Mysteriousness

by Benjamin Steigmann

There it stood, in glorious depraved wonderment. The Berkeley Civic center was covered in a morass of chaotic swirling color, intense psychedelic imagery that would spiral ever inward. I was furious! How could anyone be so savage as to ruin the sanctified halls of their city government? What madness would inspire them to do it?

Everyone immediately began searching for suspects. Accusations abounded, but eventually people narrowed down the culprits to a motley group of rebellious art students with political connections. Aside from the police themselves, they were the only people witness to the event. The problem was that each of their fathers knew a few dirty secrets of the California prison guards’ union, and so if one of them was falsely accused, he might seek vengeance upon the police.

Thus, the police produced a dossier on the state of the situation, with hope that details would spring forth from critical analysis:

Gregory Katosi: A brilliant young philosophical anarchist, idealistic. Father was a major landowner in the city, but he betrayed his father’s principles on ethical grounds. Assures us that the culprits were a group of three, with one black clad and one flamboyantly dressed, both led by a black-clad man. Discussed the idea amongst his fellow students, but never thought it would be implemented. He is currently in custody.

Michael Zizos: Very authoritarian, trying to control whatever social situation he was in. Ostentatious, active, egotistical. Has an ongoing rivalry with Gregory.

Adam Fier: Very Angelic, kind to everybody. Yet marginalized in the group, as Gregory and Michael vent their frustrations on him. Maker of fine, colorful garments of clothing and beautiful paintings. Informs the style of Gregory.

Priscilla Radille: Similarly angelic, but appears to have ulterior motives. Nonetheless, she is sympathetic to the plight of Adam. Expressed enthusiasm about the idea, but similar to Gregory in her ideas about implementation. She says that unfamiliar faces perpetrated the crime.

George Doson: Police sympathizer. Said he alerted the police as soon as he saw the desecration occurring.

Reading over this, I felt a huge cascade of confusion crashing down on my brain. I

immediately turned to my friend in the police department, to obtain clarity.

“What do you think about this?”

“What is there to think?”

“Come on my friend. Do you seriously think we have valid evidence against Gregory? If we keep him in custody, wrath will come upon us. His father will ascend upon our institution, and the Berkeley Police Department will be dissolved.”

“Who would you suggest?”

“Well, the cases of Michael and Adam are certainly suspicious.”

“I’ll question them.”

The following day, I was in my office, when my friend came in, followed by several officers. They immediately confiscated my files and removed my badge. I immediately protested, but my efforts were in vain.

“Sorry, you’re delving into really sensitive areas. We need to stop you before someone gets hurt.”

I was infuriated. How could the police back off in this time of crisis? Why, in the midst of this utter chaos, this sheer anarchy, would they retreat so suddenly? At once, I knew what I must do. I was to become a vigilante.

So I set off on a journey to delve through all the myriad details of the situation and eventually arrive at truth. I sifted through the dossier and as I did so, strange questions began to rise. How did the rivalry of Gregory and Michael play into this? Was it even relevant? Why did the police immediately close the case? What secrets lay buried in this case?

Luckily, in all my years as a detective, I acquired a few shotguns. So I immediately set out to find Gregory, who I knew would have some things to tell me.

But where would I find him? The only way I could go about this would be to apprehend my friends in the police department. This would be difficult, but necessary.

I walked to the police department and immediately found my friend, standing with fellow officers. So I waited and waited, and when he was alone, I took out my shotgun and grabbed him.

“Where is Gregory Katosi?”, I demanded.

“He is dead.”

Immediately, I recoiled in horror. How could this be, the one link I had to the mystery, and he was gone.

“How.”

“Simple. I and my comrades have killed him.”

“Why?”

“He was a threat. He knew too much about our affairs.”

“Then who committed this horrible crime.”

“That you will never know.”

“I’ll kill you if you don’t tell me.”

“Kill me then.”

He than pulled my shotgun to his head, grabbed the trigger, and offed himself.

What?! What shall I do now?! My only link to the mystery is dead. But there still may be evidence in the room where Gregory was detained. So I resolved to come back once the guards went home and break into the room.

At about 9:00 PM, I crashed into the evidence room and found something startling. Notes lay all around me regarding a restructuring of the city of Berkeley. The painting on the Civic Center was only the first step. And it would serve as a distraction that would fixate the public eye long enough that they could destroy the other buildings that did not adhere to their plan.

Then, as my eyes glazed over, I found a document entitled Exploitation of Rivalries. It described in detail how the police wished to use Gregory’s artistic idea in order to frame him, as his family were the only ones who stood in their way.

Amazingly, as I gazed at these items, a strange man moved swiftly. He came right by the door, and padlocked it.

“Have fun with your new knowledge”, he said, laughing.

At last it immediately became clear to me. The police used Michael Zizos in an attempt to frame Gregory. I knew henceforth that Berkeley would never remain the same. This debauchery had established it’s grip on the city, and I henceforth knew that I would never be able to come to terms with it. So I gazed lovingly down the barrel of m gun, pulling the trigger...