LIVING ON THE EDGE

CHAPTER: 13

Sharon had met Cedric Travis when she had been five years old. They had crossed paths for the first time on a day when her twin brother, Peter, fell off his bike and scraped his knee. While she was comforting her brother, and helping him up, a stout kid with a thick, low cut afro came their way. 

"Is he all right?" the large boy asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah. He just took the turn wrong." Sharon said, wiping tears from Peter's face. Sharon had been just a few minutes older than her brother, but as they aged, the minutes seemed more like years. "Can you walk the bike back to our house?" Sharon asked Cedric.

"Yeah," Cedric said. Sharon turned back to her brother, Peter, and took his hand. As soon as they started walking, Cedric zoomed past her on Peter's bike.

"Hey, you cannot ride the bike! I said walk it back!" Sharon yelled, dragging Peter behind her as she ran toward Cedric. When she caught up with him, she slugged him as hard as she could. He fell off the bike and started crying. All the commotion brought both sets of parents outside, where they found two sobbing boys and one bossy girl standing with her hands on her hips. Over three decades later, Cedric Travis and Sharon were still friends. 

Cedric was out when Sharon arrived at Nashville police headquarters but she was still able to get to the murder book. A few years ago, most of the guys Sharon had worked with had been merged and posted into the Maury County department at the 9th precinct at the Nashville headquarters. Sharon walked through the double doors and spotted Danny Peterson behind the call desk.

"Private Detective Sharon Stone... Now, what have we lowly folks done to earn the pleasure of your company?" Danny Peterson said.

Danny Peterson had transformed his persona into a successful career in law enforcement. He was the king of the interrogation room; he could go undercover and just about weave his way into any criminal operation.

"You know me. I only come around when I need something," Sharon said, winking before slamming her hand into Danny's thick palm, and allowing him to pull her into a "brotherly hug."

"How is easy street treating you?" Danny asked, referring to her private investigator status.

"Easier and easier every day," Sharon replied.

They laughed and made small talks for a few minutes. after that Sharon, chatted with a few other guys, high-fived her former boss, and then asked to see Detective Mike Jackson. He came strolling out of the back of the precinct with a suspicious grin on his face. Sharon held out her hand as he approached.

"Detective Jackson. I am Sharon Stone, and I am..."

"I know, I know. Cedric Travis already put a bug in my ear. Let us talk," Jackson said.

Mike Jackson was short and stocky with fuzzy, but a well-kept mustache. His eyes were sharp and dark, and they stood in stark contrast to his light brown skin.

I hate to have people in my business," Jackson said, gripping her hand tightly.

"Understandable. Thanks for talking with me," Sharon said.

He was around five foot six, attractive, and based on the fact that he was the only guy with his nose in a file when she arrived, probably a good cop. She could tell by his swagger and a laidback sense of humor that he had probably been born and raised in Sweetwater. A brief chat with her old chief had informed Sharon that Jackson was known for being a solid family man, and was already approaching high solve rates, even though he had only been a detective for four years. 

"How is the case?" he asked, flipping through the murder book.

Sharon tried to catch a glimpse of the information as he turned the pages. Murder books are great resources because they contain pictures, notes, and information from interviews, but from what Sharon could see, this one did not contain much.

"It is not moving as fast as I would like to, but there are some leads," Sharon replied.

"Really? Well, that is good. So, you have chosen the Private Investigator thing. How is it working out?" Jackson asked.

Sharon thought about the large sums of money she had collected from spouses eager to know if their better halves were cheating on them. One case could net enough money to sustain her for several months, and if the information helped the victim get a nice divorce settlement, they were gracious and paid her even more. When she had decided to become a Private Investigator, she had not considered the financial gains. At that time she did not want to be a part of the police force. She was bitter and blamed the Police Detection Department for her husband Daniel's death. Eventually, it was revealed that Daniel's death was not the fault of the department, but she still chose not to return from her leave of absence. After the first few cases as a private detective, Sharon realized that her income was going to increase by leaps and bounds.

"Things are good. Of course, this murder case will be tough, but I think we can solve it. We are just missing something. We need a piece of evidence that is not there," Sharon replied.

"What do you think it is?" Jackson asked.

"No idea; but looking at the evidence might help," Sharon said.

The evidence was sparse. The only items collected from the scene had been Adriana's gold bracelet, her wedding ring, the carcass of a dead pigeon that had been underneath her body, and a bandana that she had stuffed into her purse. The bandana was the item that had made the police think she was having an affair. Maury County was known for its exciting spin-off gangs. Adriana was suspected of seeing one of the gang members, and the bandana was thought to be a gift of some sort or left behind because the killer was interrupted. The other thing that was curious about Adriana's murder was the fact that the killer did not take her jewelry, money, or vehicle. Instead, they shot her and left... Perhaps in a panic, but maybe because they were not interested in the money or the other items. This was very strange and did not support the cheater narrative. A man in Maury County could have supported himself for at least a year with the amount of money and jewelry Adriana had on her the day she was murdered. If he had included the vehicle in the deal, he would have been set for more than a year. Something else was being missed here, Sharon had a gut feeling about that.

A/N: To be continued...