Now that all the parts are done you can read them all at once. YAY!
Part 1 Flowers Have Mysteries
Part 2 Loss and Madness
Part 3 Mayhem at Dusk
Part 4 It Happened on the Night Shift
Part 5 Airtight Solutions
Part 6 Stamped Corona
Part 7 A Stable Connection
Part 8 Intercepted
Part 9 A Shield of Smoke
Part 11 Broken Harp
Innocent Bystander
Lane
By Rakayle Hier
Words 1087
Everything happened very fast after Hank crashed through the ceiling, disbanding the instruments. The police were everywhere and I found myself along with Heinz aside of Chief Carmouthe. The chief was a solid man, he knew what he wanted and normally got it.
He was already taking over and assuring the innocent crowd he had a handle on the situation.
When he turned to us I couldn’t help but feel two feet shorter. “I suppose you have a jolly good explanation for all this?”
Heinz didn’t show any uneasiness about Chief Carmouthe and promptly replied. “I do.”
“You do. Well, let us finish up and you can tell me about it, yes?” Carmouthe promptly turned and started yelling to a Sargent. “Bring him out of there!”
Heinz and I walked closer to the commotion and found Clay Emerson in cuffs being dragged away in protest.
“Looks like everyone has been caught.” I remarked.
“It does seem so.”
“Aren't you glad about it?” I asked, puzzled at his demeanor.
“Glad isn’t the right word.”
“What is the right word?”
“A very good question?”
I sighed. There was no getting anything out of Heinz if he didn’t want you to. I wondered where the boys had gone? I looked around the Gala, ladies in flowing dresses and men in fine suits were filling out, while the officers were milling about like bees. Just than I spied Lester and Sam slip out the door; they were gone. I wondered if I would see them again. It was very likely that the chief would put me on another duty seeing I failed in informing him in anything Heinz had done or planned.
I turned to Heinz who looked slightly pail. I looked to see what had made is normal ease slip, to see a fancy lady go out the door. If I didn’t have enough questions…
Chief Camouthe interrupted. “Alright you two, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
Heinz turned, his normal solid self again. “Well, Chief, it all started with Hank Wilson. Right out of jail he got in touch with Clay Emerson, the man who owns that opera on 5th Street. A man who turned to underground smuggling and shady dealings, after the opera went bankrupt. With his help they planned the whole thing.”
The chief and I found ourselves following Heinz back into the big room.
“You see Hank didn’t just want revenge on me, thought he wanted me to think so. He wanted revenge on the entire police department.
And when better to do that than tonight? With a full crowd of officers, with no one expecting a thing. It was quite brilliant if not quite mad.”
I looked at the table full of food, than to the diamonds meant for decoration.
“They put together this plot, and with some clever devices they got a whole wagon full of fake diamonds.”
“What for?” The chief remarked.
“I’m getting to that. These ‘diamonds’ were covered with wax, wax that was meant to melt at the party. Once melted they would set off an odor, a toxic odor that would, to Hank Wilson's liking, kill everyone at the party.”
“Than what stopped it from happening?”
“You see, I knew Hank was up to something. When sneaking around the opera house I found out about the plot . At my apartment I discovered, thanks to Lane spilling some wax, that I could deactivate the formula.
That is why no one was killed. My formula worked. You know the rest.”
The chief of police pondered the information. I did as well, Heinz hadn't told me half of this, although I was there at the time.
“We’ll take these diamonds away for testing, don’t want the wrong hands getting a hold of them. And I want to finish this down at the station. So be there detective.” He turned to me. “You too Lane.”
Oh, dear, I was in trouble.
******
Down at the police station, everything was busy, after all they had three men to check in, and there was paperwork to be filled out.
Darkness had set in and I couldn’t help but wish it wasn’t so dark. As the detective and I stepped into the station, everything stopped and the men stared at us. Great, the chief must have something special in mind.-
I stopped myself, why should he have it out for me and Heinz? We saved the day.
We passed the men and made our way into the office. Carmouthe looked up from his paperwork. “Shut the door.”
I shut it and heard everything outside start up again. The phone on the desk rang but the chief didn’t answer it.
He offered us a cigar. We both refused. “Okay, let’s get down to business, I want to know why I wasn’t informed of this earlier?” The question was directed at both of us, but I felt the full force of his dark stare.
“It was entirely my choice,” the detective said.
Carmouthe folded his fingers together. “Was it? And Lane didn’t have a choice?” His voice rose and I could see his anger flare.
I twisted my hat. “At the time sir I had nothing to report sir, I had no time sir.”
“Sure you didn’t, it’s nearly impossible to tell me anything.” The chief rose. He shook his head and sat down again. “No, no don’t say anything, I don’t want to hear it.”
I closed my mouth. I was no innocent bystander, but there was no way I was telling the chief some of those details I knew.
“Alright get out of here.” Carmouthe stood. “As of tomorrow, Lane, your back to your old post. And Heinz stay out of police work, do your dick work on a lower level.”
We left the room before he could yell anything else at us. Outside the station we parted ways, the detective took one sidewalk and I the other.
The mystery was over, even before I could fully understand it. Would I cross paths with Detective Heinz again? He most likely was glad I was off the job.
I was no longer his assistant. I let it set in and tried not to feel sad, why should I? He was so infuriating…. I stopped and looked back, he was gone already.
I found myself at my own place and let myself in. I would get a goodnight sleep, anyway. I lit a lamp and light flooded the room. I noticed a note on the letter stand and picked it up.
Tomorrow at ONE the fish store BE THERE ~ H
🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎
Do you hope for more of Lane and Heinz?
Thanks for reading!!!
