Nothing To Lose

Jonas walked out of the building, and he was exhausted. It had been months since the last time he visited his oncologist, and he'd felt fatigued, in pain, and worried. Now, as he walked out of the Midwest Regional Cancer Clinic, he knew his worries weren't wasted. His cancer was in stage four and had spread throughout most of his body.  

As he got to his car, he rested his hands on the roof and stared into the distance. His life was, in that moment, over. He wondered how he could make any plans. The doctors were giving him less than three years and had assured him he was going to die. It was something that Jonas Decon never considered. He wasn't supposed to go that way.  

Jonas had always been in the middle of the action. After years of dodging bullets in the Middle East and years working on the streets, he envisioned a barrage of bullets, and one of them had his name on it. That was how he was meant to go. But as the tears streaked down his cheek, the reality of his situation changed.  

Trying to shake off the shock, Jonas got in and sped out of the parking lot, fishtailing on the street before roaring away. His car was a good old-fashioned American muscle car, and he knew how to open it up. As he sped toward the highway onramp, Jonas tried to shake the dismay from his system. He knew there were things he needed to do, but part of him just wanted to stand in the sun and scream at the heavens.  

As he approached Bay City, getting ready to take the State Street ramp, his phone began ringing. The screen on his dash read P.D. Jonas pressed the answer button and was greeted by Amanda Hovind.  

"I know you had some business today, but when you're free..." She trailed off.  

Jonas gripped the steering wheel tighter, waiting for Amanda to finish. When he finally asked her what was wrong, Amanda's answer wasn't what he was prepared to hear. There'd been a murder, and she needed someone with more street time to take the case.  

"I wouldn't ask, considering it was supposed to be your day off. But it's bad, Jonas," admitted Amanda.  

There was a sullenness in her voice that made him want to assure her things would be alright. He didn't know if he was ready to focus on anything else, but it was the Chief calling, and she never asked for a favor. As much as he knew better, he told her he would come in.  

"I owe you, my friend," she told Jonas.  

He shook his head. She didn't owe him anything, not in his mind. Theirs was a weird relationship. Most of the guys wondered why he stayed on when his ex-wife was appointed as Chief of Police.  

"You don't owe me a thing," he promised her. "You know I'd still do anything for you."  

Amanda sobbed a bit. Then she asked Jonas about the business he had to handle. She asked if everything was alright. But based on how she sounded, whatever had happened, it was affecting her personally.  

"Yeah, everything went great," he assured her. "Send me the information for the scene, and I'll talk to you about it after I've taken a look."  

Another storm rolled in overhead as Jonas made his way through the Bay City traffic. He was headed to Montgomery Court, which is a nicer area of town. Most of the homes there were less than twenty-five years old. The small cul-de-sacs and gated communities on the north side of town were where the revenue stream came from, so a murder in an upscale area like this was going to be a priority.  

As Jonas pulled up, put his gun on his hip and his badge around his neck as he found a place to park his car. He tucked his jacket collar close to him, cringing at the chaos in front of him.  

"Jesus, everybody's here," he said to himself.  

One of the uniformed officers, Danny Stevens, came running over to Jonas as soon as he saw him. Danny was the first one to respond, and he began relaying the information he had collected to Jonas. Jonas could still barely hear himself think; the words from his doctor's appointment still echoing in his ears.  

"Detective," Danny raised his voice.  

Jonas met the young officers gazing with his steely glare. Before he said anything, he took a deep breath.  

"Sorry, kid. It's already been a day," explained Jonas.  

Jonas was escorted into the crime scene, which wasn't like anything he'd seen in his decade of law enforcement.  

"Jesus," he sighed. "What the hell happened here?" 

Officer Stevens explained the scene. As far as he could tell, the woman who lived there came home and found someone already inside her house. She was initially attacked from behind, forced to the ground, and likely mounted by her attacker. From there, it all gets pretty vicious.  

"Was there a weapon?"  

"Not that we can find," he admitted. "But we're canvasing the area, we've got extra units searching the neighborhood, talking to every resident within visual distance of the residence, and hope to find something."  

"Good, kid."  

Jonas knelt next to the body. He asked, "who is she?" before pulling the blood-soaked sheet off her face. His eyes met the victim's, and he knew why Amanda called him. Danica Johnson was their college roommate and had stood up with Amanda at their wedding. It didn't get much more personal.  

"You keep things moving here, Stevens." 

"Um...where are you going?"  

"I need to see a friend," he admitted, storming out of the residence through the ocean of uniforms searching for the grounds outside.  

Danny sat in his car, desperately trying not to light up. As he watched the rain pour over his windshield, he finally caved. He sat there, beginning to wonder: what did he have to lose?