James Locker- The Duality of Fate

by Martin Lundqvist

  AFTER A NIGHT OF PASSION Thomas Anderson and Samantha Robinson decided to have breakfast at Samantha's favourite café on the way to the police station. She noticed that he was in deep thoughts and felt very curious about what he might be thinking about. As Samantha Robinson had an inquisitive personality and was not a big fan of beating around the bush, she decided to ask him.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - You seem to be in deep thoughts this morning? May I ask what’s on your mind?

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Sure by all means.

  - It's a thing about the case. I have been thinking about it a lot, and I feel a bit ashamed.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Okay. Why is that?

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Well, this is the thing, the two best officers I have seen in my career, Michael and James both told me that the key to solving a murder case is to follow one's intuition when it points in a particular direction.

  - In most of our cases, my intuition leads nowhere, I just do the tasks that I am assigned to and let the other's solve the case.

  - But yesterday my intuition pointed me in one direction, and it was incorrect, and now I feel ashamed of my thoughts.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Well, you don’t need to feel ashamed just because you were wrong. Trial and error is the most common scientific method, and most hypotheses turn out to be incorrect. But even being wrong can often lead to progress as long as one acknowledges being wrong.

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Well, I am not ashamed because I was wrong but because I suspected one of my closest friends. I suspected James Locker of being involved as it made no sense to me that the killer would break into his place to leave a threatening message but nothing else.

  - So I reckoned this. James Locker has had problems with his mental health, so I thought he might have hurt himself in a bout of insanity. This theory would explain all the blood and the message on his bathroom mirror.

  - But to lose all that blood one has to get a pretty big wound and when I checked James' body in the sauna yesterday, I could not see any injuries at all.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Well, I understand why you feel ashamed over suspecting one of your closest friends, but I must admit I find James' behaviour suspicious as well.

  - But I find a lot of facts in this case very strange. The killer seems to be a calculating genius who bypasses security systems and kills with precision while at the same time being psychotic painting a room with blood. A very hard tricky person to get a profile on I reckon.

  Thomas Anderson:

  - Well yeah seeing it from that point of view James’ could never be the one we are looking for anyway. The killer is obviously very sharp when it comes to computers while James would hardly be able to change the time on his mobile phone without getting assistance.

  Samantha Robinson:

  - Oh, I did not know of James' technological dyslexia. Is he so terrible?

  Thomas Anderson:

  - No, I was exaggerating of course, but still, he would not be able to outsmart me and the security systems at the crime scenes.

  - Oh anyway let’s head to work, we are getting late.

  5.14 Michael Fuller breaks into James Locker’s house

  MICHAEL FULLER SAT in his car outside James Locker's house. He wondered for himself why he had driven all this way and what he would hope to achieve through breaking in and examining the house. The way John Dean had described the earlier break-in at James Locker's home had seemed very suspicious, and Michael felt a need to check out the place himself to get the big picture. But then Michael considered the downsides of such a plan. As his situation was right now all he had done, was visiting the murder victims looking for Antonio DiMaestro. He could explain this to a court if he became a suspect in the killings. But how would he justify breaking into James Locker's house? It was apparently a felony as he had no business being there. Could John Dean be trying to set him up and if so what would his motive be? Michael Fuller could see no reason whatsoever as to why John Dean would be trying to set him up, as he had everything to lose in that scenario.

  Michael Fuller suddenly felt the alcohol withdrawal kick in with full force. He became extraordinarily restless and felt how his mind was all over the place. Since he realised that he would not be able to make a rational decision in his current situation, he decided to go with his gut feeling. His gut feeling was excellent and what had made him the most successful detective of all times at the CSMI. Now his gut feeling told him that answers were to be found inside James Locker's house. What kind of solutions were uncertain but any clue that would bring him forward in the case, and would be an excellent respite for him which would help him in his battle against the booze as well.

  Michael Fuller went in through picking the lock of the back door of the building. Although Michael Fuller by no means was an expert at lock picking, it was easy to pick the lock, and Michael was amazed that James Locker had taken no means to tighten security since his last break in a few days earlier. He went in and walked towards the bathroom. He could tell that the bathroom had been thoroughly investigated as it was immaculately clean a lot cleaner than the rest of the house. This realisation came as a disappointment to Michael Fuller as it was a lot harder for him to get an intuitive feeling for a room once someone else has worked through it. His intuition was the reason he always wanted to be the first on a crime scene if possible to see it in its rawest form. Seeing pictures or reconstructed scenarios did not have the same effect on his mind at all. Michael Fuller went back to the lounge room of the house. This room had also been swept for evidence but as there was no indication that whoever broke in actually visited the lounge room it had not been as thoroughly done. Michael Fuller had found this pattern very interesting. Why had the intruder gone through the backdoor straight the bathroom to leave a message without even checking the other rooms? As the intruder most likely was the killer this was an armed and very dangerous man; judging from all the blood in the bathroom also borderline psychotic. Why was a man like this afraid to check out all of the rooms and why didn't he kill James Locker as he did with Jessica Hall and Miranda DiMaestro? Michael Fuller walked towards the hall again. He tried opening the door to the basement, -but it was locked. Michael Fuller remembered this from the report from the break-in had read earlier during the day. "James Locker told us he could not find the key, but the basement would not be relevant to the investigation as he had not been down there for ages." Michael Fuller saw something very naïve in this formulation. For all, they know the basement might be the solution, and Michael Fuller was curious about WHY they were unable to find the key. After all, there was a chance that whoever broke in went down to the basement and then brought the key with him by mistake. If that were the case, the basement would be the room where Michael Fuller's intuition would work the best as the basement were still raw and untouched in opposite to the rest of the house. Michael Fuller picked up his lock pick set and was just about to start picking the basement door lock when he heard a voice and footsteps outside heading towards the back door. It sounded like a discussion, but he could only hear one of the voices possible due to the conversation being over the phone. Michael Fuller did not recognise the voice but realised that whoever it was, it would not be a good idea for him to be there in case the person entered the building. Michael was unarmed and if the person he heard talking were the killer his life would be in danger. It could also be a neighbour or someone from a security company, and then he would be in trouble as he had no business being in James Locker's house. Michael Fuller moved as quickly and silently as he could and exited the building via the bedroom window. He then got into his car and drove away, knowing that he had been very close to a very problematic situation. While driving home, he got stuck on a detail from the conversation he overheard “Hi Rebecca! It is JP speaking. How are you today?” Rebecca was the name of his daughter. It was also a pretty common name, but still, he could not
get the connection out his mind. Who the hell was this guy JP, what was he doing outside James Locker's house and what did he want with Michael Fuller's daughter? It blackened for Michael Fuller's eyes for a few seconds, and once he got back to his senses, he was driving off the road heading towards a tree. He braked as hard as he could, but it was not enough to avoid the collision. The car crashed into the tree, and Michael Fuller was knocked unconscious in the accident.

  5.15 Phone Call between the Killer and Rebecca

  THE KILLER WAS SITTING at home full of anticipation. He had spoken to Rebecca a few hours earlier, and tonight they were catching up. He had swallowed his disappointment from the night before, and all the rage and anger he felt back then was now gone, and he could feel the butterflies tingling in his stomach. This love was indeed way better than any drug he had ever tried, and he had tried them all. Obviously not every psychoactive substance is known to man, as that would account for thousands of different drugs, but he had tried all the major ones. He saw a mental picture of Rebecca's smile and knew that if his plan succeeded he would be able to see it on a much more regular basis. His daydreaming was interrupted by a phone call. It was Rebecca on the other line.

  Rebecca:

  - Hey, JP. I am so sorry I'll have to cancel our date tonight as well. My dad just crashed his car and got a severe concussion. I'll just have to go and visit him in the hospital.

  The Killer

  - Oh god. That’s horrible, how and where did this happen?

  Rebecca:

  - I don't know how, but I suspect it has to do with my father's alcoholism. Damn him I've told him a lot of times never to drive drunk! He is a police officer goddammit he should know better!

  - Oh sorry for getting that angry, it’s not appropriate I guess

  The Killer:

  - That’s alright. You have told me enough about how absent and uninterested he was during your upbringing I understand your anger towards him. What hospital is he at?

  Rebecca:

  - He is at Auburn Hospital; he crashed against a tree at Olympic Park. I am heading there now.

  The Killer:

  - Okay. I am close to that location at the moment. Tell you what I can drive you home after your hospital visit. It can be tough for you getting back home with public transport after such severe event.

  Rebecca:

  - Thank you, JP. That's very thoughtful of you. But it will probably take some time before I am done, you don't mind waiting there?

  The Killer:

  - Don't worry about it. I'll just stay at the pub watching a game. And for your safety, I'll drink soft drinks tonight.

  Rebecca:

  - Thanks. You are the best. I’ll call you later then.

  After hanging up, the Killer felt confused and disappointed. Disappointed over the fact that his excellent evening plans with Rebecca were ruined for something as depressing as driving her home from the hospital and comforting her in case her father's concussion had left any permanent damage. No-one had forced him to give her this offer of course, but it had been the right thing to do. Partly because he believed that this was something a regular guy would do but also since it was a way for him to find out if she was honest with him or not. After all, she was highly unlikely to go on a date with some guy a hospital cafeteria, so if he picked her up at the hospital, she must be going there to see someone who got suddenly injured. In that case, it seemed likely the injured one is her dad. So all in all the Killer felt that he had picked the right course of action for the evening, giving the sad circumstances.

  But the killer also felt confused. He knew that Rebecca's dad was Michael Fuller. But what had he done in the Olympic Park area of the city? That would be at least one hour drive from Michael Fuller's house in Palm Beach, and no-one is going on such a long ride without reason. The Killer suddenly felt very frustrated that Michael Fuller was not behind bars. He really should be in jail considering the cocaine and everything. Michael Fuller was a loose cannon, he was unpredictable, and it was impossible to know what he knew since he was not filing anything. On the other hand, Michael Fuller added some valuable tension to the game, so his existence was highly welcome in that sense. Still, the Killer was dying to know why Michael Fuller was in the neighbourhood today. Both James Locker and Adam Smith were living close to Olympic Park, but it seemed highly unlikely that Michael Fuller would have any voluntary contact with any of them. Unless... Michael Fuller was investigating the nightly visit James Locker received on Sunday night and decided to check it. If so Michael Fuller was signing his own arrest warrant and the plan was working even better than the killer ever imagined that it would. There could be a complication, however; if Michael Fuller saw him outside James Locker's house earlier during the day. The Killer decided that this was not a real problem as Michael Fuller would have a harder time explaining what he was doing out there than he would.

  5.16 Rebecca visits Michael Fuller at the hospital

  MICHAEL FULLER WOKE up a few hours later in the intensive care unit of Auburn Hospital. The first thing he saw was Rebecca who was holding his hand. Michael's had a severe headache, and he could not remember what had happened. As he did not know what date it was he realised he must have hit his head pretty badly in some way; But how? Michael realised he would get to know soon enough, so he opened his eyes again and started talking.

  Michael Fuller:

  - Hi, Rebecca, it's so good to see you. Where am I, and what happened to me?

  Rebecca Bell:

  - Well, I am listed as your emergency contact...

  - You are at Auburn Hospital you had a pretty rough car accident where you crashed your car into a tree at Olympic Park.

  Michael Fuller:

  - Oh yeah, I was following up a lead out there, can’t remember which now.

  Rebecca Bell:

  - Following up on a lead? Samantha told me you resigned over a week ago stating health reasons. The talk at the station was apparently that everyone thinks the management paid you a redundancy package to get rid of you due to your alcohol problems.

  Michael Fuller stopped the urge in him that wanted to tell her about the cocaine set up where someone set him up by placing cocaine in his house. After all, the last thing he wanted to do was to involve Rebecca in his troubles. He loved her even though it felt like she disowned him by changing to her mother's maiden name as soon as she turned 18. Telling her the truth in regards to his dismissal could never be a good thing. Either she would see him as delusional, and their relationship would take a turn for the worse or she would believe him, and that might put her life in danger. After all Michael Fuller felt that he was up against a powerful adversary and he was lucky to not be in custody at present. With this in mind, Michael Fuller decided to admit his alcoholism and withhold the actual reason for him leaving the police force.

  Michael Fuller:

  - Yes, you are right. My alcoholism was in the way of my career, but it's still a shame what happened because I was always the best detective at the department in spite of my alcohol abuse. Also, my job was the only thing that kept my alcoholism at bay.

  Rebecca Bell

  - Well, it's a shame you valued your job that much. Both I and mum needed you at home back then you know. But no point lingering in the past I will try to forgive you someday.

  Michael Fuller:

  - Thank you. It's a shame you did not want to join me on my upcoming trip to Scotland; it would be an excellent opportunity for us to catch up and get to know each other better.

  Rebecca Bell:

  - Well. This event with you in the hospital has made me doubt that decision. Maybe I should go away on a trip with you to get to know you better. I mean you could have died today and life is too short to carry a grudge...

  Michael Fuller:

  - Let's hope you still feel that way when I get better, so something good comes out of this mess.

  - I am feeling exhausted now; can you get me a nurse so I can get some sedatives?

  Re
becca Bell:

  - Yeah sure. Please get better see you soon.

  As Rebecca Bell left Michael Fuller started thinking about what she had said about him always putting work first and neglecting his family and everyone around him. His dedication to his work was like a curse for him and even though he had had the best of intentions it had all ended up in mystery. He had dedicated all of his life to fighting evil and crime but now when his career was most likely over he doubted that he had made any difference. It seemed clear to him now that the opposing force to evil was not vindictiveness and duty but love to the people who meant the most to him. In his successful crusade against corruption, he had failed to achieve what mattered the most, making the people closest to him feel loved and happy. Because of this, his life was a failure in spite of his successful career. Now that his career had gone down the drain he could make a choice. Either he would choose the alcohol raddled path he had opted for the last decade trying desperately to restore his career, or he could choose another way where he focused all his energy and will on making people around him feel appreciated and happy. Michael Fuller decided to go for the latter. It would feel bizarre for a time when adapting to it, but it was the only way to go if he ever wanted to find peace and happiness. Happy with his decision Michael Fuller fell into a blissful morphine based state of mind before finally falling asleep.

  5.17 Adam Smith meets up with Janelle Wynyard in Tamworth

  ADAM SMITH YAWNED. His day up in Tamworth had neither been exciting nor given anything valuable to the investigation. Or so he thought, but he could not be sure as it was not up to his judgment to evaluate the information he had received this day. His tactic for the day had been to announce the murder of Jessica Hall in the local radio station and that everyone that could leave any useful information was welcome to come to the local pub/diner to share this information with him. The problem was that Tamworth was such as small and uneventful town so a broadcast like this just made everyone come by and hand in more or less useless statements just for the thrill of meeting one of the big city policemen. Doing this would have been okay for Adam Smith if it was not for the fact that every interview would have to be transcribed and put into a file since he was not trusted to make decisions on what information to follow up on.