Don't Tell; It's Our Secret

Chapter 17

Detective Michael Taylor
Present

"Whose Julia Han?" Terry chased me out of the building.

"I don't know exactly....but that beat cop you bought in, Preston, he said she may know some stuff to help us." I stated.

"What stuff? What's going on?!" He slid down the stairs.

"That officer knew more than he wanted to say. So I sent him away." I sighed as I opened the car and slid into the driver seat. "Get in the car Terry." I called.

"How do you even know where she is?!" He hopped in the car.

"Officer Preston kept mentioning gangs and then said she was a detective; it's safe to assume she's on the Gang Squad." I started the car and speed off toward the municipal building being used by the Gang Squad.

"Why are you trying so hard with this dead case?" Terry held in for dear life as I drove.

"It's just-," I sighed, "something doesn't sit right with me."

"Like what?" He persisted.

"Okay," I heaved, "his parents for one."

"What about em?" Terry raised an eyebrow, he had been with me when I went to their house.

"Didn't they seem off to you?" I asked.

"Well, I mean-," he began to think, "yeah a bit."

"Who doesn't care when their child goes missing? Who?" I went on. "It was too strange...and the kid is a witness in a homicide case. There is a chance he was kidnapped or something."

"I think you're overthinking...he could've run away. I would've too with the life he was living." He shrugged.

"Run away without word to anyone? Even your only friend who seemingly is the only person who cares about you?" I added as I pulled the car in front of the Gang Squad building.

Terry sighed as he pushed the door open.

The Gang Squad building was a repurposed apartment building from the 1920s. They used it in order to protect themselves from the repercussions they brought upon the police and detectives who worked there.

We walked around the back of the building and entered onto the sprawling campus that was the inside of the Gang Squad.

"What do you want?" An older man sat high up in a desk asked as soon as he saw us.

"I'm Detective Taylor, and this is my partner Detective Hightower. We need to speak to Julia Han." I spoke fast.

"Julia Han? What for?" He leaned over a bit.

"We were pointed in her direction by Officer Elvis Preston. We need her help on a case." Terry added.

"What case?" The old man snubbed his nose.

"Witness disappearance." Terry piped up again.

The old man rolled his eyes as he sat back down. "Down the hall, there." He pointed down a hallway. "Ask for Detective Han." He shook his head then flung his hand back for us to go.

Terry and I went back in and found ourselves in a sea of desks and cops.

Terry grabbed a random man walking by, "hey, we are looking for Detective Han."

"Which one?" He asked.

"Julia," I added.

"Oh her," he sneered. "She's right there." He pointed toward a woman with her back toward us. Her her black hair was tied high on her skull in a ponytail.

"Thank you," Terry waved the man away and we went straight for her.

"Detective Han?" I spoke up.

She turned around and I heard Terry cough.

She didn't look much like a detective. Her face was painted, she wore expensive jewelry, and her skirt sat at her mid thigh. Her heels looked deadly though.

"I'm Han, who are you?" She look between us.

"Detective Taylor," I pointed to myself,  "Detective Hightower," I pointed to Terry. "Homicide."

"What are you two doing in these parts then?" She laughed a bit.

"We've lost a witness," Terry peaked out from behind me.

"He's a kid," I added.

"That matters to me why?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Officer Preston told us you may be able to help." Terry leaned in a little.

"What's going on?" She stood up.

"We've got a witness to a homicide missing and Officer Preston told us to ask you about some black dragon tattoos. He said a lot were coming up dead lately." I folded my arms.

"I doubt this has anything to do with that. The only gang that handles in that ink doesn't murder and they don't intimidate witnesses by kidnapping." She brushed us off and sat back down.

"Hey," Terry called and stepped around me, "you can't just brush us off like that. I remember where I know you from now."

She turned raised an eyebrow at him.

"Julie the Loonie?" Terry crossed his arms.

Her face flushed red, "how the-?!" She began.

"If you don't want me to reveal all your high school awkwardness to all these fine people I suggest you help us." He stared daggers at her.

"Fine!" She smacked the desk. "What do you want?"

"Black dragon tattoo; shoulder; who?" I put my hands on my hips.

"Probably one of the triads...they enjoy the dragons...but I couldn't tell you which one. What do you need it for?" She leaned over.

I felt my eyes roll, "witness to a homicide is missing." I repeated.

"Oh," She seemed as if this was new information. "What's he look like?" She asked abruptly.

"Dark brown hair, blue eyes. Mixed kid. Latino and White." Terry spoke quickly. I felt touched he even opened the file.

"Oh," something seemed to click in her mind.

"What oh?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Well..." she began. "There was some chatter a few days ago about one of the big bosses keeping a new 'toy' locked up." She used air quotes around the word toy.

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with our witness?" Terry spat more than I thought he should've.

"Well, if memory serves, the chatter was that this 'toy' was a brown haired and blue eyed boy." She added nonchalantly.

"Where was this chatter from?" I asked.

"Chinatown." She gazed up at me a little.

"Fuck all," Terry cursed.

He was right to do so; Chinatown was notorious for the people's inability and disinclination toward the police...and when they did talk it was only to Chinese officers from the proper region...and the best officers were people who were born and raised there.

Could anyone blame them after years of torment and racism? No.

Did it make my job 100% harder when it came to dealings and information from Chinatown? Yes...a little.

"How the hell are we supposed to get any information from there?" Terry leaned in and whispered.

As I looked at Julia's back toward us, I realized quickly she may have had answers, but she wasn't going to be much help.

Luckily I knew someone who was.

"Come on," I beckoned him. "She isn't any help and I think I know someone who can be of Goddamn use!" I made sure to say the last nine words louder than the rest so that Julia could hear it.

Terry seemed shocked, but was quick to follow me out to the car.