The River Front

A runner, probably in his late thirties, lay dead in a pool of blood that ran out of his ear.  His running shorts are pulled down and his penis has been staged on his abdomen with a pencil driven through it to hold it in place.
This is a first for the newly opened Cincinnati waterfront park.
Alex Cathy Evercrest, who dreams of being an exceptional crime fighting detective, is given this as her first case.
The movie, “Gunfight at the OK Corral” where the good guys won the battle against the bad guys influenced her thinking and many of the choices she made as she grew up.  Now she is faced with a “bad guy,” but it is not the quick gun she needs but a very quick mind.
Since a young girl Alex has had a desire to become a detective in a city where she could make a significant contribution in fighting crime.  She excelled in high school and though she qualified to attend any Ivy league school that she desired, she selected Northwestern University not only for its excellence but because of her close family ties and that her father is professor there.
She has a Bachelor of science in Criminology and Law Enforcement and has earned a master’s degree in Phycology.  During her college years she became a black belt.  She also takes up shooting and qualifies as a  marksman.  She tests and experiences almost every weapon on the market.
Her first job, for a year, was as a law clerk for a Chicago judge who is a friend of the family.  She found the work boring but very educational.
She then spent three years as a detective in a small town.  It held little challenge for her, but she learned the ropes from an old almost retired detective.
Then she landed a job in Cincinnati, Ohio.
One reason for her selection as a detective for the Cincinnati Detective division is that she is a black female and the Chief of detectives, also black, desires to integrate the all-white detective division he has been chosen to lead.  He recognizes Alex as an exceptional candidate, with experience that he doubts he can attract.
Alex is thrilled with the possibility of being a detective in Cincinnati.  It is a smaller city, but its murder rate is comparable to New York or Chicago.
She commits to Cincinnati but learns that no one is willing to be her junior partner.
The Chief hires Trey McGregor, a Marine veteran, currently a policeman in Milwaukee, as a junior detective.  Trey, trying to escape the depression that a combination of PTSD and several recent shootings in his precinct, accepts the offer.  He is at very low period of his life and lacks the energy expected by Alex.
Alex has suffered her own low-level despair.  Her slow career take off and boredom had her drinking more than she had ever expected.  She accepted the fact that she was an alcoholic and self-enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous.  She has kept this secret from everyone.  Her experience with this weakness made her sharpen and improve herself and her skill set.
She is focused on becoming the super detective she had always desired to be.  And practices a daily routine that includes the gun range, bicycling, running, daily floor exercises and weight training.
Her first murder case tests this desire and puts her on the hot seat with her Chief.
The first murder has a bizarre twist that tests her capability, threatens her support, and makes Trey wonder if he has the right partner.
Alex demonstrates her personal strength and pursues the killer on her own.  Her preparation and skill development pay off and she overcomes the killer.  She protects the reputation of her partner and earns his respect.
She becomes friends with Trey and his family.
The Chief gets recognized for stopping a serial killer.  He becomes an Alex supporter.
Alex is happy with her new life.  She has landed a new apartment.  She rides a bicycle to work.  She figures her life is on the course she desires.
Her one remaining concern is her lack of romance in her life.
Little does she know that future events will challenge her in all areas and that she will be rewarded for her continued focus on bettering herself.