Les Poesies D'Auguste de Chatillon (1866)

One black and two Mexican boys have been brutally murdered. There is little public concern because the boys are poor and sold their bodies on the streets of the city. A man assumed to be the killer approaches the grandson of a wealthy state senator. The boy escapes harm. The senator calls an old friend who is the acting Chief of Police. The Chief reviews the investigation and is appalled by the deficiencies. He consults an old friend and the two put together an idea for a very unorthodox task force. They must hurry. The department has already suffered a recent scandal and if the bungled investigation becomes known to the press, the department’s reputation will be irreparably damaged.