Summary
After being fired from the police force, Nick decides to take down the crime ring that made him lose it all.
In Chapter 1, Nick won the drug lord, Diaz's trust and killed seven addicts. Meanwhile, the Berryville PD is trying to figure out why there are so many OD's. They're investigating the latest crime scene. 

"Rachel, no, stop, " Jerry yells trying to catch up. She continues towards the crying baby.  The sudden commotion causes the birds to fly from the rooftop. Their sudden shift sends rotten timber and dried foliage through the gaping hole; Sidestepping around the debris, Rachel continues on.

"Stop, it's too dangerous," the sergeant yells.

She glances at her partners and then towards the room; The baby's wails have increased to blaring shrills. "I have to save her."

Hearing something crack above him, Jerry looks up to see a dead tree branch heading their way. "Take cover," he yells, dropping to the floor. The limb falls with such force that it causes the remaining roof to collapse on top of them.

***

Joe walks into the 911 headquarters on the fifth floor. The spacious area holds over a dozen workstation. Each appearing to be occupied. I didn't realize Berryville needs so many assistants. He then notices the large colorful map across the room. They must cover several districts. He concludes as he continues to glance around.

"What brings you up here, Captain?" the director asks, as she walks towards him.

"One of your techs called about a suspicious death and I'd like to speak to them about it, get a little more information if I can."

"That was me, sir." A homely lady walks towards him. She has thick dark-rimmed glasses, a ghost-like complexion and nicotine stained buck teeth. Her fire red hair only adds to her anemic appearance. "I'm... I'm the one who called you, sir." She self-consciously pulls her sweater around her.

The poor thing has probably been made fun of all her life, Joe thinks, recalling his childhood days and how relentless the bullies could be. The way their torment stayed with him well into his adult years. Kids can be so cruel. "What can you tell me about the caller?"

"Not much I'm afraid." Gulping she continues. "He wasn't on long enough to trace his location and the number came up as a bunch of zeros." She walks towards her station, Joe follows.

"Was his voice high-pitched, low pitched, monotone, excited?"

"Listen for yourself." She rewinds the tape and then pushes play.

Joe glances at her, a confused look on his face. "That sounds like..."

"Bart Simpson?" She smiles timidly. "It's a new app you can put on your phone. It has over a dozen voices to choose from."

Joe runs his fingers through his hair as he pieces together what he's been told. "Whoever found the bodies had enough sense to use a voice changer and make the call untraceable. The caller didn't sound shocked. It was more like he expected it to happen. So, he either knew the perp's motives and didn't want to get involved, or..."

"It's the killer and he wants his work found," the operator finishes. Puzzled by her conclusion, Joe turns to face her. His head is slightly tilted, eyebrows raised. "I watch a lot of detective shows, sir." She nervously shifts in her seat.

"That's a plausible theory." He pauses to read her name badge. "Great work, Penny."

"Thank you, sir," she murmurs, looking down.

***

Nick walks into the parlor chuckling, as he replays his latest accomplishments in his mind. Eight bums and one nasty geezer, not a bad start, he thinks. After a week in the cage, the molesting bastard took his final breath. I just hope the reaper made him pay.  He suddenly recalls the terrified expression that spread across his face as he took his final breath. I bet he did. Nick snickers.

"What's got you so tickled?" Diaz asks.

Nick jumps back as he screams. "I... I didn't see you there, sir."

"Lucky for you I'm not a thief."

"Yes, sir."

"You should always be aware of your surroundings, son; Otherwise, predators will see you as an easy mark."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir."

"See to it that you do." Patting him on the back, Diaz continues. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to my favorite employee."

"Your favorite, sir?"

"Wish I had more loyal employees like you."

"Thank you, sir."

Don't tell the others, but I'm bumping your pay higher than theirs." Noticing the shocked look on the lad's face he continues. "I figure you deserve it since you take most of the risks."

"Thank you, sir. Speaking of payday, it's coming up soon, right? Rent is past due and I don't want to be evicted again." Recalling his living arrangements, he continues. "It's not the best place in the world but it beats the streets." Nick was homeless for nearly three years until he was old enough to get a legitimate job. It was tough at times, but anything beat where he was at; In a rundown barn in the middle of nowhere, being caged like an animal with no food or water for days. I finally got even with the perv. Nick recalls his crumpled body on the floor of his cell.

"Living at the Brixton Apartments must be really hard on you, after everything your foster parents put you through."

"I didn't want to go back, believe me, I didn't, but it was the cheapest place I could find." His old pal in narcotics fixed him up. He even exchanged his police training for a rap sheet, claiming Diaz only hires cons. Although he appreciated the help, Nick hoped that he'd never have to live in that dump again.

"If you keep working for me, I'll guarantee you'll be able to afford something a lot nicer soon."

"It won't be soon enough for me."

Diaz laughs. "I bet not. You don't mind locking up, do you? I have a date with a special lady friend. Going to show her a good time, if you know what I mean." He winks.

"Have fun, sir." Nick laughs.

"I plan to. See you tomorrow, lad." He heads towards the door.

"Goodnight, hey, wait, what about my paycheck?"

Diaz pulls money from his register. "I'll make good on the rest tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir."

"No, thank you for being such a hard worker. See you tomorrow." The small bell sounds behind him as he closes the door.

Now's my chance to snoop around, he thinks, watching his boss pull away.

***

Joe and Kirk are in the office trying to figure out who the killer might be. Since they don't have any leads, they're looking into the victim's history hoping to find a clue.

"Here's something interesting, Captain. All of our victims have priors for drugs, they've all had court-ordered rehab at the same facility, did time upstate, and they've all had the same judge."

"That's a lot of coincidences. Were the arresting officers the same?"

"No, sir."

"See what else you can find."

Sharon knocks on the office door."Guys, I finished my autopsy on our victims. They've all OD'D as I suspected. My analyst says the heroin we found wasn't laced with anything and it was cut with sugar, which is common for these parts."

"So, they just tempted fate one too many times?" Joe questions.

"He did say that if an addict stops using and then relapses; the amount they used before may kill them the second time around."

"Why is that?" the captain asks as he runs his fingers through his thinning hair.

"Their body has less of a tolerance to the drug than it did before."

Kirk glances at the screen. "They did just get out of prison."

"That could be your reason," Sharon concludes.

***

That's two more off the street, Nick thinks as he walks into the parlor. Laying the money from his last run on the desk, he grabs a stack of papers from the machine. Nick started making copies of Diaz's business records before he left. That should do it. He's shoving them into his backpack when he hears someone stomping down the hall. He looks up to see Diaz's right-hand man coming towards him.

Characters

Nick, ex-cop determined to take down Diaz and his crew
Diaz, the drug lord, part of the Mexican cartel
Tony, Diaz's right-hand man

Berryville PD

Joe Bower, Captain
Jerry Andrews, Sergeant
Rachel Webb, Detective, the captain's girlfriend
Jeff Montgomery, Detective.
Sharon, Medical Examiner
Kirk, Forensic tech