From the Desk of Detective Harpe

I don't jump out of bed any more at the sound of my cell in the middle of the night. I don’t have to answer it either to know there’s a body waiting. There's always another crime to investigate. Human tragedy permeates my life.

The name -- Sam Harper, homicide detective -- a truth seeker, the victim’s advocate. I’m the guy who studies the face across the interrogation table and looks for the eyes of a killer. And then I get to tuck my emotions away as I talk to the mother of a murdered child and pretend it doesn't sting.

The viciousness of the crimes are beyond comprehension. They’re complex, but those impulsive acts of violence are rarely perfect. That’s how I catch them, through an insignificant slip of the tongue or a discarded cigarette butt. It's the little mistakes that’ll bring the criminals to their knees.

Time is never on my side. Sometimes the cases go cold or worse, a person dies and no one takes notice. That’s what I’m up against now. A sixteen-year old homicide. I hear whispers but lips aren't moving. I have my suspicions. One of these suspects is guilty, the question is, who has the highest stakes and the bigger secret to hide?

Solving a cold one is like a walk through a house of mirrors. Facts get distorted and leads don’t pan out. Sometimes, evidence points me in an unexpected direction and before I know it, the case splinters in two. I can’t discuss the details of my investigation, but here, look through my notes and see for yourself how this whole mess got started. Go on. What are you waiting on?

So what does get me out of bed every day? The innocent. The muted victims who can’t fight against a criminal justice system that punishes them by protecting the rights of the criminals. Defense attorneys can manipulate the evidence any way they want, but their spin tactics won’t change the facts. They want evidence beyond a reasonable doubt? No problem -- I have it -- right here. The deal is, their client bluffed, I’m holding the winning hand, and those little mistakes just gave voice to a silenced cry.

That's my phone again. Could be the call I've been waiting on -- the ironclad evidence I need to close this case once and for all.

Catch you later,

Sam Harper