The Enemy Outside

by Devine, Dorothy

  The beggar didn’t even bother to answer. And this could have been because of two things, either he was guilty and didn’t care because he had nothing to lose or, maybe he had tried his level best to prove his innocence but it all ended in vain. And since he had nothing to lose, he decided not to give a damn at all. And so agent smith decided to proceed with the questioning.

  “So tell me, are you responsible for killing that girl? And before you tell me that you are innocent, I would like for you to consider that she was just a little girl. She didn’t deserve whatever came to her. She had her entire life to look forward to, that is right before you made sure that she had nothing to look forward to.”

  The beggar, who was still lying motionless on the cold floor, didn’t do a damn thing for a moment and agent smith was still standing there staring at him without saying a word. And it was at that moment that something very strange happened. The rather hardcore beggar broke down and started crying.

  “How on earth would I even consider killing a girl, a poor defenseless girl? Oh, but I get why I am a suspect here. I am a beggar and they need me to take the fall and rot behind bars since no one is definitely going to miss me is that so? I am done speaking to you. You can choose to stand there and continue bossing yourself around or you can skedaddle the hell out of here and give me some peace.”

  And staying true to his word, he didn’t get to say anything in addition to that and that alone was really good addition to the entire case since it showed that he had been framed. But then again, agent smith knew that for the beggar to be off the hook, she had to find out the reason as to why anyone would like to frame him and better still, why they chose him out of all the other personalities.

  Agent smith was smart. She knew that the beggar could have been pretending because in her life as a homicide detective, she had managed to see her fair share of pretenders who wouldn’t have a problem scooping an Oscar when it came to a false performance. But since the beggar was already in custody, she thought that it wouldn’t really hurt if she decided to go ahead and do some digging in a bid to find the real culprit, that was if the beggar wasn’t pretending and just sending her to some screwed up wild goose chases.

  “If at all you are playing me, I will find out.”

  And with that, she decided to leave the man alone since she figured that she wasn’t going to enjoy the conversation or worse off, she wasn’t going to get any valuable information that will get her on top of her game at any given moment.

  Something was still telling her that they had nabbed the wrong person and what really made her the best police officer in her post was because she didn’t just believe in her instinct but she also made sure that she was following it with all her might. And now, her instinct was telling her that the man had been framed.

  Chapter 5:

  -Fate takes another twist-

  And just like that, it seemed as though the poor stranger was most definitely going behind bars for what seemed to be a very long time. And for a moment, it did seem as though it was such an unfair thing for him since from the look of things, he was getting to do all in his power to get things done rather perfectly.

  But thankfully, agent smith wasn’t going to just sit there and see an innocent man going to do time especially if it was about something that he didn’t even do. And for that matter, all that he wanted to do was to make sure that he was in a position to follow her instinct. Of course, she had already been told to just lay it all off and see to it that she was in a position to look into other cases since virtually everything that she touched always ended up solved. And that explained why she was always preferred by the commander.

  And just like that, agent smith figured out something out. At first, it was a little bit theoretical. But even though that seemed to be the case, she also knew that it would have been just a matter of time before she solved too many cases and even broke the commander’s record which was unbroken for close to two decades. And that alone just made her realize that one thing that she had been doing such a fine job ignoring all that while.

  After a couple of days making sure that she had been checking out that video footage, she realized that the person who was dressed like the beggar was wearing surprisingly clean boots, which would have been very uncommon especially for a beggar with some very poor living conditions.

  But who would have been so desperate to ensure that he was killing this poor girl and getting the beggar arrested?

  At that point, she didn’t really know. And from the look of things, agent smith was sure that the beggar was most definitely going to take the fall for this and that wasn’t just the best thing at all since as a police officer, it was her solemn duty to ensure that she was able to get the right criminals behind bars.

  And at that moment, it didn’t seem as though the beggar was the real criminal here. If anything, everything was just pointing to the possibility of him being framed. But once again, agent smith didn’t really have anything that could have proven her point and so it was all null and void.

  She wanted to throw in the towel and just allow for fate to take its course, but from the look of things, something just wouldn’t allow her to be that kind of person. She was caring and also, she was very popular for following her heart despite everything. And so she decided to try checking out the video evidence once again and this time, really focus on the sneakers that the impersonator was having on.

  Agent smith even made sure that she was getting to zoom them in just to see to it that she was getting everything accordingly and finally getting the chance to put an end to this problem once and for all. And if everything were to go accordingly, then she would most definitely have the opportunity to go to the Bahamas without any problems.

  She even made sure that she was googling the make of shoes and printing them out since she was planning to at least hand in the evidence however weak it was in a bid to make things right, if at all it would do a damn thing to help.

  “Hey, I think you should just go to the Bahamas since this case is solved and yes, I can end up retiring a hero.” The chief said as he peeped through the door.

  And as if it was out of pure instinct, agent smith checked out the commander’s feet and there it was, the same pair of shoes that she had been checking out. Agent smith was in shock and she didn’t even bother hide it. She then checked out the video of the man running and then looked at the chief. And the funny thing was that it looked like the same person.

  Then everything started flowing back to her head. She knew that the commander was always obsessed with the accolades and how he would push them to the limit so that she could look like a hero every time that they managed to solve a case and that just made her feel sick to the stomach.

  “Let’s talk about the little girl. Did you kill her so that you can solve the case and ride that wave all the way to the senate office?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. I am looking at these shoes in here in the video and they are the very same ones you are wearing.”

  “Well, these are very harsh allegations. You realize that there are thousands of the brand of shoes all over town. You can use that against me.”

  And as the chief of police was still working too darn hard to lie, agent smith was carefully checking the way that he was behaving and just like that, it appeared as though he was doing such a lousy job lying. But thankfully, agent smith was already a couple of steps ahead of him and so she didn’t hesitate to give him the heat.

  “I guess the fact that you are a size 8 will get to narrow it down. And oh, I almost forgot. You always talk about how best you were in Vietnam and had your toe shot out right? Well henry back at the forensics is already processing the prints found at the murder scene and I am too darn sure that they will show that you were not only there at the night of the murder but you are the murderer.”

  The chief of the police wanted to turn around and run, but three agents were already standing on his way with their guns out.

&nb
sp; “You don’t know how disgusting which of this is, getting to kill a little girl to gain traction across the city and solving the case and getting to senate and then getting a beggar to take the fall. I am ashamed. You are under arrest. Get him out of my face.”

  Free Full Length Story

  The Tiny Town Murders

  Series

  …Synopsis…

  Dick Denton is a big city cop from small town roots. He's made a name for himself solving high profile crimes with his signature intelligence and flair. But after one too many cases, Denton decides to take a vacation and go back to his home town of Tiny Town, to escape the stress and tension of his daily work. However, what is supposed to be a quiet vacation that reconnects him to his roots, turns deadly when Dick's old bullies start turning up dead on the streets of Tiny Town. Can Dick solve these grisly murders in time?

  The Tiny Town Murders Book 1

  Chapter 1

  I stepped on the gas pedal instinctively. My car's engine roared and the car's speed increased as I zoomed down the highway. I smiled to myself as I noticed the significant increase in speed.

  “No need for that. I'm not in the big city anymore. I can slow it down.” I said to myself.

  I slowly let go of the gas pedal, while gently stepping on the clutch pedal. The car slightly jerked as I downshifted the gears. I chuckled to myself.

  “I guess I was never really meant to drive. I was meant to be driven around by a chauffer.” I said.

  I turned on the radio and switched to my favorite station that played the oldies. Oldies for the millenial generation, but not so old for me. And hey, I really wasn't that old. Middle-aged at 35 wasn't that old, was it?

  My job at the city as a police detective definitely took its toll on me. I'm not one to toot my own horn, but it surely would have been worse for a weaker man. If any other man had seen the things I had seen, they would have surely quit my job. My job has a way of unravelling weaker men, exposing them to horrors they would never have seen in a drab and normal life.

  Such things were par for the course as a police detective. That was why I was really looking forward to this vacation back to the old homestead, back to where I was born and raised. Back to Tiny Town.

  I saw the old sign at the highway. It was dusty and a little worn for wear from the elements but it still stood and welcomed visitors to our little town enthusiastically.

  “You are now entering OUR little town. Welcome to Tiny Town. Hope you enjoy your stay!”

  There was still the painted figure of a homesteader waving happily at any visitor entering the town proper. It was in many ways, how a typical resident of Tiny Town would welcome a visitor or traveller passing through.

  In many ways, Tiny Town was a town that was trapped in a bottle or suspended from the rest of time and space. Nothing ever really changed here and the pace of life was very slow. That was all very good for me now. I looked forward to seeing Ma and Pa again, as the grind of city life had more than taken its toll on me. I desperately needed a slower change of pace and this would be it.

  The story was very different in my youth. Just as the car slowed down, I reminisced and all the old memories came flooding back. I remembered when I would badger Pa constantly complaining about the slow pace of the town, and the lack of anything to do. I still remember the many slow days spent sleeping in his tractor as he plowed the fields and did his duties as a farmer dilligently. The smell of cut grass and crops was still fresh in my nostrils and I vowed to leave Tiny Town so many times. Ma and Pa would just smile at my insistence. I'm not sure if those were signs of indifference or acceptance. Whatever the case was, I managed to make good on my goal and now, I fould my way back to the old, sleepy town

  Soon enough, I was driving around Tiny Town. Everything was just as I had left it. Mr. Russ still ran his hardware store across the street. Mercer's grocery and general merchandise was also still open and still the biggest grocery in town where everyone bought everything they needed. And Kevin's Pop and Soda joint was still going strong. I could still remember when I dated Carla there and had a milkshake with her. It was the first time I ever kissed a girl and I would never forget it.

  I pulled my windows down and drove to a crawl that best suited Tiny Town's pace of living. I got the desired effect that I wanted and soon, old friends and acquaintances were greeting me and smiling. It was all very refreshing.

  “Hey, look! It's Dick! Dick's come back home!”

  I heard Jason Norris, call me and I waved back at him. Norris was the star quarterback for the local high school nearby. Norris and I did not actually get along back in the day. Being a sports jock, he was one of the typical bullies that a lot of schools, big or small, have. He got on my case a lot of times, and he made my life truly miserable. That's why it was doubly surprising for Norris to hear that I had left town to become a police detective. When I solved numerous high profile cases that made national headlines, it made him initially jealous and insecure. It was an old story that had been told to death, but still had a big kick. Hometown nerd and doormat makes it big while local jock voted most likely to succeed, fails to leave town and settles for a local job at the diner. I'm sure it still ate at Norris, but I decided to let time gloss over the past and move on. I wasn't so sure about him, but he seemed to have learned to accept it.

  I beeped once as I passed by Davis Tomlinson. Davis looked up and nodded silently at my gesture. I think I saw him smile. That was Davis for you. Davis was also a nerd back in the day, but I heard that he had become some kind of agriculturist, animal behavior expert, or something like that. Unlike me, he chose to stay at Tiny Town because it was out in the country and close to a lot of nature where he could continue his work. Davis was naturally shy and reclusive and I could see that he hadn't changed that much. But he was more than happy with it. I was sure I would see more of my friend later, and I was right.

  I finally arrived at our front porch. The house still looked the same. It was still as sleepy as ever. Judy, our old chocolate Labrador barked and wagged her tail in appreciation of me, as she saw me from a distance. Normally, she would have dashed towards me, but time and age had slowed the old gal down. I had to be the one to approach and pat her.

  “Hey, Judy! How's it going?” I said.

  She licked me and wagged her tail in appreciation.

  “Been a long time, son.”

  I looked up and saw Ma and Pa standing on the front porch. They still had the kindest faces of anyone I had ever seen.

  “Ma! Pa!”

  I ran to them and embraced them both. They smiled at me as well. I smelled the sweet and appetizing aroma of Ma's apple pie in the kitchen. I knew that I was truly home.

  Chapter 2

  A Half-meant Joke

  The remainder of the day was spent eating Ma's succullent apple pie. I had eaten in all the joints the big city could offer. I had eaten in fancy restaurants and two bit mom and pop joints but I must say none could compare to Ma Denton's Tiny Town apple pie.

  “This is the best apple pie in the known world!” I said, as I wolfed down another slice.

  Ma and Pa just smiled to themselves as I had my fill.

  “Go ahead. That pie is just for you, Dick. You did look more than a little stressed and thin when you got here. Looked like you needed to be filled out a bit more.”

  “Ma! You always loved to make me fat! That's why I was always the butt of jokes back in the day!” I joked.

  “Haha! That's your mom for you, boy! Don't take it against her. You know that she just meant well.” Pa said

  “Yeah, and that's why I was called Fat Boy Denton by Jason Norris and his gang.” I said.

  Ma suddenly turned serious as she addressed me.

  “Oh speaking of Jason Norris and his friends, have you heard the news? Remember Kenneth Stephenson?”

  “How could I not?” I said.

  I grimaced at the mention of Stephenson's name. There were still a lot of bad memories associated with him and Norris. Me
mories that were still hard to put away after all these years. Sometimes, I actually envy the current generation with all the anti-bullying slogans and campaigns. The focus to end bullying is a good thing that has been more than a long time coming. Bullying is considered a hate crime and rightfully so. It was hard to erase the scars of bullying even in adulthood, but I more than compensated for all the torment they gave me. At least, I think I did. Still the memories of Norris and his gang would always be there in my head and heart. And Kenneth Stephenson would always be a a part of those nasty memories. A very bad part.

  “That kid was one of Norris' sick lieutenants. He always kissed up too Norris and did his dirty work. Made life really tough for me, Davis, and a whole lot of other kids. What about him? Finally got run over by a truck?” I joked.

  Ma and Pa looked down and suddenly looked forlorn.

  “Hey, it was a joke. I didn't mean that.” I said. It was a joke that was half-meant but I was long past petty bitterness over the past.

  “Dick, he's dead. The funeral is tomorrow?”

  I looked at Ma and Pa in disbelief. I never expected that.

  Chapter 3

  Snakes.

  When I first heard the news about Stephenson's death, I almost flipped over. I could not believe he was dead. Stephenson was a member of the gang of jocks in the school and religiously kept in shape, even when I left Tiny Town. I could not believe that he would have died so suddenly. I attended the wake to my respects. I didn't like the guy, but hey, he was dead. You had to feel sorry for him. And nobody wants to go, so soon.