NovelPlus
Storytelling

Crime Story: A Rainy Night in Blackwood County – Behind the Broken Badge

Chapter 1

Theme:
Font Size:
24px
Crime Story: A Rainy Night in Blackwood County – Behind the Broken BadgeAct I: Sirens in the Pouring RainOctober rain in Blackwood County never falls gently. Heavy drops plummeted from an ink-black night sky, drumming relentlessly against the roofs of the patrol cars surrounding the parking lot behind the East Port warehouses. The pitch-black asphalt was mottled with deep puddles, reflecting the strobing, piercing red and blue lights spinning through the dark. The air hung thick with the scent of wet pavement, lingering gunsmoke, and the metallic tang of rust from shipping containers stacked like mountains in the distance.Supervisory Special Agent Marcus Vance stepped out of his unmarked black sedan, his dark brown leather shoes splashing into the freezing water. Eighteen grueling months of sleepless nights hunched over classified files, eighteen months tracking a transnational military-grade arms trafficking and money laundering syndicate codenamed "Northern Phantom"—it all converged on this fateful night. Just fifteen minutes ago, his key witness—the keeper of the digital ledger documenting every corrupt local official on the payroll—had been ambushed right in this parking lot. By the time Marcus received the emergency distress signal and sped through three flooded intersections to arrive on the scene, the area had been completely cordoned off by the Blackwood County Police Department.Beyond the yellow crime scene tape, an ambulance stood with its rear doors flung wide open as paramedics frantically worked to stabilize the man gasping for life on a gurney. Marcus knew that every passing second was worth its weight in gold. If that witness took his last breath before handing over the decryption password to the hard drive—or worse, if the mole inside the local police force reached the ambulance to silence him—a federal operation nearly two years in the making would crumble to dust.Adjusting the lapels of his dark navy windbreaker, emblazoned with the crisp gold letters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation over the left chest, Marcus pushed up his rain-speckled glasses and strode straight toward the police perimeter.A tall figure in a dark blue patrol uniform, his peaked cap pulled low over half his forehead, suddenly stepped sideways to block his path. It was Officer Ryan Miller—a familiar face at the Blackwood County Police Department. At twenty-eight, Miller was notorious for being arrogant, impulsive, and blindly territorial about local police jurisdiction. He always eyed outside investigators with open hostility, viewing their presence as an insult to the department's competence. Tonight, however, beneath Miller's usual aggressive demeanor lurked an unusual tension; his left hand repeatedly clenched his duty belt, right beside his service pistol and stun baton."Hold it right there! This area is locked down for an active shooting investigation. Nobody crosses this painted line," Miller barked, planting himself in front of Marcus like a stone wall.Marcus didn't slow his pace until less than an arm's length separated them. With the calm composure of a man who had spent over two decades facing down America's most dangerous criminals, he reached into his breast pocket, pulled out his laminated official credentials and gleaming gold-plated eagle badge, and held them up at eye level for the young officer."Supervisory Special Agent Marcus Vance, Federal Bureau of Investigation," he said in a deep, resonant voice that cut right through the roar of the idling ambulance engine behind them. "This shooting falls under a federal criminal task force. The man in that ambulance is a witness under our protection. Step aside immediately, Officer."Flashing red lights from a nearby cruiser swept across Miller's face, illuminating a disdainful smirk on his lips. He squinted at the card, then sized up Marcus's jacket from head to toe. Echoing inside Miller's head was an off-the-record order transmitted over an internal radio channel ten minutes earlier by an unnamed voice from dispatch: Stall anyone claiming to be a federal agent for at least fifteen minutes at all costs, until the ambulance leaves the scene. Miller didn't know the bigger picture; he had merely been whispered a tip that impostors posing as government officials were trying to break out a drug trafficking suspect. His natural arrogance, fueled by that convenient excuse, sent hot blood rushing to the young officer's head."Feds? Out in this rainy backwater at two in the morning, riding solo?" Miller scoffed, snatching the credential case straight out of Marcus's hand before the agent could pull back."Watch yourself, Officer. What do you think you're doing?" Marcus's brow furrowed, his voice hardening.Miller held the rigid plastic ID card, pretending to tilt it back and forth under the dim streetlight. He knew full well how crisp the holographic watermark and security seal were, but hubris blinded him. He wanted to put the Black man standing before him in his place—to show his colleagues scattered around the patrol cars that here in Blackwood County, no federal title could boss Ryan Miller around.With a sharp, provocative motion, Miller pressed both thumbs hard into the exact center of the official credential card.Crack!The dry snap of rigid plastic breaking in two rang out coldly through the falling rain. Not stopping there, Miller swung his arm and hurled the two shattered pieces of the card along with Marcus's gold badge straight onto the flooded asphalt at their feet. The badge scraped against the gravel, spun a few times in a filthy puddle slick with motor oil, and lay still beneath the flashing red and blue lights.Act II: Fury on the Wet AsphaltTime seemed to freeze for a few fleeting seconds. Behind Miller, four other patrol officers approaching from the cruisers stopped dead in their tracks. Not one of them dared to breathe heavily. They stared down at the pavement, where the gold FBI badge lay abandoned beside the two snapped halves of the plastic ID card, then looked up at the darkening face of the middle-aged agent.
NEXT

News in the same category

Crime Story: A Rainy Night in Blackwood County – Behind the Broken Badge

5 Part