A Vigilante

010

I keep my steps soft on the ground so that my heels don't make noise. There aren't guards in sight just yet but I still keep my eyes open. When I get the end, the hallways form a T-shape. I don't know which side to pick. Last time I had snooped about a house, Aaleyah and I had taken time to map it out. I knew exactly where all the guards were, where the important rooms were and most importantly; where my destination was.

Now I aimlessly choose the darker hallway and walk through, with no clear direction. When I inch to another bend, I stop, looking into the hall first. There was a door at the end, with a man dressed in black standing at attention in front.

"There's a guard," I say into the earpiece, hoping for some guidance. "Only one I've seen. The room he's guarding has to be important."

"Can you get in?" Genevieve asks on the line.

"I'll try."

The one guard seems to be my only obstacle. I can knock him out, I've taken out men twice the size of him already. But that would attract unnecessary attention. I try my next option.

Pulling out the lipstick from my clutch, I pelt it as far as I can across into the next hall. It makes a loud pang on the wall falling to the ground. The cover pops off and I silently mourn the loss of my favourite red lipstick. I duck deeper into the shadows and thank myself for wearing black. As expected the guard walks over looking to the hallway where my lipstick was.

When his back is to me as he walks in, I soundlessly move to the door with my shoes now in my hands so I don't make a sound.

I send a silent thank you to the universe for the door being unlocked. I close it quietly so that it looks untouched.

When I turn I realize I'm in an office. I'm in Epifano's office.

"It's an office," I whisper as my fingers press against the earpiece. "There's a computer."

I drop my shoes and clutch on the desk and look into the computer. "Shit, there's a password."

I hear a curse on the other line.

"Can- Can you guys walk me through getting in?" I whisper-yell.

"No we would need specific software." Aaleyah says. "And a phone, which you also don't have."

My head hangs low as a string of profanities escape my lips. I look back to the door. There's two shadows. The guard has retaken his place. I'm stuck. I didn't think this through.

I look around the room, deciding I could still find something here.

Checking the draws first, I quietly go through papers that state nothing on the girls. I need something. A location maybe. I look through his desk. Besides the computers, papers and stationary are scattered around. I find a file resting to the side, under a book.

I open it. My eyes skim through before glancing back at the door. In the darkness of the room, I strain my eyes to make out the words.

It's a police report from the BPD. On the missing girls. How the hell does he have this?

I press the earpiece. "I found a police report, dated last week on the missing girls. He has a full copy of it. Can you check if it's authentic."

I hear an okay and I give specific details on the record. A second passes before Aaleyah's voice comes to my ear again.

"It was terminated a few hours after being submitted. There's no reason for termination."

The report is terminated and Epifano has a copy of it. Realization dawns on me that someone had to be helping him. Someone in the department terminated this file for him. He does have an influence on the police system. Exactly what I thought.