Welcome to the first in a series of guest posts that I have scheduled for you! I am absolutely thrilled to introduce you to Suzie Ivy, a Twitter friend I’ve come to know and worship admire greatly. You see, Suzie had the courage to do what I always wanted to do but never did anything more than write about: she became a cop. Not that remarkable, you say? Well, then, consider this: she did it at the age of 45!
And now that I have your full attention, I’ll turn you over to Suzie, who has a little story about life on the job that she says she’s wanted to tell for a while. I’m glad she’s doing so here. 🙂
Life, Death, and Something More…
As a detective, I work closely with death. When I’m called to the scene it’s usually because someone died violently. I spend hours with the body while doing my job. I go to the mortuary to search and catalog what I find on the corpse. I empty blood soaked pockets and remove the last items carried by the deceased. These are the silent moments of homicide.
Thomas was 29-years-old when he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and head. His life was over before the third bullet struck. To his family and friends he was known as Tommy. His wife Mary and their two small children were left with no husband or father. Though all death is senseless, his was especially so.
I had been working double shifts since the murder. The killer was in jail but I still had weeks of work to tie up loose ends and keep him locked up. There is really no justice for what happened to Tommy but the legal system will do its job and God will have the final say.
Two weeks after the homicide, I was at Mary’s house on official business. The children had been sent to stay with their grandmother for a few days. Mary asked me to sit quietly and not talk for a few minutes. I had no idea why, but a short time later a loud thump sounded upstairs. Mary didn’t say a word she just looked at me.
“Are you sure no one is home?” I whispered.
“It’s Tommy, he’s been causing a racket today. He’s not happy that the kids are gone.”
I don’t even remember what I replied. It took a few minutes for me to register that Mary had no problem thinking of her recently deceased husband as a ghost.
We conversed for a while and two more loud thumps followed the first. Mary told me Tommy was knocking items off the dresser. She said he didn’t bother the children’s personal belongings, only hers.
“Do you mind if I go upstairs?” As strange as it sounds, I wasn’t afraid. It was almost like I was being awakened to another part of death. Mary followed me and we entered her bedroom. There was a book on the floor along with a large unlit candle. I didn’t see a third item to match the number of thumps but it didn’t matter, I was a believer.
As I walked up those stairs, I felt something different. I have no words to describe it. The house didn’t get colder, there was no mist, and there was no moaning. That’s Hollywood’s idea of a ghost.
When I entered the bedroom Tommy’s spirit was incredibly strong. A sense of peace settled in my heart. Mary asked if I would sit on the bed and talk with her about what happened. She felt Tommy needed to hear that she and the children were safe. We spoke for hours and Tommy never made a sound.
Several days later, I attended a department meeting. When my turn came to give an update on my case I decided to share the story of Tommy’s ghost. One of the younger cops began making jokes. Behind him sat a large paper shredder and it chose that moment to activate itself with no paper inside. I’ve never seen anyone jump as high as that officer.
“I guess Tommy decided to visit.”
Twelve pairs of eyes were glued to the shredder but it didn’t move again…that day. Over the years, Tommy lets me know he’s around from time to time. He’s somewhat of a practical joker and he likes to have fun with the nightshift. When the shredder gets a mind of its own, they immediately get their butts out on the street where they should be.
Tommy was my first homicide. He taught me about life, death, and something more.
About Suzie Ivy:
Against all odds, Suzie Ivy graduated the police academy at the age of forty-five. She became a detective two years later. In her spare time she blogs at www.badluckdetective.com and shares her humor and true-life adventures in her books, Bad Luck Cadet and Bad Luck Officer. You can find her on Twitter @suzieivy and Facebook http:www.facebook.com/suzieivyauthor. She works and lives in Arizona with her husband of more than thirty years. Mostly she enjoys hugs and kisses from her nine grandchildren with an occasional dog slurp thrown in.
Suzie will be checking in for comments and questions over the day, so if you have something you’d like to ask, please do!
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