Chapter 1

(This is a tie in with All These Lives. That being said, onto the story! Just one last quick reminder – Dick is working on the Simons case, while Harvey is working on the Roy Harper case. I'll give you more info on the Simons case as I get into the story.)

Dick's POV

As I walked into the office first thing Monday morning, I bumped into Harvey Dent, one of my fellow officers. Nodding a good morning, I moved passed his large frame to the coffee pot and poured myself a mug of the hot liquid. As I was adding sugar and cream, Harvey asked, "You still want me to have a look at the Harper case?"

Taking a small swig of my coffee, I said, "Yeah, I thought I had already put the file on your desk Saturday afternoon. You were out on your usual donut run." I moved into my spacious office and sat down at my desk, flicking my computer on as I did so.

Harvey nodded. "I did find the file this morning. I was just making sure you didn't put it there accidentally."

I gave Harvey a look that plainly said, 'Me doing something by accident? Yea right.' He grinned. "Yea, I guess I forgot who I was talking to. I'll get started on it right away. You should find the folder for the Simons case in the top slot of your mailbox. I put it there this morning." He turned around and went back to his desk, the chair creaking as he sat down.

Chuckling to myself, I quickly checked my computer for any updates on other cases and then went to my mailbox to grab a manila folder with SIMONS on the top in thick black typewriter style letters. Tucking it under my arm, I went back to my desk to go through the folder.

Sighing, I flipped the folder open to see three sheets of paper. One had a photo of the crime scene attached to a testimony from Jesse R. Nixon's wife as to how he died. The second was an autopsy report confirming the testimony of Mrs. Nixon. The last was a picture of a shell that was found on the scene. It was rifle shell by the looks of it, but not of any standard shape. It had little needles sticking out of the sides.

Humming thoughtfully, I paged the Commissioner. "Hey Jim, can I see you in my office for a second? I got a question I want to ask you." He said he'd be right down, so I leaned back in my chair and put my hands behind my head as I tried to think of the custom rifle builders in the area.

Jim Gordon came into my office. He was looking a bit worse than normal, mostly because of his constant overwork on the Tornado case. The man needed to get some sleep; his eyes were bloodshot and his hands were twitching from all the caffeine he had been drinking. "How can I help ya Dick?"

I showed him the picture of the bullet. "Do we have that in lock up? I want to take a look at it."

"Yea, we got it. I'll write you a pass to have access to it. One minute." He walked off and came back a minute later with a signed permission slip to enter lock up. It had become a priority ever since one of our guards stole some evidence to keep one of his buddies out of jail. The only way to open to the door was to hold the signature up to a custom scanner. If it read, the door opened. If not, an alarm sounded.

I took the paper and went downstairs to the evidence lock up. Holding the paper in front of the scanner, it beeped once and the door slid open. Quickly heading over to the S section of the giant bay, I found the Simons case folder and slid it out. After rooting around inside the box, I found the bullet in a small evidence baggy.

Using the intercom built into the wall, I said, "Jim, it's Dick. Can I take that bullet out for a closer look at it?" I released the Talk button and waited for a response.

I didn't need to wait long. "Go for it Dick. Just seal the bag again when you're done."

I quickly popped the bag open and took the bullet out, holding it carefully between my thumb and index finger. The small spikes weren't extremely sharp, but they were probably only used to keep the bullet in there for a longer time than normal.

Turning the bullet around to the back, I saw a small pinprick near the center of the metal. Grabbing a microscope that was nearby, I zoomed in on the area. "Hmm… Looks like we got a new lead here," I muttered to myself as I went back to the intercom. "Jim, I need a list of all the custom rifle makers from here to Steel City and I need it now!"