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  The Dark Streets

  A Dimensions Universe novel

  By Matthew Smith

  Dedications and Acknowledgements

  Hello everyone I am saving this page to dedicate and thank the following people for their support. I dedicate this book to my two sons Bridan and Draven, my mom and the love of my life, Kara Barr. I want to thank my homie, Sheridan for always being in my corner when nobody seemed to care at all, I also want to thank my uncle Tim for helping me become the creative writer I am and giving me a place to live in uncertain times, I also want to thank Gus, Dino, Theo and all of my friends and colleagues at Oven 360, 505 Christina St. N, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, N7T 5W3.

  Chapter One

  It was a dark and rainy night, I was a beat cop, just walking the streets of Chicago on a late night patrol, when I came across a body in an alleyway. The body was so hacked up that I couldn't recognize who it was, I threw up on a pile of garbage. That smell didn't help either, I saw the wallet of the victim lying beside the body. I picked it up and looked inside and saw a badge and the ID of the officer, it was Detective Rick Darring, my father. I radioed to the dispatch to send in the Homicide detectives. After a while a cruiser pulls up to the sidewalk and the car turns off and two detectives exit the car, the one getting out of the driver’s side was Detective Marcus Johnson and the one on the passenger’s side was Jonathan Prail, my father’s old partner before my father left the force. Marcus went to look at my father’s body and Jonathan walked up to me,

  “Hey Jack, can’t believe it actually happened, your father always was talking about it happening one day, never believed him, guess I was the fool.” Marcus came back to us,

  “He was a good detective Jack, the blood seems fresh, so it hasn't been long since he was killed... You know what Jack, go and get some rest, I'll call you in the morning.” I nodded,

  “Yeah, I'll do that but I don't think I'll get much sleep... My father just died... I may need a drink before I go home.”

  “Have a drink for me will ya Jack?” I looked at Jonathan,

  “I’ll have more than just one.” I walked away from the gruesome crime scene of my father's death. I was walking towards my usual drinking place, Cajan's. I saw the nightlife of people, going about their night and started thinking that these people have no idea that someone just got hacked to death, not many people will even care that he’s not around. Me and my father may not have not been the best of friends, but he’s still my dad. As I was coming up to Cajan's, I looked up and saw the neon sign that spelled 'Caan's' because the owner, Mr. Cajan, hasn't fixed the sign, said it made the place look old and familiar but I know it's because he can't afford to fix it. I opened the door to the inviting smell of alcohol and Cajun,

  “Hey Jack, you're here early, did you get off earlier?” I walked towards the voice of the bartender, the beautiful yet intimidating Willow, me and her grew up in the same neighbourhood, her parents were friends of mine, so we eventually became real close until I moved away for college,

  “Yeah I did, but not for a good reason.” Willow went to the fridge and grabs me and her a beer,

  “What happened, it looks like you saw a dead body but that shouldn’t bother you, isn’t that common in your line of work?” I managed to smile and took a sip of my beer,

  “Yeah it is, but tonight I saw something straight out of a horror film, I saw my father's body hacked up in an alleyway, it was so hacked up that I didn't know it was him until I looked in his wallet laying beside him.” My eyes welled up with tears but I quickly wiped them away,

  “Oh my God! Rick's dead!? I can't believe it, I thought no one would mess with him.” Mr Cajan came in from the back,

  “What is with all that yeeling Willow?” Willow looked over at Mr. Cajan,

  “Rick's dead.” Mr Cajan's eyes grew wide,

  “Oh my God, I'm so sorry to hear that Jack, was he killed?” I took my last sip and put my empty beer bottle with the other empties and got up,

  “Yeah he was, his body was hacked up pretty bad, probably by an axe, he definitely suffered.” My eyes began to well up with tears again, I wiped them up quickly, Mr. Cajan shook his head,

  “This city is just getting worse for murders, I wouldn't be surprised to find out it was a drug related killing, your father being a volunteer for the city's drug recovery program, could have made him a target for some.” I nodded,

  “Yeah probably, Willow, mind driving me home?” Willow looked at Mr . Cajan and he nodded,

  “Go ahead, I'll lock up for the night and I got my sawed off shotgun and Jack if there's anything I can do to help, you let me know, me and your father were close friends.” I nodded,

  “I know Mr. Cajan Thanks, I will and you keep it easy and I still can’t find a replacement J but one of these days I will.” Mr. Cajan laughed,

  “Oh Jack, you and your jokes, one day there will be a J up there, mark my words!” Willow grabbed her jacket and purse and I opened the door for her, “I see you’re still keeping the 67' Mustang in good condition.” Willow nodded,

  “Yes, I am when my dad gave me this car before he died, I promised him to make sure this car stays in good condition and I think I’ve kept my word, it works like a charm, no need to get a new car...yet.” She unlocked our doors, she opened her door and got in, I did the same. She inherited the car from her dad, she's had it for ten years. Her father was murdered and my father was the one who caught his killer. “You live at the same place right?” I nodded and she started the car and started to drive, “you know, I can’t believe you still live in the same old place, I’m surprised no one lived in it from the time you left for college and came back.”

  “Yeah I guess I got lucky, how about you? Are you still living at the same old place?” She shook her head,

  “No I moved out of that dump, I now live in your neighborhood.” My eyes grew wide,

  “Really, how long have you been living there?” She stopped at a red light,

  “About five months now.” I looked at her and saw her beautiful brown wavy hair going down her shoulders,

  “I see, surprised I haven't seen you out and about, but I'm usually out working all the time.” She stopped the car in front of my apartment, a guy was standing outside smoking,

  “Yup, I'll have to come over and visit sometime.” I nodded,

  “Yeah I'd like that.” She smiled,

  “Yeah, same here.” I opened my door and unbuckled my seatbelt and got out, I bent down to look at her,

  “Have a good night Willow.”

  “Yeah you too Jack and again, I'm sorry that your dad is dead, I mean he was like a father to me, ever since my dad was killed, he was there for me.” I shut the door and she drove off. I walked up to the front door of my apartment building,

  “Hey Jack, you and Willow a thing yet?” I smirked,

  “No not yet David, but it's a work in progress.” He laughed,

  “Well you better try now before someone else takes her, see you later Jack.” He walked away,

  “Yeah, see ya later David.” I took my keys out of my jacket pocket and unlocked the door and walked to my mailbox and unlocked it, number three zero five and grabbed my mail, “goddamn bills.” I closed and locked the mailbox and turned away and walked down the end of the hallway, and turned left and pressed the call button for the elevator. After watching the number countdown to the main floor, it dinged and the elevator doors opened and I walked in, I pressed the three button and the doors closed and the elevator started going up. It dinged and the doors opened, I got out and turned left and started walking down the hallway past
the apartments until I got to mine, three zero five, I took my key out and unlocked my door and opened it, “home sweet home.” I took my shoes off and put them on the shoe rack facing the right wall, I took my jacket off and put in the closet. I walked in my kitchen and opened the fridge and took out a beer and opened it. I walked into the living room and plopped down on my couch and turned my TV on, “let's see what's on.” The TV flashed on and the local news channel was playing, they were talking about my father's death,

  “In later news, it appears Detective Rick Darring has been murdered in an alleyway this evening, sources say that his son, rookie cop Jack Darring discovered his father's body late this evening during one of his late night patrols, Rick Darring was involved with the arrest of several lawyers, doctors and cops ten years ago, after a father was brutally murdered in a similar fashion by a cult of the name The Blue Knights, could they be back it again?, back to you Ryan.” I turned the TV off, ten years ago, my father's first case as a homicide detective. My father probably did make some enemies because of that case. I finished my beer and put it on the kitchen counter, I walked into my room and took my clothes off and put them in the hamper and got pyjamas out of my dresser and put them on and got into bed and closed my eyes.

  “Hello Mr. Darring.” A dark figure was sitting on a chair,

  “Wh...who are you?” The dark figure chuckled and I squinted my eyes in the direction of the voice and I saw the silhouette of a man,

  “Oh I know you’re only kidding, you don’t think the dumb act is going to fool me?” I remembered the voice from the past, a past that I thought was gone forever,

  “Of course I remember you… Stake.”

  Chapter Two

  Stake nodded,

  “Yes, of course you do Jack, how could you forget your old friend Stake, you’re probably wondering how and why I came back after all this time.” I nodded,

  “Yes I am actually, I knew you weren’t gone but you did tell me that you were getting weaker and had to lay low but I honestly never thought you’d come back.”

  “Well my dear old friend Jack, I am back because I fear what has happened to your father has something to do with my brother.”

  “Brother? You have a brother?” He nodded,

  “Yes my old friend, I do but you have a call, we will talk more later.” I awake to my phone ringing, I pick it up and put it to my ear,

  “Hello?” The gruff sounding Detective Marcus Johnson was on the other end,

  “Hello Officer Darring, I'd like you to come down the station, into my office, I have something to discuss with you.”

  “Okay sir, I’ll be right there.” I hung up the phone and got up, I went to my dresser and opened the top drawer and got my boxers, I took my pajamas off and put my boxers on. I then opened the last drawer and got out a pair of black cargo pants and put them on. I walked towards my closet and pulled my jacket out and put it on, and closed my closet door and walked back to my dresser. I opened the top drawer again and took my badge and gun and put them in my jacket pocket, I then walked to my shoe rack and put my shoes on. I grabbed my apartment keys and opened my apartment door, and walked out and closed it and locked it. I then walked down the hallway to the elevator and pressed the call button, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I walked in and I pressed the main floor button and the doors closed and it started going down, it dinged and the doors opened. I walked out of the elevator and turned left, and walked towards the exit of the apartment building. I opened the doors leading outside and turned right on the sidewalk towards the bus stop just outside of the building, I got to the stop and waited for the bus to come. Nearly a minute goes by and the bus arrives at the bus stop, the bus' doors open and I walk on to the bus and I pull out a bus ticket and I put it in a container with money and bus tickets in it. I walk towards the very back of the bus and sit down, the bus starts driving away. As the city passes me, I looked around in the streets and saw people just walking around going to work, oblivious as to what happened to my father last night. I pull on a cord above me and it makes a ding sound and the driver stops the bus at bus stop at the police station. I walk off the bus,

  “Have a nice day.” The bus drives away and I walk towards the entrance to the police station, I climb the stairs to the front doors and I open them. The receptionist behind the desk looks up and smiles,

  “Hello Officer Darring.”

  “Hello Ms. Dawson, could you tell Detective Johnson that I’m here and on my way to his office.”

  “Certainly Jack.”

  “Thanks Laura.” She then picked up her phone and paged Detective Johnson, Laura was the only person that knew me personally. We used to go to high school together, never thought that we would be working together, never thought I’d be a cop either but hey a lot of things happen in life. I turned and walked down the hallway towards the elevator, I pressed the call button. The elevator dinged and the doors opened and I walked into the elevator, and I pressed the second floor button, and the doors closed and it started going up. It came to a stop and dinged, the doors opened and I walked out and towards Detective Johnson's office. I came to his office door and I knocked on his door,

  “Come in.” I opened the door and saw the detective sitting behind his desk, he motioned for me to sit, “take a seat Jacky boy.” I walked to the chair in front of his desk and I pulled it out and sat down,

  “Hello sir, why have you called me into your office this morning?” The detective went to his filing cabinet and opened the middle drawer and started searching for a file, after a couple of minutes, he pulled out a file and placed it in front of me,

  “Is this...?” Detective Marcus nodded,

  “Yes, it's your father's case... your first case as a detective.” My eyes grew wide,

  “Really? You're promoting me to a detective?” Detective Jonson nodded,

  “Yes, well I’m not the Chieff is but I put a good word in for you because you were among the best cadets in the academy and you’ve been the one of the best cops on the force, just like your old man and if you’re as good as he was we'd need someone with that talent...just don't make me regret this decision, you fuck up it's not just you who gets bit in the ass but I do too.”

  “I promise not to let you and the Chief down.”

  “I hope not Jack, so your partner on this case will be Detective Jonathan Prail, your father's old partner...listen to what he has to say, he's one our best detectives on the force, he's waiting for you in his office, it's around the corner from mine.” I nodded and walked out of Detective Johnson's office and started walking towards Detective Prail's office. I got to his office and knocked on the door,

  “Come in.” I opened the door to his office and walked in, “hello Jack, it’s a pleasure to be working with you, your father was a great detective and he told me a lot about you and your prospects in college, was surprised to hear you were on the force, but nonetheless I have a feeling his talents have been given to you, sit down.” I sat down on the chair in front of his desk,

  “I’ve heard a lot of things about you from my dad as well, you saved his life a lot of times.” He smiled,

  “Yeah but it was only because he saved mine a lot as well, I wish I was there to help him, I feel like I failed him in a way.” He put his head in hands,

  “Hey Jonathan don’t beat yourself up about it, I wish I was there to but you don’t see me crying about it!” He looked up at me and nodded,

  “Yeah true and anyways I have a lead for us to go on with the case, it’s a small one but every lead needs to be followed on a case as serious as this one, we owe it to your father.” I nodded,

  “Yes I agree, so what’s the lead?”

  “Well, we have a man that claims he saw a man wielding an axe go into the alleyway shortly after your father and came out shortly after with the axe covered in blood, his name is Donald Jefferies, he’s a recovering drug addict, says your father was his counsellor to help get off drugs.” I nodded,

  “I see, qui
te a story, saw all of this and he lived to tell it? We'll have to pay him a visit and see how believable he is in person.” Jonathan nodded,

  “Okay sounds good to me, we'll go now but before we do, who do you think would have killed your father?”

  “Well I think that one of the people you and my father arrested ten years ago, could've possibly have murdered him or the junkies in my fathers drug addicts recovery program.” Jonathan rubbed his chin,

  “That does seem highly likely and I thought the same, we'll have to get Laura to check the persons arrested in that case and their statuses.” I nodded,

  “That sounds good partner, when will the coroner be done with his examination, to see what insights we might learn from the coroner?”

  “He said it was a messy body, he said it shouldn't take him more than a week to finish.” I nodded,

  “Okay, let's get going and talk with this junkie.” Jonathan nodded and grabbed his jacket and hat and put them on, we walked out of his office and he closed his door and we walked towards the elevator. I pressed the call button, after a while the elevator dinged and the doors opened and we walked in. I pressed the button for the main floor, the doors closed and the elevator started going down,

  “So you and my father took down a cult?” Jonathan looked at me and nodded,

  “Yeah we did...it was his first case as a homicide detective, I was for two years before your father became one, that was my first big case though, it was a great case even if the crime was gruesome.” I nodded,

  “What a first case to have and was it the worst case you ever took and saw?” Jonathan looked down and then back at me,

  “Oh yeah, it was a doozy for sure, me and your father contemplated quitting several times but we never did, figured that was what they wanted us to do and I didn’t want to even think of those fuckers winning and it felt like something helped us win, like it was on our side or something.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened, we walked out of the elevator and towards Laura's desk. As we walked over my head started to ache and the room went dark and suddenly there was not one other person except for a dark figure,