Issue 4 - All the Kings' Men

Panel 1: Detective Buri is sitting on a gurney in a hospital without a shirt on, with Detective Casus and a female doctor standing in front of him. The doctor, who is in her 50’s, is tending to Buri while Casus is standing off to the side. Buri has his back facing the viewer, revealing many scars, including knife wounds, bullet holes, etc.
Doctor: Breathe in, Detective.

Panel 2: Buri looks at the Doctor. The doctor is a woman who has retained her beauty well. Despite the onset of wrinkles and grey hair, the doctor has retained a subtle and mature elegance that few women possess.
Buri: I’m fine, Margaret.

Panel 3: Margaret (the "Doctor") begins wrapping some bandages around Buri’s upper abdomen. Buri winces in pain from the doctor’s actions.
Margaret: No, you’re not. Some of your ribs are bruised. In fact, with your age, you’re lucky they’re not broken.
Buri: Well, you should see the other guy …

Panel 4: Margaret finishes bandaging Buri, as Casus steps in, seeing this as an opportunity to voice his concerns over the events that transpired in the afternoon.
Casus: Exactly what was that all about back there?

Panel 5: Buri starts buttoning up his shirt. Margaret turns to Casus to do the explaining.
Margaret: You must be new to the force. Otherwise you would have heard about your partner’s penchant for finding trouble. Lucky for me, Detective Buri has kept me busy with all the injuries he’s had in the years I’ve known him … Although, it’s been a long three years since the last time I had to patch him up.

Panel 6: Buri finishes buttoning up his shirt. He stands up, eager to leave. Margaret and Casus shake hands.
Buri: Right. Dr. Fisher, this is my new partner, Detective Casus. Detective Casus, this is my old friend, Dr. Fisher.
Dr. (Margaret) Fisher: Nice to meet you, Detective.
Casus: Doctor.

Panel 7: Buri grabs his belongings (jacket, gun and holster, etc.) from the corner of the room. Dr. Fisher, standing next to Casus, turns her head, her eyes following Buri, as if trying to slow his escape with her gaze.
Dr. Fisher: One thing you should probably know about your partner, Detective Casus, is that while he may be an old soul, he can be as misbehaved as a newborn. That’s if he’s not busy wallowing in some misdirected sense of guilt and self-loathing. … I don’t suppose I need to tell you to take it easy. Or to tell you to stop punishing yourself.

Panel 8: Buri starts walking out of the examination room, with Casus once again in tow.
Buri: Not when I always have you here to put me back together again.

Panel 9: The two detectives are walking down the hall in the hospital. Behind them is Dr. Fisher, standing with her clipboard, watching in frustration.
Dr. Fisher: Yunno, Warren, the last time I saw you here, you told me that if you ever recovered, you would retire.

Panel 10: The two detectives reach the elevator doors. Buri turns his head to respond.
Buri: Margaret, I only said that because, the last time you saw me here, I thought I was going to die.

Panel 11: The elevator door opens. The two detectives enter.
Buri: Lucky for me, you were there to save my life.

Panel 12: Dr. Fisher stands there, still amongst the constant movement of the hospital. She stands there, wading in the vacuum left by the two detectives.
Dr. Fisher: Yeah, lucky for you …

Panel 13: Buri and Casus are in the elevator riding down to their car. Buri looks irritated because of his time in the hospital and is anxious to resume their investigation. Casus is merely trying to understand what has been transpiring with his partner. There is a growing feeling from Casus that he is in over his head.
Casus: What’s going on, Buri?

Panel 14: The two continue riding the elevator. The tension between the two builds.
Buri: What do you mean?

Panel 15: The two continue riding the elevator. Casus looks at Buri in a restrained sense of exasperation, while Buri keeps his stare forward at the elevator doors.
Casus: What I mean is, a couple of hours ago, I left you for five minutes to talk to a supposed informant, only to find you seconds away from being curb-stomped by a dozen men. … And then I meet your old doctor friend back there, who I learn has been worried about your self-destructive behaviour for years now. … And all this gets me thinking that maybe my first assignment given to me by Captain Malone has less to do with a homicide by a contract-killer, and more to do with keeping an eye on the department’s own Dirty Harry so that he doesn’t kill himself before he retires. That’s what I mean.

Panel 16: The elevator door opens, releasing the tension built up between the two detectives. Casus looks out of breath, and scared that he has said too much. Buri keeps silent, but is obviously bothered by Casus’ words.

Panel 17: Buri walks out of the elevator, his hand fishing in his pocket for the keys to the car. Casus follows behind, eager to have Buri’s words cover up his own rant just seconds before.
Buri: What do you want to hear, Detective? You want me to make a promise that I’ll act like a boy-scout when dealing with this city’s trash? You want me to tell you that I’m going to leave my personal problems at home and out of this investigation? You want me to inform you that I’m done grieving over the loss of my daughter?!

Panel 18: Buri arrives at the driver side door of the car. Casus is standing at the passenger side. Buri gives his partner a long look.
Buri: ‘Cause if that’s what you want to hear, you go ahead and join my last partner and get reassigned.

Panel 19: The two detectives get into the car.
Casus: Look, Buri. All I’m saying is that I’m new to this. To all of this. I never expected to have to rescue my partner like some modern day cowboy in the first week of being a detective. Everything’s just a shock to me. It’s like I’m in some goddamn comic book.

Panel 20: Buri puts the key into the ignition, staring out straight into the parking lot. Casus looks over to Buri.
Buri: Our world is is what it is. There’s a little bit of good, quite a lot of bad, and a whole bunch of ugly. And take it from me, kid, most of what we deal with is the ugly. But once in a while, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get a chance to take care of some of the bad.

Panel 21: Buri reaches into his pocket for his cell phone. Casus keeps his eye on his partner, trying to digest his previous words.

Panel 22: Buri takes out his cell phone and reads the text message.
Buri: Looks like that autopsy just finished.

Panel 23: Buri starts driving. Casus is still staring at his partner.
Casus: What happened to your daughter?

Panel 24: Buri drives the car out of the parking lot. Casus watching his partner for a response.
Buri: You save my life again, and maybe then I’ll tell you that story.

Panel 25: The car enters traffic and heads back towards downtown, swallowed by a sea of car lights. Off in the distance are the usual advertisements. One is for a Cola drink. Another is for some pop music star. Another is for a jeans company. Another is for a real-estate project called, “New Haven Homes”.
Buri: Which reminds me, Detective, who taught you to how to shoot your gun like that?

Scene Change
Panel 26: A group of men are sitting around a table at the back of a dirty bar. Some are drinking beers. Others are smoking. All of them are staring at a man who looks guilt-stricken and miserable. (This group of men is Brass’ men, all of whom were at the motel the night he was killed.)
Casus (VO): Oh, just something I picked up long ago from dealing with some of that ugly you were talking about.

Panel 27: A man sitting to the left pulls his cigarette out from his mouth and snarls at the man in the centre.
Man (left): So run this by us again, Jimbo, ‘cause by now, you’ve had plenty of time to clear your head from that nap of yours. You were standing outside Brass’ window, keeping a lookout like you were supposed to, and then what happened?

Panel 28: Jimbo (the man in the centre) looks up at the group, completely dejected.
Jimbo: Look, I already told you guys. I don’t remember. I was standing guard there, like I have been all week … and then …

Panel 29: A man sitting to the right of Jimbo speaks up.
Man (right): And then you fell asleep.

Panel 30: Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, Jimbo turns his head to the second man, pleading for sympathy.
Jimbo: No, I … I couldn’t have fallen asleep. I wasn’t even tired. I just don’t remember. Something must have happened. This Malady guy … he musta did something to me.

Panel 31: A man from the other end of the table jabs in with a joke. Some of the men laugh. Some retain their serious faces.
Man (end): Like what, sing you a lullaby?

Panel 32: One of the men who has remained serious all along speaks up. The rest of the group listens up. Jimbo stares at him, in fear. It is apparent that this man has some authority in the group.
Man (serious): Shut up, all of you. It doesn’t matter. Brass is dead. He’s dead because someone put the hit on him and we weren’t able to prevent it.

Panel 33: The serious man stands up and looks down at Jimbo. Jimbo meets his stare.
Man (serious): Jimbo, look. I know you, me and Brass have been there for each other since the start. But this … this isn’t something me and the boys can just forget. You need to figure your shit out and get your act together ‘cause I'm running this show now, and I’m not going to end up being a humpty dumpty for some up-and-comer. I need to know you’ll be my man.

Panel 34: The serious man starts walking out of the bar. The group of men get up and follow him. One of the men asks a question.
Man (question): Where are we headed, Reid?
Reid (the serious man): Like I said, someone put the hit on Brass. So we find out who. And we start by finding someone who knows who.

Panel 35: All the men walk away from the table, with Reid leading the charge, leaving Jimbo to sit alone at the table, his head is his arms.
Reid: We start by finding this Malady.

Scene Change
Panel 36: A taxi has stopped a block away from M’s apartment. It is the evening, so the streets are emptier. There is, however, some night life lingering about. M is stepping out of the taxi, but because the view is from across the street, it is difficult to see exactly what is going on inside the taxi.
Taxi driver: Oh ma’am, before I forget, this package is for you.
M: Thanks.

Panel 37: The taxi drives away, as M starts walking down the street. Still attached to her is Marsden. In each of her hands are several grocery bags full of items. She carries all of it with ease. M speaks softly to her child.
M: What a day, huh, baby? What a busy busy day.

Panel 38: M continues walking, ignoring the homeless people on the street asking for change.
M: And look what the taxi driver gave back to Mommy. Now Mommy can buy you some toys and clothes.
Panel 39: M reaches the corner of her building. She pauses at the garbage dumpster in the alley.
M: I know Mommy’s been so busy with work. But you should be proud of Mommy. Mommy's tying up loose ends. Mommy's piecing her life back together again.

Panel 40: M looks into the dumpster.
M: And Mommy hopes that one day, you'll understand.

Panel 41: M puts down her bags.
M: She hopes one day, when you’re all grown up, she can tell you everything.

Panel 42: M grabs the bags of trash left on the street and throws them into the dumpster.
M: And that you’ll realize just how much she loves you.

Panel 43: M picks up her own bags.
M: Just how much she cares for you.

Panel 44: M walks into her building.
M: Just how much she is willing to do for you.

Scene Change
Panel 45: The two detectives are at the morgue. The two are standing next to a body draped in a white sheet. A doctor is standing at the end of the table.
Doctor: Thanks for showing up on such short notice. Usually, we don’t do these so late in the day, but this one seemed pretty straight forward, so I figured I should just give you boys a call.

Panel 46: Buri looks at the doctor, while Casus is mesmerized by the corpse.
Buri: So what do we got, Doc?

Panel 47: The doctor lifts the drape and points to Brass’ neck.
Doctor: Well, here’s the thing. One would think that with a throat slit this badly, he would have died from exsanguination.

Panel 48: Buri looks at the doctor in confusion. Casus is still mesmerized by the sight.
Buri: I may have visited you in this morgue more times that I can remember, Doc, but your big words still don't mean much.
Panel 49: Without raising his head, the doctor turns his eyes up towards Buri.Doctor: Exsanguination means, "death from a loss of blood".

Panel 50: Buri looks back down. The doctor uses his finger to illustrate his point.
Buri: But that’s not how he died.
Doctor: No, unfortunately for him, that’s not how he went. Despite the relatively clean severing of his anterior jugular vein and the right carotid artery, you’ll notice here that his trachea has undergone much more severe trauma.

Panel 51: Buri once again gives the doctor a confused stare.
Buri: Meaning …

Panel 52: The doctor looks at the two detectives in an almost proud fashion.
Doctor: Meaning that while this side of his throat was initially cleanly cut, the remaining half was torn out. This man died from asphyxiating on his own blood. That is, he choked to death on his own blood.

Panel 53: Casus immediately turns around with a hand on his mouth. Buri keeps his eye on the doctor.
Buri: What could have done that to his throat? A special kind of knife?

Panel 54: Brass’ corpse lies there on the table, his throat peeling apart like a rotten fruit.
Doctor: Oh, you see, that’s the thing. This doesn’t take any special knife or anything like that. Quite the contrary. It would have been a relatively old knife. One that was sharp enough to cut into the skin and muscle but too dull to go all the way through.

Scene Change
Panel 55: M is in her apartment. She puts Marsden into his crib.
Doctor (VO): The question you have to ask yourselves Detectives, is why would someone use a dull old knife?

Panel 56: M starts putting her groceries away.
Doctor (VO): I mean, your suspect is supposedly a contract-killer right?

Panel 57: M is putting something into the fridge. Behind her, on the kitchen table, is a big empty envelope with the words “R&G – File Y #216”. Next to the envelope is a stack of dollar-bills, with a sheet of paper wrapped around it, saying, “For successfully completing your contract.”
Doctor (VO): Why would he use a potentially ineffective blade?

Panel 58: On the other end of the kitchen table (near the door of M’s room) is an open file. On the inside page of the file, the words read, “R&G – File X #216”. Inside the folder is a sheet, with the words, “Your requested target has been successfully removed. Your payment has been delivered. Thank you for your business.” At the bottom of the page, is a signature of two names, one starting with “R” and the other with “G”.
Buri (VO): From what I've learned from all my years on the force, I can think of one reason, Doc.

Panel 59: From the kitchen, the panel looks into M’s room. It is relatively dark. Only the shapes of Marsden’s crib, M’s bedroom mirror, and M’s old box on her desk are visible.
Buri (VO): Because, for the killer, this particular knife is sentimental.

Panel 60: M’s old box is open on her desk. In the dark, the rough shape of an old knife is silhouetted against the light coming from the window.
Buri (VO): Because the hit wasn’t just another contract. For the killer, it was something personal.