QR Code Murders: Being There

What should have been a slight against Yawquisha turned into vlogcast platinum and diamonds. She should have felt offended, scorned, and betrayed. Instead she sensed an emotion of supreme lightness. Reporter for the Daily Delaware, Harrieta Sloughton gained access as the second and last ride-along for Km Jergensen.

When Yawquisha trained her camera lens on Harrieta, the woman backed away slightly like an animal being flashed by a light in an alley.

“So, there’s going to be a lot of those,” Kim said looking at Yawquisha video from the backseat.

“What can you say about the arrests? Do they pan out mostly?”

“Some do. We caught a whale with Parton. But we should have investigated more. It was less murders but they’re for most, someone’s sons.”

Yawquisha panned to Kim and made a closeup of the detective. The way her curls sat on her shoulders made it look like she wore a feather headset. Kim’s brown skin looked clean and smooth and the camera loved her. Her petite frame seemed to sit well in the driver’s seat. It was as if she were guiding a clipper down the Brandywine River. Yawquisha knew better to keep a focus on Kim. Harrieta was slightly heavy. She carried with her a certain confidence because of her five foot eleven inch height. Yawquisha kept rolling.

“Where did you find your latest victim?” Harrieta’s sweet voice lowered an octave. She looked stern in the front passenger seat.

“We found him slumped in a storm drain. Code on his arm and everything. It tore up his mother and father. He was their only child. It tears you to pieces…if you let it.”

Harrieta switched subjects. “How are the federal agents? What has their involvement in these murder cases been like?”

“Agents St. Kitts and Darby are professionals. The Academy trained them well and they are up to the task on their jobs,” Kim said sincerely.

Harrieta dug deeper. “Is there any friction between detectives and agents?”

Kim scoffed. “We follow the law. We’re partners in this whole mess. It’s better that we are working together to try to solve these particularly heinous crimes.”

In the back seat, Yawquisha steadied her camera on Harrieta. She kept the feeling of empowerment in her system. Harrieta wasn’t stepping on her toes in any way. In fact, Yawquisha yawned silently and kept the camera still. Her feelings of certainty and drip drops of confidence formed a reservoir of self-esteem. She remained silent.

The car smoothed its way over the West Side of Wilmington. The three women of color made a team together. They kept going over the streets like a ghoul haunting the corners of the city.

“With all of these killings, what is the police chief saying behind the scenes?”

“That’s above my—” Kim caught herself. She said she wouldn’t say it. “I’m not at liberty—” she bit her tongue again. “I report to a captain. He informs me as much as he can.”

Yawquisha breathed in sharply. Harrieta turned to the young woman and smiled. Yuawquisha had paused the camera for a few moments. Her brain kept going though. She calculated how many hours she had left on the cartridges. She was like a mathematician studying a new formula and trying to best know the timing of each shot. Harrieta continued her questions.

“What is the major benefit of this job?”

Kim shot a glance at Harrieta and looked at the rearview mirror. It was a glance and a look of deep introspection but at the same time simple direction. Something stirred in Kim. She couldn’t say it sucked, or that it was trash, or that it siphoned her spiritual fuel. She couldn’t say anything pollyanna or ruby contacts. She simply said, “Being there.”

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