Past Revisited
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Chapter 1:- Chapter 1
Baltimore was entering into the foliage season where the leaves turned to a bright yellow, red and orange and fall to the ground for those young and old to enjoy. Leaves crunched under Marlena’s heels as she made her way up the long walkway of The Turner family in West Baltimore. A black fitted jacket created a silhouette over her button down white crisp shirt and her crisp starched black slacks.
Her skin gave off a glow in the overcast of clouds in the sky. It might have been the air of the neighborhood or just a good skin day for her. Marlena continued to walk up the walk way. The house was a one story, two bedroom home in the residential area of the Maryland city. It wasn’t much but it was what the resident, Susan Turner and her son, could afford.
Marlena stopped in front of the pink pastel house with its aluminum siding that was covered half way to the white windowsills with dirt. She opened the storm door to a painted metal door that clanked as she knocked hard on it. She needed to work on her knocking skills. She still knocked like her brother, the NOPD sergeant. She heard muffled footsteps as the door opened a crack as a gold security chain held the door from opening up.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Turner?” Marlena spoke loud and smile which caused the woman who was Mrs. Turner to reflect a less dim smile of politeness but no interest.
“Yes?”
“I am looking for your son, Bernard Turner. We received an application of his for our company, Johnston Incorporation,” The crone continued to look at Marlena through the small crack as she became more intrigued by what was told to her.
Marlena took a deep breath of the air coming from the house. She could smell the cigarette smoke in the first second. She was thinking about turning around from that smell but she needed to finish what she came to do and she need to keep a straight face doing it.
“May I come in and ask your son a few questions before we consider hiring him?” There was a pause. The door closed, which surprised Marlena, but soon opened wider to reveal the woman in a tropical smock and slippers. Her lackluster hair was done up in rollers as a cigarette sat betwixt her first and second fingers. Susan wore a bigger smile as she moved aside to let the woman in. The house smelled like a hundred ashtrays of a cigar bar with filter cigarettes extinguished everywhere including the two pewter-like ashtrays that sat on a table with seven water rings from drinks. A short, dimly light hallway that led to the back of the house stood behind Mrs. Turner.
Won't you sit down, Ms...
Oh, I'm fine, Marlena looked at the drab furniture and the stains that permeated the sofa. You have a...house.
I try to take care of it. Pension and nothing else to take care of me and my boy. I am so happy that my son can finally get a good job. Bernard, get your ass in here ” Susan shouted. Marlena’s eyes grew wide but she corrected her expression before Susan could see.
Susan’s auburn hair was stolid with few visible gray hairs. Faded wrinkles etched her face, showing years of motherhood. Her lips were a faded ruby red from years of applying the rouge lipstick of early young years. Chipped nail polish remained on her nails in different shapes and lines. Her gown covered a smaller frame of the woman that could be seen by Marlena as she moved from the spot near her to the edge of the hallway. Susan placed the lit cigarette back into her mouth, placing her lips on the prints left during each puff.
You're with what company again?
A shipping company, near the harbor,” That was a lie. Basically everything that Marlena said since she knocked on the door has been a lie but Mrs. Turner didn’t need to know that...yet. Marlena kept her eyes down the hallway. Is there anyone else in the house?
No, why?
“Mom, I was sleep. Who was at the door?” From the back room, a lanky man in a white undershirt and blue shorts scuffed into the living room. His slick hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. He rubbed his eyes of sleep as he walked lethargically into the living room. His eyes soon focused on the businesswoman with his mother. A shocked look came upon his face as Marlena waved to him.
“Hello, Mr. Turner,” She said. Bernard panicked and turned. Marlena sighed and made her way out of the sickening house to the side. She could hear Mrs. Turner yelling and asking what was going on and then she heard the yelp from Bernard.
“Whoa, Bernard, where are you going?” Marlena stopped at the corner of the house as she saw Bernard on the ground and a muscular man kneeling down as he twisted Bernard’s arm behind him. The man picked up Bernard around and pulled out handcuffs. The big man looked to break Bernard as he pulled his arm to his back. The muscleman wore a baseball cap with the Baltimore Police Emblem. On his waist, a black forty caliber pistol hung in a black holster close to his Baltimore police shield. Marlena turned as the older woman rushed out of the house, her floral gown swishing around her.
“Mrs. Turner, we are with the Baltimore City Police Department. We have a warrant to arrest your son,” The slim woman showed the frightened woman and the arrested man her similar badge. “He’s being arrested on charges of drug trafficking and an attempted murder of a police officer,” Marlena moved to the astonished woman with a folded paper in hand.
“Let’s go for a ride, Bernard.” The powerfully built man said securing the cuffs on Bernard’s wrist and pulling him to the Baltimore City patrol cruiser.
“Mrs. Turner, we are taking your son down to the Central Booking and Intake. You do know where that is?” Marlena said turning away.
“Yeah. When I get there, I will have you fired,” Mrs. Turner’s smile was gone and her face was etched more with anger and distraught as the cigarette remained dangling in her mouth. Marlena stopped and turned with a smile.
“If you do, my name is Detective Marlena Broussard.”
Baltimore was entering into the foliage season where the leaves turned to a bright yellow, red and orange and fall to the ground for those young and old to enjoy. Leaves crunched under Marlena’s heels as she made her way up the long walkway of The Turner family in West Baltimore. A black fitted jacket created a silhouette over her button down white crisp shirt and her crisp starched black slacks.
Her skin gave off a glow in the overcast of clouds in the sky. It might have been the air of the neighborhood or just a good skin day for her. Marlena continued to walk up the walk way. The house was a one story, two bedroom home in the residential area of the Maryland city. It wasn’t much but it was what the resident, Susan Turner and her son, could afford.
Marlena stopped in front of the pink pastel house with its aluminum siding that was covered half way to the white windowsills with dirt. She opened the storm door to a painted metal door that clanked as she knocked hard on it. She needed to work on her knocking skills. She still knocked like her brother, the NOPD sergeant. She heard muffled footsteps as the door opened a crack as a gold security chain held the door from opening up.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Turner?” Marlena spoke loud and smile which caused the woman who was Mrs. Turner to reflect a less dim smile of politeness but no interest.
“Yes?”
“I am looking for your son, Bernard Turner. We received an application of his for our company, Johnston Incorporation,” The crone continued to look at Marlena through the small crack as she became more intrigued by what was told to her.
Marlena took a deep breath of the air coming from the house. She could smell the cigarette smoke in the first second. She was thinking about turning around from that smell but she needed to finish what she came to do and she need to keep a straight face doing it.
“May I come in and ask your son a few questions before we consider hiring him?” There was a pause. The door closed, which surprised Marlena, but soon opened wider to reveal the woman in a tropical smock and slippers. Her lackluster hair was done up in rollers as a cigarette sat betwixt her first and second fingers. Susan wore a bigger smile as she moved aside to let the woman in. The house smelled like a hundred ashtrays of a cigar bar with filter cigarettes extinguished everywhere including the two pewter-like ashtrays that sat on a table with seven water rings from drinks. A short, dimly light hallway that led to the back of the house stood behind Mrs. Turner.
Won't you sit down, Ms...
Oh, I'm fine, Marlena looked at the drab furniture and the stains that permeated the sofa. You have a...house.
I try to take care of it. Pension and nothing else to take care of me and my boy. I am so happy that my son can finally get a good job. Bernard, get your ass in here ” Susan shouted. Marlena’s eyes grew wide but she corrected her expression before Susan could see.
Susan’s auburn hair was stolid with few visible gray hairs. Faded wrinkles etched her face, showing years of motherhood. Her lips were a faded ruby red from years of applying the rouge lipstick of early young years. Chipped nail polish remained on her nails in different shapes and lines. Her gown covered a smaller frame of the woman that could be seen by Marlena as she moved from the spot near her to the edge of the hallway. Susan placed the lit cigarette back into her mouth, placing her lips on the prints left during each puff.
You're with what company again?
A shipping company, near the harbor,” That was a lie. Basically everything that Marlena said since she knocked on the door has been a lie but Mrs. Turner didn’t need to know that...yet. Marlena kept her eyes down the hallway. Is there anyone else in the house?
No, why?
“Mom, I was sleep. Who was at the door?” From the back room, a lanky man in a white undershirt and blue shorts scuffed into the living room. His slick hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. He rubbed his eyes of sleep as he walked lethargically into the living room. His eyes soon focused on the businesswoman with his mother. A shocked look came upon his face as Marlena waved to him.
“Hello, Mr. Turner,” She said. Bernard panicked and turned. Marlena sighed and made her way out of the sickening house to the side. She could hear Mrs. Turner yelling and asking what was going on and then she heard the yelp from Bernard.
“Whoa, Bernard, where are you going?” Marlena stopped at the corner of the house as she saw Bernard on the ground and a muscular man kneeling down as he twisted Bernard’s arm behind him. The man picked up Bernard around and pulled out handcuffs. The big man looked to break Bernard as he pulled his arm to his back. The muscleman wore a baseball cap with the Baltimore Police Emblem. On his waist, a black forty caliber pistol hung in a black holster close to his Baltimore police shield. Marlena turned as the older woman rushed out of the house, her floral gown swishing around her.
“Mrs. Turner, we are with the Baltimore City Police Department. We have a warrant to arrest your son,” The slim woman showed the frightened woman and the arrested man her similar badge. “He’s being arrested on charges of drug trafficking and an attempted murder of a police officer,” Marlena moved to the astonished woman with a folded paper in hand.
“Let’s go for a ride, Bernard.” The powerfully built man said securing the cuffs on Bernard’s wrist and pulling him to the Baltimore City patrol cruiser.
“Mrs. Turner, we are taking your son down to the Central Booking and Intake. You do know where that is?” Marlena said turning away.
“Yeah. When I get there, I will have you fired,” Mrs. Turner’s smile was gone and her face was etched more with anger and distraught as the cigarette remained dangling in her mouth. Marlena stopped and turned with a smile.
“If you do, my name is Detective Marlena Broussard.”
