Chapter 3 The Warehouse Parking Lot

"What time is he coming?" I asked, I continued to glare out the windshield into the night.

"He'll arrive at exactly midnight," Jones said. "We have to be early and wait here with our lights off. He's never been late."

I looked around at the empty, creepy abandoned parking lot. We were on the worst side of town, anyone could come up and do something. Plus most people on this side of town hate cops. I couldn't help but be a bit nervous.

"So we just wait here until he shows up?" I asked as I looked at all the windows of the old warehouse. They were darker than the parking lot, and a hell of a lot creepier. "And then what happens? We give him the file and ask him to investigate for us?"

"If his people had nothing to do with it, we tell him everything we know as he looks through the file. He'll take the file and let us know the information he finds as soon as he finds it," Jones said. "The longest I waited was a full week. And that's because it had a lot of controversy behind it. Also, make sure you leave your gun on the dashboard."

"This is so wrong," I muttered as I unclipped my hoister from my pants. I placed the gun on the dash.

"That's another thing," Jones said. "When he's here, don't speak. We don't want to make him angry. Because I've only known you for a day and you've already irritated me beyond my limit."

I glared at Jones before a bright light was shined in our eyes. I raised my hand in front of my face to cover my eyes. I looked underneath my hand to see a car coming towards us. The headlights nearly blinded me since we were sitting in darkness for so long before.

"He's here," Jones muttered nervously. He took off his gun hoister and put it on the dashboard.

The car stopped thirty feet from Jones's car. I watched as three figures stepped out of the car. The one at the driver's door stayed next to it. The one at the passenger side moved to lean against the hood of the car. And the last one moved ten feet in front of the car and stood there with his arms crossed. All of them were shrouded in darkness. It was impossible to see anything except their silhouettes.

"Step out of the car with me, Kid," Jones said before opening his door.

I followed his lead, stepping out of the car. Jones walked to the front of the car and I moved to stand right next to him. It was then that I noticed the file still in his hands.

"Hello Detective," a voice called out. I looked over to the man standing fifteen feet from Jones and I. I didn't need to see his face to know he was smirking at us.

"Thank you for coming, RM" Jones called back. "We have a murder of a woman named, Jessica Cullson."

"Cullson," RM nodded. "Saw it on the news. But before we continue, who's she?"

His hands fell from their folded position and one hand pointed at me. I could feel the men's three pairs of eyes move over to me. I couldn't help but shiver. I didn't feel like I was in danger, I felt like I was being analyzed. I had never felt someone trying to undress my mind and past before. It felt weird. And it got even weirder when I felt like one of them was trying to undress me with their eyes.

"New partner," Jones said. "It's a new policy. And she's new brand new. This is her first case."

RM held out his hand. Jones walked up to him and handed him the file before walking back to my side. RM began looking through the file.

"What's your name, little detective?" RM asked in a deadpan tone, not even bothering to look up from the file.

"Anas-" Jones was cut off from saying my name.

"I want her to answer," RM shouted. He still hadn't looked up at me. Which I was grateful for since I physically shivered despite the warm coat I was wearing.

His voice was so low and commanding. It was a voice you would expect from a mafia boss. Many women would find it sexy, I know I did. But others would find it terrifying to their core, like I did too.

"My name is Detective Anastasia Barnes," I said, confidently.

I wanted to show everyone here that I wasn't afraid of him. But in reality, I was terrified. This man standing fifteen feet from me was terrifying and I knew nothing about him except his name and his job. And forget about the other men he brought with him. More than anything, I wanted to hide in the car.

"Tell me about this case," RM demanded.

"Jessica Cullson was-" Jones was cut off once again.

"I want her to speak," RM demanded, making it very clear that he didn't want Jones to speak. His voice made me shiver again.

"Jessica Cullson was found in her home by her maid right after nine AM," I said. "She was seen leaving her house at ten fifteen PM the night before to go to the Galaxy Illusion club by the same maid. The security at the club saw her enter alone, but leave with an Asian male. He was about six foot and has tattoos around his neck. We have a still from CCTV with his face. There should be a photo in the file."

RM flipped through the papers and picked up what I'm guessing was the photo. He held it in the headlights of his car to get a better look at it.

"Time of death is sometime around one in the morning," I continued. "Cause of death is a single gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet went through her body and lodged itself in her vanity. Ballistics are still trying to find a match but we suspect a high powered handgun."

"What kind of woman was she? What did her family have to say about her?" RM asked.

"We haven't talked to her family, yet," I said. "Her sister, who lives with her, is in Costa Rica. Her parents are driving up from California. And we don't know of any close friends. So we only know of what her maid has told us. The maid said that she was so nice. Cullson didn't deserve this to happen to her. The usual from someone who didn't really know her."

"If I don't have an answer before you talk to the family, I want to know what they say," RM said. "I know who's in the picture, I just need to see what I can find out about what he knows."

"Someone you employ?" Jones asked. I was wondering the same thing.

"No, someone I have a truce with," RM said, closing the file. He held it over his shoulder. The man leaning against the hood of the car walked over and took it from RM. The man was a little shorter than RM, but was thinner than him even though his shoulders were wide enough to stop cars.

"I'll see what I can do," RM said. "Now. You, Little Detective. Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm Detective Anastasia Barnes," I said.

"He wants to know more about your history before he looks you up," Jones said. I looked at my partner confused. "All the detectives he works with he does a background on."

I looked back to RM. I could tell he was waiting for me to start talking. From what I could see of him, he was standing there in confidence. His hands were in his pockets, shoulders relaxed, head slightly lifted up, looking at me. This cocky bastard.

I sighed. Now was my turn to be confident. I took a step forward, placing my hands in my jacket pockets. I raised an eyebrow at RM before starting.

"My family has lived here in Towson my entire life. My family consists of my dad, and my two older brothers. My mom was killed when I was ten. She was a detective like I am, being my inspiration. I've always been the top of my classes all the way until I graduated the police academy. I was a street cop for the past three years before being promoted."

"She's a good girl," the man on the hood of the car called out. "My guess is that she's never done anything bad in her life."

"So what if I haven't?" I asked.

"This must be killing you," the man chuckled, "asking for help from the mafia."

"Enough, Prince," RM said. "Leave the girl alone."

"Aren't you a knight in shining armor, RM," I said.

"So is Detective Jones teaching you the ropes, Little Detective?" RM asked.

"I'm smarter than I look," I said.

"I'll hold you to that," RM said. "What do you know about me?"

"Your the leader of mafia here in Towson. You help our investigations in return for us looking the other way," I listed off.

"Anything else?" RM asked.

"Do you want me to know anything else?" I asked. "Because if I had enough evidence or a confession I would put you behind bars as soon as possible."

RM let out a chuckle. He took a few steps closer to me. I reached for my gun only to realize that I had to leave it in the car. Instead I sent him the fiercest glare I could muster.

"You won't be able to do anything to me," RM said. "Miss Barnes, please don't get me wrong. I would never harm anyone, unless they threaten my business or my friends. I am going to give you a second chance. I don't want this partnership to begin with distrust between the two of us."

"Partnership? What makes you think I'm going to continue asking you for help?" I asked. "I can solve any case I come across. And I will."

"Kid." Jones grabbed my arm tightly. I looked at him only to see his eyes wide with fear. It was the first time that Jones showed an emotion towards me beside annoyance or anger. In that instant, I knew that I should keep my mouth shut.

"Sweetheart, do you know how many cases involve the underground? Therefore, involve me?" RM asked. I shook my head. "About half the cases you get. And do you know how many cases I see?" He stopped and waited for me to answer. I shook my head when I realized he wasn't going to continue without my answer. "I see about two thirds of the cases. And most of them are helped solved by me. So tell me again, tell me your not going to want my help."

I looked over at Jones who still had his hand gripping my arm. I took my gaze away from Jones and looked down at the pavement. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction that he was winning. He may think he was winning, but I still had the choice of giving my cases to him. And as long as I was a detective I would not go to him for help on any cases.

"That's what I thought," RM said confidently. He then turned to Jones. "I'll see what I can do about the case. I'll let you know what I find out."

And just like that, he turned around, and walked to the door behind the driver. The man standing next to the driver's door - who hasn't said anything this entire time - opened the door for RM and closed it behind him. The broad shouldered man got into the passenger side. And finally the driver got in the car driving off, leaving Jones and I in the darkness.

Once we were alone for a couple minutes, Jones finally let go of my arm. I could feel his glare in the darkness. I moved away from him to sit in the car. Jones got in the car after me and turned it on. The lights turned on and I grabbed my gun from the dashboard. I put it back on my waist.

"Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?" Jones hissed. "If we get in trouble with him, there's nothing that can be done. He can ruin our lives, our families' lives. Why couldn't you keep your damn mouth shut, Kid?"

"It's not in my nature," I said. "Listen, it's late. I had an exciting first day of work, I just want to get some sleep."

"Where do you live?" Jones asked. "I'll drop you off."

"Two blocks south of the station," I said.

"Good, I don't have to go far," Jones said. "Buckle up, Kid."

///

I stepped into my apartment and flipped on the kitchen light.

"Murph?" I called out for my dog. I looked over the sofa to see Murphy trying to get up from his pillow. "Aw, you poor puppy."

I walked over and picked him up. I took him into my bedroom and placed him on his doggy bed in the bottom corner of my bed. After I changed into my pajamas I slipped into bed. Murphy was already snoring on his bed.

As I laid down, the moonlight was shining through a crack in my curtains. I kneeled onto my bed and jerked the curtains around so there were no cracks. But something caught my eye.

I pulled back the curtain to peek through. I shadow moved on top of the building across the street. I knew that sometimes some of the residents of that building would have parties on the roof. So the rood must be finished for residential use. And maybe there was someone enjoying the serene night on the roof.

I moved the curtain back to completely cover the window. After being out so late I was excited to finally get some sleep. And I didn't even last a minute after my head hit the pillow.