MORAL DILEMMA

MORAL DILEMMA

By
REID JACKSON


PROLOGUE
Jack had taken a job as an associate detective with a reputable detective agency in San Francisco. After his injuries while on a secret mission for the Navy he quit and took his disability pension. He wouldn’t be content with a desk job.

During one of his assignments he became involved in a MORAL DILEMMA. This is that story.



CH. 1 THE UNHOLY PRIEST
He stalked the lady for two weeks. He was meticulous and methodical; and she was married without children. She resembled his whoring mother who had shamed and emasculated him. The world would be rid of such vermin. It would be the fourth victim in the cleansing. Today would be the climax of his psychotic thoughts.
She was structured and her activity was predictable. Her husband would be absent tonight; he was in a business meeting in Phoenix. The house was compromised with a bug he installed in their living room. The killer gathered information to fulfill the plan and his quest. He took the time and patience to do his victim. He had placed the bug in the house earlier; gathering his needed information. It was dusk and he was ready.
It was a quiet estate situated on five lovely acres; the house was magnificently built in the colonial style with rock facade and landscaping accentuating the peaceful tranquility. The evening was perfect as he drove up the driveway to fulfill his destiny. The excitement was building as the distance to the house was diminishing. He was dressed as a priest because the mission was blessed. He rang the door bell.
“Yes.” The intercom spoke.
“Is this Mrs. Templer?”
“Yes, how may I help you?” The intercom seemed impatient.
“Mrs. Clarisse Bergman sent me to visit you.”
“Oh, Clarisse sent you, certainly come in.” The door answered with a joyful buzz.
The deceitful predator entered. The name Clarisse was extracted from the bug and expedited his entrance. “Clarisse asked that I visit you.”
“For what reason?” Robin had no idea why Clarisse sent a priest.
“She wanted you to have a gift.”
“That dear girl, what gift would she give me?”
“Heaven or hell!”
Robin froze at the remark and felt a deadly chill surge through her body. Something is terribly wrong here and I feel the evil. I need to do something, but what?
“Can I get you something to drink?”
He grinned, his eyes betraying her last moments. Robin sprang for the door but then two hands gripped her neck jerking her backwards while closing her air passageway. She kicked and squirmed but it was useless as her life drained from his deadly grip. I’m going to die, oh God, help me, I’m not alone, what is this feeling that now holds me? I see a glow that is soft and warm, that comforts me. I must go to that warmth that fills my heart. I see a vague figure standing with open arms, he’s majestic with love surrounding me, caressing me. Who is this creature waiting for me? Could it be?
She had a pleasant smile; her face seemed to glow as he stared. He cut off her wedding finger then left a message on her forehead in virulent red lipstick. WHORING BITCH!

ddd

The killer left the house as a car was coming in the driveway; a man exited the car and approached the priest.
“Hello father.”
“Good evening.”
“Is Mrs. Hardesty home?”
“Yes, can I be of help?”
“Would you give her this?” He was carrying a small portable cooler. He withdrew a .22 Rugar six shot and aimed it at the killer priest.
“You’ve performed your last rites”
“Wha---“`Pop` The bullet left a telltale hole in the middle of the forehead. The startled priest fell; he had strangled his last victim.

ddd


Detective Sampson was talking with the CSI investigator.
“This is weird.”
“No shit.” The CSI investigator agreed.
“The Unholy Priest committing his fourth killing then being shot as he was leaving.”The police were actively hunting for The Unholy Priest and the community had been alerted.
“Damnest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Detective Sampson was stymied at the double killing. The killer of the serial killer was perplexing. He had to know when, where, and the exact time of the serial killers and the

strangulation of Mrs. Robin Hardesty.



CH. 2 FAST JACK
He was moving along smoothly as the wheels clicked over the separations in the sidewalk- tic-tic-tic. Jack was a striking figure in his wheelchair. The caps just below his knees added to his total look of mystic and curiosity. They were stainless steel caps just below the knees were his legs had been shot off. His upper body was muscular with his arms betraying his strength. He had a square jaw and was an attractive man topped with pure blonde hair cut short. Judging from his arm length he would be six feet two and weigh two hundred and twenty pounds if he still had all of his legs.
The two gang members had been watching Jack for a few minutes; they noticed he was dressed as if he might have a bit of cash. Both were dressed in ganger type outfits and had the usual tattoos denoting their gang affiliation. They wore oversized colorful pro football jackets with baggy jeans hanging low on their buttocks. Tattoos’ were on their hands and necks. This was going to be easy, they thought, as they walked up to Jack.
“Hey man, you get around in dat wheelchair man.”
Jack didn’t respond but just kept tic-tic-tic. “Hey man, I’s yakin at ya.”
“Fuck off, punks.” Snapped Jack”
The two gangers looked at each other and grinned. “Hey bro we need some cash.”
Jack stopped his wheelchair and looked up at the two punks, “You boys better get home before you get hurt.”His eyes revealed his steady look of defiance.
“Youse a smart mouth muther for a dickhead.”

Then the larger of the two reached out to grab Jack with his left hand and his right hand produced a six inch switchblade. Jack was faster than Muhammad Ali thrusting a jab. He caught the punk’s left hand and twisted it back and down with his strength and rammed his fist into the punk’s face knocking him flat on his ass. The other Punk froze for a second at the speed of this homey in the wheelchair.
He then reached for his blade, but as he did Jack threw a three point Ninja star and stuck him in the forehead. The other one got off the ground bleeding from the mouth. The ganger pulled a gun from his hip, as his hand was swinging to get a shot, Jack thumped his elbow against his side, and a wrist gun strapped to his forearm snapped into Jack`s hand--- `kapow`. The wrist gun instantly stopped the assailant’s life forces and he dropped lifeless to the ground.

The quiet was deafening as Jack stared at the two on the ground. The blood was coloring the black pavement, spilling the man’s life.


ddd

As the confrontation was happening a window watcher caught the action on a video camera. He was a video hobbyist who often would film the street from his apartment window. He happened to see the drama unfold and grabbed his camera off the window sill. He filmed the entire confrontation and then he called 911 and the local TV station.
The SFPD had arrived talking to Jack and the video man.
“We reviewed the video that the witness took; you definitely acted in self defense.”
“Had no choice officer.”
“You have a permit to carry a gun?”
“Yes sir.”

Morning News-KJTV-(SAN FRANCISCO)

They ran the video revealing the assault.
“This is KJTVI speaking to Jack Frazzel who was attacked by two assailants in the video which he dispatched with lighting speed and deft maneuvers from his wheelchair. Mr. Frazzel you must have had training to react as quickly as you did and you used a Ninja type devise to thwart one of the assailants. What kind of training do you have?”
“I’m an x-seal retired from the Navy.”
“It’s obvious the way you defended yourself. It was dangerous to take on two but you didn’t hesitate.”
“It was my training, I acted instinctively without thinking.”
“From the video it was evident they meant harm.”
“Yes, I had no choice.”
“As you can see, Jack Frazzel defended himself from certain harm. We are grateful for the witness who filmed this; this is Connie Brinks from KJTV from San Francisco.”

ddd

The interview closed, Ron Papasinsky was watching the telecast from his private detective office as he was finishing a case his agency had closed. That was impressive for a guy in a wheel chair; he was fast and methodical defending himself. I might have a job for him. Ron called the police and got Jacks phone number. Ron knew the police well as he had worked with them on several cases. Jack agreed to come by his detective agency. Angie his daughter asked when Jack was coming to the agency,

she was impressed watching the video.





CH. 3 BACK TO TOPEKA

The killer of The Unholy Priest returned home, he lived in Topeka, Kansas, he checked in at work. Captain Russell Brock saw Larry arrive. Larry was hard to miss. He was six foot five, lanky build, good looking, and had silvery brown hair that gave him a look of a distinguished judge or successful business CEO. Captain Brock made a snide remark, “there’s that lazy detective whose case load is off the charts.”
“No problem, I’m gonna retire soon.”
“I remember in high school you were retired then too.”
The two had known each other as kids. They both grew up in Oakland adjacent to the Kaw River. Then it was a peaceful area and kids did what kids did, no drugs or gangs, it was a good place to live. Captain Brock (Bud by nickname) and Larry were always bantering and still are.

Larry returned to his parent’s house, he lived there alone now, his parents passed on. He has a sister who lives in Oakland, married with a daughter and husband. The solitude at home forced him to recall. Damn serial killer, I wanted to get him before he killed that lady. I need to react a little faster after I have my vision. That makes three now. These damn killers are sprouting like weeds. I don’t like killing but I hate to think of the innocent victims. I must continue on. The FBI should be looking for me. By now they have a profile on me.

I`m ready for plan B if they come sniffing around Topeka.







CH. 4 THE INTERVIEW
Ron Papasinsky called Jack and he accepted the invitation. He was on time at the Cisco Detective Agency owned and operated by Ron Papasinsky.
“I’m here to see Mr. Papasinsky.”
“Go right in, he’s expecting you.”
“How do you know me?”
“Saw the video, you were fantastic.”
“Thanks, I had one eye shut too.”
The receptionist laughed and Jack entered the office, Ron stood up and shook Jack’s hand. The office was nicely organized with pictures on the wall of all the associate detectives. Ron greeted jack. He was a fit fifty five year old man with a pleasant demeanor. His eyes had that caring look as if you were the most important human on the planet.
“Glad you came.”
“No problem, what do have in mind?”
“As you can see I run a detective agency.”
“Looks like a successful agency; you have a nice setup here.” The building was a new one story metal building with a full basement sixty feet by sixty.
“Been doing it for twenty years, I have three good associate detectives that helped make this business successful.”
“Is this about a job?”
“Yes, I saw your video on TV, and I was impressed.”
“I was lucky.”
“I doubt that, you must have some kind of training?”
“Ex-seal-retired.”
“You’re too young to be retired,why didn’t you stay on?”
“Offered a desk job and I’m not cut out for that, so I took my disability.”
“I could use a man like you, I read from your history where you were a squad leader.”
“Yeah, I’ll miss those guys.”
“I think you would make an excellent detective.”
“Even with my disability?”
“I think your disability would be an advantage.”
“How’s that?”
“For surveillance you would not be suspect, plus with your seal training you would be perfect for the agency.”
“Finally a man with some common sense.”
“A handicap doesn’t necessarily mean a person can’t do a job, it depends on the person.”
“I like your thinking Ron.”
“I want you to meet someone.” Ron called Angie to the office. She was a beautiful blonde, well built, and carried herself with confidence. “Meet my assistant and top notch detective, Angela Papasinsky.”
“Glad to meet you, is this your daughter?”
“Yes.”
As Jack shook her hand it felt strange and her grip was extremely firm. “You have an unusually firm grip.”
She grinned as she pulled off her latex fake covering over her left hand. Underneath was a shiny stainless steel appendage that resembled a well engineered mechanical hand. Jack was mesmerized as he stared at her fascinating hand; it looked like the hand of the terminator in the movie. She wiggled her fingers and then reached and picked up a pen on the desk and wrote her name with the terminator hand.
“Wow!”
“This hand is flexible.”
“I understand now why you’re dad is not inhibited by a handicap.”
“Angie is my top associate and supervisor over the other detectives on my staff, and she works in the field.”
“Now I’m impressed,” as he winked at Angie.
“Your wheel chair seems to have some extra attachments and I noticed that the steel caps on the end of your legs have some kind of wheels for mobility.”
“Do you have a gym or workout room in this building?”
“Yes, we have a racquet ball court, weight room, and firing range for the staff in the basement.”
“Lead me to the racquet ball court and I will demonstrate this altered wheel chair.”

ddd

The three went downstairs where; they entered the racquet ball court. Jack wheeled to the center of the court and faced Ron and Angie. He pushed a lever, quickly four collapsible stainless steel rods extended at thirty five degree angles from the chair; they rested firmly on the floor creating a solid base to prevent the wheel chair from being toppled.
“Ron, you’re a big man, try to knock me over from all four sides.” Ron tried to but Jack was firmly set.
“Who designed this for you, Jack?”
“I designed and built it.”
“Where did you learn these skills?”
“Before I became a seal I had three years of mechanical engineering in college.”
“That would explain your wheelchair.”
“I love to tinker so I rigged this up.”
“What about those wheels on the end of those caps?”
Jack grinned then pushed himself off the wheel chair and hit the floor roller skating around the court like a kid. Ron and Angie were awed by this ingenuity. “Where did you get the idea to build these?” Ron asked.
“I saw kids with small wheels on the bottom of their running shoes and so I made my own.”
“Why don’t you just forget the wheel chair then?”
“Two reasons, one I’m a tad lazy, and two, I modified this wheel chair so that it can move as fast as kid running.” Jack floored the wheel chair and sped around the court like a demon on fire. “Damn, you’re full of surprises.”
“You want more?”
“By all means”
“You mentioned a firing range, lead me there.”
Ron had installed a one hundred and fifty foot firing range for his detectives too keep them sharp with their handguns. Jack placed himself at the front of the range, there was a paper target at the end of the range, and it was fifty feet from Jack.
Jack reached to his belt on the left side and pushed one of two buttons and a slight click could be heard. He raised his right leg aligning it with the target and pushed a second button four times in rapid succession---bang, bang, bang, bang. The end of his right cap released four nine millimeter bullets creating a neat hole in the head of the target.
The cap was smoking and Jack was grinning. Ron and Christy were stunned at this display and Ron quickly yelled. “Wooweee, show us that device.”
Jack pushed the first button again on his belt, “that’s the safety button on the Sig Saur in the cap.” He wheeled around and reached down and removed the cap revealing the Sig Saur built into the cap with a rod like structure located where the hammer of the pistol normally was located, the rod had a thin wire running up Jack`s leg to the buttons embedded in his belt.
“You’re a dangerous man in that wheelchair.”
“I love to design and build.”
“When can you start?”
Jack hesitated for a moment, this guy is serious and this job might be fun. At least I can use my training; I’ll take it and see how it goes. When do I start?”
“Today if you can?”

“Sure, my wheelchair needs the action.”