“Detective Jackson,” Coffy yelled.
“Yeah, Coffy, stay where you at okay, I’m turning on a light.”
I turned on the kitchen switch. I could see her dimly but she saw me very well and put her gun away. I put mine away and told her to find a switch on the wall behind her. She found one and flipped it. She gasped when she saw the body.
“I didn’t do it,” I said. “I found him like this a minute ago.”
“I know,” she said. “I followed you.”
She pulled out her phone and called it in. While she did that, I stooped down to look at the body. It was hard to tell so far if this was a result of a vengeful gang member or a cop killer tying up loose ends. I quickly ruled out it being a gang member seeking to score street creds. But I ruled it to be our cop killer and he was desperate now to kill everyone he thinks may lead us to him.
I looked around the house for clues. The house had been ransacked. Every drawer was on the floor and pictures thrown from the walls. I walked slowly making sure I didn’t disturb anything too much.
“Other units will be here in a few. You mind now telling me what is going on?” she insisted.
“I will, but I need to find something. It’s here somewhere. I know it.” I said, looking at the floor as I walked.
“Well what is it? Maybe I can help?”
“Just look for something out of the ordinary.”
“Oh great, the whole house is out of the ordinary.”
She kept grumbling but searching. I zoned her out for a few. I walked into the bathroom. I checked inside the back of the toilet and all around the floor. I was just about to give up when I saw what I was looking for. The roll of tissue had a slight bulge in it. I unrolled it until the photo dropped in my hand. I placed it in my pocket before joining Coffy in the living room.
I pretended that what I was looking for was probably not there and decided we would wait for the other units. I had also told her that I had received a tip while at the hotel, that Joppy might know something and so I followed up on it.
“Well, why didn’t you call me?” she asked.
“Because you are a cop in this town and you are known. I wouldn’t have been able to talk to him. Of course that doesn’t matter now,” I said looking at the body.
She was pissed but she knew I was right.
We left the scene after we gave our report to the shift commander.
“So where do we go now,” she asked, looking very interested-- as if I was taking her on an adventure.
“Right now, I’m going back to my hotel room.”
“Damn you, Jackson!”
“I can walk,” I said.
“No, I’ll take you, I guess I deserve this for the way I treated you earlier today, Detective, but I said I was sorry.”
“It’s not that, Jas, and by the way, call me Jared.”
“Ok Jared, well what is it then?”
“I honestly can’t tell you right now. I need to go see someone first, so I can be sure about what’s going on myself.” I am sure I know who killed those officers though but I have no proof yet.”
Her eyes lit up.
“Oh my God, you know who it is? Who is it? Please tell me.” She persisted.
“I can’t. I have already told you too much. Just trust me. Drop me back off at the hotel. I have to go somewhere else and I can’t be seen with you. Promise me you will go home and wait by the phone, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. I could tell she was disappointed, and I understood that, but I had to do this my way. The last thing I needed was to be in an unmarked police car where I was going.
I waited until she was gone out of sight. I crossed the street and ran across the park to a Chevron gas station. I walked inside and asked the clerk if she knew a number to a cab company.
I waited outside until the cab came and jumped in. I looked at my watch. It was now after midnight. I asked the driver to drop me off a block away from where I was going. I paid him and promised him $100 bill if he come back here in 30 minutes.
I waited until he left and I walked up the block to the abandoned rail yard. Jason had told me that I could find Shank at the abandoned rail yard at night because nobody suspects him doing drug deals there. I made sure my .45 was cocked and crept my way in the dark rail yard. I crossed over three tracks making sure not to trip and fall. I needed to be very quiet. It was a matter of life or death. But not mine unless I made some noise.
I heard two male voices arguing on the other side of the box-car I was poised against. I lowered myself gently to the ground. A yellow light was flashing on the two men. I pulled out my phone and pressed record and focused it in on the two. Officer Paul Drexler was pointing a gun at Samuel “Shank” Bernard.
“Don’t you shit me, goddammit, don’t you shit me,” yelled Drexler.
I ain’t shittin you man. The old homeless guy, JP, is dead. Now there is nobody to connect you to those cops’ murders,” said Shank. Shank was crying like a baby and pleading for his life. The cop in me wanted to help right away but that would be foolish. I needed to get a confession.
“Good, now there is only one more person left that knows I killed those officers.” He looked at Shank as a lion looking at a bloody antelope.
“Wh-who’s th-that?” a frightened Shank asked.
“You.”
At that moment, I jumped up and yelled, “FREEZE!”
I ducked in time as he shot off a round over my head.
Shank ran behind the building. I squeezed off a couple of shots to put him on the offensive.
Drexler took off running through the rail yard. I followed cautiously, making sure I kept my eyes on him at all times. He turned and fired a few more shots. I returned fire and ducked behind a Box-car.
“It’s all over, Drexler, I got you. You are going down for killing those officers.”
“Fuck you!” he exclaimed and fired two more shots.
I quickly fired a couple of more rounds his way and got lucky and hit him in the shoulder. He spun around grabbing his shoulder and dropping his gun to the ground. I quickly walked up on him with my gun pointed at him. I kicked his gun behind me.
“Go ahead and kill me you bastard.”
“No, I’m not going to kill you; the state will do that, Bastard.”
I handcuffed him and picked him up and walked back toward the area where we began shooting. I could see the light on my phone showing that it was still recording. I patted him down real good to make sure he didn’t have anything else on him and slammed him to the ground on his face so I could go get my phone and call for assistance.
Just as I was about to call, I hear sirens in the distance and red and blue lights pulling into the rail yard. I guess somebody must have heard the ruckus, I thought. Then Coffy came from around the building with Shank in handcuffs. He had pissed his pants. Probably from seeing his life pass before him at the hands of Drexler.
I looked at Coffy. “I’m glad you were here.”
She smiled. “Shank here told me everything. I think I am up to speed on this with you now but I still have a couple of questions.”
“No problem, let’s get these birds in the cages first.”
The patrol officers got Drexler and Shank and put them in the back of their patrol cars. A tow truck was called to tow away the white Chevy Impala that Drexler drove out to the rail yard.
Detective Santiago drove Chief Adelaide and the commissioner out to the rail yard when they all heard on the radio that the cop killer was caught.
It took everything in the commissioner to hold him back from probably shooting Drexler.
“Get his ass out of here. Now!” said the commissioner.
He and the chief walked over to where Coffy and I were standing.
“Good Job Detectives, a damn good job.”