Spotlight

by Misha Gates

It was Monday morning and hot as hell. I felt my shirt sticking to me and it was the only one I had here in the office. Just as I was about to drink my wonderful iced chai, my boss, Chief of Police Juan Sanchez, walked into the room with a folder in hand. He left it on my desk without a word. I could tell by the grim look on his face that it was serious. I opened it and the first image that I saw was a picture of a dead woman. Her facial features were disfigured by a brutal beating. Her clothes were ripped and I could see stab marks marring her body. She looked to be in her early twenties. Damn, there goes my peaceful morning. It was the type of disturbing image that I try to avoid. They only reason I am still in this line of work is so there is one less lunatic on the streets when I catch the creep. This woman had obviously put up one hell of a fight to try and save herself; there were defensive wounds on her hands. Now it was my job to find out who did it.

I am Detective Yuki Zinter, Berkeley Police Department. I am a homicide detective, to be exact. Other than my work, I live a quiet life. Generally, I avoid crowds and can=t stand loud, annoying people. The only time I have contact with most people is when I=m on a case. I prefer to spend my time reading and taking long hikes at Tilden. I am very focused, but can be distracted by mochi. Sometimes I daydream about how delicious it is... green tea, strawberry, and red bean paste. Oh, I=m sorry, I=m getting off track.

The first order of business was to go to the scene of the crime. I drove up Cedar Street to the old Hillside School. The Hillside School had once been an architectural beauty designed by Julia Morgan. Now, it was falling apart. Since it was dangerously close to the Hayward fault, it was rarely used. I wondered if children still played on the expansive playground. The climbing structures were rusty and looked unsafe. The fog on the hill cooled me down when I got out of my car, but it looked thick and depressing. The old redwoods creaked in the breeze. The front door was open and I walked in. I showed my badge to the other officers at the scene.

AWhere=s the body?@ I asked.

AOn the stage,@ said one of the officers.

When I got to the stage, the only light that was on was the center spotlight. I put on my latex gloves and checked for identification. Luckily, she had her driver=s license in her jean=s pocket. ATerri Dove, twenty three years old, brown hair, brown eyes.@ The description matched the file. Three stab wounds, one to the heart, one to the stomach, and one in the back, one blow to the head, clothing torn. Terri, who did this to you? I wondered. I saw a cell phone nearby. There was one missed call. It said, ABrother, work.@ Ah, my first lead, I thought. I called the number and a friendly voice answered.

AHello, Albany Vet. How can I help you?@

AThis is the Berkeley Police, I=m looking for Mr. Dove is he there?@ I asked.

AOh, yes, he is, one moment.@ she said.

I waited for what seemed like ten minutes. I thought of the delicious green tea ice cream mochi that was waiting for me at home when a man=s voice came on the line.

AHello, this is Jack Dove.@

AHello, Mr. Dove, my name is Detective Yuki Zinter from the Berkeley Police Department. I have a matter I need to discuss with you. May I come by this afternoon?@

AWhat=s the matter?@ he inquired.

AIt=s something that I shouldn=t discuss over the phone. I=ll be over in ten minutes@

Jack said that he would be at the Albany Vet all day. I hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. I hated breaking the news of a dead relative to people. It took so much out of me. There is just no good way to say it.

The Albany Vet is comfy little place in the middle of Solano Avenue. I hated the fact that it was noisy when I got there. Dogs barked and cats hissed. I shuttered. I flashed my badge to the receptionist, hoping to get out of the waiting room as quickly as possible. She waved me into the back room, where Jack was sitting on an examination table.

AMr. Dove, I have news about your sister, Terri. I=m afraid that she was murdered late Saturday night.@

Jack=s face went white as he slouched down on the table. He put his head in his hands and started shaking. I am not so great at this kind of thing, so I just stood there, watching.

Jack looked up at me, eyes red and puffy, tears going down his face. He said, AWho would want to do this to her? She had no enemies. Everyone loved her, I loved her.@

AWell, that=s what I was hoping you could help me with, Mr. Dove. Can you tell me more about your family?@

AWell, there=s just my sister and me. My parents are divorced and my father recently passed away. Terri was going to go back to school because he left us all his money. The house, the dog, everything.@

I asked Jack a few more questions and saw by his darting eyes that he was hiding something. I pondered this as I was eating my green tea mochi back at the station. I found out later on that Jack didn=t tell me the whole story. When I looked on the database I found out that he had another sister who lived with their mother. These two were out of the picture, as far as Jack was concerned. Funny he didn=t even mention he had another sister. Our data base showed that eighteen year old Mimi Moss was the younger sister and Sarah Moss was the mother. Mimi and Sarah had been cut off from the wealthy Dove family without a penny of support. Sarah worked at the local Denny=s, barely making ends meet. Mimi went from job to job trying to earn money with only a high school degree. Something about this didn=t feel right to me. Why didn=t Jack tell me the whole story? Seems fishy. I decided to call it a night; my mochi awaited me.

The next day I had a new strategy. It was called AOperation: Find Little Sister.@ Let=s see what Mimi has to say about Jack. She was cut out of the will. Who does she have to protect? I searched the data base to find Mimi=s address. She lived near the Berkeley/Oakland border, a sketchy part of town. I decided to see if she was there. On the way over, I nibbled on my red bean mochi. I pulled up in front of a rundown apartment building. The door to the dingy stairwell was hanging by one hinge. Not a good sign. I buzzed the rusty button that said AMoss@ and waited. Mimi surprised me by coming out into the hallway, holding a Ho-Ho in her hand. She also surprised me by her outfit: a tight black tube top (not that I was looking), a bright pink mini skirt, and some bunny slippers.

AThe intercom is broken, again. What do you want?@

AMy name is Yuki Zinter. Do you know why I=m here?@

AYeah, Terri, right? My mother told me all about it. She saw it on Channel Two.@

AYes, I=ve come to ask you some questions about your sisters death.@

AWhat about it?@

AWhere were you Saturday night?@

AAt a...party?@

AYou sure?@

AYeah, at a...party...@

AWho was at the party that can verify that you were there?@

AI forget,@ she said. AOh, I know, my dog was there. She=s really cute. You wanna see her?@

I declined the offer and pushed ahead.

ADo you know anyone who would want your sister dead?@

AYes, Jack would. All he ever wants is money. Now he gets it all.@

I asked her a few more questions but she clammed up. I left there feeling a headache coming on. It seemed like her sister=s death had no effect on her. Now I didn=t know who seemed more guilty, Mimi or Jack. The investigation must go on. My next suspect in this dysfunctional family was Sarah Moss, the mother.

I searched on my computer for Sarah Moss. I found that she worked at the El Cerrito Denny=s. It was a long shot, but she could have a reason to want her daughter dead. Sarah was cut out of the will too, and Terri and Jack got the whole family fortune. Was she bitter? I would be bitter, too, if I worked at this greasy spoon.

I caught her on her cigarette break out back by the dumpster.

AMs. Moss? My name is Yuki Zinter, from the Berkeley Police. I know that this time is hard for you, grieving--@

AWho says I=m grieving? I haven=t seen Terri in years. I was obviously not wanted in that household. Mimi and I just stayed away. I guess we weren=t good enough for them anymore.@

I was in shock. What kind of mother would say that about her dead daughter? My suspicions rose, but I tried to hide it. Unless she had a rock- hard alibi, she was in trouble.

ADon=t worry, Mr. Zinter. I have an alibi. My boss will tell you that I worked double shifts all weekend.@

It was like she was reading my mind. I thanked her for her time. Her story held up when I talked to her co-workers and boss. I drove to my favorite Asian grocery store for a mochi fix. I was back to Jack as my primary suspect. Luckily, I was given a new lead when I got back to the police station. There was a typed note on my desk from Mimi Moss, the left out sister. It was a request. She wanted me to meet her at the Hillside School at eleven p.m. She also repeated that Jack would do anything for money and to check the passenger seat of his car for blood. I sent the forensic team out to do the dirty work, while I braced myself for a hard night and reviewed all the evidence. This was not a random killing. It was personal. As I looked over the crime scene photos, one fact stood out. Why was Terri=s body in the spotlight? This was a dramatic gesture. But what did it mean? Who would want Terri dead? Jack seemed to love his sister very much, but he has a good reason to want her dead, the money. Sarah was a bitter mother, but she had an alibi that checked out. That leaves Mimi. She seemed too spaced out to plan a murder, but you never know. Hmmmm. I guess I better go to the Hillside School and see what she=s up to.

At nine p.m., two hours early, I went up to the school alone. I called for backup. I asked them to be up here in an hour. As I got out of my car, the strange feeling of desolation hit me again. Was it the fog? Or was something more sinister waiting for me? I punched in the security code and went in on the ground floor. The stench of urine hit my nose from the lavatories. Why didn=t I notice that before? I went up the stairs to the auditorium. On the stage, I noticed a glimmer of light. I looked on the dusty floor. There, in a crack in the floor, was a bracelet. I turned on my flashlight to see if it had anything on it. On the inside was an engraved name Mimi. Bingo! I had my evidance. Now, all I had to do is wait.

After a long time, I heard footsteps echoing down the hall. I quickly turned off my flashlight and waited. I heard the stage door open and saw a shadowy figure of a young woman.

I turned the flashlight back on as I said, AHello, Mimi, looking for something?@

AOh! Mr. Zinter! You=re here early,@ she said in a squeaky voice.

AAre you looking for this?@ I said flashing the bracelet.

I knew by her silence that she was. Her face froze as she looked at the bracelet. She lunged at me, trying to get it out of my hand.

ANot so fast, Mimi. You have a little bit of explaining to do. I=ll ask you again, where were you last Saturday night, when Terri was killed?@

AI was at a party. I told ya. Ask anybody.@

Well, I could ask anybody, but I knew I already had enough evidence to arrest her. I turned her around and put the handcuffs on her wrists, saying, AYou have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be held against you in a court of law... Do you understand?=

Mimi pulled her last trick out of the bag. AWhy are you arresting me? It=s Jack you should be after. He=s the one getting all the money. Did you check the blood in his car?@

AYes, Mimi. I did. I got the report back this afternoon. It=s dog blood, but I do notice that there is blood on your bracelet. I doubt that it=s dog blood.@

I took her out of the building to the police car that I had called in earlier. There sitting in the squad car with the patrolman was Jack. He looked up and said, AWhy Mimi? What Terri did ever do to you?@

AIt=s not what she did to me; it=s what she didn=t do. I was invisible to her, to all of you. She was always in the spotlight,@ she said. AEverybody loved her, not me! I can do everything that she can do, but did anyone ever come to see me in a play or hear me sing? NEVER! No, it=s all about Terri.@