In Baltimore City
There should have been a headline that read Sticky Paws Nabs Sticky Fingers. Instead, a small article was written on page four of the Metro section. It was a great story of how an off duty city detective, along with his dog, solved a crime that was believed already solved.
Dad was in the habit of bringing home animals that were some how involved with his cases. People were arrested, or killed, and Dad brought home their pets until Mom found another home for them. He had even agreed to keep two snapping turtles when their drug dealer owner had been murdered. We were not allowed to play in the yard for months until the vicious turtles were relocated.
Dad was getting ready to leave headquarters one night when a young guy turned himself in claiming he had committed the recent rash of robberies in the area. It wasn’t Dad’s case, he worked homicide now, but as he listened to another officer take the statement, he was sure this guy was lying. The guy knew enough details of the crimes, fit the physical description, but witnesses had reported the thief had a tattoo near his wrist. Dad couldn’t ignore there was no tattoo. The officers taking the statement seemed satisfied with the explanation that the tattoo had been removed recently. Those scars were not new, Dad thought. The paper work was put in and every one was happy, well, almost everyone.
Two brothers, who looked enough alike they could have passed for twins, made an agreement. One brother had committed the burglaries, the other brother would serve the time, they both shared the money. When the second brother saw Dad and Barney, he had no idea the man with the dog was a detective. He put his hand out to scratch behind Barney’s ear and Dad spotted the tattoo.
Kim Gray is the winner of the 2009 William F. Deck – Malice Domestic Grant. We met Kim at the Seascape Writers Retreat in 2009. Her stories of growing up as a detective’s daughter fascinated us and she is sharing them in a monthly column.