HOMICIDE: Life After Death
by Greg Halpin
Time frame: This story takes place about three years after the H:LOTS movie.
DISCLAIMER: Characters used from “Homicide: Life on the Street” belong to Baltimore Pictures and NBC Productions and are used without permission. This story may be copied or placed in the public domain so long as the author’s original name and story remain intact.
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Driving down Broadway, with the radio playing oldies, Mike Giardello’s
mind wandered back over the years: his job as a special agent with the
FBI; the FBI inventing a position for him in Baltimore; leaving the bureau
for a job as a Baltimore street cop; his father’s shooting and subsequent
death; shoving a reporter at the hospital; his less than professional involvement
in his father’s case; and the inevitable repercussions from his actions
that week. A montage of thoughts going through his mind as he listened
to the music coming from the car’s speakers.
Giardello wandered, could he handle his new assignment? Did he make
the right decision? Would he be able to walk into that squad room again,
into the shift commander’s office, into his father’s old office, the office
he had avoided since the night his father died? Giardello turned onto Thames
Street and paused. The station house loomed over Fells Point. It was so
much bigger than the district house he worked out of for the last four
years. Giardello grabbed the parking permit off of the seat beside him
and hung it on the rear view mirror as he pulled up to the massive brick
archway that led to the parking area, and stopped at the guard kiosk.
“Giardello, Homicide” he stated to the guard on duty, who logged him
in and waved him through to the parking area. Down past the rows of white
Cavaliers to the area for personal vehicles, Giardello picked out an empty
space and parked. Giardello grabbed his briefcase from the back seat and
walked back towards the archway and the bright morning sunlight on Thames
Street.
Giardello climbed the steps to the second floor and entered the squad
room. Not much had changed since his last time here. The room was fairly
quiet as the second shift detectives passed on information to the oncoming
shift. Many of the faces were familiar, but there was no time for visiting
this morning, first priority was to check in with the shift commander.
Giardello knocked on the shift commander’s office door, and heard the
lieutenant answer “Come in” through the closed door. Giardello opened the
door and announced, “Mike Giardello reporting for duty, Lieutenant.”
“Mike, welcome to Homicide,” answered Lt. Kay Howard, a former Homicide
detective who was transferred back to the squad six months before when
the new police commissioner decided that the department needed change.
Gone were the rotation of detectives between the different units. Gone
were patronage promotions like the one given to former Captain Gaffney,
who was now a patrolman driving a Cushman in the Inner Harbor. To the new
commissioner, Kay Howard was stability, a seasoned homicide detective with
an unprecedented clearance record. Certainly her presence as the day shift
commander would help the squad, and help the department in general.
Giardello walked over to the desk and shook Howard’s outstretched hand.
“Thank you Lieutenant,” Giardello answered, “Good to see you again.” Lt.
Howard continued, “Since you’ve been here before, I guess I can skip the
tour
of the squad room. Let’s set you up with a partner, and you can hit the
streets and get your feet wet again.” Lt. Howard walked to the open office
door and called into the squad room, “Lewis, my office.”
Detective Meldrick Lewis strolled into the office. “What’s up Kay?”
and then noticed the second person already in the room. “Hey, hey! Mikey
Gee! Good to see you again man!” as he reached out to shake Giardello’s
hand. “What brings you to Fells Point?” Before Giardello got a chance to
answer, Lt. Howard furnished the reply. “Mike’s going to be your new partner,
he’s been promoted and assigned to Homicide.” Lewis’ statement changed
as he answered his lieutenant. “Now c’mon Kay, I love working solo. I’ve
got cases to solve. I ain’t got no time to teach some wet behind the ears
detective how to be murder po-lice.”
Giardello wasn’t sure how to read Lewis’ reaction at first, but the
smile that accompanied “wet behind the ears” left no doubt that Lewis was
ribbing him. “Don’t worry, detective,” Giardello replied, “I dried behind
my ears this morning.” The three chuckled over Giardello’s quick reply.
“OK man,” Lewis responded, “C’mon, let me show you to your desk.” Lewis
and Giardello walked out into the squad room. As Giardello walked through
the doorway, Lt. Howard called “Hey Mike. Good to have a Giardello back
in the squad.” Giardello nodded and continued behind Lewis.
Giardello followed Lewis towards the desks but paused to look at ‘the
board,’ and studied the names at the top, below Lt. Howard’s name: Ballard,
Gharty, Falsone, Hall, Lewis, Overton, Giardello, Stivers and the word
‘warrants’ over the last column. Numbers and names were written in most
of the columns, some in red, more in black. The black was a good sign that
things were going well in the squad. Giardello continued on and settled
in at his desk.
*****
As he hung up the phone, Lewis called out to Giardello, “Let’s go Mike,
we’ve got a call.” As the two made their way out of the squad room, Lewis
paused by Lt. Howard’s office door to fill her in. “Uniforms are out with
a body out in Woodberry along the Jones Falls. Me and Mike are on it.”
“OK Lewis,” Howard answered, “do me proud.” “You got it, Kay,” Lewis replied,
“You know how I love black ink under my name!”
As they made their way to the parking area, Lewis and Giardello pass
by Ballard and Falsone. “Hey Falsone,” Lewis asked, “what’chu working on?”
“Case from yesterday,” Falsone replied, “Body in the water at Fort McHenry.
Looks like the body was in the water for a day or two. Single gunshot wound
to the head. We don’t even have a crime scene to look at yet.” “Aww man,”
Lewis said, “I guess that stone cold sucker will be in red ink for a while,
huh?” Falsone, considering another open case in his column, changed the
subject. “Hey Mike, welcome to the zoo.” “Yeah, we needed another keeper
for the animals,” Ballard added, nodding toward Lewis. “Hey, I don’t need
this abuse,” Lewis said as he feigned anger, “Let’s get out of here, partner.”
*****
As they pulled up to the crime scene, Lewis surveyed the area. The scene
was secured, and the uniforms were staying outside the tape. Lewis liked
it when the uniforms didn’t trample his crime scene. As they walked up
to the line, Lewis noticed a familiar face guarding the scene.
“Hey Phattie,” Lewis chided. Officer I. M. Phatt was a street schmoe,
a patrolman in the northern district who had attended the police academy
with Lewis. “Hey Meldrick,” Phatt replied. “Glad to see that Baltimore’s
finest is on the case. The ME just walked down. Woman with a single gunshot
wound.” “Thanks Isaac,” Lewis replied, “we’re on the job!”
As Lewis and Giardello made their way down the embankment, Lewis eyed
Dr. Scheiner, Baltimore’s crotchety medical examiner. Scheiner leaned over
the victim, then suddenly looked at Lewis. “Get those paramedics down here,”
Scheiner shouted. “This woman is still alive!”
Giardello ran for the paramedics while Lewis did a quick scan of the
crime scene. He knew that when the paramedics arrived, his pristine crime
scene would be compromised. Lewis spotted a single shell casing near the
body, marked the spot and used his pen to pick up the casing. “Can’t you
do anything for her Doc?” Lewis asked. “Didn’t you look at the side of
my car?” Scheiner replied, “It says ‘Medical Examiner.’ I’m examining.
That’s how I knew she was alive.”
As the paramedics arrived and worked on the victim, Lewis reminded them
not to cut through the bullet hole in her blouse. He handed the victim’s
purse to Giardello. “See what you can find.” Lewis said to him. Giardello
rummaged through the purse and found a wallet. Seventy four dollars in
cash. A driver’s license issued to a Mary Bateman with a 36th Street address
in Hampden. The photo on the license matched the victim.
As the paramedics moved Bateman to the ambulance, Lewis asked Scheiner
about her condition. “From the location of the entrance and exit wounds,
there’s a chance the bullet may have missed all the major organs. Now,
unless you want me to be a detective in addition to being a medical examiner
AND a paramedic, I’m leaving!”
Lewis and Giardello scoured the area, looking for the slug. Giardello
picked up an empty package that once held a gauze pad that the paramedics
left behind. “Over here,” Giardello called to Lewis, “Here’s a hole.” Lewis
poked his pen into the hole, and struck a solid object an inch or so into
the hole. “Bingo!” Lewis shouted, “Good find, Mike.” Lewis retrieved the
slug and dropped it into an evidence bag. “.380, just like the casing.”
Lewis remarked. “I just love it when things fall into place.”
*****
A pair of eyes followed Lewis and Giardello as they walked into the
Emergency Department at Union Memorial Hospital. “Hey Meldrick,” called
out Tonya Biggs, the department’s charge nurse. “What brings you down to
my little corner of the world?”
“Well, girl, I wish I could say it was just to see you,” Lewis responded,
“but we’re here on a case. Mary Bateman. Gunshot wound. Who’s handling
her case?” “Doctor Miller,” Biggs replied, “down the hall, next to last
door on the left.” “Thank you, darlin’,” Lewis replied as they started
down the hall. Biggs’ eyes followed the pair as they walked down the hall.
Lewis knocked on the jamb of the opened door to the doctor’s break room.
“Hey doc,” Lewis said as he flashed his badge, “you got the Bateman shooting
victim?” The thirtysomething trauma doctor looked over his glasses as he
looked up from his reports. “She’s in surgery. She should pull through.”
“When can we talk to her?” Giardello asked. “I suspect they’ll be in surgery
for a few more hours,” Dr. Miller replied. “It’ll probably be in the afternoon
until she’s conscious and cleared for visitation.”
“Doctor,” Giardello asked, “did you notice anything unusual on the victim
when she was brought in?” “Yes,” Doctor Miller replied. “There were marks
on her wrists, like she had been tied up. But not a rope or duct tape.
Something thin and smooth, like electrical cord.” “OK doc,” Meldrick responded.
“Sombody’ll be down after lunch to talk with her. We’ll send a uniform
down until then.”
“Later Tonya” Lewis called out to Biggs as they passed back through
the Emergency Department. “Hey, ain’tcha gonna introduce me to your partner?”
asked Biggs. “Not today sweetheart,” Lewis replied. “It’s his first day
in the squad. He ain’t ready to meet you yet!” Lewis chuckled to himself
as they walked through the sliding doors to the parking lot. Biggs just
rolled her eyes and smiled as she watched the two detectives leave.
*****
“Hey Kay,” Lewis called as he and Giardello entered the squad room,
“seems like our stiff didn’t know she was supposed to be dead. She’s in
surgery at Union Memorial. I’ll call Violent Crimes and pass the information
on to them.” “Sorry Lewis,” Lt. Howard responded. “I already got a call
from Colonel Barnfather on this one. He wants Homicide handling this one.
Play it just like a homicide.”
“C’mon boss,” Lewis responded, knowing he was fighting a losing fight.
“We’ve got enough cases as it is. What’s up with this?” “Meldrick,” Lt.
Howard responded, “look at it as an opportunity. How often do you get to
talk to a victim, hmmm?” Lewis rolled his eyes as he walked away to his
desk. “Talk to a victim. Who ever heard of murder po-lice talking to the
victim?”
*****
Lewis and Giardello stepped onto the clean white steps in front of the
row home on 36th Street and knocked on the door. “Who is it?” a voice boomed
from behind the door. “Baltimore Police,” Giardello replied. A bare-chested
man opened the door. “Can I help you?” the man replied. “Detectives Lewis
and Giardello, Homicide. Are you Mr. Bateman?” Giardello asked. “That’s
right, Leonard Bateman,” The man replied. “What’s this all about?” “Are
you married to a Mary Bateman?” Lewis asked. “Yes,” the man replied. “What’s
she done this time?” “She’s been shot, sir,” Lewis replied. “Oh Lord,”
Bateman responded. “May we come in,” Lewis asked.
“I saw her at 7:30 this morning, when I got home from work,” Batmen
told the detectives as they sat in his living room. “She said she was going
to go do some shopping. She usually walks down to Falls Road to those little
shops.” “Where were you this morning, Mr. Bateman” Giardello asked. “We
spoke a few minutes, and then I went to bed. I was sleeping until you woke
me up knocking on the door.” “Do you know of anyone that would want to
kill her?” Lewis asked. “She was cheating on me,” Bateman replied. “When
I’d go to work her boyfriend would come over. I caught her and she decided
to break it off with him. He said if he couldn’t have her, nobody would.”
“What is the boyfriend’s name Mr. Bateman,” Giardello asked. “Tommy Bishop,”
Bateman replied. “He lives on Girard Avenue over in Woodberry.”
*****
“Good morning, ma’am” Lewis said to the woman answering the door. “Baltimore
Police. We’re looking for Tommy Bishop. Is he here?” “I haven’t seen my
son since last night,” Mrs. Bishop replied. “I was just getting ready to
call the police to report him missing. Is he arrested?” “No ma’am,” Lewis
replied. “May we come in?”
“My Tommy has a girlfriend,” Mrs. Bishop told the detectives as she
poured cups of coffee. “He didn’t think I knew, but a mother always knows.
He’d leave the house late at night, around midnight, and not come back
until five or six in the morning.” “Did he leave the house last night?”
Lewis asked. “Oh yes,” Mrs. Bishop replied. “Same time as usual. But he
didn’t come back this morning. I just knew something was wrong. Do you
know where my son is?” “Sorry ma’am,” Giardello replied. “We’re looking
for him too. If he comes home, will you please call us.” “OK,” Mrs. Bishop
responded as she took the business card from Giardello’s hand. “Please
find my son.”
As they fastened their seatbelts, Giardello looked at Lewis. “Something
doesn’t add up,” Giardello said. “If Bishop got dumped by Mary Bateman,
where’d he go last night?” “Yeah, I don’t like it either,” Lewis added.
“You notice that Bateman didn’t ask about his wife? He didn’t ask if she
was alive or not. We need to dig on him a little bit.”
*****
“Good morning, ma’am” Giardello greeted the woman answering the door.
“Baltimore Police. I’m here to talk to you about the Batemans next door.”
“Oh dear,” the woman replied. “I’ll bet it’s about the fight last night.”
“Can I come in?” Giardello asked.
“It was about four-fifteen” the woman told Giardello as they sat at
her kitchen table. “The yelling woke me right out of a sound sleep. I recognized
Lenny’s voice right away. He’s normally at work, you know. He works third
shift at H&S Bakery.” “What else did you hear?” Giardello asked. “Mary,
she had a boyfriend that came around after Lenny went to work. I heard
him and Lenny arguing, and then I heard the stuff getting knocked around.
They had to be fighting. I walked to the bathroom since I was up, and on
the way back to my room I saw a bakery truck out back. All of a sudden
things got quiet. I figured the boyfriend must’ve left. I didn’t hear a
thing after that.” “Thank you ma’am,” Giardello told the woman, “You’ve
been a great help.”
*****
“Mr. Bateman, thanks for coming in,” Giardello greeted Bateman as he
entered the squad room. “We just need to do some follow-up on your wife’s
shooting. We’ll talk in here,” Giardello said as he led Bateman into ‘the
box’ followed by Lewis.
“Mr. Bateman,” Giardello asked, “did your wife say where she might be
going or what she might have planned for this morning?” “Not that I can
remember,” Bateman replied, “I was pretty tired when I got home from work.
We had a pretty busy night at the bakery.” “Yes sir,” Giardello responded.
“And you were at work the whole time last night?” “Of course,” Bateman
responded. “We were busy as all get out. One of the ovens broke down and
we spent the rest of the night trying to catch up.”
“Now sir,” Lewis jumped in, “we already talked to the folks down at
the bakery. We know you left work for a few hours last night, and we know
that you used one of the bakery trucks.” Bateman’s mood and statement quickly
changed. “OK,” Bateman responded, “I did leave work for a little while.
I drove up to Greenmount Avenue to buy some drugs. Then I parked down at
Little Italy and smoked up. You gonna bust me for that?”
“Mr. Bateman,” Lewis continued, “we know you shot your wife. Now you
can make this easy, or we can make it difficult. Isn’t it about time you
start telling us the truth?” “I’m telling you officers,” Bateman responded,
“I didn’t kill my wife!” “Now you’re talking the truth,” Lewis quickly
interrupted. “You didn’t kill your wife.” Bateman looked up from the table
he was seated behind, and scanned Lewis’ face. “You see Mr Bateman,” Lewis
continued, “your wife isn’t dead. You didn’t kill her, but you did shoot
her. She’s at a hospital right now, recovering from surgery. I’m sure once
she comes out of the anesthesia, we’ll have all we need.”
Bateman’s head dropped into his hands as he realized he’d been caught.
As he tried to figure a way out, Lewis threw one last bombshell at him.
“And this, Mr. Bateman,” Lewis gloated, “was found inside the bakery truck”
as he tossed an extension cord onto the table. “I’m sure it’ll match up
to the marks on your wife’s wrists.”
“OK,” Bateman responded. “What do I need to do now?” “Well Mr. Bateman,”
Giardello replied, “you could tell us what happened to Tommy Bishop.” “She
told me she was breaking it off,” Bateman responded. “But I knew she was
still seeing him. I snuck away from work to catch them together. And they
were ... in my own bed. I flipped out, we fought, and I hit him over the
head with a lamp. He got knocked out. She started screaming, so I tied
her up and gagged her.”
“Where is Tommy Bishop,” Giardello asked again. “At the Crown station
out on York Road,” Bateman replied. “I drug him into the bakery truck and
hauled him out to the Crown station. I threw him into the dumpster, and
shot him in the head.”
“I’ll get a uniform out there,” Giardello said to Lewis as he left the
room. “Where’s the gun Mr. Bateman?” Lewis asked. “In the harbor,” Bateman
replied. “I drove down to the water and threw it in. Down along Pratt Street
by the power plant.” “OK Mr. Bateman,” Lewis continued. “We’ll need you
to make a statement. We’ll have the PD’s office send up a defender for
you.” “I’m really glad she’s not dead,” Bateman stated. “I really do love
her.” “That’s not a very good way to show it, sir,” Lewis responded.
*****
“Hey partner,” Lewis said to Giardello as they walked down the stairs
to Thames Street, “how ‘bout a beer to celebrate your first day in the
squad? And to clearing our first case.” “Sure,” Giardello replied as they
stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the station house. “Where do
you want to go?”
“How about my place?” Lewis said as he motioned across the street. “The
Waterfront?” Giardello asked as he looked across Thames Street. “I thought
you guys didn’t have that anymore.” “Well,” Lewis replied, “Timmy had to
sell his share after, well, you know, and Munch’s share went to Billie
Lou in the divorce settlement. Gharty bought Tim’s share. We’re going to
restore it, and after some work, we’re gonna reopen it.”
“The place has been dark every time I’ve gone by it,” Giardello said.
“I thought the place had died.” “Life after death, Mikey,” Lewis replied,
“Life after death.”
BIOGRAPHY: Greg Halpin is a life-long resident of York, PA and is employed as an assistant fire chief. Halpin started watching H:LOTS from the airing of it’s first episode, initially for his love of Baltimore, and then for the show’s style and uniqueness. This is his first attempt at fan fiction.