Why did he stay here in this God forsaken city. It seemed as though he would spend half of the year wiping sweat from his forehead with the same handkerchief that he would blow his nose into for the remaining months. He should have taken the job offer in Miami two years ago instead of trying to make a difference in this decaying city that had been raped by the corrupt politicians and their " urban renewal" bullshit. He had had enough of this cold, the kind of chill that makes you shiver when you pee and causes you to urinate in the trashcan and sometimes on your own shoes. He had had enough of the citizen watchdog groups that would stick up for every ex-con, gang banger and lowlife as if they should be given a smiley face sticker and a lollipop for being the bile of society. He was even tiring of being the best, of being the " go to guy " within the department that everyone would come to when they hit a wall in their investigation.

Jackie wished one of these crimes would show some originality, some creativity, some ingenuity. Solving murders was like a jig saw puzzle only sometimes a few of the pieces were missing. After you've put together the same puzzle hundreds of times, a few pieces don't really matter. It was the same with murder except that the pieces missing were different each time but the whole picture never changed. Jackie learned a long time ago not to look for the crime, but to look for the cover up.

He could tell by the thinning crowd that it was getting late. He finished his beer and tossed a crumpled up five dollar bill on the bar. He wasn't sure how much the bar charged for the disgusting drink but was absolutely certain he wasn't going to pay more than five dollars. He would much rather go sit in the old coffee shop a few blocks over and wait for a call. It was Saturday night and never did a weekend night pass without an incident. Jackie didn't bother to go home on these nights knowing that within a few hours his services would be requested. He made it halfway down the block when the phone rang.

"What do you got Nelson ?" 

"What do I got ?" the guttural voice answered. " I got a taxi double parked on Taylor street, where are you?"

" I am in a porno theater with my pants around my ankles" Jackie quipped, knowing that he wouldn't be called for such a mundane infraction.

"Well get the guy off your lap , pull up your pants and wash your hands, the taxi is double parked on top of a stripper or rather on parts of a stripper." Capitan Nelson knew Jackie was going to try to avoid this assignment and he waited for the expected excuse.

Jackie paused for a few moments and tried to find a way out. " Cap, I really was hoping for an early night why don't give this one to Bedford, he can use the pratice."

"How about you borrow some balls on your way out of the theater and get over to Taylor" Nelson suggested. " You're going to have to face her someday"

Jackie knew he had to take this case just as he knew his old friend was right about tying up loose ends. He assured his boss that he was headed to the scene. He was confident that the girl under the taxi wasn't Mandy or Nelson wouldn't have called him knowing their past.  When he got to his unmarked car he checked his reflection in the glass before he crumpled up the parking ticket that had been placed under the wiper blade. 

"I wish it was a meter maid under that taxi" he mumbled to himself as he started the car and headed towards the south side.

Having made his way completely around the cab but not having seen the victim yet, Jackie leaned back against a patrol car and fished another cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up. He motioned for the driver of the police car to turn his lights on commanded him to back the vehicle up. The fresh light revealed even more blood in the street and Jackie knew right away that this woman under the car wasn't killed by the taxi, she was dead from the fall.