Sister in arms

Amber would feel elegant and beautiful as her strappy red heels click-clacked on the pavement if it wasn’t for the tight, short black dress she was wearing. 

“Hey, looking good!” 

She looked up to see Kasia already standing in line at the nightclub, the muffled sound of thumping music was already giving her a headache as she joined her energetic friend. 

“I can’t believe you dragged me out here.” 

Kasia was way more outgoing than she was. Amber would probably be sitting in her bed right now with a nice warm cup of tea in her hands and the sound of a random cooking show playing on TV. Instead, she was standing outside in the cold night air in one of Kasia’s dresses, if it could even be called that; it was way too short and revealing for her tastes. 

They made small talk for what felt like forever before they were finally standing in front of the bouncer and giving him their ID’s. 

Through the music coming out of the door, she could hear her phone ringing from within her purse. She ignored Kasia’s “you’re unbelievable” look as she fished it out from between her lipstick, wallet and other miscellaneous items. 

“It’s work,” she tells Kasia apologetically, “I have to take this.”

She stood off to the side in an attempt to hide from Kasia and muffle the music coming from the nightclub. 

As she answers the phone she is greeted by sergeant Morris’ rambling, something about her new partner arresting a suspect in the ongoing murder case without enough evidence. Amber cut him off, telling him that she’s on her way and hung up the phone. But as she turned to Kasia she came face-to-face with what she guessed was a disapproving glare. 

“You’re not going anywhere, this is our night out.”

“I have to, Kevin made a mistake and I have to go fix it.”

Kasia gave a big sigh.

“Fine, but I’m coming with you.”

Amber wasn’t sure that it was the best idea ever, but she didn’t exactly have time to argue with her friend either. 

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Of course, detective.” 

Amber shook her head and ignored Kasia’s wide smile. 

-- - --

Sergeant Morris was next to them before they even properly set foot in the station, giving Amber a rundown of everything and taking no notice of Kasia or how they were dressed. 

Amber and Kevin were working a case together, a break-in at a small jewellery store one night a little more than a week ago. A man went into the shop the next morning to find his business partner lying dead on the floor behind the counter. The police tried looking at the security cameras but found that they were disabled during the time of the crime. The autopsy confirmed that the owner was stabbed, but police haven’t found the murder weapon. 

Apparently, Kevin was looking through the case file and had a breakthrough, he found an antique jewelled knife that was dismissed as another fancy item for sale. Forensics found a match to the fingerprints on the handle; Jacob Becker, a man in his late thirties with a long record of assault, vandalism, shoplifting and probation violation. 

And Kevin has arrested him. 

“What’s the problem then?” Sergeant Morris turned his green eyes to Kasia and lifted a brow.

“I mean, isn’t it a good thing arresting a murderer?” 

Morris glanced questioningly at Amber, turning back to Kasia when she just shrugged a shoulder in answer. 

“Well, yes. But not when you don’t have enough evidence. There have been six reliable witnesses who claim they saw Jacob at some party during the time of the murder. We could face a serious lawsuit if we wrongly arrest someone for murder.”

“Ahh, I see.”  

Kasia flicked her red hair off her shoulder as she swept through the doorway and into the interrogation room where they could see Kevin trying to get Jacob to confess to the murder through the reflective window. Kevin was having no luck, the other man was keeping his mouth shut tight. 

“You look nice by the way.”

Amber didn’t have time to think about the words Morris whispered in her ear as Kevin joined them. 

“Save your breath, Amber, Morris already gave me a long lecture about the way things should be done.”

“I’m not mad, Kevin.”

“You’re not?”

“Nope.”

“Well I am,” Kasia cut in, “we were having a fun night out.”

“Sorry, but I just have this gut feeling that he did it.” 

Amber just nodded her head and looked back at the man slouched in his chair, looking weirdly calm. Maybe a bit annoyed, but calm. She couldn’t help the feeling that she’s seen him somewhere before. Without the short beard maybe?

-- - --

“Do you also feel like you know Jacob Becker?”

Amber asked Kasia in the women’s bathroom as they changed out of their short dresses and heels, and into more comfortable clothes that they discovered in the lost and found. 

“Yeah, we went to high school with them.”

“Them?”

“Don’t you remember? Jacob, Oliver and Dennis; the triplets.”

Amber didn’t have the fondest memories of the three boys; they were rude, reckless and somehow always in trouble. And they were identical. 

“That’s it! Kasia you’re a genius!”

“Yeah, I know.” She shrugged and tried her best to stop the broad smile from taking over her face.

After a while of Amber sorting through her racing thoughts in silence, her bubble was broken by Kasia’s voice.

“Change of subject; what’s going on with you and Mr McSarge?”

“What?”

“C’mon, you know.”

“No, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

As soon as she finished changing she escaped from the bathroom, only to run directly into the subject of their conversation.

“Sergeant, sorry. Didn’t see you there.” 

She inwardly cringed, hopefully, she wasn’t stuttering or blushing too much. 

“No worries.” he smiled widely at her. 

Kasia came rushing out of the bathroom then, almost running into them. All three of them walked back to the interrogation room, the awkwardness probably felt by everyone in the room with them. 

Amber let Kevin and Morris in on the information she and Kasia uncovered in the bathroom. Unfortunately, she just received a bunch of blank looks. She gave a sigh of annoyance. 

“Don’t you see what this means?”

The three just shook their heads and glanced at each other. 

“It was a three-person job. Jacob is a triplet. He and his identical brothers worked together; one took care of the security cameras, one took care of witnesses so that any evidence against one of them would be considered useless, and one committed the crime.”

Jacob is guilty. 

-- - -- 

As he walked briskly to where Amber, Kasia and Kevin were waiting next to the car, Morris said; “There’s been a sighting of Oliver and Dennis Becker, we’re cleared to move out.”

Amber turned to tell Kasia to stay at the station or to go home. There’s no way that she’s going to let a civilian go into what could possibly be a very dangerous situation. Too late; through the window, Amber could see that Kasia was already in the car and putting her seatbelt on. With a shake of her head and a sigh, Amber climbed into the car as well. She’d better not die. 

From the corner of her eye, she saw Kasia trying to hide a yawn and checked the time on her phone; it was nearly one in the morning, where on earth does the time go?

They couldn’t see much of the vineyards when they arrived, just rows of dark trees in front of a dark background. 

“Over there,” whispered Kevin. 

Amber could make out a faint flickering of light through the trees if she squinted. She slowly removed her handgun from her belt as they began their careful advance, the two guys moving around to surround their prey. Her heart was pounding with each step they took closer and closer, and as their circle became smaller and smaller. 

When they cleared through the last trees and stepped into the small circle of firelight they were greeted by a man with Jacob’s sharp features sitting on a log, looking up at them calmly. 

“Where’s the other one?” 

“Look out!”

Amber asked and Morris shouted at the same time. She turned around to see the other triplet no more than five feet away and a gun pointed straight at her chest. She flinched as a shot rang out, but managed to aim and pull the trigger of her own gun. She made sure the bullet hit its target in his shoulder and Morris restrained him before relaxing and lowering her gun. 

Looking around she saw that Kevin already had the other one in handcuffs and was walking him to the car. Kasia was sitting in front of her and holding a hand to her upper arm. Now that the thrill and adrenaline have passed, she realized that Dennis’ bullet never hit her. 

“What did you do?” Amber asked as she crouched next to Kasia.

“I was trying to be heroic and take the bullet for you.”

“Kasia, you really shouldn’t have.”

“It was my pleasure,” Kasia says, “but I’m never going out with you again.”