A/N: Please review so I know people are actually enjoying this. :)
Case 4: The Dockyard Killer
An early morning call had him down on the docks at five just as the sun rose. He took a few moments to finish his sandwich and enjoy the beauty of the sunrise before David called him over.
"From the victim's ID he's Dan Broke collected from his wallet, empty though I'm not sure what else we can get from here."
"How about that?" He guestured to by the edge of the storage container where something was broken into pieces that were carefully picked up. "That cigarettes not been hit by the elements either so it's recent."
"I already talked to the Bardge driver James Smith who called it in, nothing of note there."
Back at the station JJ but the shards back together to find a badge.
"A skull badge, really, are we in the 80's?" David snorted.
"Nothing wrong with a skull badge, if only it weren't so cartoonish." The younger lamented quietly before they cracked up laughing.
"Lets have the techs look at it further, it had to there for a reason." JJ nodded his head and handed it off before skimming through the vic's wallet and finding his address.
"I know that address, we're forever breaking up fights at Caribou Corner, not to mention the ODs a, let's go."
Jones drove them straight to the right building and the first flat within it.
The woman who answered was a, large brunette done up fully in make up, curlers still in and wrapped in a bright pink dressing gown, maybe a contender for the ugly sisters.
"Gloria, my favourite superintendent. Meet my new partner Sargeant Jensen, we have a question or two."
"Nice to meet you honey." Her voice matched her appearance. David held up a photo of the vic. "Oh him, yeah I know him, girlfriend lives on the third floor. He in trouble?"
"No he's dead." That southern drawl made the woman look at him hungrily, not to mention the perfect body. "Would you mind telling us about this girlfriend?"
"Sally Stone, apartment 315. And I'll be here If you... need to interrogate me."
They took the stairs, gagging once out of ear and eye shot.
Knocking on another dilapidated door they were met by a meek red headed girl.
"Sally Stone, may we come in?" She stepped asides, shaking a little at the sigh of the armed officers.
"We were hoping to talk to you about Dan Broke?" Jones continued.
"I don't know any Dan."
"Then what's this?" The Louisiana drawl stopped her in her tracks as the tallest in the room fished a bracelet out of a bag, the word Dan right there.
"Okay so he was my boyfriend, but I ain't seen him in days and I don't know who killed him!"
"When did we say he was dead?" Jones frowned, tilting his head to the side like a cute little puppy.
"We didn't." He was examining a pair of shoes that appeared to be flecked with blood.
"Why else would you be here? Cops only pay attention to people like us when we're DEAD!" The little girl was slowly paling.
"Well then you won't mind if I borrow these, just to make sure you're telling the truth." JJ held up the shoes and the meek girl nodded, curling into herself.
They quickly turned in the shoes to Grace who was more than happy to look before they went up to Alex.
"Hello our lovely little geek, what have you got for us?" The brunette wrinkled his nose but accepted the teasing good naturedly.
"Finger prints, one lot on the badge that match the victim, only on the under side and one on the cigarette that matches James Smith."
"So our killer was wearing that badge and it got ripped off, well we have a dock worker to go talk to, thanks Alex."
"Ah Mr Smith, how are we today?" Southern charm in full force.
"Fine thanks, what's up?" He looked at the detective wearily but faltered slightly at the charm.
"Nothing really, however we did happen to find a cigarette with your finger prints on it, thought there might be something you left out."
"Well, well. I had a smoke while I was waiting. I found this." The guy handed over a small packet with worn writing upon it.
"Much obliged." They walked away.
"Great, I can't make it out, I'll check it at the lab." JJ sighed while David just looked at him.
"Does charming people like that always work?"
"Mostly." He gave a sharp grin that made his partner shiver.
Even once they had put together the message they still didn't have a clue and it lead them back to Caribou Corner.
A smug little prick in a wannabe hard guy jacket smirked at them, Bart Williams was the police's resident informant and a cowardly little rat to boot.
JJ paused at the beginning of Bart's Alley and picked a wallet up flicking through and smirking at what he found.
"Bart, what do you know about this?" Jones showed the little prat the code and his smirk widened.
"Oh, that's Bulldog's handle! He mostly deals in Oakville alley, behind Kempe's Barbershop."
"And what's with the badges?" The blue eyed detective pointed at the identical skull badge on the red jacket.
"Oh that, everyone wears them, it's the latest fad, you really don't. HEY! That's my wallet!"
"Really?" JJ hummed, flicking through it. "Then can you explain why you have a photo of a member of the Vipers? A known gang."
"Nothing to do with you!" Bart sneered. "Give it back!"
"But it's evidence, a potential link to a violent criminal." Jones was the one smirking now.
"Or you could just tell us who he is." Southern charm as sarcasm.
"Fine. The guy on the picture is Salvador Cordero, the Vipers' new leader."
"Pleasure." The red head handed it over and they turned away, the little blitter fuming in place.
They drove the few blocks to Oakville for JJ's phone to go off.
"Hi JJ."
"Nathan, I take it you've just finished our autopsy."
"What else?" He heard the pleasant smile in the elder man's voice. "The killer was left handed and probably used a pocket knife or something similar, also the victim had hairs and skin under his nails, your looking for a fellow red-head."
"Thanks Nathan." He hung up, leaning over to whisper it in David's ear, the brunette shivering.
"Bulldog?" A man ever so slightly broader and taller than JJ scowled at them. "Perfect, Dan Brown was killed earlier today with a piece of paper that leads back to you as his drug dealer."
"What? I'm not a dealer. Do you see drugs on me? What kind of moron do you think I am?"
"I won't answer that." Sass in a Louisiana accent worked far to well. "Now, we'll be taking a look at your office."
The smaller red-head easily slid past into the alley, Jones standing back, hand ready to go for his gun.
One eye was glued to Bulldog while the other tracked his partner as he pulled something from a dumpster before taking a swab from a poster.
"I'm done, let's get back."
It didn't take long for Grace to match the blood to the victim and they managed identify the killer, no-one was surprised when it was Bulldog or that he took a swing at JJ, only getting his arm twisting behind his back.
The moron gave a full confession straight off the bat.
One murder in twelve hours, not bad, King was pleased at least and happy to know about the new leader of the Vipers.
