What Makes A Criminal?
What if you're already on a path to be one?
“That will be $15.” I took out a $20 and left it on his counter. Even if I wasn’t in a hurry I would have done that. Lately, my medicine had been costing me double but it was doing the job. And I needed them. The small tablet bottles jiggled in my coat when I ran down the staircase.
My phone rang again as I opened my car door. “Andrew we need you in Street 7 Dosendon immediately! We have- “
“I know the guy’s there. I’m coming in 2 minutes!” I stepped on my gas as fast as I could and had a near road miss as usual but I went flat out from the short route to reach street 7. I could see Neil running in with his gun as it seemed like an emergency yet my hand went straight for the bottles and I gulped a few of those to get my mind primed. I took out my gun and went ahead with my bloodshot orbs.
“Jess Gomez is right down that blue house with about 10 of his henchmen.”
“Source?” I asked.
“Paid snitches.”
I can’t doubt those. Officer Damon’s team was already stationed near the alley and my team was waiting for my signal. “Go for the terrace and block the entrances. One remains down to inform and as a backup. Common for them to escape from there. Wait for my command. Go.” My team of 5 went ahead stepwise as I had trained them and perfectly propped my command. Neil’s team was covering the back of the house. Officer Damon soon advanced with 6 of his armed men and smashed down their door. Neil’s team came forward from the back while I slowly approached ahead as well. All 10 of officer Damon’s men ran inside. It was about to begin.
As expected, 2 tried to run away from the terrace and my team nabbed both and awaited others. 4 of them had a vehicle in the back of the house all prepared for cases like these which was altered in time by Neil’s team.
“Andrew 2 in front!” My speaker actuated my body in action and I charged for the 2 men escaping from the front. What do they think was going to happen by doing this? They will either get shot or fall right into our authority standing right ahead of them. My grip on the gun tightened and I was about to take the 1st option when one of them fell and came right in my range. I could have lurched ahead and thrown his body with my giant build onto the guy running ahead but I wanted to shoot a retard as such. Hence my gun rose and I smoothly pierced his thigh when no officer was looking. Both of them were done right there. I sighed as the forces joined me and I allowed them to take over. My job was inside.
I ran in as soon as I heard gunshots. 1 guy, Tony Herman had tried to fire back and suffered fatal wounds. The shooter should have been me for that scoundrel. My teeth pressed themselves.
Officer Damon motioned me to follow him to their ground door from where Jess had possibly escaped but it was locked.
“Shit! Lost him again.” He said and I smacked my fist on the wall in rage and took another pill before walking back up.
Jess had been fooling our whole department for 4 months now. He got in the news when a headline popped up of a big-shot killing a random bartender, his only murder we could dig so far. The investigation began soon and revealed his big belly full of major crimes. Reasons for his sudden uprising from an underdog to a big name in the black market were as of yet still unknown. But we were nearer. We had hunted down 2 of his bases in the past 3 months and even had enough leads for the next. Every time it’s reported to be his home base it turns out a dud lead and it was pissing me off. For police Jess was the new unannounced syllabus edition right before the exams. Next year was approaching and the underworld heads were going to have their moves soon. We had less time in short.
“Call the forensics.” Officer Damon was sweeping off the mess and investigating their remnants. The whole shady house was their small drug spot. Apart from selling it in masses, it seemed the party was usually here for working internals. We had successfully busted all 9 of them which were a rank higher than our previous catches. It turned out the lead wasn’t wrong. Jess’s DNA was found on one of the busy tables. He was here about an hour ago. The table had the kind of drug mix only a heavy addict would take. Hence Jess was one, everyone agreed.
Nothing remained for the day. I was looking forward to smacking the shit out of that guy today when the call arrived. My house didn’t please me. All I wanted to think or work towards was Jess. His big smiling photograph with a silver upper tooth which I darkened out of contempt was hung in my room reminding me of my failure. I was the only one taking it that way.
“You should rest for this one Andrew” “You were involved in 3 high-rank ones just before this Andrew” “Andrew you don’t have to push yourself the officers will handle this one” and all other sympathy shit I didn’t want was coming my way.
Having nothing else for the day I unintentionally drove there. It just happened and I was drinking heavily in front of his grave again. That oldie. My mind didn’t want to calculate it but it did. 2 months exact today. Who cared though? He wasn’t that great a dad or some dude you can rely on for your works yet he was somewhere in the range of affecting me. I hated the fact that this was continuing even after his death. That stupid preacher lived his life in vain and got away silently leaving me this heavy drinking habit. I drank again.
There was big reward money on Jess. How much I always forgot until someone would come up again to remind me.
“You’re pushing so far for that reward huh buddy? Well at least works for us.”
I hated every face which would utter it. Some days it was consistent from the desk clerks and sometimes the cops beside me had this in mind. I didn’t let this bother me. There was no such reason for me being up Jess’s ass. The only thing I could see as a reason was my disgust towards a man like that.
“Congratulations Andrew. It’s another pay raise for you. All your past big cases have been clear successes.” Again? I didn’t care about this too. Were they paying me more so I can back off? No way that would work. I’ll just let it flow in till they start speaking.
“Any news on him?” I asked my usual and a usual NO was replied to me by officer Stephan. At least he had stopped asking me to take time off because that old man, or in his words my “last family member” had recently died. I didn’t care even when he was alive though. We barely ate in the same room or slept in the same house. One couldn’t have thought up our relationship but it was the most boring and unfulfilling one.
I decided to go for my therapy again. That woman didn’t cross me as an expert but even her bookish knowledge and prescriptions of sweet stress reliever pills were working for me. I took 2 pills again before heading into her colder than normal room. “You might want to sit for more time there than usual.”
She still thinks it’s because of that guy. Why would I be depressed if that good for nothing died? I repeated my failed cases, debt and my unrequited affection for Ada as my main reasons and she nodded like usual. Even her patience with me was to some extent annoying to me.
I got a call from Harry about the latest details and I headed back with a pill in my mouth immediately. I made sure I didn’t throw it in my mouth in her room otherwise she would have cancelled my next prescription like last time on spotting my untimely use.
“Nicko Blue’s location has been spotted around the Park bridge facilities.” I hated his codename and it was one reason I wanted to catch this guy soon as well. So I can bang his head on the table and scream “WHAT IS YOUR FUCKIN NAME?!” That apart, this guy was Jess’s right hand and a long-time friend. 3 teams tightened their belts and got ready. His location reveal was anticipated around this time given we employed 2 Intel teams up on just this guy alone.
My face was changing colors of irritation. If it’s another wrong lead I might smack those guys and get some of them fired. Nicko’s car was fortunately spotted around and everyone got out.
Nicko had no idea the cops were right under his turf at the moment. He could be seen preparing something in the kitchen.
“Should we charge in straight?”
“No of course!” I was amazed how they couldn’t see it. “It might be a trap.”
The positions were again specified by our officer and I led my team from behind this time. My hunch said they would choose that for escape. I gave out all instructions as precisely as I could and my dependable guys wasted no time to place their pieces. Officer Stephen led the team this time and as I expected, there was immediate shooting from the inside. Neil requested backup immediately but for some reason, this rushed my blood in excitement.
As I had planned, I gave the signal and my guys threw 2 smokes from their window and took the side route. Firing began on the back but we were safe way in. Until my guys cleared the hallway I checked the back command and then carefully stepped in for the guy. Officer Stephen already had him at gunpoint and although I knew the guy was done at the time when he crouched and fell near me suddenly I intentionally pierced his leg flesh a little.
As expected from someone stout, officer Stephen commanded me to step back and let him handle. On looking ahead I saw some of our guys being laden on stretchers. Stephen knocked out Nicko from the back of his gun while the ambulances arrived.
“THERE WAS NO NEED FOR SMOKES!”
“If we didn’t use them half of my team would have been done for.”
“Your team wasn’t supposed to come ahead until our signal!”
“Which might have never come had we not cleared their guys in the back!”
“3 of our guys got injured in the mismatched smoke firing do you understand that? Everything was going smooth till the smokes!”
“Are they not trained for that?”
“Andrew we cannot cope up with your extreme emotions in an encounter.” Stephan wasn’t stopping. “Last time you used a bullet for an easy catch and this time as well. Your urges to use guns might cost us big someday. What happened to your last-resort-gun motto? It felt as if you don’t need guns but look at you now!”
As he spoke I just took out my bottles and threw some in my mouth and ignored most of his part. Higher officers usually want to take all credit for big missions like these. He didn’t need to hide it behind my incapability which exceeded his 15 best men combined. I waited for the guy to come in with the news. He did after 5 more minutes.
“Sir he’s awake.”
I went out immediately although the message was for Stephan. He looked my way before we entered his questioning cell. I bet he was going to take this for himself as well but I didn’t wait.
My heavy face could make people piss their whole bodies I was aware of the fact. I used it to my assistance and grabbed his collar as soon as I reached him and smacked his fat pimpled face on the metal desk.
“Andrew st-“
“I WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!” Stephan had to shut up now. Nicko’s stupid fucking name was Timothy Clark. I wanted to punch him hard again.
“You have wrong information on me I’m not his best man it’s Derek. You will have to dig a lot about him since he is as underground as Jess himself. All I know about him is his half-shaved head and a numerical tattoo on his arm.” Timothy was shivering.
“Explain the forces in your house today then.” I kept my scary glance tightened on his stupid face to keep his mouth working.
“Jess sent them to me since I work as a delivery overseer and today was a major delivery. He sends 20 men for such days.”
Neither I nor Stephan spoke.
“Although I do know him from a long time and have worked with him too, the last time I saw him was in the Tint city bar with 5 of his men and I had been trying to reach him as well from some time so I had my men look him up.” He pressed his lips and gulped. “He’s probably going to have a meet with Rob, the metal dealer from the neighboring city this Friday. I know this because I am the only one in contact with all delivery overseers and from what I could gather his deliveries this month have hit a rough patch in all areas. He’s fixing this meeting to have a position before the next year’s meeting. He’s desperate.”
“Be more precise about his location right now.” Timothy gulped at my voice.
“He owns a mansion from a different name around Star Hills. He must be lying low there until this meeting is done.”
Stephan seemed satisfied with the interrogation but I wasn’t. Why did he pop up in the business so suddenly? What was his driving force? What made him do all this? Why is Jess a big name right now? I put all of these to Timothy’s petrified face and he seemed eager to answer his theory.
“His girlfriend was killed by Leonardo’s people over some issue related to him. Ever since then I’ve seen him plotting all his plans and making a tighter grip in the drug market and human trafficking circles. He created internal chaos among Leonardo’s men and soon took their position and formed his separate entity. He’s probably going to kill Leonardo after the big 6 men meet next year. The only murder he got his hands dirty in was when he lost control of his emotion and shot a bartender for his uncanny resemblance to Leonardo.”
“Girlfriend? Are you trying to mock me?” My low voice depicted the silence before a burst. I grabbed his shirt.
“Are you telling me that this asshole had feelings??? He went on to be this affected for a human he might have probably only hooked up with? This douchebag traffics humans and females into desolate places, he sells drugs, he gets people killed and you’re telling me all of this had to do with his close one’s death?”
Stephan grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away before I made Timothy’s body half dead in my rage. Every word he said was wrong! He was fooling all of us and that too so damn naturally. I wanted to paste my 6 bullets right in his fat face so he knows the price of messing up with cops.
“Andrew!” Stephan got me out of the room. “He’s saying the truth. From what we have gathered this seems to be the reason. Nicko revealed all that we need for the last encounter.”
I couldn’t answer Stephan back. I took my pills again, 5 of them. I could feel it climb my optic nerves. I was in a fit like never before. “His name…. is fucking Timothy.” I corrected him and set out.
Friday was just 1 day ahead. Finally, I get to kill Jess. I couldn’t sleep on Thursday night and kept practicing my gun and body. The whole department had come together to plan out one final slashing. The main command consisted of 4 people including me and 3 officers. I was okay with it. I won’t let the other 3 take my prey. ‘Girlfriend’ he fucking said! I’ll get shits out of his mouth myself.
His big greyish mansion was registered under the guy who was dead for 2 years now. His concealer here was caught soon and was made the puppet. 5 of our teams went ahead as planned while his guy was told to convey him a safe path at gunpoint. The whole road was tightly packed with law forces.
His Austin Martin came out slowly surrounded by 5 bikes and 2 cars. We allowed it to stretch on the lone road a little before the first shooters took out bikers and snipers demolished the cars. The bikers soon began shooting at our forces and a heavy shootout ensued. I wanted to pinpoint Jess’s location. I knew Damon would find him first and I kept a check on him. He gave us 3 the signal.
He was still inside his house and tried to escape from back. Our 4 teams caught up and the whole highway was blocked in our chase and sirens which lasted about an hour. Some fatalities on our side equaled their men inside and the chase stopped in a very hapless place for us.
His car was empty now. Jess had run away with 2 of his men somewhere inside the abandoned buildings. “Catch him alive!” Stephan shouted. Damon told us all positions but I caught a glimpse of activity in the back building and ran for it. The 2 men tried shooting me from above but Brad handled them. Jess wasn’t in this building I knew. I went ahead without checking. All these 4 months I had absorbed Jess in me to an extent where his moves are in my instinct. I wanted to kill him face front.
I saw Jess. He was on the 4th floor in the next building. I ran my lungs out leaping 3 or 4 stairs at a time to not let this degenerate get away from me. I knew Jess knew me. As soon as he saw my wrathful body approach him he stumbled.
My gun was ready, my hand was ready, my whole being was ready to blow off the guy’s head. He crouched and his lower lip shivered in helplessness. I liked it. I fucking liked it. 15 accounts of abetted murder from robbery and theft, 4 accounts of rape, 5 years of illegal black marketing, money laundering, bribery, torture, human trafficking, selling, and drug cartel crimes. And his reason was a relationship? As if a guy like that could have feelings? A heart? An emotion for someone? What’s more, this man only came into our eyes because of one single murder he did out of no control. He saw a resemblance and he killed. That guy resembled someone he hated the most and he killed him.
Who do I hate the most? Why should Jess be alive at all? Why is my hate towards him out of control? Jess did something after losing control. Am I like him? Who do I see in Jess?
I see me… A man abandoned from a relationship he didn’t understand himself, a bond hard to explain for everyone, a man seeking the use of chemicals for his aid, a man drowning himself in his work too deeply to cope up and channel out his boiling antagonism. I see myself in Jess and that was my root of no control. My hatred wasn’t for Jess it was for me myself. He killed on resemblance. If I pull the trigger he and I would be no different. The cycle will continue. Yet my drive to kill him came from a sense of exceeding hatred over this bond that I and his filthy body shared, a high similarity. Either he or I die this moment. Before I had time to think my fingers pulled the trigger…
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