Behind The Lies, Mark Beckner [classic books to read .txt] 📗

“A Cardet seven-inch kitchen utility knife with black handle. I’ll tell you what, instead of all the questions, why don’t you first read the case files. Here’s a stack of all seven, the six from two years ago and the most recent. Start reading and when you’re done, we can discuss any questions you have.”

Garcia takes the stack of seven case files from Ricci, gets as comfortable as he can in his desk chair, and opens the first file. It will take him several days to get through all the reports. He also plans to get up to speed on the drug and gang activity within Area 4.

Later that evening, Ricci is on his drive home thinking about Garcia and what he brings to the table. Ricci’s initial impression is Garcia has the potential to make a good homicide detective, but still has a lot to learn about how things work in Area 4.

Ricci’s drive home is quite a bit longer than Garcia’s. Ricci lives in Forest Glen, a neighborhood in northwest Chicago. It’s an upscale neighborhood of upper-middle-class, and while there is some diversity, most residents are white. Ricci’s home is a well-maintained two-story brick home with three bedrooms, three baths, and a two-car garage on a tree-lined street. He has converted half of his garage into a woodworking shop. His yard, like most in the neighborhood, is neatly trimmed and well maintained.

Ricci has lived in the home alone for the past five years following the death of his wife Ella from a brain aneurysm. He has a son, Chris, who is a 28-year-old attorney living in Naperville, a city approximately 33 miles west of Chicago. His oldest child, a daughter by the name of Lisa, died unexpectedly in Los Angeles six years ago. Ricci believes the stress of his daughter’s untimely death contributed to his wife’s aneurysm. He has struggled to recover from both his daughter’s and then his wife’s death. He often helps himself get to sleep by having one or two Bud Lights in the evenings.

When not working, Ricci spends most of his free time maintaining the house, working in his makeshift woodshop, and exercising to maintain his strength and fitness. One of his wood- working favorites is making beautiful birdhouses. He sells most of them at a local craft store and gives others away as gifts.

Ricci has worked at the Chicago PD for thirty-four years. His interest in law enforcement was honed while serving in the Air Force Military Police for four years after high school. Upon leaving the Air Force, Ricci worked security at a plastics fabricating plant for six months until he was hired by the Chicago Police Department. He could have retired at age 55, but after the death of Ella, he couldn’t see the point in retiring. What else would he do? Besides, he still had things he wanted to accomplish as a detective.

Three Days Later

It is now Friday, and Garcia believes he has garnered enough information from the case files to have a more intelligent discussion on the facts with Ricci. Garcia agrees the most recent homicide fits the circumstances of the previous six attacks from two years ago. In the latest attack, the victim was a black male just 19 years old. He had been found in an alley three doors from the home he lived in with his mom and two siblings. He had also been a known dealer of cocaine, often selling to local high school students. If this was indeed the work of the same person, this was his seventh victim.

Unfortunately, Garcia is not able to talk to Ricci today, as Ricci called in sick. Instead, Garcia decides to talk with one of the narcotics detectives, Trevon Jackson. Jackson has been assigned to coordinate any intelligence with Ricci and Garcia. Given the presence of the drug cartels in Area 4, it is not unreasonable to believe the dealer killings are related to the drug business. In fact, the unknown assailant in the serial killings of drug dealers from two years ago had been nicknamed the “Candy Man Killer.” Candy Man is a name sometimes used when referring to a dealer on the street.

Trevon Jackson is only 29 years old. He started with the police department when he was 21 and quickly discovered drugs and street gangs were responsible for much of the violence in Chicago. He now believes he can put his skills to better use in Narcotics in trying to stem the drug trafficking and violence associated with it. After being selected for Narcotics, it isn’t long before he becomes a valued undercover detective known for his ability to elicit information from gang members and drug dealers. As an African American, he’s able to relate and build trust with most of the blacks living in Area 4, an important skill in working drugs. However, Jackson has the knowledge and skill to get information from most, regardless of race. It is sometimes said he can get information from a turnip. Because of this, he has a wealth of knowledge on the drug trade in Chicago, especially in Area 4. He can speak the language and is trusted by many of his developed sources.

Jackson’s last assignment had been with the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA). He was part of the latest months-long operation that led to the recent arrests of 27 individuals on various narcotics and firearms violations out of the west side of Chicago. The drugs being peddled were primarily cocaine and Fentanyl. It was soon after this operation when Jackson was tabbed to assist homicide detectives with the investigation of what appeared to be another attack by the “Candy Man Killer.”

Jackson gives Garcia a quick lesson on the drug and gang activity in the area. Some of the neighborhoods in Area 4 are notorious for such activity. It is not unusual to find heroin, cocaine or Fentanyl being sold on the streets of