The Missing Witness

The Missing Witness ~ Part Two

“Reggie! What the hell?” Holstering her Glock, Emmy rocked back on her heels. “I could have shot you—”

“Love you too, Emmy.” Reggie laughed. “Maybe you can take the cuffs off now?”

“Not likely.” Emmy decided to keep the upper hand. “After all, I could haul your ass in for breaking and entering. Emmy was enjoying this. “And maybe obstruction for interfering with an investigation—”

“Interfering, how the? I was looking for—”

“Breaking into a crime scene? Yeah, Lil’ sis, that’s the very definition of interfering. Now maybe tell me what you’re doing here, and maybe I won’t toss your backside in a cell tonight.”

“Cell!” Reggie looked concerned. “You wouldn’t, you can’t—”

“I can, and I will, so tell me why you’re here.” Standing up to look down at Reggie. “Now, or I drag you out to the unit.

“Okay, okay, geez, lighten up, Emms.” Using her best little sister's eyes. “I can explain.”

“Today, Reggie, knock off the pouty face.”

“When Pete called me—”

“Pete?” Interrupting. “You mean Pete as in the Pete in my holding cell?”

“Yup, he called me just before you slammed the cell door on him.”

“Why would this Pete call you Reggie?”

“I work for him.”

What? Emmy was shocked. “You work for a perp connected to a missing witness. Are you kidding me?”

“Relax, Emmy. I’m his intern. He’s a reporter for the Sun Herald. He was working on a story covering the Galleano trial—

“And the missing witness—”

“He said she contacted him.”

“He hasn’t told us that. So he’s withholding information—

“That’s why he called me. Before he tells you guys anything; he asked me to come here and get his proof.”

“Proof, what proof, proof of what?” Emmy was getting impatient.

“Proof that the purse you found him with was mailed to him.”

“So you broke into his house to find … what Reggie?”

“The mailing envelope, it’s here, in an evidence bag.”

“An evidence bag?” Emmy was incredulous. “He put the mailer in an evidence bag? Why?”

“Because he figured it has something on it you guys might be able to use—

“Why didn’t he tell us tha—”

“Because no one was listening to him, you all just kept asking where he got the purse.”

“Did he tell you where it is?”

“It’s in his office, back there.” Reggie nodded her head down the hall.

Emmy knelt beside her sister and undid the cuffs. She helped Reggie to her feet.

“Does this mean I’m not going to the pokie tonight?”

“No, Reggie, it doesn’t; it means that you are going to help me find that bag right now.”

“Cool.” Reggie nodded. “But if I help, can we talk about this whol—”

“Move, Reggie, before I put the cuffs back on.”

“Hey, I’m movin’, I’m movin’.” She headed down the hallway to Pete’s office. The floor under them creaked all the way down the hallway.

Once they got to the office, Reggie went to a safe hidden under a small table. She began entering a combination.

“You’ve got the combination to this guy's safe?”

“Like I said Emmy, I work for Pete.”

“Is there anything I’m not going to want to see in this safe? Wait, don’t answer that!”

Reggie opened the safe, pulling the door up and to her left. “I don’t know what else is in here, he said the mailer was here … there it is.” Sure enough, there was a mailer in a PD evidence bag.

“Alright, let’s get the hel—”

Emmy was interrupted by a series of creaks coming down the hall.

“Did you lock the doo—”

“I was kinda busy arresting your ass.” Pointing behind the desk. “Get back there and shut up.” Emmy drew her weapon.

The creaks got closer.

“Emmy what—”

“Shhh, down, now!”

Emmy let the body fill the doorframe before she called out. “Freeze! Police!”

The body in the doorway raised a pistol, looking for where the voice came from. Emmy squeezed off a single round, the body spun away, hit in the shoulder, lost the gun, turned to run, and tripped over his own feet. Emmy was on him in a second, holding the gun against his head. “Move, and I’ll end you.”

Emmy got the cuffs on him as Reggie looked on wide-eyed. “I-is he dead?”

“No, Reggie, he isn’t dead.” Pushing the intruder’s head down. “But if he doesn’t stop moving around he will be.”

The intruder answered with a groan.

“I can’t believe you shot him.”

“That’s what happens when you point a gun at someone.” Emmy dialed her phone. This is Detective Emma Altman; I need an ambo and a supervisor at 214 Old Farm Road, police-involved shooting, the perp is down.”

“So what are we going to do now—

“We aren’t doing anything; you will go home and wait for me there.”

“But, what about Pete”?

“Let me worry about Pete, I’ve got that mailer now, so as soon as I’m clear here, we’ll deal with that. Well, one good thing, since this guy showed up, I don’t have to explain why I came into the house and can keep you out of it. Now we just have to figure out who this is. And, what he was looking for and why?

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