Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). During the initial infection, a person may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. This is typically followed by a prolonged period without symptoms. As the illness progresses, it interferes more and more with the immune system, making the person much more likely to get infections, including opportunistic infections and tumors that do not usually affect people who have working immune systems. HIV is transmitted primarily via unprotected sexual intercourse including anal and even oral sex, contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. Some bodily fluids, such as saliva and tears, do not transmit HIV. There is no cure or vaccine; however, antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease and may lead to a near-normal life expectancy. While anti-retroviral treatment reduces the risk of death and complications from the disease, these medications are expensive and may be associated with side effects.
We are in the frontline like the medical associates are always reminded of the above passage in handling the felonies. We get to handle more blood than normal persons, and there was always the possible contamination.
I was made a fool when I forgot the rules or maybe I missed it.
I got contaminated.
Not by blood splashing bodies or stuffed rags on my open wound, but more of a direct intimate excursion for me to reclaimed my past glories.
I f*****d the wrong lady.
I am sorry, Jenny.
It all started that day when I had my usual 'why must you have your quickie this morning'. How was I know she was to go on a school tour. So when she left for school, I ended up in the bathroom for a long cold shower. It helped at times but most times, it was a diversion.
"Frank, what's with the chaos here?" I asked Frank after worming my way past the mobs of hookers and night walkers.
"They are here to protest on our lack of protection on them." Frank replied to me. "We just found a new one in the motel at 5th Avenue. Looks more like Jack may had moved here last month."
"Frank, with you sitting there, even the Ripper need to take a break." I laughed at Frank. He was getting irritated at my mock of his position with those displaying their anger.
"I would get the killer soon." I made amendment to my statement to Frank. I cannot afford Frank holding back support of his boys when I needed it. I looked at the folders on my desk. I been given three of the seven from the list of death, while Dusty handled the others. The last one was also with Dusty as he held the odd numbers.
Mary Parker, aged twenty one. Slashed in the alley; Susan Maine, aged twenty five. Slashed in the motel room; Ellen Page, aged twenty three. Slashed in the alley. There was no credible witnesses.
I guessed no one cared about them.
All between midnight and four am in the morning. Seems the killer likes that four hour span of time. Could be going back for a rest before the day job. That would be a good theory.
I went out there and looked at the mob outside. I identified the most vocal one; the one with the most passion to speak their mind. They sometimes have more to say. I saw her. She was the red head dressed in blouse and jeans.She was the one who threw the ketchup bottle. That was enough to dragged her in.
I interviewed her.
"Give me something to work on, Rose. I need some clues." I glared at the lady who sat there at the Discipline Room. "You knew more than the others."
It took her two hours before she would talked real things to me. She gave me a name to worked on.
Chris Fowler. Pimp and a bad one at it. Lost more girls than he can recruit. Stole some of the solitary ones and ran when the other pimps came to their rescue. I also got his address. The bastard stays in a trailer.
"Chris Fowler, I am Detective Barnes." That was enough for him to run in his bathrobe, but he should had known I don't come alone. I had the uniformed ones collared him and soon we searched his place. There was nothing to show he was the killer but there was evidence of narcotics to put him away. He sang some more names for me.
"They are the killers. I seen them do it." His credibility would never stand up in any courtroom. But any leads was better than none. According to him, it was a duo team who comes out at night and seek the solitary ones. One of them would singled out the victim and bring the later in for the kill.
"Blue van, with the logo of a wildcat on the side."
APB was sent out, and the hunt was on. It was only near midnight, the patrol cars sighted the van. The orders was to keep their distance and let the van move until they do something. They did soon enough at 0100hrs, when one of them from the van got off. I saw that as I was in the car behind them. The one who got off walked down the street while the van drove off. I had my clear look at the suspect.
Young man in his twenties, dressed in jacket and jeans with a baseball cap.
I got out to followed him by foot. He walked for over a block before he spoke to one of the girls by the corner. They were laughing and then he walked on. He did not stopped until the van came up to next to him by the kerb. He boarded it, and then they dropped off. Nothing happened by them but there was another killing three blocks away. The van was neither near the crime scene that night.
"Jim, why are you frogging at the street when there was another murder three blocks away?" I heard the Captain loud and clear. I was p*****d at myself for being led on a goose chase. Later I cornered back Fowler and roughed him up in my own way. There are more than just phone books and rubber hose. A man''s dignity counts a lot and there was where I belittled him. He soon broke down.
"You got to believe me." Chris Fowler cried out. "They may had been more than one van."
That made sense. I could be given the red herring. There could be more than one killer. I ran a check on the van we followed, and it came out to be owned by a lady named Anne Fletcher. She runs a butcher house and have a fleet of two vans with that logo. Anne dead husband died of a cardiac arrest in a whorehouse three months ago. He left behind her and her three adult sons. I checked more on the sons; all were brought in before for fighting and misconduct.
Dusty and myself did a stake out on the Fletchers. It took us three nights before we hit the jackpot. Both vans came out and went different directions. I took the first one while Dusty tailed the other. The van I tailed went downtown and then parked on the street. Two person came out; one was a lady and the other a man. The lady walked across the street to the motel and went in while the man walked down the street. Soon he was back with a lady in tow and they walked inside the motel.
I gave them half an hour and called in the support. I walked to the motel and checked with the clerk the rooms that was just hired out. He had the room numbers. I went up there and banged the door. It opened to showed a man with a towel around his waist. The lady on the bed was the one I saw. They were in bed like what normal people would do.
"Where is your Mum?" I asked the man. He just shook his head. I ran over to the other level where the other room was. I kicked down the door but there was no lady there. She was not in her room. I called in the patrol cars. They did a search and soon we had her cornered in the alley two streets down. She attacked the officer who was there who surprised her. She got shot in the left thigh when she attacked him with the knife. We took her into custody and soon she was telling us a lot of things; more than we expected.
"I killed those whores as they killed my husband. They deserved to die for destroying another person's family. I got my boys to drive me out. It was the only time I let them out for their fun. While the rest go driving and drinking, Rick here would meet his girlfriend while I go out. They don't know what I did. They thought I just like to use the hot tub at the motels. They are simple boys and don't need to know much. Just like their dad, all he needed was a good f***."
I got the killer and then came my reward. Or was it Rose who came onto me. She told me "I need to repay your effort."
"I don't do hookers." I earned a slap from her for that statement.
"I am not a hooker. I may stand with them but I don't do the trade. I am a woman who wants to help the other women." She leaned over and whispered into my ears. "I am a lady. I always come first."
She did; okay, I lied. Most times, I did but we had our moments. It was fine until Dan took me for a blood test. It was a silly notion of his then but soon I was given the news.
"Jim, you got HIV.." I staggered back on the result. It can't be; I was clean until ............. recently.
"Rose, didn't you know?" I asked her. She shook her head.
"Before I met you, I had some but it never occurred to me. I am so sorry, Jim." I was past believing and we walked out of each other's life.
I went back to Jenny but she must never know. It hardly matters, we never made love anymore.
No comments:
Post a Comment