tap with some guys from the force when they heard tires squeal. They saw the body when they turned the corner." Gambino indicates the corner where the Cock and Bull Tap makes its home.
I address Officer Warren. “Did you see anyone or see a car?”
Officer Warren stands at attention, eager to divulge any detail that might be required from him. “No, Ma’am. We thought someone was just driving like an idiot when we heard the tires squeal. We didn’t hear anything else. We actually didn’t see the body right away when we turned the corner because of those shrubs right there.” His sweeping hand takes in three medium-sized bottlebrush buckeye shrubs that grow a few feet up from where the body had lain, positioned between the sidewalk and the street. The dense foliage could easily have hidden a body from view.
“It couldn’t have taken more than a minute and a half for us to pass the shrubs and see him lying there. He was already dead, Ma’am. I ran to him right away and checked. No heartbeat, no breathing. The car was long gone.”
“Did anyone move the body?”
Officer Warner’s mouth tightens at the perceived slight to his professionalism. “No, Ma’am!”
I nix my next question, switching it to accommodate his pride. “Do you remember anything else?”
We seem to be on smoother ground with his next reply. “No, Ma’am. Besides that, it was quiet. No cars or pedestrians were on the street. This is the end of the Warehouse District, and there isn’t much between here and the river except the cemetery. Most first shift workers around here get off at three o’clock, and either they head over to the Tap for a drink or they head straight home. It was approximately 3:47 when we left the tap, and we found the boy at approximately 3:49.”
My lips twitch in a smile at the fact that Officer Warren knew exactly what time it was. My guess is that he’s never anything even close to approximate. “Thanks, Officer Warren. You’ve been very helpful."
Gambino turns his intelligent gaze to Warren. “Thanks for staying, Officer. That’s all I need right now. Let me know if anything, anything at all, comes to mind.”
Officer Warren dips his head slightly in deference as he accepts his dismissal. “I sure will, Detective Gambino.”...
***************************************
Excerpt from: The Light Who Shines
By: Lilo Abernathy
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