Chapter 14 Chapter Twelve

In the third week after my first encounter with Officer Doakes, luck finally started to work on my side. Honestly, it's pure coincidence.I was having lunch with my sister, Deborah, I'm sorry, it should have been Officer Deborah.Debs, like her father, Harry, was a cop.Thanks to a few recent successful cases, she's been promoted from having to stand in the streets in a whore's attire, which, frankly, looks really good on her.Recently she was transferred to the homicide department, and she didn't laugh about it, but kept the police's standard expression. We had lunch together in the new utility car allotted to her, another privilege of promotion. "Lightning" is our favorite Cuban restaurant, and even the food couldn't melt her iceberg expression, and she frowned and sat across from me.

"How about it, Officer Grouper?" I said. "Do you think that's funny, Dexter?" She said, "My life is fine. To prove it, she ordered one of the best sandwiches in the Miami area, and a batidodemamey—a smoothie made with a unique tropical fruit that tastes like peach and watermelon. Not to be outdone, I asked for the same thing. "Everybody's so happy," I said, "You could have a dozen cops if you smiled a little more." "Dex, this is Miami. Only the bad guys are happy." She looked at me with a policeman's eyes, her face was expressionless.

"Don't insinuate me, I've been doing well for the last few months. I feel like I'm almost normal," I continued. "It's a pity, but it's true. Officer Doakes has been with me." "You'd better stay away from him." She thought for a while, then asked, "What are you going to do?" Before I could make something up to her, her walkie-talkie interrupted us.She grabbed the walkie-talkie and said she'd be right there.I threw some money on the table and followed her. As soon as I got in the car, she pulled the car out of the parking lot.She was violating the rules almost every minute, speeding through small gaps in traffic with the gallantry of a driver only in Miami. "I don't know," she said, turning on the siren.

I blinked and raised my voice, "Didn't the dispatcher tell you?" "Did you ever hear Dispatch talk incoherently, Dexter?" "Never. Is this one incoherent?" "Yeah, I guess it's a murder case." I didn't ask any further questions, I'll soon know why, especially at this speed.A few minutes later, Deborah managed to bring us near Orange Stadium, and after a few turns, we stopped on the shoulder of a small house on SW Fourth Avenue.There were already two patrol cars parked in front of the house, and two plainclothes officers were pulling up yellow "crime scene" tape around them, and as we got out of the car, I saw another officer sitting in the front seat of one of the police cars, Cover your head with your hands.The fourth policeman is standing on the porch, next to an elderly woman, there are two small steps before the porch, and she is sitting on the top step, sobbing and retching from time to time .

Deborah strode up to the nearest police officer, "What case?" Deborah flashed her badge. He didn't even look at us, just shook his head, "I'm not going in again, even if I don't get my pension." He turned around and drove off. Deborah stared at the cop dumbfounded, then turned to me.We looked at each other like this, and the dog kept barking, a weird barking that alternated between real and false. "Who's going to make that goddamn dog shut up," Deborah said, slipping under the yellow tape and making her way into the house.I followed her, and the barking of the dog was getting closer and closer. It was in the house, and it might be the victim's pet.Animals often react violently after their owners die.

We stopped at the steps, and Deborah looked at the policeman standing on the porch, making out the name on his badge. "Coronell, is this lady a witness?" "Yes, this is Mrs. Medina, and she called the police." "What's the matter with the dog?" Deborah snapped. "What the hell is going on here?" "Go and see for yourselves," said Coronel, turning away, saying no more. "We might as well go in and take a look," I hoped I didn't sound impatient.Honestly, I'm dying to see what it is that makes the police in Miami react so strongly.Deborah took a deep breath and exhaled vigorously, "Okay, let's go in and have a look."

After she said this, she still didn't dare to go in, so I walked past her and pushed open the door.