The Case of The Nighthawks

I threw the finished cigarette to the ground and reached into my pocket to get a new one. I got the cigarette out and fumbled my coat pockets for the lighter. I found it got it out and lit it. The flame lit my face up in the dark street but the Woman I was following never noticed me. So we kept walking through the streets and alleys of Manhattan. It was already well past midnight and the streets were mostly deserted.

It was dangerous for a woman to be outside at this hour. Walk down the right back alley in Manhattan and you can find anything, the saying went. Still she walked with a carelessness, and even courage maybe. Of course she had a right to feel safe. Everybody in this corrupt town knew the Woman I was following. Jessica Campbell. The Widow, as the newspaper called her lately. Suddenly she looked back, maybe sensing someone was following her. Luckily, I had the time to go in to an alley and remain unseen. I didn’t have to follow her closely. Her red dress made it easier to spot her from far. I waited a minute and peaked, she was already on her way again. So I went on her trail and we continued touring the streets in the night and my mind started to drift to the facts of the case.

“The Nighthawks have been stolen!” was the headline in most of the newspapers couple weeks ago. The famous businessman Peter Campbell have bought them and brought them from a far away country. Their pictures were in every newspaper, two life sized hawk statues, both black, one made out of Onyx other Obsidian and their beaks and eyes were diamonds. Campbell used them in his new restaurants opening, displayed them and then brought them back to his mansion. Which was a big mistake as the next day his wife called the police crying and shouting, the officer who took the call made out only couple of the words but they were enough, “He is dead… My husband… The birds! The birds are gone too!”

The story was already so good, the reporters didn’t even added stuff to the story to make it look interesting. A rich businessman with alleged ties to the mob died and his most precious treasure’s stolen and the only witness is the widower who inherited his empire. This was all I knew too for a time. I already had my own job to think of so I didn’t thought on it much. Until yesterday, my office phone rang and I got a message from the police chief himself, calling me to the station.

So I went to meet with him. As went through to the station, I saw familiar faces all around. Some greeted me, some acted like I didn’t exist anymore. I saw my old desk, now serving another detective. Then I reached the Chief’s office, knocked and went in.

“Draper! Come on in. Come on in.” he got up and greeted me and pushed me in to an uncomfortable chair then went around his desk to his own place. “Thank you for coming John. I know we haven’t parted ways in the nicest of ways but that’s in the past now.”

“So you have a case for me?” I cut him off and lit another cigarette, looking at him impatiently. I had no intention of staying at that cursed place one second more than I needed to.

“Well… Yes, but this have to be discreet. NYPD cannot be seen employing private investigators now. So if you accept to work quietly we can move on to business.” He said, suddenly very serious. I nodded and he went on. “I’m sure you have heard of the Nighthawk murder, as the newspapers put it?” I nodded again. “Good. Our own detective Sterling is on the case but didn’t make much of a progress. I’d give him more time but everyone in this damn city want this case to be closed. So I need someone who can get results and finish this fast. I need you on this case, John.”

I thought for a minute. The case seemed big. It didn’t seem like just a robbery gone wrong. There had to be some deeper plot. Well, I was intrigued. “My usual hourly rate applies and a bonus when I close the case” I said.

“Just send me the bill” he said smiling and I got up to leave. “Detective Sterling is waiting to brief you on the case outside”.

Sterling was waiting for me just outside the office with files in hand. He looked tired and old. “Here are the files, John” he said handing them to me. “All the progress I made is in there. The evidence, the interviews and my notes. Have fun.” He said with a straight face and walked away. He must’ve been pissed that the chief just took his case away from him.

Without saying anything else, I walked out of the building and headed to my office to start my investigation.

The woman suddenly looked back again. I was so deep in my thoughts that I almost didn’t notice but still we were crossing a crowded street and I was far enough to be a part of the crowd. She scanned the crowd for a minute, trying to pick up something but failed, while I just turned around looked to a shop window and smoked. My hat must cover most of my face from that distance I thought to myself. Satisfied that there was nothing wrong, Jessica Campbell started walking again and after a minute I was back on her tail, my thought again drifting to the facts.

So I was in my office, case file papers scattered across my desk. I took a sip from the glass filled with whiskey than put it down and continued reading. So the facts were these: Two Campbell’s were home alone when the thief or the thieves struck. Jessica was already up in the bedroom sleeping and she thought Peter was in the study. When she woke up in the morning she went downstairs, saw bloodstains, followed them and found her husband in a pool of blood. She screamed and went to the phone in the next room and noticed the birds weren’t in their place while she was talking to the officer. “No alibi” I said to myself. “Her being the killer is too obvious though.” There was also man’s bloody shoe print on the floor.

So Sterling first interviewed the widow then went to the right hand man of Peter. Walter White. Him being an ex mobster was a known thing. I had come across of him during one of my investigations couple years ago but he had evaded me. Peter employing him was also the main reason everyone thought he had some shady stuff going on. Also him being filthy rich during war time didn’t help either. Anyway. I slowly went through every material in the file while also going through my pack of smokes and by whiskey. By the time I had finished it was already dark outside. I decided to go out to the Campbell mansion to see the crime scene for myself. So I grabbed my revolver from my desk drawer and went out.

I left my car in a street away from the mansion and started walking to the gate. When I entered to the drive way I saw a woman getting out of the house. She had brown hair and had a red dress on. I immediately recognized her as she came in to the light. She was Jessica Campbell. I drove in to the bushes next to the road and waited without moving. She didn’t see me before and didn’t notice me when she walked past. So I waited a minute or two and decided to tail her instead of checking out the house. “It’s already been weeks” I said to myself. “They must already cleared everything in there” and started walking.

And we walked. Together but far away. Through the dark alleys, streets and busy avenues. She didn’t looked like she just lost her husband. She looked… happy. Still being the wife of Peter Campbell meant something, even after he died, so she was safe to walk in any road without being the target of other nightly dangers.

I took out yet another smoke and checked my watch. Two hours it has been. Going around Manhattan for two hours at night. “Where are you going?” I thought. She looked around once more and then suddenly picked up the pace. She wasn’t wandering anymore. “Now we have a destination” I said.

We walked another ten minutes and I saw where we were headed. “Phillies” it was called. A small diner. It had giant glass windows and the light from the inside illuminated the street. There was a triangular bar in the middle with two coffee machines attached to it. It seemed empty except the guy working behind the bar. Jessica went in without hesitation and sat at a bar stool. I was still outside in the darkness but I saw her talk to the bartender and he nodded, going in to the kitchen.

I waited two more minutes, threw my cigarette away and went in myself. Her face suddenly lit up as I went in through the door but then filled with disappointment. I tipped my hat to her in a friendly way, she put on a fake smile for me while I took a seat on the opposite side of the bar. “She is waiting for someone!” I thought.

The bartender came back from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand and put it in front of Jessica and filled a cup with coffee for her then turned to me. “What can I get you?” he asked.

“Just coffee” I said and lit another cigarette. “Heh. These will kill me one day.” I said out loud. Jessica didn’t answer, just stared at the door. My coffee arrived and the bartender continued his cleaning. The two of us just sat there, she waiting for someone and me acting like I was just enjoying a cup of coffee.

I thought of trying to start a conversation with her but decided against it. I preferred anonymity for a while longer. Once I outed myself as a private detective, there was no going back. So we waited.

I was at my second cup when someone else walked through the door. He wore an expensive steel grey suit, had a hat on, his nose looked like a beak and he was thin. He also carried a brief case that looked heavy, he was leaning to the side he was carrying it. “Wally!” said Jessica, excited.

“Walter White!” I thought. Peter’s second in command. I tried not to seem surprised or shocked and kept it to myself. Walter didn’t seem to put much thought on me as Jessica jumped to his arms and kissed him. He quickly pushed her away “Not here!”

Jessica sat at her spot and Walter took the seat next to her, putting the briefcase between them. “I heard that they took that idiotic detective off the case.” He said grimly.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Jessica asked.

“Well, a case this public, they won’t let it go so they must have put someone else on the case. What if he is good?” he said then turned to the guy behind the bar “Coffee for me too.”

“Oh” said Jessica. “Still you are good right?”

Bartender took out another cup and put it down in front of him while he said “Probably. It’s been weeks Jess. The deed is done. The house is clean. You’ll inherit the money soon enough.” He took out a cigarette. “We are good.”

“I hope so.” She answered, taking another bite of her sandwich.

White fumbled around his pockets for a minute than “Where is the damn… Hey buddy do you have a light?” He suddenly asked me.

“Ah yes! Sure.” I murmured, trying to keep calm and fished out my lighter from my pocket and threw it to him. He caught it in the air and lit his cigarette and started to throw it back but then stop. “Hey! Do I know you?” he asked at me squinting, he seemed he was trying to remember.

“Ah, Crap!” I thought to myself and said “Sorry man. One of those faces, I guess” out loud, with a smile.

His expression relaxed and he shrugged, throwing the lighter back at me. I caught it and tried to look like I was minding my own business instead of listening into theirs. I took another sip of my coffee.

“So did you get the tickets?” she asked.

“Yes. As soon as you sign the papers, we can be away.” He answered.

Jessica took the last piece of sandwich from the plate. The bartender came and took the plate from in front of her and started to wash it behind the bar. “So who do you think is now on the case?” she asked.

Walter’s hand with the cigarette was on the bar but I couldn’t see his other hand. I was looking down at the bar while Jessica was getting ready to eat her last piece, with a thinking expression on her face. “I don’t know love” he answered. “Probably someone out of the force, like a private investi… oh fff…” he said suddenly, eyes wide.

For a second everything slowed down. He looked at me with wide eyes, recognizing me. His hand that was behind the bar moved to his belt, to his gun. I too started to reach to my gun, taking it out of it holster. We looked at each other’s eyes. Everything froze for second then started moving again.

He drew faster.

I pushed myself back with the stool, still trying to aim.

Jessica screamed.

He fired. The gun blast deafened our ears, its flash made everything seem brighter.

The bullet went through my hat and through the window behind me.

I fired.

The bullet went through his head. He suddenly started to fall, as I too hit the ground.

Everything suddenly turned back to normal speed. It was over in less than a minute. Walter lied on the ground, his brain slowly spilling on the floor. Apparently, Jessica too fell to the ground, she was still screaming at the top of her lungs. The bartender had hidden behind the bar. “Lady! Shut up!” I yelled at her.

“I’m a private investigator. Call the cops.” I ordered the bartender. “Jessica Campbell! You are under arrest for the murder of Peter Campbell and the theft of the Nighthawk statues” I said. I took out a pair of cuffs from my jacket pocket and cuffed her. She had stopped screaming but still sobbed uncontrollably. I hopped over the dead body of Walter White and took the briefcase from the floor, put it on the bar and opened it. Two black falcons looked back at me. I smiled, “Well, this was easy” I said, closing it. I sat on another stool and turned to the bartender and said “Another coffee please.”