Bumbling Greg by aryr A Defective Detective contest entry |
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Greg was brilliant, at least many saw that aspect of him. He had graduated high school at the top of the class, accomplished two years of college successfully and did well with the police academy. His promotion to detective was by many an automatic assumption. But a few sadly knew the real Greg.
Once again, it is important to note that Greg was indeed brilliant when it came to text-books, tests, examinations and anything that did not involve an actual case. His chief discovered this within weeks of his promotion. He was always so eager to help others and perhaps that was another character flaw. Take for example the murder case that one of his co-workers was sent to investigate. It was almost solved by itself. The victim was a middle-aged married man who ran a rather successful business. He was planning to retire next year. The wife, who was considerably younger, envisioned him working for a few more years. She was having an affair, one which she had no desire to stop. Her fingerprints were on the handle of the large knife normally a part of set in their home. Only her prints. He had been stabbed in the back at his office desk. Tom was the investigating detective. He had a cut and closed case against the wife, until Greg decided to help. If it was possible, all of the department thought of Greg as a brilliant, bumbling idiot. It wasn't his first time to seriously screw up an investigation. The chief had actually invented a job for him. He was to be behind a desk, reviewing the cases of the other detectives. There would not be field activity for him, just cases, papers and reviewing. Back to Tom's case which was ultimately the cause of Greg's desk job. It was as if he could read between the lines and solve the cases. So, desk work was really ideal for him. Tom had listened to his plea for activity and against his better judgement let Greg join him. Tom's team had proven the link between the prints and the wife. It was just a matter of arresting her. However, Greg became fixated on the blood on the knife and grabbed the handle to check out the blood. Tom roared, "What the hell are you doing? You'll get your prints on there." Before Tom could utter another word, Greg whipped out his handkerchief and wiped off his prints. In doing so, he wiped hers off as well. He didn't even realize what he had done. It was the next morning that Greg had become a desk jockey. About three months later, the former wife grew tired of her young lover and destroyed him in the same manner she had destroyed her husband. She had gained the business and hired him to manage it for her. But things were not well between the two. She was on trial for the lover's death, when Greg made an astonishing discovery from his desk. They now had two, yes, two knives missing from the counter set. The one she had used to kill the lover with her prints and the one that killed her husband. Both knives had of course been confiscated by the police. But no one had picked up on the missing knife at the time of her husband's death. She never learned that just one glove protected her, when she switched hands for some reason. Nor that Greg was indeed brilliant. 581 words
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aryr
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