In this heartfelt and gripping saga, former Minneapolis police officer Arnold Masters is homeless as well as suffering from schizophrenia and a brain injury. At 28 years old, shortly after the birth of his second child, he was in preparations to make detective. While on duty he suffered a traumatic brain injury, which, coupled with early signs of schizophrenia, sent his life spiraling out of control. Over the next several years as he would slowly lose touch with reality, Arnold Masters was deemed unfit to work, which eventually led to his divorce and losing custody of his children. Shortly after moving into a small apartment, he turned to alcohol to ease his pain. Unable to pay his bills, Arnold was evicted and forced onto the streets. With his former partner, detective Lou Chang keeping an eye on him from a distance, Masters sank deeper and deeper into his mental illness. Then, one day, it all came to a head as he believes a tree has been murdered. With the help of his new positive psychotic hallucination, known as officer Gonzalez, he will set out on a mission to solve this unbelievable murder.

CHAPTER 1

LOG LAY MURDERED

(In the opening scene we see a disheveled man in his mid 30's walking hastily along a park path. He is wearing a dirty brown jacket, hole infested jeans, and broken sneakers. Billie Eilish: Bury a Friend is playing while his eyes move side-to-side with suspicious intent.)


On the outskirts of a park, near the edge of a forest, along the shore of a pond is where detective Arnold Masters discovered his first body. A normal passerby might have never even noticed the rotting corpse slowly disintegrating into the soil. However, with his trained eye, it was obvious as that vacant stare into emptiness was unmistakable. He ran his fingers through his hair only a moment before feeling weak in his knees.

Feeling nauseous, he dry heaved a few times. Gaining his composure he reached for his phone and called it in, “I’ve got a 10-55 at Minnehaha Regional Park...possible 187.”

Detective Masters didn’t want to contaminate the crime scene as he waited for the coroner and CSI to arrive. Trying not to frighten any passerby’s he advised anyone walking past to avoid this area as it was now an active crime scene. As people became curious though, he had to assert himself and push his authority, which seemingly frightened them. With the threat of arrest due to interference in a police matter, he was able to disperse the crowd.

Although he'd been on the force for over 6 years, it was his first experience with something of this magnitude. Growing uneasy at the length of time it was taking, detective Masters decided to start his investigation. Taking every precaution possible, he made his way to the gruesome scene. The stench was nearly unbearable as he covered his mouth with his shirt.

“You poor S.O.B...what happened here and why would someone do this to you?”

It must have been weeks to months since the actual murder took place. Keeping his nose covered, he reached for a pen with his other hand. Pulling the small writing device from his pocket he lifted a small piece of the victim from the ground, which caused him to start dry heaving again. Just when he thought he might actually vomit, a twig snapped from behind him. In the blink of an eye, detective Masters drew his weapon and turned around.
Standing in front of him was a gorgeous police officer with long dark hair and burning brown eyes. She gave him a nervous rookie smile as she dropped the equipment and put her hands in the air, “I’m unarmed…” she started to explain, “well...I’m not unarmed, but, uh, I mean...I don’t have a weapon in my actual hands...so please don’t shoot me!”

“Who are you?” Masters squinted and tightened the grip on his gun.

“Gonzalez,” she gulped, “officer Gonzalez...I’m here to assist you with the dead body.”

“Dammit officer Gonzalez,” he lowered his weapon and holstered it, “you need to be more careful. I could have shot you...never sneak up on a detective in the middle of a crime scene.”

“I’m sorry sir…” she started to apologize.

“Let me guess...they sent me a greenhorn,” he was visibly disappointed. “Where’s the rest of the crew?”

“Oh...well, yes...I am a new rookie,” officer Gonzalez began to explain, “and I’m the only one coming...but they told me to tell you that all of my services are at your disposal...so...I guess I’m like your new partner.”

“What the…” Masters was beyond furious as he kicked the ground, “my first big case and they send me one tenderfoot with an apparent death wish!”

“Oh, well, I…” Gonzalez didn’t know how to respond.

“Just grab the kit and get over here!” Masters yelled at her.

They both walked over to the body and stared down at it. No words were spoken for several minutes. Not wanting to show any weakness around his new partner, he held back the desire to gag.

“Disgusting...isn’t it,” Masters commented to Gonzalez.

“It’s pretty gruesome sir,” she replied with gagging in her voice.

Masters smiled as he leaned in closer to the body, “Let’s get started.”

Gonzalez leaned in as well and asked, “Why would anyone in their right mind murder this tree?”

“I don’t know...but we’re gonna find out...and they’ll pay for their crime!” Masters snapped the rubber glove as he was putting it on his hand.

There was silence for several minutes as he studied every chip, crack and break in his victim. His eyebrows raised and lowered as each evaluation of the murder scene danced within his mind. Whenever he thought intensely, detective Masters would uncontrollably blink dozens of times; which was a nervous tick he developed after the brain injury.

It'd been a very brutal six years since the critical accident he endured while in the line of duty. Everything in his life was leading up to this moment..the moment when he would have his first, complete and total psychotic break from reality. The alcohol only fed fuel to the fire as his mental state deteriorated. There was no going back for him now...moving forward, he would become detective Masters and he'd need to solve this particularly brutal murder.

With officer Gonzalez quietly hanging to the side, a thought suddenly popped into his mind. Looking towards the feet of the victim, he noticed the uneven break as there were multiple, large splinters spreading out in every direction.

“This isn’t any normal break!” he shouted at his new partner. “The perp was standing in front of the victim and it looks as though they pushed several times...with great force. There may have been some sort of argument, which caused them to lash out.”

“How can you tell?” asked Gonzalez.

“The breaks are at multiple points and in multiple places...like a jigsaw puzzle that’s all out of whack,” he explained. “That usually happens after an argument.”

With an impressed tone, she replied, “Wow...it’s amazing you can see all of that detail.”

“Do you observe what I mean?” he asked the rookie.

“Oh, well, I...uh,” she began to stammer.

With a slight grin, Masters commented, “It’s ok if you don’t see it officer Gonzalez. This is your first day on the job.”

“I just don’t want to let you down sir,” she spoke clearly.

Taking a moment to help his new partner, he offered a piece of advice, “You’re here to assist me...you’ll only let me down if you don’t show up. I only expect three things from my partner...number one, show up...number two, don’t throw up and number three...that is the most important...and OH MY GOSH, WHAT'S THAT!”

“What do you mean?” she was severely confused at number three.

“Behind you...something's there!” Masters rushed to the splintered trunk where the tree broke off.

Gonzalez quickly turned around, “I don’t see anything, sir.”

He braced himself while squatting towards the ground. Carefully and with caution, he slowly cleared the debris in front of him. There were several leaves and twigs covering the mud. Like a surgeon operating, he pulled something from within the wet earth.

“I think this is the big break we're looking for Gonzalez.” he was full of glee.

“What is it sir?” she was curious.

“A pop bottle,” he held it up with his pinky finger in the opening, “and not just any pop bottle...but a 330ml glass Christmas special...the polar bear one.”

“Holy smokes,” she stared at it with intrigue.

“I’m guessing from the looks of wear and tear, it was left here at the time of the murder,” he lifted it towards the sun.

“Should I dust it for prints?” she asked while picking up the kit.

“Not necessary,” he replied with certainty.

“Oh,” she responded with a mild hint of disappointment, setting the kit back on the ground. “Why don’t you want to check for prints?”

“Because…” he was about to drop some knowledge on his novice partner, “I already know who this belongs to.”

“You do…” she was once again in awe of his detective skills.

“He’s one of the biggest scum bags you’ll ever meet,” he threw the bottle behind him and then brushed off his hands. “Pimp D. Pimp...he’s the only guy who drinks that exact bottle of coke...the baby polar bears are a dead give away.”

“Yikes,” officer Gonzalez replied, “he sounds terrible.”

“Well...he is and I think it’s about time we paid him a visit…” just as Masters was finishing his sentence a twig snapped from within the grove of trees. Drawing his weapon, he gestured for Gonzalez to cover his "six" and get behind a tree.

After listening intently for a moment, he yelled out, “Who’s there?”

“Don’t shoot...I’m unarmed,” a familiar sounding voice flowed from the forest.

All of a sudden, the makings of a shadowy figure walked into the clearing. It appeared as if rain was falling on the person's skin and clothes as Masters squinted to try and see their face. One of the side-effects of his brain injury was a slightly distorted vision. With the intense impact, it burst the sacks in his eyes, which contain the blood vessels. Eventually, his brain tuned into all the movement and he developed a condition known as persistent positive visual phenomenon. Coupled with his schizophrenia, it was a recipe for distrust with the rest of humanity.

When Arnold saw someone from his past, it was like trying to remember a scene in a movie that was watched a very long time ago. He slightly recognized the voice as the actual personage in front of him was a vague and muddled acquaintance.

"It's me...your old partner...Lou Chang...you know me," he said while slowly lowering his hands.

"What are doing here?" asked Arnold.

"I was just checking in on you," replied detective Chang. "We received a few phone calls that you...you might be...in distress."

"Well...I called in the murder scene if that's what you're referring to," he responded with a hint of irritation. "But let me guess, you're going to try and worm your way into my case."

"No friend...that's not why I'm here," Chang took a few steps closer to his old partner, "I was concerned for you."

"Why...because you don't think I can handle a crime scene?" he glanced over to see if officer Gonzalez was still at his 6.

"No...that's not it...I know better than anyone...you can handle a crime scene," Chang was sincere. "I guess I just wanted to see if I could help out...that's all."

"I don't need your help...because Gonzalez and I just cracked this murder case wide open," Masters puffed his chest.

With a nervous smile, Chang looked over the area to see if he could make sense of the situation. Arnold stepped back as his old friend moved in closer.

"So what do you think happened here?" asked Chang.

"Isn't it obvious," Masters put his hands inside his jean pockets and began tapping his fingers with rapid irritation.

"I'm not entirely sure old partner...you were always the better officer than me," he started to sit down on a fallen log.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING..." shouted Masters, "you're about to sit on the victim...are you insane?"

"Oh my gosh...I'm sorry," Chang tried to think quickly, "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Are you trying to single-handedly destroy all the evidence," Masters was becoming irritated.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"I knew not to trust you," Masters began blinking uncontrollably.

Chang grew nervous as he attempted to resolve the situation. He cared a great deal for his former friend, which is why he personally answered the call about a man in the park claiming to be an officer at a murder scene. Other officers might not use discretion as willingly as he would.

In an attempt to gain control of the situation, Chang replied, "You may not trust me right now...but I trust you."

"Oh really...you trust me...and why is that?" Masters was losing patience.

"Because friend...you saved my life once!" A tear fell from Chang's eye.

There was silence for a moment until Arnold looked at the ground and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You may not remember...but I do," more tears swelled from Chang, "I remember every day!"

"I...I...I don't...I don't...I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Masters screamed as he motioned for officer Gonzalez to follow him.

As they both ran away from Chang, he yelled out, "Wait...please don't go!"

Masters and Gonzalez dodged trees while running towards the main trail. With near reckless abandonment, they stumbled onto the semi-crowded walkway.

"Where are we going, sir?" Gonzalez was out of breath.

"We have to get out of here...NOW!" Masters pushed his way through the mob of people. "That man back in the forest may be working with Pimp D. Pimp...we need to get to the car as soon as possible."

Making their way into the parking lot, they both searched frantically for the squad car. Running up and down the rows of vehicles, Masters became severely irritated.

"Do you remember where you parked it?" he yelled at Gonzalez.

"I...I...I'm not sure," she felt terrible.

Just at that moment, a bus was pulling up to a nearby stop. Masters felt his pockets and pulled out a metro transit pass.

"Forget the car Gonzalez...we're taking the bus!" he informed her.

Sprinting as fast as possible, they both made it to the door seconds before it was about to close. Scanning his ticket for both of them, they sat in the middle of the bus. Sweaty and out of breath, Masters and Gonzalez sat down next to each other. No words were spoken as they began their journey towards downtown Minneapolis.

(During the bus ride, Natural from Imagine Dragons is playing as we watch Masters and Gonzalez stare into the distance. Every so often their bodies jostle back and forth due to the motions of the massive transit vehicle.)

CHAPTER 2

CHANG'S PROMISE

(As chapter 2 begins, detective Lou Chang emerges from the trail. Standing at a healthy, fit, muscular and handsome 6' 2", he lowers his sunglasses over his eyes. Trying to hide his tears he is visibly shaken at the interaction with his former partner. In an attempt to gain composure, he brushes his already perfectly groomed hair with his hand. Taking deep breaths he walks down the pathway while the song You're Somebody Else by Flora Cash plays. His new partner, detective Joseph Brown is waiting patiently in the car.)

As the only park patron wearing a perfectly groomed suit, detective Chang stood out from the crowd...not to mention the fact that every woman was checking him out. He was lost in his own world while making his way to the parking lot. A dark blue dodge charger was running near the edge of the trail. Another man dressed in a similar fashion was sitting in the passenger seat. Chang opened the door and climbed into the air-conditioned vehicle.

"How did it go?" his partner, detective Joseph Brown asked. "Were you able to help him?"

Chang was silent for a moment while gripping the steering wheel, "He took off and I decided not to follow him."

"Hey...uh," detective Brown took a sigh of confrontation, "I don't know why you're wasting your time on this guy. I get it...he was a former police officer and your old partner...but..."

"...Choose your next words very carefully," Chang warned him as he took off his sunglasses, revealing red and watery eyes.

Knowing how serious his partner was, detective Brown cleared his throat, "...I just know how much of an emotional toll this guy is on you...and...uh...I don't want it to affect our work."

Putting his sunglasses back on, Chang lowered his head as he gripped the wheel even tighter, "I've never told you my former partner's story...have I."

"No...no you haven't," he replied.

"I owe Arnold Masters everything...even my own life," more tears dripped from Chang's face.

"I don't want to be insensitive, but we don't really have time for this right now..." detective Brown tried to change the subject.

"Nothing else matters right now...we have all the time in the world," Chang became severely sentimental.

Brown took a deep sigh as he knew there was no getting out of this, "Well...partner...I guess...uhhh..."

"...I know you don't care," Chang was irritated at his partner, "but, if we're gonna make this work, you need to understand where I'm coming from."

"Ok..." he changed his attitude, "...you're right...I'm sorry."

"Masters and I were young and hungry," Chang took off his glasses and wiped some tears away. "We were kick-ass officers with a mission to become two of the youngest to make detective. Everything was a competition for us. One day we received a call about a drug deal going down. Not wasting any time, we headed right there. Just as we were pulling up, another call came in about several human trafficking victims at the drug deal. We were told to stand down and wait for back-up."

"Let me guess...you didn't wait," his partner tried to lighten the mood.

"Of course we didn't..." Chang forced an awkward smile, "Well...officer Masters wanted to wait...I didn't. We stopped a block away and took our positions. He was keeping an eye on the east side of the street. I told him I was going to move in for a closer view...to make sure no one was in imminent threat. He told me to be careful...but I already made up my mind..."

"...What did you make up your mind to do?" asked Brown.

"I was going to storm the crime and rescue all the human trafficking victims." Chang started to tear up again. "I crept my way towards the scene and I saw that they were getting ready to wrap things up. We just got a call over the radio to continue to stand down as SWAT was going to take over. I felt that if I could justify that the hostages were in danger of their lives, that we'd be cleared of any order to stand down."

"Shoot...that's pretty ballsy," Brown grew more interested in the story.

"I was stupid and brash," Chang was remorseful, "and it ruined the life of my best friend...while nearly destroying mine. Masters was a block away when without warning I told him the hostages were going to be killed and that I was going in. He told me to wait for him...but I didn't listen. There were 10 dealers and three hostages. As I ran in and ordered them to get down...they opened fire."

"Damn...man...that was stupid..." Brown didn't really know what to think about his partner anymore.

"I returned fire..." Chang looked solemnly towards the ground, "...injuring one of them just as my gun jammed. I took one round to the vest as I ducked behind some crates. The wood barely stopped the bullets as I was getting pummeled. I froze and panicked...all I could do was think about my husband and our two kids we just adopted. I heard them getting closer and I thought I was dead...
© Samuel Petersen
#story