When It Happens

By John E Shirey

     Paul and Louise have been homicide detective partners for ten years.  He is the analytic thinker and she is an ex-military, take-charge badass.  He figures who did the crime, she cuffs them.

     Paul is shot in the back at his home.  Lou starts investigating to find the killer.  Paul returns as an apparition to help her.

    Paul was doing an off the books investigation for the Governor.   The people he was investigating wanted him dead.

    Lou needs help solving the crime.  Paul's spirit has no way to communicate or help her. 

    The Devil will give Paul's spirit the powers needed, if he can take a soul for the Devil.  Or, Paul can go to heaven if he saves a soul.  His desire to avenge his death is strong.  His choices are clear, take a soul or save a soul.   The consequences will last for eternity.

     He gets powers from the Devil and helps Lou with the investigation. He points her to a number of suspects, but she charges his best friend anyway.  A flamboyant attorney defends Paul's friend but the evidence is strong.  A surprise witness testifies and identifies the murderer.  Paul's friend is acquitted.  His soul is saved.

The real killer is a surprise to everyone. Paul pursues the killer with all the powers Satan gave him.  The killer runs, but can't hide.  Paul finally takes a soul for the Devil when he kills his murderer.  

     He saved a soul and took a soul. Will he remain in purgatory?  Where will Paul spend eternity? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: John E Shirey
• Release date: Feb 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224958696

Book preview

Chapter 1

When it happens, you don’t know it has.  Some of us get lucky; we don’t see it coming.  The rest of us know it’s coming, but we can’t stop it.  After it happens, it lasts a long time.  I was lucky.  I didn’t know it would happen.  I had no time to worry about it.  I was also different from everybody else.  I knew it had happened.

The sentence was handed down, 20 years with no early parole.  The judge said, Court dismissed. The sound of the gavel made it final. Albert Armstrong was ushered away.  His brother Calvin Armstrong yelled at the detectives;

I’ll get you!  You’ll die quickly.  You won’t see it coming!

Detectives Paul Hardeen and Louise Mathews heard these threats many times before.  As homicide investigators they’d seen many brutal murderers brought to trial.  There was always a friend, relative or partner in crime that threatened revenge.  Paul and Lou were used to it.  It was part of the job. 

In her usual style, Lou responded to Armstrong’s threat, Bring it on tough guy. 

Paul wished she’d keep her mouth shut, but after ten years as partners, he was used to it.

It was a high profile case with the murder of a pimp who was beating on a girl Albert Armstrong was seeing.  He didn’t like seeing her with bruises so he took care of things.  His brother Calvin was a suspected accomplice but lack of evidence allowed him to walk.  As the trial went on, both Armstrong brothers, Paul Hardeen and Lou Mathews were pictured in the news several times.  The detectives were hailed as heroes cleaning up the city.  Albert Armstrong was the President of the local construction worker’s union.  He was well known for being a tough negotiator as well as a strong union leader.  The union members were none too happy their man was in jail.  The Armstrong brothers stayed firm claiming their innocence.  They accused the police of setting them up just to close the case.  The press printed every word.

Paul and Lou left the courthouse to continue work on another case.  It involved the death of one Bobby Grasso.  His body was found in an alley behind a biker bar, the ‘Black Adder’.  The detectives had been there several times to interview the biker crowd. Most of them belonged to the ‘Rim Riders’ cycle club. The interviews went nowhere.  There was a firm code of silence in the club that was ruled with force by its leader, William Young.  He was called ‘Handlebar’.  He had a record of violence.  Paul and Lou interviewed him once.  The only outcome was their suspicions about him went up.  He was indeed a person of interest.  He knew it.  The Rim Rider members didn’t like their leader being hassled by the cops. 

A week later Lou was heading home but needed to buy something to eat.  It was after dark when she pulled her car into the 7 -11 parking lot.  There were only two other cars.  One was an old Honda Civic.  It was probably the night cashier’s.  The other was a pimped up street racer.  The silver mag wheels stood out against the cobalt blue matte finished body. 

Inside were the cashier and three customers.  The guys from the street racer Lou figured.  She was looking through the aisles when one of the street racer punks stepped in front of her.  He was in his mid twenties, not well shaven, and wearing a hoodie with the hood down.

What have we here?  Such a pretty little thing filling out those pants so well.

Watch it buster.  You might need to use your health insurance, if you have any. 

A second young tough guy stepped behind her.  The first thug reached out to touch her hair, Well, we have a feisty one don’t we.

In a flash she bashed him in the face with a can of baked beans.  His nose was broken.  Blood splattered as he fell to the floor.  Just as quickly she spun around then with tremendous force raised a knee into the groin of the second man.  He was almost lifted off his feet, and then fell to the floor.  A third man stepped into the aisle.  He pulled a knife.  She moved so fast he hardly saw her hand grab his arm then twist it around his back.  The knife fell to the floor.  She rammed him head first into the wall.  He collapsed after she released him. 

She heard the first man behind her still flat on the floor,  You bitch....I’m going to have fun with you... 

She put a knee on his chest, pulled our her Glock 22, put the barrel on his forehead,  Is there something you want to discuss?  You might choose your next words carefully?  You have anything to say?

No

Show a little respect.  No....what?

No ma’am.

That’s better.  Now you should say good night.  You’re going to take a little nap.  With that she pulled his head up by his hair then slammed it back down on the concrete floor.  He was out cold.

She heard the second man groaning.  She saw him holding his groin while trying to stand up and offered some help,

The best thing to ease the pain is some ice.

She levelled the gun barrel at his chest, helped him stand up as she pushed him toward the floor to ceiling glass freezer door.  She opened the door, pushed him then closed the door.  She grabbed a kitchen towel from the display rack and tied it around the abutting handles of the two freezer doors.  Inside the man was pounding on the glass to get out.  The doors weren’t budging. 

The third man started getting up.  She stepped in front of him, levelled her gun at his chest, I doubt you make good decisions.  Think about what you need to decide now.  The man stared at the gun.  Lou added, If you take a step, I’ll put a bullet into your knee cap.  Or, you can sit down, asshole.  He sat down on the floor.  She threw a handcuff around his wrist then secured the other end to a display rack, Good decision for a change.

The entire battle took less than thirty seconds.  The cashier never moved.  When she approached him, he asked if he should call 911.  She showed her badge then handed him a card,

No need to call 911.  There’s no emergency now.  There just needs to be a bit of clean up.  Call that number. Tell them Lou Mathews needs uniforms here.  She left without any groceries.

She got the call on her way home from the 7-11.  She drove to Paul Bardeen’s house.  In front of the house was a convoy of police cars.  There was a river of yellow tape wrapped around everything.  Police officers stood guard on the street.  They blocked access to the house.  Crime lab investigators in white PPE suits were roaming the grounds. They were also inside taking prints and pictures of everything.

The high-pitched beep-beep of her siren was heard as her black sedan came into view.  The rooftop flashing blue light on her car shone bright in the dark of night.  She stopped in front of the house.  The siren stopped.  The roof flasher went off.  She stepped out of the car.  She stood looking at the house, the array of cars, uniformed police, plain-clothes detectives, forensic investigators, EMTs and, an ambulance.  The night sky was luminous with the red, blue and yellow lights flashing everywhere.  She slammed the car door shut.  Everybody heard it.  They looked at her.  They all stopped what they were doing.  The only movement was the strobes of the flashing lights.

Detective Sargent Louise Mathews slowly walked from her car, onto the porch then into the house.  She saw her boss, Captain Dave Steere in the living room looking down.  He saw her then immediately turned to block her view of the floor.

Lou, don’t.  You don’t want to see it.  Let me take you home.  I’ll call you as soon as we get anything.

He was my partner for ten years Dave!  Damn it! Let me through!

Steere stepped aside.  Lou looked at the body.  Paul Hardeen lie face down.  Three bullet holes in his back were obvious.  There could be more.  The grey carpet was turning dark as the blood spread.  Lou had seen countless homicides.  She was usually ready with questions.  Now she stood in silence.  Captain Steere stepped over to put an arm around her.  She pushed him away.

Don’t.  Not now Dave.  YOU, have work to do.  If you can’t, then I will.  I want updates every day.  No excuses. 

I didn’t expect it but wasn’t surprised.  Lou Mathews was giving orders to our boss.  She’s just that type of a gal.  Wait, who is that lying face down?  There must be a mistake.  It can’t be....that’s me.  Some son-of-a-bitch shot me, and in the back too.  What the hell?  This can’t be.  I’ve gone to the ‘other side’! This is bullshit.  I can’t be dead.  I need to get back where I was.