Brother Crimes
By
Richard A Fayard
|
© 2007 By Richard A. Fayard. Nicky Giovanni, Trixy Ferret, Zel Gatto, Sam Hyena, Richard Renard, Jerry
McGregor, John Lyonheart, Joey Giovanni © Richard A. Fayard
Chapter one
Dog’s Day Afternoon: part one
The cool breeze feels nice in the morning air. It helps me to think better before I head to work. I don’t know why but
looking at the view of the San Diego beach from the dock always make me feel so… rested. Smelling the salt in the
air, a little moisture from the ocean hit me from the wind, feeling the warm sun on my back when it rises. As soon I
finish my cigarette, I’ll hop back into my car and head to work.
My name is Nicky Giovanni, but everybody round here calls me Nickyeyes. I work as a detective for the San Diego
Police for three years now; even though I’ve been in law enforcement for around five years. I became a cop for a few
things really, but mostly to stop murders and rapists. It’s been tough for half a decade but someone got to clean the
street sometimes, right?
When I drove trough the streets, everybody repeats the same thing over and over again like any other day. Zel opens
up his diner just by rotating the sign on the door from “We Are Closed” to “We Are Open” and he waves at me when I
drive by. Mrs. Bluesquirrel, starts her day by watering her plants in her shop, I don’t know how she does it; but I never
saw so many beautiful flowers in my life. Mr. Lupo fixes all the wrinkles out of his outfits on the display behind the
window, “If you want the best suit in town, come here to get’em”, that’s what it said in his sign. Yeah, the street is claim
at day time but at night… it’s what I call, “Sin City”. That’s when all types of Cons and dangerous furs run around the
area. Whatever happens around here, they call me to get on it. I always find my share of fur to arrest. Hookers,
gangsters, crooks, you name it and I could find them if they are hiding under a rock.
As soon I get to H.Q., it’s always the same. Trixy, our receptionist, always greet me with her happy smile and say,
“Morning”, while handling fifty callers all at once. I have to say, not bad for a young ferret and for a moment there I
thought Chief hired her because of her nice features. Passing by the break center, Sam offer me coffee while he is
making himself one. I swear that Hyena is a caffeine addict, but as my ritual I decline his offer and try to make it to my
desk. I work in Robbery and Homicide department. “How good I was” you may ask. Well… for three straight years I
kept on appearing in the front page on every paper in town; from weapons dealing to drugs and kidnapping to slave
trade. There is one case I haven’t figure out yet. This so-call “Serial Rapist”. You see, over twenty-five years ago,
there was numerous counts of young girls that got raped and sometimes get killed by packs of Coyotes. Nobody ever
saw these coyotes, however all the report said the leader of the packs has bright sky-blue eyes. They put it under
Cold Case Files but I had been working on it since I reached the rank of detective. It’s like every time I go back on that
case, a new one appeared before I knew…
Just then a stripped-face fox walked up to Nicky’s desk with a folder as soon he sits down. “Nicky, we got another
case.”
See what I mean?
“What we got, Richard?”
Richard opens up the folder and started to read it out loud. “An hour ago, a cleaning lady reported that she found a
middle age male otter, dead on his desk with a gun in his paw inside his study's. Possibly a suicide, but they want us
to confirm it.”
Nick sighed out loud and got up from his chair and reach for his hat and trench coat from the coat rack, while Richard
did the same. “I tell ya, Richard. SSDD. Same Stuff Different Day.”
“I know what you mean; they did the same thing to me back in L.A. before I transferred here a month ago.”
They continued walking out while putting their hats and coats on. “Trixy, if anybody needs me, tell them I went out on a
case.”
“Will do, Nicky.” She went back answering all the phone calls.
###
Outside of a manor, where all eight squad cars were parked at, Nicky and Richard pulled up in front of the curb. They
could see the medic where ready to pick up the body by having their back car door open and a stretcher out and
ready. As soon as Nicky and Richard parked, they got out and made their way up to the manor. That is, until they
were stopped by two officers behind the yellow tape.
Nicky and Richard flashed their badges at them. “Detective Giovanni and this is my partner, Detective Renard from
the Robbery and Homicide. I want to see who is in charge here.”
Before the other officer was about to speak, a black tri walked up behind him. “Let’em through, boys.” He then started
shaking their paws after they walked under the tape. “Detective McGregor, I’m in charge here on this sight.”
“So what’s the situation?” Nicky asked.
“Our boy name’s Henry Otaria, he is thirty years old, he was last seen alive around eight o’clock last night when his
neighbors, Ms. Sally Souris, saw him pull up into his driveway and enter the house alone. That’s when two hours ago,
Ms. Sheila Rapp, was cleaning around the house and discover Mr. Otaria, in his studies, dead. We didn’t found any
sign of forced entry around the house or any struggle. So we assume it possible that it was suicide. Any other
questions, you want to ask?”
“Yeah I do. Why is there a priest here?”
Nicky pointed out in front of the lawn with his muzzle, where a priest started to pray by holding a crucifix in one paw
and the other a bible while saying a few words from the lord.
“Oh, one of my officers told me that he is here to bless the house because of … aham… his address.”
Nicky and Richard looks at the side of the house and see the full address “666” on the wall. Nicky looked at the fox.
“Richard, are you Catholic?”
“Not really”, said the fox.
“Good. Detective McGregor, tell your boys to escort the priest outha here. I don’t want any holy nut job running
around and might ruin some evidence. Richard, shall we?” Nicky entered the manor and looks around.
It’s not like I don’t believe in god or anything. It’s just that I had see too many thing in my life, that god let some of stuff
that allowed people get themselves hurt or killed so they can enter his paradise. In my line of work, I don’t stop and
pray in the last minute so a bullet won’t touch me. The why things runs around here, god does not exist while I’m on
the clock.
I looked around the manor, to find any evidence to lead to something beside suicide. No such luck. I could tell the
cleaning lady did good work fixing up the place. He sure has good taste in furniture, around here. By the looks of his
hallway carpet, I have to say it was imported from India. Also that vase with some decoration of a red dragon on it;
sitting on the night stand, it’s too imported, maybe from China. In fact, mostly every single piece of furniture in this
house, are imported from the trade market. Something doesn’t smell right, why would someone like him kill himself if
he has some stuff that is valuable. It doesn’t make sense, unless…
Richard could sense something was bothering Nicky when he was looking around the rooms. He knows that Nicky was
thinking about something but doesn’t know what, until he snapped out of his trance and looks back at the other
detective and him. The only thing Nick said was… “Show me where Otaria is .”
As soon they enter the studies, there were some of the others officers taking pictures of the scene and one other
detective were standing next to the body. The Raccoon looked up and walked over to Nicky and Richard while
McGregor was introducing himself to them.
“Detective Geovanni, this is my partner Detective Lyonheart. Lyonheart, this is Detective Geovanni and Renard.”
Nicky then raised his eyebrow and looked at him with a puzzle look on his face. “Lyonheart?”
The Raccoon nodded and smiles as if he got used to it. “I was adopted.”
Nicky lightly smirked at him. “Right. So this is Mr. Otaria?”
The Raccoon nodded. “Yep, we assume he’s been dead for maybe five to six hours. Notice his arms is lightly stiffen
around the shoulder. What we could tell, he might be drunk by the smell of whiskey coming from his mouth. Took a
last few drags of his cigarette, pulled out his gun and took his life. We took a look around the house and didn’t see
anything unusual. The witness stated that the doors were lock from the inside, no papers were tossed around or
moved.”
Nicky took a closer look at the body. As he could see, the body still in his comfy leather chair while his head and arms
were lying on top of his desk. He lowered his head to look at the otter’s face staring blankly at the left side of the
room. He also took a look at his gun in the left paw, a classic single action army; often used in the old west, neatly
polished as if it never once had been used. He then noticed in his right paw, a single filtered cigarette in between his
fingers, perfectly hanging above a metal ashtray. He then looked at the right side and could see a bullet hole in the
wooden wall and blood and brain remains across the floor to the wall. He then looks at the window and notices the
hedge is unlock.
I don’t like it one bit. The scene does look like a suicide, glass of whiskey is a quarter empty sitting on his desk next to
the bottle; that is a quarter full, a cigarette above the ash tray, and his paw had a good grip on the gun. The patterns
in my head don’t seem to fit. This is no suicide, it’s a stage. The act of murder. Before I started to say anything to the
other detective, I heard a zippo begin to strike when a young officer tried to smoke outside the room. This kid should
know better.
The beagle like golden retriever stormed over to the young bat before he can strike a flame from his lighter. Nicky
removed the cigarette from his mouth and placed it in his left shirt pocket. The officer was surprised.
“Tell me kid, how old are you?” Nicky said in the low tone of voice.
“Twenty, sir”, replied the young bat.
“And how long you been in law enforcement?”
“Just got out of training over a month , sir”
Nicky started to nod his head. “Ok, that’s good to hear. I don’t know if they told you this back in training school but
ummm…” He placed his arm over the young bat’s shoulder and speaking in a whispering tone. “Here’s a good tip to
become an official police officer, now listen closely.” He placed his paw in front of the bat’s ear. “Here it is….DON’T
SMOKE ON A CRIME SCENE!!!!!!!!!!”
The bat head started to pound as the high pitch words bounced around after Nicky yelled into his ear. While the bat
placed his paws on his head to make it stop pounding, the three detectives walk up to the golden retriever with
confused and angry looks on there faces. “What’s a matter with you?” Richard asked.
“I didn’t want the crime scene to be invalid, like it’s already is.”
The other two Detectives where stunned to hear that. The black tri doesn’t know what to say. “Crime scene? What
are you talkin…”
Nicky interrupted him before he goes any further. “Come with me. Can you see the body? Look at the bottle. Can you
see it is close to full?” He sees everybody nodded. “Also look at the cigarette, how could somebody shot himself and
let his paw still be above the ashtray? This, my friends, is a simple case done by an amateur to set this place up to
look like he committed suicide.”
“How this could be a set up? I understand the cigarette part, but what else makes you think it was homicide?” said the
Raccoon.
“Detective Lyonheart, how may suicide cases have you worked on?”
“Ten in the past year.”
“Ok, if you notice most all the furs that took their life by using a gun, it should leave burnt flesh and scorched hairs if it’
s close range. Now look at Henry, can you see anything that shows he was burnt from the gun power? No. So, if he
was shot in the head it was taken from a far angle. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
The Black tri walk up and saw what Nicky was saying. There was nothing that showed burnt marks on the otter’s head,
none. “If what you are saying it’s true, what was the motivation?”
“Tell me, did you search him?”
“Yes we did.” The raccoon set down only four things on the corner of the desk; a wallet, zippo, little back book, and a
silver colored key. “So far, he had two-hundred dollars in twenties and a driver’s license inside his wallet. The book
contains names, address, phone numbers, and some personal notes and ummm….. Comments on certain furs. And
the key looks like it’s for a safe deposit box.”
“It’s just what I thought. If this was a part of a robbery, all his stuff would be gone and his pockets would’ve been
picked clean. The way I see it, he was marked without knowing it.”
“What makes you think it was hit?” the stripped face fox wondered.
“Well, do you often go to bed with your shirt and slacks on? This is how I see it; Henry was expecting someone to
come by to buy something from him. As soon, let say Mr. X, finally arrived. Henry took Mr. X to this very same room to
show him the object.”
“Ok, and what’s was the object?” the raccoon puzzled.
Nick smiled and pick up the hand gun, then he examined it. “This is a nice gun. A single action army colt with one
bullet shell still in it. I have to say, he sure kept it clean and polished. This thing reminds me of those old western
movies. I have to say this would be worth lot money if it was sold to the right person.”
“I get it!” said the fox. “He tried to sell the gun to the hit man.”
“Exactly.”
Nicky handed the gun to the McGregor for him to take a look but the black tri is still confused. “If he had a gun of this
type of model, how come we can not find the bullets for it?”
“That easy, the killer had the bullet for it. When Henry hand the gun to Mr. X, he slipped the bullet in the chamber
when he checked the chambers while Henry took a sip of his drink and a drag of his smoke He then quickly aimed the
gun and shot him, and then he set the stage. And exited the house through the window behind me.”
The fox tries to understand what Nicky had said. “Ok, I get what you are saying but you haven’t answered my
question; what makes you think it was a hit?”
“Ah, that’s where the cigarette comes in. After Mr. X shot Henry, the killer placed the cigarette from where it landed to
his paw. Why you may ask. Because everything in this house is worth a lot of money. If you notice the vase, the rug,
the gun, everything you see is from out of this country. He didn’t want the place to go up in smoke now you guys get
it?”
Detective Lyonheart combed his chin. “So all we have to do is figure out who did it and why.”
“Right. Detective McGregor, Lyonheart, I need you two to ask the witness and the neighbors if they saw or heard
anything unusual. They might pin point what time the gun went off and I need surveillance on this house. Renard, we
are going to meet a lot of Henry’s friends.”
As soon I took Henry’s black book, Richard and I started to head back to the car. Sure some of the pieces do make
sense but deep down something is still wrong with this picture. Till then I need to ask every fur in the book.
Nicky hopped in the driver’s seat while Richard got in the seat next to him. Something is still wrong with Nicky that
made Richard uneasy. “What’s up?” said the fox.
“Something is still bothering me.”
“About the motivation?”
“No, it’s about the cigarette.” Nick pulls out a pack of camels, and pulls the stick out with his mouth. He put the pack
away and brought out the zippo and lit up his cigarette. “I understand about the expensive stuff inside, but what really
bothers me is why he placed it back in his paw instead of just putting it out in the ashtray and left it there.”
“That is a good question. Why is that?
“I don’t know, something tells me it’s not the stuff going up in flames but something more to it.”
“Hey umm… Nickyeyes, I want to know one thing; was yelling at the bat’s ear necessary?”
“Well, the next time if he’s going to smoke on a crime scene, my voice will makes his ear ring again telling him not to.”
###
I continue driving at the beach to cool off for awhile. Smelling the salt air did help to screw my head on straight. While I’
m trying to think, I notice Richard continues reading the book of all the names and a few comments he wrote. I parked
near the dock, my favorite relaxing spot; so that way we could chat about our dead otter friend.
Nicky pulls out a cigarette after he and Richard close the car door. “So what we got about our friend, Rich?”
Richard opens and looked at all the pages where he had a book mark. “You were right about one thing; he does work
for the trade markets. I see some recognizable names, some of celebrities, politicians, and most of them in the list are
gangsters. Even, get this, he even runs errands for Al Capone. I also found the gun that was used to kill Henry, but
there is no phone number or address. It just has his name, John Smith; it could be his alias.”
“So, what you telling me this is just a wild goose chase?” Nicky lit up his cigarette and took a big drag.
“Well, either that or we hang this book on the wall and throw darts to see who should we question. I doubted that any
of them could give us the answer.”
“I bet I could get some info from one of those furs in the list. Give me a name.”
“Well let see…. Ummm…”
The static of the radio went off before Richard read one of the names in the book and hear a female’s voice.
“H.Q. to Nickyeyes: please come in, over.”
Nicky reached in by the window and grab the mic.
*CLICK*
“This is Nickyeyes, go ahead Trixy.”
“Yeah Nicky, we have a few officers, brought in a possible suspect, he was in the neighborhood; he said he knew the
victim but he refused to talk. He has a request that he only wants to talk to you.”
Richard ears pointed sky high with a little excitement. He thought to himself that at least he won’t pick a name at
random. “Hey this might be our chance.”
Outha both of them, Nicky is not to sure about the suspect. What cruised around his head is that if he knows exactly
who the suspect is; his day just went from bad to worst. “Please god, don’t let it be him.”
*CLICK*
“Is it who I think it is?”
*CLICK*
“I’m afraid so. It’s Joey Badda Boom.”
After hearing that name, Nicky started to curse himself for a good thirty seconds nonstop while pounding on the
leather interior. Was god trying to punish him for something? Was it because of what he said about the priest back at
the manor; was it because what he did to the bat, or was it god was on him since the day he was born.
It took Nicky awhile to claim down and he breathed in the salt air. On the third exhale, he felt a little better, not good,
just a little better. He reached for the mic again to confirm the request.
*CLICK*
“Ten-Four, I’ll be there in ten minutes, over and out.”
The Fox had no clue why would Nicky get all upset about the suspect. Did Nicky had a few run in, in the past with this
“Joey” character? If so, then why? Richard enters the car after the retriever got in and started up the car. “So, who is
Joey Badda Boom?”
###
“Man that’s a BIG fur!” That was only response the fox had behind the window to the interrogation room with Nicky and
two uniformed officers. Richard was shocked to see what looked like a big brown bear wearing a dark blue Zoot suit.
Nicky continues staring at Joey behind the glass. Smoke comes out of his nostrils “What happened?”
One of the officers spoke up, “We were doing some surveillance around the manor, until we notice a car parked in
front of the manor. That’s when we came in and asked the bear what can we…
“Canine!” Nicky correct him.
“Pardon?”
Nicky correct the officer again. “He’s a dog! Not a bear. Notice his ears are like mine.”
“Oh, forgive me, sir. Anyway, he said he has a meeting with the victim at one o’clock. As soon we found out who he
was, we told him to come with us to station to ask some questions.”
“And?” Nicky growled.
“Well, he did come here willingly, but he refused to say a word. Until, he mentioned your name. He said that, ‘The only
fur that could ask him questions and that’s Nickyeyes Giovanni’. That’s why we called you, sir.”
“Great!” Nicky snarled. “You two are dismissed. I’ll talk with him in a little bit.”
The fox stand next to the golden retriever after the two officers left the room. Richard still notices he’s still ticked off
about Joey but what for? “So, what you want to do? Are we going to do the whole good cop and bad cop moment?”
Nicky just kept on staring through the window to watch Joey, sitting back on the chair, with his feet on the table, and
smoking a cigar. “That won’t be necessary. I want to talk to him alone. Go get some coffee or something.”
Richard was stunned to hear that from Nicky. He doesn’t know what to say and feel kinda worry that Nicky might do
something foolish. “Nick I don’t know if I’m allowed to let you be in there by yourself.”
But then the golden retriever looks at his partner with a mean look “Trust me, I won’t go that far. I know him too well. I
won’t be too long.”
Richard has every right to be worried about me. But he hasn’t been here long enough to know about my relationship
with Joey. Every time I’m in a case, he “always” has been a part of it. It’s been like that since we were pups. What his
connection this time? I wonder if he really does know the victim very well. Either that or he just wants to piss me off. I
guess that his job for being as my…
The moment Nicky opens the door behind him in the interrogation room. Joey smiled at him when he turns around to
look at Nicky. After taking one more puff on his cigar, he put his feet down and gave a big smile. “Hello…….little
brother”.
...As My older brother.
END OF CHAPTER ONE