Room 313
March 12, 6:03am
A cell phone lit up, vibrated, and then rang. Detective James Miller picked up his cell phone, “Hello?” James rubbed his face, opened is eyes, and sat up. A faint light shone through the window panes in his dusty apartment. “I’m on my first case today? I will be right over”

James rushed over to the crime scene on 1014 Aquarius Dr, Winslow, Arizona. James parked next to his partners red Toyota. James got out of the car and ducked under the ‘crime scene’ tape to see his new partner Dave,
“We found her dead in her apartment.” Dave scratched crossed his arms, “No sign of who killed him.”
“How did he die?” James put on his latex gloves.
“Blunt force trauma, caused internal hemorrhaging to his skull. We assume it’s a hammer or screw driver. The weird part is that there are no finer prints, or any trace of an assailant.” Dave scratched his head.
They walked up the stairs to the third floor of the apartment complex; room 314. “Why does my first case have to be a murder?” James muttered as they walked into the crime scene. James stopped when he saw the dead woman laid face-down with an indent in the back of her skull. Her blood was dripping from the ceiling.
“I’m feeling a little dizzy” James fell to the ground and blacked-out.


March 12, 8:20am
From the distance, came an unfocused noise. “James!” Again, yet more focused, “James, are you okay?”
“Wha…What?” James opens his eyes and sat up.
“You fainted, man,” Dave replied.
“We have decided to question everyone on the third floor for any witnesses or suspects. Il see you back at the station” Dave walked out of the room. James sat up. “Alright,” a puddle of blood from the victims smashed skull stuck to his shirt.

Back at the station James and Dave watched through the one way glass as the witnesses were questioned.
Dave turned and looked James in the eye. “So what happened back there?”
“It was nothing” James lied.
“No, please tell me. I promise I won’t tell the other guys.”
“It’s a rough story. I just haven’t been at a crime scene since….”
“Since what?”.
“Since my son passed.” James put his hands in his pockets and looked down.
“Jeeeesus” Dave shook his head. “How the h*ll did that happen?”
“It’s my fault…Never mind. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’ve had a hard life.” James turned around.
Dave took his shoulder and spun him around “What the h*ll do you mean a hard life. You’re just a kid! I’ve been working here for 36 years and never been promoted. On top of that I have to listen to newbie jerks like you ranked ahead of me whining all day long!” Dave took a deep breath and looked down. “I’m sorry, but hard life? You don’t even know the half of it”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to complain.” James answered.
Lieutenant Roberts emerged from the interrogation room. “We may have a few suspects! Ones on bail and the others an ex-convict”
“Do we have enough evidence to convict ether of them?” Dave asked.
“Unfortunately not, no evidence, besides the fact they reside near the scene. You should have seen them smirk when they found out we couldn’t keep them. We did get their prints as well as everyone else in the apartment.” Lieutenant Roberts headed for the door. “Dave, run a more thorough background check. James, you’re free to go home; Get some sleep” Lieutenant Roberts ordered as he left the room.

March 13 6:45am
James woke up to his cell phone vibrating. He answered and sat up.
“James were going for to arrest; we just got a warrant” Dave shouted over the phone.
“uhh.. is it the ex-con or the other one?” James mumbled.
“Bail, He skipped on bail; we can arrest him and at least interrogate him more about the murders. Meet me ASAP same apartment 3rd floor, room 312. “



James rushed over to the apartment, parked next to his partners red Toyota, and ran up the stairs. The other detectives followed. Everyone drew their guns and stood on ether side of the door.
“This is the police; we have a warrant for your arrest. Come out with your hands up.” Dave shouted….No answer…. He banged on the door and it cracked open.
James dropped his gun, “I can’t do it!”
Everyone but the lieutenant chuckled. “James; wait outside.” He ordered. Everyone burst through the door to find, a dead body laying face down.
“S*** I hope this isn’t who I think it is” Dave muttered as he put his fingers over his nose.
Lieutenant Roberts lifted up the dead mans head to see a distorted face dripping with maroon blood. “It’s him alright” Lieutenant Roberts drops his face and stands up. “James get in here!” James entered. “We will talk about this later. For now do you job and sweep the area”
James searched the area. He spots finger prints on the dusty table. “I found prints” James shouted.
They forensic specialists entered and dusted the table even more “He may have a partial print but we need to take it back to the lap to make sure.” Specialist Dexter states.
“Good work. James, come with me” the Lieutenant orders. He pulled James outside the crime scene. “Now what in gods name was that?” he asked.
“It’s a long story.” James looked at the ground.
“I don’t want to hear it. I can wait here all day.”
“It’s uhhh.. my son just passed” James teared up.
“How did he die?” Lieutenant asked.
“I was up one night. And I uhh.. hear a crash. At that time I was with Rachel ‘my ex.’ I just wanted to protect her. I got my gun from the drawer and went down stairs. I thought it was an intruder. It was just a mistake.” At this moment tears began to hit the wooden floor. “I saw a movement.. I didn’t mean to do it… The gun just… just went off”
“I see, James. Just try not to bring that to your work. You had a few years off” Roberts answered.
“I haven’t fired a gun in 2 years. I just can’t do it” James turns away.
“I’m going to help you get over this. Meet me back at the lab, I got to think about this” Lieutenant Roberts walked down the stairs and drove off.

Lieutenant Roberts met James at the door as he arrives. “We found out whose prints they are” he said excitedly.
“Who’s?”
“Everyone that we interviewed including the dead victims, but get this none of the prints are the ex-con’s” Lieutenant Roberts said.
“We got everything we need to convict him.” He added.
“When and where?” James asks.
“No you’re not going” Lutenant Roberts crossed his arms. You need some time off.

March 14, 6:59am
It was an early Saturday morning and James hadn’t selpt all night. He kept thinking about that case. That was his case and now he wasn’t able to work on it. James couldn’t take it, he had to go. ‘I’ll get a head start on the Lieutenant’. James drove over to the crime scene. He parked next to his partners red Toyota. “Why is he here?” James muttered to himself. James opened the door to the appartment complex and headed for the 3rd floor. A sound of bones crunching together mixed with blood splattering on the ceiling rings throughout the building that stopped James in his tracks. James ran to floor three to see ex-con Mike Glovich swing the door of room 313 open. James croutched down see what was going on. All James could was Dave holding a hammer dripping with blood, with a dead victim below him on the floor.
Mike rushed in to take the hammer from Dave. Dave raises the hammer to hit Mike, but Mike caught his wrist. They began to struggle. “Help!” Mike screams. “Why did you do it?” Mike asks. “Why did you kill all those people?”
“I just had to win one case, I just one. Even if it means framing you” Dave whispers back. James stood up and drew his gun. His hand began to shake and his sons face flashed before his eyes. Fire and smoke shoot out of the guns chamber. A bullet emerges and seems to be traveling at the speed of light. James saw his son fall to the floor. “I did it” he whispered to himself. James droped the smoking gun to the floor and fell to his knees. Ahead of him Mike fell, dead, a bloody hole through the eye.
Dave approaches James “Thanks” Dave says.
“I missed” James replied.
“What?”
“I missed. I was aiming for you. You b****rd! You killed them. Every. Single. one of them!” James yelled.
Dave picked up the hammer and slams it into the side of James’ skull.
James fell to the ground writhing in pain. Dave raised his hand to strike James with one final blow, but before he could, James pulled his gun and shot Dave right through the leg. Dave fell to the ground and with one final shot James put a bullet right through his chest. The other officers as well as the Lieutenant entered the third floor.
“James what the h*ll just happened?” The Lieutenant grabbed James’s arm.
“He killed every single one of them” James stood there in disbelief.
“Well James, go outside get some fresh air and I’ll meet with you later.
“Alright” James walked down the stairs and opened to door, to see the sunrise. He closed his eyes and felt the breeze through his hair. For the first time in many years James took a big breath of the fresh morning air.