I pulled up to the cottage I had rented to start a new adventure in my life. I started unloading my boxes onto the front porch. The sky looked like it was going to open up any minute and I wanted to empty my truck and head down to the precinct to check in with my new Commander. I was so busy I did not notice that there would be no need to go to the precinct as most of the precinct was now parked in my driveway and in front of my home.
"Welcome to Highlands Grace, it's so good to see you again. This group of misfits is just a handful of your colleagues who have decided that they must meet with you." He said, "We wanted to be here to help you unload, but it looks like you managed most of that without us."
I approached the commander and shook hands with him, "Well, sir, thank you for coming here at least to help. I just wanted to get everything inside as the sky looks like it wants to storm again."
A petite woman walked over and said, "The sky does that often here. My name is Shelly and for everything you need, you can come and see me. I am also the only other female on the force. Yes, I am an officer, but I am an office officer for an unexpected period of time."
I looked at Shelly and realized that she had a small bump in her midsection. I smiled and met her look and she knew that I understood. I followed it up with, "So instead of keeping them in line in the field you just own them in the office?"
Shelly laughed and smacked Tom's shoulder, "See I knew I would like this one. Finally, someone who thinks like I do."
She turned back to the guys waiting behind her, "Okay you lot let's get these boxes off the porch and into the cottage, and then let's get her welcome gifts out of the cruisers."
Tom started to chuckle, "We thought since you are new here, we could help you out and get you some groceries and stuff for the house to get you started. Shelly started this a few officers ago and we now have a swear jar at the precinct that people throw their change into for fun stuff like this. We are a family here in this precinct Grace and we welcome you as the newest member."
As Shelly was giving commands and directing everyone the boxes from the porch quickly disappeared into the rooms that they belonged to. The groceries had been bought in and put away. Then we all sat down with a few pizzas and soft drinks and got to know each other. It made me realize that my old precinct never did anything like this for anyone so I am hoping that this would be the start of a wonderful new career and life in this sleepy little fishing town. After everyone left, I went to the first box and pulled out a picture of my husband and daughter. I put the picture on the couch's side table and sat down and started to cry. The move here should help, I thought. There are no memories here with them, not like in Florida. Maybe here I would begin to finally heal.
I woke up on the couch the next morning with a sore neck as my alarm went off across the room. I was still feeling down after I started moving around, so I decided the best cure for this was to jog around town as I still had 4 hours till I reported for my first day. I ran past the local VFW and came to a bulldozed piece of land. On the fence in front of the property, it said "History Destroyed and Vengeance Given." I shrugged at the strange sign and headed back to my cottage. My new home was tucked back towards the hills that separate the town levels. When I finally arrived home, I threw together a couple of snacks and protein packs and took a shower. When I applied for this job, I was told I would be a street clothes detective so there was no need for a uniform. I put on dress pants, trainers, and a t-shirt and grabbed a blazer. Casual but workable till I find my groove. I grabbed my bag and headed out to my truck to head to work.
I arrived at the station and the first person I saw was Shelly. Shelly stood up and smiled. "Well, I have the honor of training you!"
Shelly gave me a tour of the station and then led me to my office. There were boxes upon boxes or cases in the office. I looked at Shelly and gave her a questioning look. "Don't shoot the messenger someone hacked into a ton of cold case files and the captain is worried that key elements were deleted. the captain wants you to take it slow and he is begging you to be a new set of eyes. You can go to the locations if you think you can catch something, anything you want or need and I will help you. He wants to see if there is anything new you can see."
"Shelly there are a lot of unsolved crimes here. How many cases are here and why are so many unsolved?" I asked.
Shelly walked in and shut the door, "Sit down Grace I have to tell you something and you might want to reconsider the position of detective. I hope you won't but you need to know everything."
I sat down at my desk and Shelly sat across from me, "Shelly I can promise you, you have a new female co-worker who is not going anywhere. You seem all cloak and dagger. What's going on?"
"So I get you are a smart lady. Don't get me wrong, I saw your file when they hired you. Your work history alone speaks for itself. I am sure you looked into the town's history. But there is something about Highlands you don't understand. Weird and strange things happen here. People go missing, people are killed, and unexplained crimes happen, these files are decades of cold cases that have happened for all types of crime. These crimes were never able to be solved, or they were swept under the rug. To answer your question, these boxes contain all the cold case files from 1900 when we became a city. And to be honest with you, there are exactly 1854 cases in all these boxes."
"So no pressure huh Shelly." I smiled, "So are we partners then?"
Shelly smiled, "Kinda, I am 4 and a half months along and then if I stay on desk duty after this little one is born I can bring him to work and keep a portable crib behind the desk for a while. We are a small town and we take family seriously. So they are giving me the option to work with you."
"Well then Partner. Have you ever heard of the National Database for unsolved crimes?" I asked as I turn on the computer on my desk.
"Well, shit there is such a thing?" She said, "I never knew."
Laughing, I said, " Not many people know because it's not a federal database. It was founded by a detective in Tampa, Florida, and you enter in key information and can throw out feelers on the message boards. In the five years, it has been in existence, it has helped solve 2000 cold cases nationwide. Some of which happen to be serial killer cases. I will give you my login information because I have a funny feeling we are going to need this. Now let me ask, the commander said you needed to confirm I would work with a partner?"
"Yeah we are not much for office protocol but he said you might feel differently about a partner due to something that happened in Florida. Would I be prying if I asked what happened?"
I sighed, "I will give you the cliff notes version. My old partner fell in love with me. I never once gave any type of indication that I felt anything more than friendship. He went crazy when I turned down his advances and reported him. He killed my husband and daughter as an act of revenge. I was put on leave and it was suggested that I should find a new job as a lot of my co-workers thought I led him on. So I started a job search and saw this position and I didn't look twice. I flew up and talked to the Commander. When I explained my situation and hired me on the spot and then reported my old commander to the proper authorities. I rented my cottage and went home to pack and move. The house I owned in Florida I rent out now and here I am."
"Well, Grace I promise you I will not say anything to anyone unless you tell me to. Now how about we work on catching some criminals."
"So Shelly, you said there was a hacker in the computer system. Was it just cold case files or were all systems breached? Also, is all the evidence in these file boxes? Or did we lose evidence when the hacker removed evidence from the system?"
"Thankfully all evidence was kept and yes all evidence is here in the files or in the vault. What was weird was, It was just cold cases that were hacked into. Then in some select cases, the pictures were deleted and some information was removed. It happened the day after you were hired. That's when Tom said he wanted you to work on them. He thinks when he put a notice in the town paper to welcome our newest detective he scared someone. To be perfectly honest I read your file after the breach and you have a knack for closing out cold cases. I do have to let you know all these cold cases are boxed randomly in case someone broke in and tried to find something."
"Who has access to the vault?" I asked.
Shelly smiled handing me a set of keys, "As of now only Tom, you, and I."
I stood up and started walking around the boxes. I was waiting for the familiar feeling of when a file calls to me. I felt it after taking a few steps the familiar zing of electricity and I looked over my shoulder to Shelly and said, "Well let's solve our first cold case huh."
I opened the box and ran my hand over the folders and again felt that energy and pulled our first case. I read it to Shelly, "Babs Martin, Murder. August 5, 1982. The murder victim was found across from 80 Kearny Ave on Sandy Hook Beach, Fort Hancock."
Shelly groaned, "I have some good news and some bad news for you. We can walk the area, but as for physical evidence, we would be screwed. That area is in a flood area and I can't tell you how many times that area has flooded since the murder. I remember this murder though. She was found in front of a building across from the old military cannon. She had a head wound and was found leaning up against a set of stairs. The resident of the home came out to head to work and found her."
"Okay, per the toxicology report, it shows no drugs or alcohol were in her system. It shows that with the exception of a cut on the head, she was perfectly healthy. Her cause of death was listed as accidental. But I am looking at the report and it says that her cut on the head was only superficial." I stopped and thought, "How could it be accidental when there are no wounds or cause of death?"
Shelly cleared her throat and nodded towards the window, "Looks like we have an audience, Grace."
I laughed, "Some of the guys look upset. Who else tried to take over the cold case division before I was hired for it?"
"A lot of the guys did, they wanted the position because there is a pay bump due to the promotion. Tom wouldn't budge because none of the officers had a good enough track record on cases as they were all too new to the force." Shelly continued, "Tom was honest about your experience and made it clear that's why you got this position."
"Okay, then why don't we pull the physical evidence from the vault because this case file is not giving me a good idea," I said heading to the door. "Shelly please show me the vault."
Shelly led me to the vault and I located Bab's box of evidence. We took it back to my office and started going through the contents. After putting on gloves, I pulled everything from the box I looked at Shelly and said, "Look in her file did it say if her purse was itemized?"
Shelly grabbed the file and looked through it. After a few minutes of reading, she said, "Oh my god, no they did not."
I put my hands up as did Shelly and we backed away. "Shelly, we need other officers to witness us going through her purse."
Shelly opened the door and called out to Tom, "Hey Bossman we need you."
Shelly grabbed gloves off the shelf and handed them to Tom as he walked in the door. "So I take it your partners now? What do you need my help with?"
He saw that we were backed up from the evidence pile and quickly realized that something was going on. He put on his gloves and leaned out the door as Shelly grabbed another pair of gloves and called, "Bill come in here will you."
Bill took the gloves and put them on. I looked at Tom and said, "Babs Martin, Murder. August 5, 1982. Tom, they never went through her purse. Her death was ruled accidental by the coroner, however, here it sits as a cold case file."
"That's not possible Grace, Back in the 1980s if a person's death was ruled as accidental by the county corner then they closed the case." Tom said, "Wait, who signed off on this cause of death?"
I looked at the autopsy report and said, "No one."
Bill looked up, "That's not possible a coroner has to sign off on the autopsy."
I handed him the file and said, "No coroner information was filled out, only the medical information that stated accidental was jotted down. The problem is the only injury she had was a superficial wound on the top of her head and all blood work came back clean. Also, after looking at the file there are no interviews and a limited number of pictures. Whoever the investigating officer was has dropped the ball on this case."
"So what are you ladies going to do about it?" Tom asked.
"Well first," I said. "Babs was a 23-year-old woman who died of just a bump on her head, according to what is written here. Her purse was never cataloged, and from the look of it, her purse was never gone through at all. At 23 years old, my life was in my purse. Between work and the academy, I literally had no time to myself. I am guessing Babs here did the same thing. Shelly can you get the catalog list ready as well as evidence bags, we are going to catalog everything and you guys are witnesses. So get ready to get comfy."
I opened the evidence bag and the first thing that hit me was the smell of salt water. "Tom, please grab that file I thought she was found on land this bag smells like it was drenched in salt water."
Tom looked at the file, "It showed she was found on land. However, I know this area it's located 3 blocks from the water."
It took a few tries to open the purse's main compartment as the zipper was rusted. After that Shelly and I spent well over two hours categorizing all the items from her bag. When we were done, we were no closer to what could have killed her. We cataloged all the items, then Tom and Bill signed off on the list. After we made copies and handed a copy to Tom for verification and to be filed, both of the guys left the room.
I loaded the box with all the evidence and said to Shelly, "How about we head over to where the body was found I need a visual of the location."
Shelly looked at me and said, "I need about 2 hours before we do that. I have a Doctors appointment in about 30 min. As soon as it is done I will come back here and meet you. I didn't realize we would start a case right away."
I laughed, "It's ok Shelly I am gonna move some of these boxes and get the evidence back to the vault. We need this office big enough for both of us."
After Shelly left, I decided to get the boxes stacked in one portion of the room and discovered not only did I have a second desk in the office but a table we can use. After a bit more searching I found a chalkboard and baskets full of chalk. I dragged the table and chalkboard next to each other and moved the desks so they faced each other. Then I got a bunch of supplies in a basket I found on the table. Although it was a smaller office, As long as we cleared a few of these case files prior to Shelly's baby being born we should be able to fit the portable crib.
I sat at my desk looking at the chalkboard and decided to create a case timeline. I put Babs name on the top as well as the cold case date. I listed all the physical evidence we had on the left-hand side of the bulletin board. For the safety of the evidence, I dropped all we had back into the vault and made sure it was locked tight.
My stomach started growling so I went into our office and grabbed my lunch. As I was eating, I started to read over the case file. Whoever the investigating officer was had thrown this case under the rug. Against my better judgment, I would have to stir up some trouble and see if I can meet with the investigating officer of the case. I needed to know why the case was handled the way it had been. Although this is a laid-back station the case should have been a priority. I made some notes and before I knew it Shelly was back.
Shelly came back and said, "Okay, the baby check is done and I am ready to go when you are. Should we take my car or yours?"
I smiled, "How about we take my truck?"
She started laughing, "Sounds good to me my car is a hot mess and it probably would be better in your truck."
As we went to head outside to my truck, I noticed a few looks from the guys in the office. I walked over to them and said, "Hi everyone, my name is Grace the new cold case detective. I have noticed looks from a lot of you. I am not going to apologize for applying for and accepting this job. So if someone has something to say about me or to me about being here, man up and say it to me now."
A guy that looked like one of the good ole Jersey boys stood up, walked over to me, and said, "I am not mad you got the job. I just have a cousin at your old precinct and he said you had an affair with your partner and he went to jail because of you."
I felt like I had been hit in the stomach and I saw Shelly go to say something but I put up my hand, "What else did he say?"
Jersey boy smirked and said, "That's it."
I looked him in the face and said, "So your cousin didn't bother to tell you I begged my commanding officer to get me a new partner? No? Did he mention the fact I filed reports of harassment against him for inappropriate behavior? No? Or how about the fact that my partner professed his love to me in front of all my co-workers and I told him I never felt that way or ever did anything to insinuate any mutual feelings? No? To the point, I was wearing my body camera and always had it running whenever he was around me? Still no? Or did he mention when a cold case I was working on took me eight hours away to Miami my partner broke into my house and murdered my husband and child in cold blood? No? Did he forget to mention that as well? Did he mention when internal affairs reviewed all my body cam footage and there there was evidence that showed I did everything I could to get him away from me and my commander still did nothing? No probably not as it's a boy's world. Did you look up the case? No probably not since you are acting half-cocked thinking you know the truth. Just admit you do not know shit but want to start trouble and sit your ass down."
By the time I was finished, Tom was on one side of me and Shelly was on another. The Jersey boy backed down and went back to his desk. All the other guys looked like they have sucked on a sour lemon. Tom stepped up and said, "Now hear this I vetted Grace prior to hiring her. I knew the story, but it was her story to tell. Where Grace came from was a good ole boys club that ran with the Klan and looked down on women. This will not be tolerated EVER on this force. If you have a problem, you come to see me as none of you who applied for the cold case detective position were qualified. Now get back to work."
Shelly touched my arm, "Grace are you okay?"
I sighed, "Yeah. I knew this could happen I just didn't think this would have happened on day one. Let's see if we can figure out what happened to Babs."
We headed to my car, and once we got in, Shelly asked, "Grace, are you okay? Tom is an asshat, but I never thought he would pull that crap."
"Yeah. I knew this could happen. I didn't think this would have happened on the first day. Let's see if we can figure out what happened to Babs." Laughing, I said, "Shelly, I knew who his cousin was before he started speaking. He was my partner's drinking buddy. When internal affairs started looking into things, his cousin threatened me to keep my mouth shut or else. When internal affairs caught on to what was happening, the investigators were livid from the threats and put him on leave without pay."
Shelly whistled, "Wow, I am so happy to work in a precinct like this. Cap would not let that male-dominated bullshit run here. I thought better of Tom until now. It explains why his wife left him and lives with her mother across town."
After crossing the bridge, we headed to the home where they found Babs corpse. As we headed to the location, Shelly pointed out local beach landmarks. We drove through the old Military base and finally arrived at the spot where they found Babs. We parked on a side road, and I grabbed my camera and walked to the front of the home. Shelly came over with a copy of the file and pointed at the stairs.
She showed me the picture, and I looked at how Babs was positioned, "Shelly, Cap was right. We are just a short walk from the beach."
I looked up when I heard the door to the apartment open, and an elderly woman walked out and said, "What are you ladies selling? Forget it. I do not want it anyway, but why are you here anyway."
Stepping back, I looked at the lady and said, "Hello, my name is Grace, and this is my partner, Shelly. I am a Detective with the Highlands Police Department, and I am here looking into a death. The death was forwarded to me as I now lead up the cold case department."
She looked at the badge, leaned closer, and said, "You're here about Babs?"
Shelly and I gave each other looks as she asked, "Maam, did you know Babs?"
She smiled and said, "I sure did. She was my niece. When my son found her on the porch, I was visiting family in Florida."
I looked at the woman and said, "Could we sit and talk because the information you gave us does not match what is in the report."
"I am glad you ladies are looking into what happened to Babs," She said. "It broke my heart that that detective gave up on the case so soon after her death. No matter what I told him, he would not listen to me and did not want to follow up on any of the information that I gave him. My name is Elsie, and I will give you all the same information I gave that detective. Let me grab a copy of the file I gave that officer and detective."
We went in and sat in her living room as she went to get the file. After a few minutes, she returned and handed me a file loaded with papers. I lifted my eyes, and she laughed and said, "I know what your thinking. Why did she makecopies of what she wrote? At the time, I worked for a law firm. I was used to taking notes and making copies. Since I do not trust the police, I made a lot of copies. I am glad I did since Detective Miller couldn't tell his head from his ass."
Looking at Elsie, I asked, "What do you think happened?"
She sighed as she sat down and said, "I believe that her father had her killed because she would not work for him."
Shelly's head looked up. "Is Michael Martin the art dealer her father?"
Elsie gave us a sad look and said, "Yes. Do you know what he did?"
Looking at Shelly, I said, "Clue me in?"
Shelly looked at Elsie, and when Elsie shook her head, she looked back at me and said, "Michael Martin was an art dealer and arrested about five years ago as he was shipping drugs behind his art. Many of his artists were implicated and arrested. Babs was a premium artist, and she was his big-ticket provider before her death. He is currently serving in Jersey state prison."
Looking at Elsie, I asked, "How do you think he had her killed?"
She said, "I believe he had her killed by using some drug that would be untraceable in her system, and someone on the force covered it up."
I said, "Elsie, that is a serious claim. I know you do not want me to ask this, but do you have any proof on the matter."
Elsie sat up and said, "You are the only person who ever asked me that. Here is a letter Babs sent me, and it's postmarked three days before her death, and I got it the day after her funeral."
I gently took the letter out of the envelope and read it.
Aunt Elsie,
I am sorry I could not come by and see you before I headed to Chicago to meet with my new Art Dealer. My dad will be furious that I am pulling out of his gallery and moving, but I believe the situation we were talking about is getting worse. While working in my studio the other night, a Detective came by and asked questions I had no answer for. We know my dad is into some serious stuff, but he wants to drag me in further. I am scared because I know he had threatened other artists, and I am a cash cow, not a daughter. I will talk to you when I get back from Chicago. If you need me, please call Remington Arts Gallery and leave a message for me.
All My Love,
Babs
I placed the letter in the envelope and asked, "Elsie, do you have a copy of this letter? Including the envelope?"
She laughed and said, "Child, it's in the packet already."
"Elsie, thank you, and I promise you, I will help you find out what happened to Babs," I said.
Elsie stood up as we did and said, "Grace, if anyone can, I believe you and Shelly can. Just be careful. I have lived in Highlands all my life, and the men in this area do not like when you dig into things that should never come to light."
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