‘It’s amazing really that I can work the roughest streets in Illinois and yet I can’t keep control of my own son.’
‘Well let’s leave him for now.’ Jasmine wiped her eyes and changed the subject. ‘How was your day?’
Darnell scratched his head as he considered how he was going to reveal to his wife that he’d quit his job, sacrificing their health benefits, security and potentially his pension. He looked into her sad eyes and knew that the last thing she needed was more upheaval.
‘Oh it was fine,’ he said instead. ‘I’m gonna take a shower.’
As he walked up the stairs, he passed Aaron who had kept an eye on the family battle from the landing, hovering outside of his bedroom door. He stepped out and stopped in his father’s tracks. He lounged around the house in a salmon shirt, yellow jumper and a smart pair of Levis which fit neatly over his white Converse shoes.
‘Is everything OK with Thomas?’
‘Not now, Aaron.’ Darnell gently pushed his son aside and paced up to the bathroom. As he showered, he washed away the stress from his eyes, turning up the heat to clear the dust he felt embedded into his skin from Abe’s grave earlier in the day. It was like a building site down there and his asthma had been tickled by the rubble.
He dried himself off and walked into his office. Switching on his computer, he browsed over his emails before his BlackBerry disturbed him with its vigorous vibrations. He looked down; it was Commander Hill calling, and Darnell reluctantly answered.
‘Jackson, what the hell do you think you’re doing throwing in the towel on a case like this? It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. And I’d thought you’d take it up as a last hurrah before your retirement.’
‘I’m sorry, sir, but I couldn’t work with that damn woman,’ Darnell replied. ‘She’s completely above her station. After thirty years, I refuse to be subjected to that kind of disrespect from someone who is effectively a graduate. She has no experience, she’s just all connections.’
‘That damn woman could save this case. She’s a smart girl and you could learn a thing or two from her, as could she with you. You both have so much to offer.’
‘I’m too old to learn, boss. I’m retiring soon, what’s the point?’
‘I thought this would mean more to you than this. I thought Lincoln was your hero? Isn’t this a chance to pay back everything he did for your family? For freeing the slaves?’
‘Hey, don’t play the race card with me.’
‘I’m not, I’m just trying to put things in perspective. You have an amazing opportunity and I think you’d do a good job.’
‘It’s a standard ransom case, anyone could do it. But I’m not having some juvenile incompetent cop tell me otherwise. And I certainly don’t appreciate some snitch giving out information about my previous slip-ups to her either. That hurt, Commander Hill. I can’t trust anyone in the department anymore. So enough is enough.’
‘Well that is a shame.’ Disappointment carried in his voice. ‘You were one of the best detectives I’d ever met before you got shot. I was hoping this might be a chance for you to prove yourself once again and end on a high before you retired.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Darnell said before hanging up. He was surprised by the compliment from his manager, who gave few out during their time together. Hill was old school in his management approach; his silence meant you were meeting his unreasonably high expectations, but boy did you know about it if you weren’t.
He browsed through his emails before his employer ultimately switched off his access. Whilst he was no longer working on the case, he was still a little nosey. He also wanted to write a thank you note to those he’d worked beside for the past thirty years as he hadn’t had the opportunity to say goodbye before he stormed out of the precinct.
Whilst perusing the emails, his attention was drawn to an email titled ‘Lincoln.’ All other communication to his email regarding the exhumation had been titled Oak Ridge to protect the nature of the case. Darnell double-clicked on the email which didn’t appear to be from the standard .gov address he was used to in the force.
Looking for Lincoln, are you? Well you’ll have to go on a little journey first. Like any journey, you must start at the very beginning. As the song goes, it’s a very good place to start. Only then will you begin to see.
In the header of the email was a symbol. The marking was of a tightly gripped fist above a laurel wreath. He didn’t recognise it, but he knew he had to get the email to his superiors at the precinct. With his heart racing, Darnell dialled his boss.
‘Sir, I take back everything I just said. I think I need to be back on the case.’
Chapter 4
The circular table mimicked that of King Arthur. The knights at this table did not seek to protect the King of England, but the former President of the United States. Detective Darnell Jackson, Commander Lewis Hill and Detective Vanessa Jamison were joined by a host of experts, swiftly drafted in to help return the body of Abraham Lincoln.
Springfield had never seemed so quiet. An air of suspicion arose from the state capital as the most famous cemetery outside of DC had been closed to the public. Web analyst Robert Lawson had attempted to deter suspecting journalists by implementing a Closed for Renovation notice upon the Oak Ridge website. Their Twitter account was filled with complaints from those who had made a
