Undercovers Detective Ch. 01

"Good work! How do you think this all went down?"

Alex looked around the room. "Based on the lack of blood at the scene, he was killed at another location and brought back to his office to make it look like a suicide. I'm sure we can get our blood spatter analyst to confirm that. The dirty knees and bruised wrists indicate he was kneeling with his hands tied and was executed gangland style."

"What's the motive?"

"I don't have a clue," she sighed. "But I'd bet this has something to do with it." She took the flash drive back from me and inspected it, as if it was the key to solving this mystery.

Mike had seen her holding the flash drive and rushed over to try and take it from her.

"Don't!" I said. "It's evidence for a murder."

He argued with me, still trying to push the suicide hypothesis. I told him it was a homicide and then queried him about why a division officer would be at a crime scene. I also restated that all non-essential personnel must vacate the premises and that included him.

-oOo-

After compiling our evidence and logging it in, we put together our report and took it to Captain Albert Greer. Alex was in awe of his reputation taught at the academy.

Greer was a heavy set black man with pitted skin nearing retirement. He wasn't much to look at but he was all business and the best cop I'd ever known. My father trained him when he was a rookie and he was like family to me. Albert was personally devastated when my dad was shot in a bank shootout. It steeled his resolve to bring down the bad guys and that is exactly what he did. Albert was legendary in solving several high profile cases.

He studied our scenario of the murder carefully and asked if this was all we had. I told him there was more. I had it in a separate file and handed it to him. I told him I kept this file separate because of the sensitivity of what it contained. The file was an extensive investigation taken from Victor's flash drive.

Victor was making a documentary on the underground sex slave and prostitution trade in Los Angeles. He had compiled some very strong evidence implicating key criminals, politicians, judges, and even police officers. There was enough there to raise suspicion on many recognizable people, but not strong enough to go to court with. We needed more. Records from a single source was not prosecutable evidence.

Captain Greer suggested we keep the number of people that know this to a minimum. He locked the door and closed the blinds. Then he commenced to share with us some classified information. He said there was presently a joint investigation task force with the FBI focused on the expanding Russian Mafia and their ever increasing influence on the drug and prostitution trade in Los Angeles.

"Alex," said Greer. "I'm going to ask you something I want you to think over before you respond."

"What?" Alex looked troubled.

"Would you consider going undercover?" Greer asked.

"Me?" She seemed surprised as I was. "I have no experience..."

"That makes you the perfect candidate. You're a fresh face, young, attractive, and from what I witnessed at Chubby's... very convincing."

"Convincing at what?" she scoffed.

"To pose as a high class call girl, of course. We need you to gain inside information on this cartel."

"And if I say no?"

"First of all, let's explore what happens if you say yes," the captain replied. "If you do this, you'd help bring down some very bad people, and this might save a lot of girls from a life of sexual slavery. Last but not least, you'd be on the fast track for career advancement."

"I have absolutely no training whatsoever in undercover work."

"We will pair you up with a long term operative who will be your instructor. Plus, Frank will be on the team as your intermediator."

"Can I have some time to think this over?"

"Of course! I'll give you forty-eight hours. If you have more questions, ask them in person. Don't use the phone. From now on, all mention of this is classified. We need to move on with this as soon as possible."

To be continued.