Short Fiction by: Illustrious Da Poet
My name is Raquel Samuels. I've been working as a Forensic Homicide Detective for the past five years for Dade County Police Department. During my time working here, I've seen a lot of unbearable cases. The good thing about it is that I was able to be blessed with a lot of strength and courage to do the job that I do. As a mother of one, I never really like my job, I was just always infatuated with the people who became a part of it, that made me love it.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, one of my days off, I was at the nearby "TOTS 2 LOVE", DAYCARE just starring at an empty playground, watching the wind blow the lonely swings back and forth. I wasn't too far from it, but I could still hear the swings squeaking at every motion as if a little invisible child was present. I tried to understand why my previous case, involving a little four year old Caucasian girl, that was snatched from that nearby daycare about four days ago, body was dropped off a day after, and was later determined that she was raped and strangled to death with an automobile fan belt around her neck. We haven't caught the animal that did this to her, but I was determined to do so myself, I didn't know how, but, deep inside I knew I would. I had a picture of her that was given to me by her mother the day she ended up missing. She had the brightest blue eyes, with curly hair that was kept up in a ponytail. She had a perfect little smile that pierced my soul, just by looking at her school picture. It hurt me deep inside to see a little girl who haven't made to grade school yet, then to have her life just taken away, so suddenly, it seems as if she was wiped off of the face of this earth, wiped out from her mothers eyes, her mothers life. The Daycare has been closed for the whole week, in honoring little Amy Robbins, I figured most of the parents would of gone elsewhere due to the recent incident that happened there. I know I would of. It hit me hard when I place myself in those parents shoes, who live life on a day to day basis and all of a sudden their little child doesn't get to come home, ever again. Man, I couldn't imagine myself with out Nate, that's my son, he means the world to me. God forbid, but if someone dare to take him away from me, I'll go crazy. I quickly wiped out that thought from my mind, as a mother, I couldn't bear to think that way.
A call came in from one of my colleague from the Dade County Homicide Unit, Dexter, I almost didn't answer. I did anyways because he would always call me when I'm not in the office and give me updates of what was going on. "What's up D?" I said, trying to sound all perked up. For some reason Dexter always knew what I was up to. "What you doing?, you busy?" "Naw, why, what's going on?" I said while clearing up my throat.
"Why you sounding all sad?" I figured he asked me that, since my voice was all waspy, deeply grieving for an innocent child that I didn't even know. "I hope you aint at no crime scene again, I'm telling you , keep taking your job home just gonna make you go crazy. That's why you're suppose to leave your job at work." Those words just echoed in my head, over and over again. "D" knew me inside out. Sometimes when I don't even answer my phone while working on a case, he'll be the one to know exactly where to find me. He always found me wandering around at some crime scene investigation somewhere, he use to call me weird. "D" knew my obsession, but I don't think he ever understood it. I never understood it. "So what you got planned for tonight?" "Nothing "D", why,, you got something in mind?"
"I was about to ask you if you aint doing nothing tonight, if you aint busy, you can meet me at the new "Poetry Lounge" that they just opened downtown, so what you say about that?", maybe you can recite one of your poems that I heard before. Look, you're good,, and you need to put your stuff out there."
"I don't know, I mean I'll go there with you to check it out, but I aint gonna be the one on stage, at least let me see what type of crowd be out there." I said chuckling
