Dark Days for Denver

Chapter Two

Craig's fingers carefully flipped through the newest edition of the Denver Post. Nothing outstanding. He wasn't from Denver, barely knew half the names of famous people or places in the articles. He had only gotten the Post because of the article headlining the front page. "Armed robbery just outside Denver- how safe is our city?" He had read the article twice now. It admittedly was written very well for a local newspaper. What grabbed his attention were the pictures. They were clear and detailed. Craig sighed deeply. He wasn't usually grasping at straws like this. There had not been a single clue at the bank, despite the short timespan between the time of the robbery and them hiring him as a private Investigator. His gaze met the small letters at the bottom of the page once again. Written by Kenneth McCormick. With some luck, Kenneth would have pictures from the scene that could help him solve this and get the money back.
And with just a bit more of that luck, his gut feeling would turn out right. Craig had been hired by three banks, all robbed, all in Colorado. Always a similar pattern: a job done within fifteen to twenty minutes, no fingerprints, a small gun described by witnesses, and a safe wide open. Craig had solved murders, missing person cases and all kinds of robberies, bloody and cruel messes but he had never in his career encountered something executed so cleanly. Especially not three times in a row.

The taxi stopped and Craig got out. His hotel was right down the street, but his eyes didn't even get to the shiny neon sign decorating its entrance. Two buildings ahead of him, shards of broken glass covered the sidewalk. Craig hadn't intended to, but his legs carried him closer to the scene. He had just reached the entrance, or whatever was left of it, when two men stumbled outside. The taller, blonde one would have crashed into Craig, but his reflexes were strong and by hair width he could back away just far enough. A uniformed officer followed, screaming so high that Craigs ears started to ring. He pulled his hat further down, but it was unsuccessful in drowning out the noise. The officer continued his fit, shoving the blonde man into the street: "Mess with me again and you'll see what a real crime looks like! Get out and stop asking all these stupid questions!" A dull sound was audible as a camera hit the ground. Now the other guy was equally enraged. "You'll pay for that! You know I'm with the Denver Post! You can't just interfere with the press like that!" "Well then, don't interfere with my damn investigation!" Denver Post. That rang a bell. Craig managed to escape his rigidity turned towards the reporter, completely ignoring the police man. "Denver Post? Do you know a Kenny McCormick?" Now noticing Craig for the first time, the anger on the reporter's face gave way to a sly grin: "Depends. Who's askin'?" It took Craig aback how handsome he was, despite the dishevelled blonde hair and horrible choice in clothing. He wore dark orangish, brown coat that was almost swallowing him up, but his voice was deep and the freckles all over his face distracted from a few scars along his cheek. Craig decided to stay professional. "Craig Tucker, Private Investigator. I need to see him about some photographs." During the last word, the reporters gaze shifted down to the broken camera and his tone changed drastically. "Well, you're much too late for me to take your picture now. And cops have just made my personal shit list." Craig sighed. "So, you are McCormick." Kenneth rolled his eyes at him "Brilliant conclusion!" Craig held back another sigh. This was going to be a long day. "I am no cop. Do you know what a PI is? Doesn't matter. The pictures I am looking for were in the paper today, so the film has already been developed. Do you have any more photos of the crime scene? I need them for a case and I pay well, that should be all that concerns you." Kenneth paused, biting his lip and staring over Craigs shoulder into the destroyed jewellery store. Then, slowly, his face lit up again. "I'll make you a deal. I have a backup camera. Help me distract the police so I can get some new pictures of the scene. Minus the getting kicked out part, of course. If my camera and I make it back to the Post safe and sound, you can have a look at the film." Craig didn't have to give it much thought. This was his one chance to obtain any new information. And, if he was completely honest with himself, Kenneth did seem like a great partner in crime.