Chapter 6
“Hey, hey, ho, ho. We’re here to stay and we won’t go!”
Police officers watched the protesters chant and march in circles. They held up placards demanding an investigation into Damon’s disappearance. His wife Tasha shouted with the loudest voice, pulling her three children along behind her. Black Lives Matter was only one of the slogans listed. The demonstrations continued for over a week and showed no signs of slacking off.
At the police station, Detective Jones watched the same scene on television. He sighed to himself. Over 200 robbery cases were outstanding. What did the public expect? How was he to know that this particular robbery victim would vanish a few weeks later?
It didn’t matter. A Black man was dead, and a full investigation could no longer be avoided. From the bottom of the pile to the top priority list, with television coverage and all.
He reviewed the case notes. Obviously, the safe was blown by a professional thief who knew all the tricks. No fingerprints or useful evidence was found at the scene. The remaining electrical components could be purchased anywhere. Witness testimony revealed an average looking man in a mustache wearing a uniform. Facial recognition searches did not match to any known person. There just wasn’t much to go on.
One avenue was to investigate known burglars. Local authorities had a long list of known break and enter suspects. But this was wearying work. Any one of them could have done it. Furthermore, high-value robbery targets could attract professional criminals from out of state. The scope of possible suspects was simply too wide for a quick investigation and would involve the FBI and possibly other federal agencies.
Another avenue was to investigate the victim. Damon Fields was a financial advisor. A wife and three kids. And a mistress on the side, as revealed by the photos released to the press weeks before. This merited a closer look. Who knew what leverage someone might have? Or what information might have drawn the thief to the Fields residence.
Detective Jones retrieved the financial statements. Certainly, Fields was a man in debt, but not a crushing amount. The income from his clients was enough to pay the monthly nut, including interest. Of course, this only showed official debt. There could be money owed to loan sharks or other cash transactions.
With assistance, the detective continued to gather information. Damon worked for a local branch of a nationwide financial advisory firm. Clients could purchase insurance, annuities, or any number of financial instruments. No clients had reported any difficulties with Fields, and he had solid working relationships with his colleagues.
Jones wondered about the girlfriend. Where did the lovebirds go for their clandestine trysts? Further research reviewed visits to Star Candy, a local club. Lo and behold, Jasmine was a part-time employee. Probably how they met, thought the detective. It was time to interview the woman.