A little before 8pm, Lieutenant Voce arrived at the precinct to commence his shift. He'd spent a restless day churning over the tumultuous events of the previous night; eventually giving up on any meaningful sleep. Single minded in the extreme, with a well deserved reputation for making unilateral decisions, the idea of being used as a CIA flunky grated on him. He expected to cooperate of course, but not if it meant compromising his integrity. The fate of the witnesses were a concern, now that they were under CIA jurisdiction; he didn't want to be complicit in any trespasses on their human rights. After a long bout of soul searching, he decided the time had come to make a stand by demanding assurances for them. His mind was set on coercing Eastman into…show more content… Tearing through the streets on the way to the crime scene in an unmarked car, with the emergency siren on, they ran every red light on the way. Parking outside the alley's entrance they hastened down the narrow passage known as Mornington Heights. It was an unusually quiet spot for Manhattan; a Harlem wasteland awaiting urban redevelopment. Dilapidated buildings showed signs of widespread vandalism, ubiquitous graffiti plastered walls, remnants of shattered windows in rotting frames, overlooked the litter-strewn ground; punctuated by the usual overpowering stench of stale urine and rotting garbage found around slums.
Toward the end of the alleyway a small gathering of people crowded around an ominous bundle, partially jutting out of a doorway.
A couple of patrol cops introduced themselves to Voce and Stephens at the scene.
'Who found the body?' Voce asked.
'A vagrant made the grisly discovery about thirty minutes ago. It must have happened sometime last night, because the corpse was cold when we got
