To tell the truth

Never was she so mad. In all my time working for Sarah she had never shown this side to her.

We had a new case giving to us from CID. They needed help investigating the disappearance of Bella Brooke. Sarah and I had worked on cases like this before, we knew all the ins and outs but my mistake cost us it all.

“I had him in the hot seat and you let him go..” She threw down this morning’s news paper. My eyes skimmed the front title “We had him here, at the station!”

It memorized me, pulling the realization through my brain ‘Mum missing, teacher in terror’

That night we found him at a club scouting out his next victim. Sarah had been pulled away for the night and asked me not to question him till she got back. I didn’t listen as I thought we didn’t have time.

He opened up about that night. Don told me he heard some screaming and that he was just a bystander, with no real evidence I let him go.

Then Sarah came back with his past statements. He had dated Bella and he was there before the man heard screams, he had just repeated to me old notes left on the table. I knew then and there I should be fired. If Sarah had the power, she would have done more then take my badge.

“Read it” Her nails dug into the paper “Read what fucking time she was reported missing”

‘2 am’ four hours after I interviewed him. “Sarah I’m so sorry”

Around my desk she threw her paperwork at me “Study the case, like I asked, and after you can interview all the witnesses and get the coffee” She scoffed yanking her coat over her arms.

I asked where she was going, she gave a quick response about seeing a guy. Usually I would pry but I had no more chances. From my last mistake, I needed to get up to speed so I continued to search through the files whilst Sarah left.

Don Smith had been around for a while. He had cases of battery, assault and misdemeanors left and right. No wonder we caught him the night of the disappearance. The more I looked, the more suspicions collected. Three girls from a local highschool went missing the same time his charges stopped, then he collected a DUI off the boarder. This pattern repeated three years straight.

My day was spent cross referencing files from gangs and seeing if Don was working alone or with someone. I got a good idea of what was happening, he had kidnapped and sold these women.

My findings lead me to the last file of the night he was caught yet Sarah had not given me it.

This was my queue to snoop. She was a good detective but she would do anyhting to solve a case. Around the station she was notorious for sniffing out bribes and charging her own kind. To most she was dangerous, a liability but that’s what drew me to her. She kept everything on the table especially to me.

Or so I had thought.

I found the file in her filing cabinet. The bottom of my back was aching from all my slouching so a break was needed. There was still time before she would come back for me plus the coffee She asked for, so I wondered over to the break room grabbing myself and my partner a cup before settling down near a window.

Sarah had written down the whole set up, steak out and interview second by second, word for word. She had gathered photo evidence of him in the station and at the table as well as proof he was the one writing his confession.

I never got him to confess and she wasn’t there that night. Scribbled in crude handwriting was a note stating ‘I Don Smith Attest to the crimes of kidnap and assault against Bella Brooke, Toni Llyes” reading down the page the rest of the girls names were written on here too.

They came through the doors with him. My eyes stuck to Sarah as Don was thrown into a cell. She gave him some time for his lawyer to come. Calmly Sarah took the file from my hands and her coffee. There was so much I wanted to say but the words never left my lips.

His trail was over before it began. I never bothered to attend but Sarah did. That week we didn’t speak. I refused to give into her childish games this time.

The next Monday rolled in. I had worked on smaller cases whilst she was busy with the larger ones. Today we had to sit down together, I knew I could avoid her for long. From the last week I expected her to be just as mad but she seemed content.

“How did the trail go?” I hadn’t heard much about it from the news and Sarah never bothered to update me. I asked flippently hoping not to stir the pot but to start a conversation that needed to be had.

“Good” Her eyes skimmed the new file “I was right, he did it all and was forced to confess”

“You lied”

That made her head lift, giving me a look of disgust “I wasn’t a lie if it turned out to be true” she turned back to her file, licking the tips of her fingers “I needed a search warrant, the confession was the easiest way there”

I couldn’t believe this “What if he was innocent?”

“He wasn’t. I didn’t make a mistake you did, if you did your job we could have gotten more evidence and I wouldn’t have to lie” She scowled at me once more “This case needs you in the game, make sure this doesn’t happen again"

Some part of me hates this. If there was a way crime wasn’t so difficult, I wouldn’t have to ask for her help. My days here at the station could be limited. I shake my head knowing I couldn’t help Don, maybe next time I’ll ask them to go for Sarah.