1 Taking Care of Business

Rachel is sitting in her car, waiting for the stores to open. Her friend's little bundle of joy made her grand appearance at four this morning. Being her godmother, she wants to buy a special gift for the little doll.

What a beautiful spring morning. Rachel sighs. The sweet aroma of spring flowers drifts through the air when she rolls her window down. Little birds chirp happily all around her. I wish it could stay this nice forever, she thinks, inhaling the delightful scent. She's enjoying the beauty around her when she hears a gunshot in the near distance. Springing up in her seat, Rachel looks over to find a tall, lanky man stumbling towards her car.

"Help me, please, help me," he begs, taking another unsure step. His broad, muscular body falls against the hood and then slides to the ground. Jumping out of her vehicle, Rachel darts towards the injured man. She finds him face down on the cool, wet pavement; blood is pooling around his lifeless body. Hearing footsteps a short distance away, she looks up to find a tall, beefy figure running towards them. Springing to her feet, she slowly backs away. "You don't want to do this. You really don't," she says as she continues around the side of her car.

He looks at the victim drowning in his blood, then at her, and shrugs. In a thick, accented voice, he says, "What's one more?" Lifting his gun, he takes a shooter's stance.

Rachel takes cover behind the passenger door.

"That isn't going to save you." He laughs, stepping closer.

No, but this will. Springing to her feet, Rachel raises her gun. "Freeze, police, she orders, cocking her weapon."

Chuckling, he shakes his head and says, You're as intimidating as my kid's pet mouse. So long, Detective Webb."

Rachel is startled awake by a loud bang. She glances around to find she's in her car, parked at the Dollar General. That was a heck of a dream, she thinks, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She glances at the clock to find it's nearly eight. "I've been asleep for nearly two hours? I'm sure I needed it after being in the delivery room with Kate all night.

She starts to climb out of her car when she sees a bloody man stumbling out of the woods. Taking a few shaky steps, the man tumbles to the ground. She looks up to find a second man darting towards the woods. Did I have a premonition? Grabbing her revolver from her glove box, she dashes towards the scene.

A young, tall blond runs towards her. "I'm a nurse at County General. I'll do all I can, she says, glancing at the injured man.

"Help is on the way," Rachel says as she runs past.

***

The police station is a small, tan building that sits on the north side of town, two city blocks off the square. The concrete relic has its share of both ghosts and charm. The officers will occasionally smell a hint of pipe smoke drifting through the dark-wooded halls. Sometimes, they'll hear footsteps in the corridor. They turn to find no one is there. Many believe it's the city's first chief of police checking on his men. Making good on a promise he made the day he retired.

The captain sees Jerry and Jeff busy at their desks when he steps out of his office. He glances at his watch and then scans the room. Rachel is late again. This has become a recurring problem with her. It's going to stop today, prosecutor for a daddy or not.

Joe stomps across the station, stopping at the detective's desk. "Have you heard from Rachel, Jerry?"

He glances at the clock, "Not yet, but I'm sure she'll be here soon." Remembering her last tall tale, he adds, "And she'll probably have an elaborate excuse as to why she's so late."

"There's been a shooting at Dollar General. I need you two to get out there, find out what's going on."

"We're on our way, boss." Jerry pushes away from his desk.

Hanging up the phone, Jeff turns towards their Captain. "That was Detective Webb, sir. She said she saw the Dollar General shooting go down. Claims she gave chase but lost the perp in the woods."

"Notify the canine unit."

"She already did, sir. She notified forensics too."

"Of course she did." Jerry chuckles. Rachel has only been with the department a short time but leads an investigation like a seasoned cop.

***

The forensics team is busily combing the area when Jerry and Jeff pull up to the scene. They see Rachel with their canine unit at the corner of the lot.

"Any luck with the dogs?" Jerry asks.

"They lost his scent at the edge of the woods, so we think he might've gotten picked up." Pointing to a red-brick building she says, "Forensics is checking security footage from the dinner now."

"Can you give me a description?" Jerry asks as he pulls his notebook from his pocket.

"He's around six three with a muscular build. He has long, stringy black hair that's pulled back in a ponytail. He's wearing a red-striped jacket and jeans."

"I'll get an APB out on that description," Jeff says,

Rachel smiles. "They're running the sketch through the system as we speak."

"So tell me what happened," Jerry says.

"I hear a gunshot. I then notice a guy stumbling onto the parking lot. The victim takes a few steps, and then he falls to the ground. I look up to find the shooter heading for the woods."

Jerry glances up from his paper. "How is the victim?"

"He has a bullet wound to the chest. Paramedics had to resuscitate him twice in the field."

"I want you and Jeff to head to the hospital, see what he can tell you."

"We're on it, Sergeant."

~~~

Leo is outside of Dollar General, watching the police do their work. Boss has got himself in a hell of a mess this time; a lot worse than he did the last.

Pulling his cell from his pocket, Leo takes a picture of the lady cop, then sends it to his employer. It'd save us both a lot of time and trouble if he'd leave his dirty work to me, he thinks, waiting for his call to connect. Leo has been cleaning up his mishaps for the past ten years. Messes that even an amateur criminal wouldn't find himself in.

A deep gravelly voice rumbles through the phone. "Is it done?"

"Not yet."Because the matter is more complicated than you originally thought." He glances at the detective and continues. Yeah, I'm sure." Leo wipes the sweat from his brow. "I'll still take care of her for you, double the original price." Putting a death grip on the cell, he yells into the phone. "I'm taking a bigger risk, so I should get double the pay." Realizing what he's done, he glances around. He was relieved to find everyone carrying on with their regular tasks. Lowering his voice, he continues. "I expect half now and rest when my job is complete."... Leo smiles. "Consider it done."

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