JETSON
"I was thinking egg shell for my bridesmaids, and a navy blue for the groomsmen. I want white roses, freshly picked not fake, the theme - love in Paris, very elegant, royal almost. And I want ~"
"Babe, slow down. She does have to write this down" I stopped Natalie as she ran down her list for the perfect fairytale wedding.
She giggled nervously, and I smiled as she pushed her hair behind her ear.
"Sorry, I just want it to be perfect" She beamed.
"It's okay baby, it will be. So, how much is all this gonna run us?" I asked, turning my attention towards the planner.
"Well, that depends on the venue you two decide. As well as the guest list, menu, invitations. I can go on all day, but as long as you set a budget ~"
"No budget" Natalie interrupted her, "We want the best"
"Wait" I snickered, "Now, I wouldn't say all that"
Natalie's eyebrows furrowed, and we battled looks for a moment. While I wanted a beautiful wedding as well, I wasn't trying to break my pockets while doing it. I can admit, that was one of the main problems in my relationship, the fact that I couldn't give Natalie everything her spoiled heart desired. I made good money as a detective, however my salary looked like crumbs when compared to Natalie's family. She came from money, and every request she had, had been granted her whole life.
Before we could finish our conversation, my phone began to go off.
"Excuse me" I said, raising from the table and making my way to the bathroom to take the call from my partner Nunez.
"We got an update?" I answered.
"We got an update alright" Nunez chuckled coldly, "Finds out, Mr. Jones didn't skip town with his mistress"
"Where is he then?" I raised a brow.
"Just washed up at the Schuylkill River, we need you down here stat"
"Alright, I'll get there when I can" I told him before hanging up.
I took a deep breath, and knew I was moments away from having to deal with an angry Natalie. Along with working doubles, I was on call and was expected to show up when we had a break on a case.
Finding Mr. Jones body, was definitely a huge break on our missing case that had suddenly turned into a murder. I straightened my tie, next clearing my throat as I reluctantly made my way back to the table.
"As we were" I said, reclaiming my seat.
I figured I would at least stay for another thirty minutes due to the fact that we had just arrived to breakfast with our planner and was supposed to be planning for two whole hours. I tried my best to listen to the back and forth between Natalie and Kim, the constant vibrating of my phone causing a slight interruption.
"Just answer it" Natalie said becoming frustrated.
I nodded, and raised from my seat once more.
Seeing the call, I gritted my teeth as now the Sergeant was calling.
"Captian, I was just on my way" I answered.
"Like hell you were. We need you down here Young"
"Already in the car" I lied before hanging up.
When I arrived back to the table Natalie's face displayed her emotions, and I knew she was upset. I did a slight shrug, slight head tilt, and she read me immediately.
"Just go" she flagged me off, next putting her head back into the binder of floral arrangements.
"I'll make it up, I promise!"
I found that being the catch phrase in my relationship, and I knew as much as I hated saying it that Natalie hated hearing it. I kissed her on her cheek and hurried out of the restaurant, and was thankful that Natalie and I took separate cars that day. I texted my partner for the exact location, and was glad the drive consisted of only fifteen minutes.
"I'm guessing any DNA that we could've found has been washed away?" I asked the medical examiner as she scanned his body for clues; the tall man was paler than his original form, his skin now blue and lifeless. I said a silent prayer that his soul would find peace, and knew this was going to be one hell of a house visit to Mrs. Jones.
"Most likely" Miranda, the examiner nodded, "However, its a good chance he was dead before he hit the water. He has a bullet hole straight to the chest, someone definitely knew what they were doing. Once I get him on the table, I can tell you more"
"Alright, I'll be waiting. You see Nunez?"
"Yeah, he had to make a call. Went back to the car"
I nodded, and turned away to find my partner. I spotted his Dodge Journey a few moments later and that told me he had been called in off of duty as well.
"You ready to make this house call?" I asked coming around to the driver side to see Nunez smoking a cigarette as he sat with his door open.
"Yeah, might as well get the shit over with. If that lady wasn't nice before, we are in for hell of a treat now" he spat on the ground and shook his head solemnly.
"I can imagine, it's pretty fucked up. Whoever this Isis and Lucky is, I'ma make it my mission to find them. Two prostitutes? How far could they have gone?" I raised my brow and Nunez agreed, "But I'll follow you to Mrs. Jones"
He nodded and put out his cig, next closing his door and taking off. I couldn't help but get the image of the man out of my head, and although I saw dead bodies on the regular I never got used to it. This man, who I'm sure wasn't an angel in life, had been taken away from his wife and family without any justice to make up for it. His killers were roaming the streets, possibly on a high to kill again. Either way, I would get to the bottom of it as I always did. Sure, not every case got cracked but my unit had a pretty good record. With a few more tips we could definitely find out where the women were hiding, and I knew I would get the most valuable information from the women in that house.
I knocked on the front door of Mrs. Jones home, next stepping back and folding hand over the other as Nunez and I waited for an answer. After a short drive with me trying to find the words to say, I still hadn't figured it out. Again, I had done it multiple times but the feeling never got any better.
"Coming!"
I heard Mrs. Jones voice emerge from the other side of the door, and I hated the fact that I wanted her to not be home. However I kept my poker face on as she opened her door to be surprised by the two detectives in front of her door early in the afternoon.
"Come in, come in" she waved us in with anxiety written across her face, "Have you found Solomon? A trace of where he might be"
"Actually, we have ma'am. Would you like to take a seat?" Nunez gestured towards her couch as we all stood in the front entrance. She frowned up her face, as she knew exactly what we were going to say.
"No, no. God please, no" she cried before we could even break the news.
My stomach began to hurt, and this was the part I hated. The pain on the women's face was real, and while I was supposed to be a hero I couldn't come and bring her good news. That was the hard part about being in the crime field, if you were passionate about your job, you wanted to save everyone. But that's just not how it worked.
"Mrs. Jones, we're sorry. Solomon's body washed up this morning at the Schuylkill River, where he was spotted by a jogger. He had his ID in his pocket, so we made a positive identification" Nunez continued to explain, as I was still tongue twisted.
I usually could get through this part, however something about this murder hit me hard. Maybe it was because the wife was so optimistic about finding her husband, or maybe it was the fact that he had indeed been living a double life as a pimp whereas his wife knew nothing about it. It could've also been the home that was beautifully decorated and warm, with multiple framed pictures of the couple every where. The home felt like something was missing, and it was Mr. Jones.
"Where is he, can I see him?" She continued to sob, "I need to see him"
"Yes ma'am, you can come down to the station with us" I nodded, finally able to speak.
She nodded, her face red and wet. She grabbed her jacket, and we led her out of the home. While I felt horrible at the moment, I was also determined; And that was a criminal's worst nightmare.