I had been woken up by a loud banging on the front door. Let me clarify, I wasn’t “technically” woken up. Seeing as how it’s 6:17am, I’d concluded that I only gotten roughly…three hours of sleep. “I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE MATTHEW! OPEN UP!” The yell caught me off guard, causing me to flinch a bit. “That voice, where do I know that voice? And how does that familiar voice know me?” I asked myself. Getting out of bed and making my way to the door. I could hear heavy panting behind the door, as if an angry lion was behind it! Crap, is it the talking lion from Narnia!? Unfortunately, it wasn’t…in fact what was actually behind the door was much worst.

        “Cody Gibson, I would’ve never guessed you, of all people would come see me.” Cody Gibson was the head football player in high school. He’d get all the pretty girls, everyone loved him, a natural star born leader he is. Now a days he’s the chief of police, I beat I know why he’s here. “Look, Martin I need your help. The entire force is at a dead end, and I really hate to ask-““Whoa, Gibson hold on a second there buddy. We barely knew each other in high school and you’re asking me for help? How’d you even know I was a detective?” “There’s records of you doing low key detective work in the poor parts of town.” I gesture him in and tell him to take a seat, while I lead against my desk. “Why come to me, though? I know darn well there are better Detective out there, then me.” And it’s true, both of us should know this to be fact. “Well, most of the detective in the city cost a lot of money, and I figured you’d be up for it…” He shrugged his shoulder and gave a nervous grin. Pinching the bridge of my nose, starting to suffer from a small hangover “Okay, I’ll take the case. How much are we talking…?”

        Stepping out of my car, I had finally arrived at the Jacob house. Slamming the car door and lighting up a cigarette, then made my way to the yellow tape. One of the deputies tried to stop me, but before he could rise his hand, I had flashed my badge in his face and just walked right on in, no questions asked. The place was littered with cops, it’s a shame really, it might suck being poor but at least I’m not a target for thieves like this guy is. Getting lost in the shiny splendors of the home, every surface was polished, there were armor suits in nearly every corner of the halls and most importantly, there were portraits of family members all over the wall.

        “Martin, over here!” For some odd reason, it’s always Gibson’s booming voice that makes me jump. My head turned so quickly my neck popped, I groaned and tossing cigarette I started making my way towards Gibson and, Mr. Jacob. Mr. Jacob stood up, holding his left hand out “I’m sure you know who I'm, yes?” he spoke in such a snobby way, it’s all some stereotypical. “Mr. Jacob, this is Matthew Martin. He’s the detective I told you about, he’s going to ask some you some questions.” Gibson stated, and he left the two of us be.

        Mr. Jacob gestured me to sit down, I made myself comfortable while reaching for my notebook in my coat pocket. Grabbing my pen from out behind my ear and presented myself as ready to listen. “So, Mr. Jacob. Could you tell me what the value of the painting is?” Jacob cleared his throat before speaking, “Well, considering the original is worth nearly $120 million dollars, I’d have to say that the rough deft could go much more than original. People, mostly art fanatics, love seeing an artist methods of drawing, how they got one idea and form it into another.” Nodding my head and scribbling what he said down, I ponder on who would have done it but I try not to get carried away with the ideas. “But, how would anyone know about this possession, Mr. Jacob?” his face contorted a bit more with concern and confusion than anything else. “I’m not sure myself, I mean, all the other rich families knew we owned this for years. But I highly doubt any of them have anything to do with this.” He sounds sure of himself, when people sound too confident they could be lying or telling the truth…I need more evidence. “One last question Mr. Jacob, was there anyone visiting before the crime as committed?” he had to think for a moment, “Well my step sister, Jackie Bark, was over. She wanted to talk to me about the inheritance I received when my father died. She feels she entitled to some of the money.” I nodded once aging, Jackie Bark, writing the name in my notebook and circling it. I put my notebook back in my pocket and pen behind my ear, standing up and waving goodbye to Mr. Jacob. I stood outside my car and lit up another cigarette, staring at my reflection in the car window thinking if this case could be a break through. “Where are you going Martin?” Cody had appeared behind me, scaring me half to death. “Jesus Cody, don’t do that!” yelled at him, blowing a bit of smoke in his face. “God, sorry. So you got any leads?” he asked perching his hands on his hips. “I’m going to see a Jackie Bark.” I said as I got in my car “Don’t wait up.” And with that I left.  

I have access to the NKPD database, anyone who does a crime and gets caught is in here. I remembered seeing a Jackie Bark in the database, she was different and her profile is mainly filed with shoplifting, battery and robbery. Apparently she robbed an odd friend because they wouldn’t give her back her skateboard she had left there for two years. Jackie is an albino, she has long white hair, pale as snow skin and pale blue eyes. She lives in the central part of the city, she works as a bartender in a fancy hotel. It’s been roughly four hours since I’ve arrived at her house, as a detective you got to have a lot of free time, stake outs suck sometimes. Now the time is 9:36p.m and she’s finally left for work, I hopped out of my car and made my way to the backyard.

        Picking the lock and stalked inside the house. This isn’t “breaking and entering” It’s my job to gather evidence, and most of the time you have to do the same things you’re being asked to prevent. My first goal; find evidence! The first place detective should always look is the trash, I went out in the garage and dug around in the totters. After about 20 minutes of near dumpster diving I finally found something worth checking out. It felt like a piece of a canvas, placing the piece in a plastic bag and headed out the garage, now she was visiting William close to the time of the crime. I’m sure the crime lab has a picture of the painting, I’ll be able to compare this piece of fabric.

        I headed back out to the backyard and closed the backdoor, I casually strolled back to my car. But I was caught be surprised when Jackie returned home early.  “Hey, who are you? Why are you come out of my backyard?” Jackie seem to very unpleased with my actions. “I’m sorry Miss Bark, I’m investigating some recent break-ins. People have said that robbers are getting in back doors. And-“before I could finish she cut me off with something I didn’t expect. “Yeah, there’s being robbers and YOU”RE THE ONE DOING IT!!” she screamed while she pulled out her phone and showed a recording of me entering through the back door. Darn this modern tech!

        She lunged at me, started throwing punches, kicks! She grabbed me by my coat collar “WHO ARE YOU AND WHY WERE YOU IN MY HOUSE!! She was shaking me so violent that my word would be all jumbled up when I tried to explain, I had to head butt her so she would stop. She fell backwards holding her head, I tried to make a break for it but she grabbed my leg causing me to fall. The plastic bag the contained the canvas fabric had fallen out of my pocket, she notices this can leaped for it. We both fought for the bag but she won. “What is this, where did it come from?” I didn’t want to make her more mad then she already was “Okay, my name is Matthew Martin I’m a detective I’ve been hired by the NKPD to help solve the stolen painting at your brother’s house. I’ve concluded you as a suspected of the stolen painting.” She had calmed down after I explained myself “I haven’t seen my ‘step’ brother in a month. I don’t know what painting you’re talking about.” After she said that, everything made scenes. “If you’re telling the truth then you need to come with me!” We both got in my car and headed to the Jacob family attorney.  

We were given the Jacob family will, it turns out that Jackie was supposed to get the house and half of her step fathers wealth. The only reason why she didn’t received it was because William made a copy of the will, forging his name in Jackie’s place and changed the amount of money. Apparently, the painting was given to their father as a gift and he gave it William before he died. Jackie had moved out to live with a friend four months before her step father died, therefore, she had no knowledge of the painting. William is trying to get rid of Jackie before anyone can catches him in his crime. He tried to frame Jackie for stealing the painting, giving more evidence by saying she had visited him the same day it was stolen. And went as far as to plant evidence!

        The piece of canvas I found matches to the picture of the painting. “I think I have a plan, Jackie. Come on, we going to visit William!” I told her, waving for her to follow me, I called Cody and explained everything. I told him to bring back up, you know, in case things get hairy.

        We arrived at the Jacob house, I told Jackie to wait in the car. I can’t tell what other plans William had for her, knocking and waiting to be asked in is just the first step. I was finally in the house, making my way to William’s office. “Ah, Detective. I wasn’t expecting you this late in the day, can I offer you a drink?” I tutored my skinny face “Don’t act coy with me William, I know what you did! Do you really think you can just get rid of Jackie like that?” William starts act cocky like he thinks he’ll get away with it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Detective…” he said with a snarky little grin. I slam his father’s will and the fake on his desk “You don’t know, well then maybe these will help you remember!” his face sunk like the titanic, got him “Okay! I forage my name over Jackie’s, my father loved her more than me! I need her out of the picture so I framed her. She tainted the family name with her crimes!”

        Suddenly Cody came in and arrested William. Later around 2:00 am, I returned back to me small crappy apartment, tossing my hat and coat on the coat rack. I dragged my feet over to my liquor table and pour myself a cup of Brandy. Lingered towards the TV and switched it on and finally made my way to the window-unlocked it and opened it. The sounds of the city drowned out the TV. The red little blinks on my home phone “A message? For me?” I played the massage, “Hey Martin this is Cody, the department will send you your paycheck in the mail. You sure get it by tomorrow. I don’t know how you did it but evidence says that William Jacob destroy the painting and tried to frame Jackie for it. Listen, the force could really use someone like you. I could get you a job in the NKPD, if you wanted one that is, see you late.”

                    I hesitated with my cigarette, twirling it in my fingers. Smiling a bit, and finally lighting the son of a gun. The same four light sources were, once aging, in the same room. I reached of the phone and dialed in the numbers, ring after ring, blowing smoke in the dusty air…finally I was connected “Yeah Cody, so how much are we talking about….?”