Taken Away

CHAPTER 6

Later that day, we decided to go to the same Starbucks and ask the staff there to give us permission to look at the CCTV footage of the day of the murder. "A stalker and a killer, eh?" Joshua said this with a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he parked his car outside the crowded cafe and took a moment to collect himself before we headed inside. "Let's focus on what we have now." We made our way through the crowded sidewalk and entered the Starbucks. As expected, the cafe was filled with people, with the buzz of conversations and coffee machines filling the air. We head to the counter, where a busy barista is serving customers. "Excuse me," I said, trying to get the barista's attention. "Do you know where the manager is? We'd like to speak with them regarding a crime investigation." As soon as I mentioned the words "crime investigation," the barista's expression changed drastically. He went from looking busy and focused on his work to shocked and confused, his eyes wide as dinner plates. "Crime investigation?" he repeated, sounding horrified. Josh stepped forward, attempting to reassure the barista that everything was okay. "Yes, there's been a murder investigation, and we need to locate the security camera footage from this location on the day of the attack," he explained calmly. "Can you please get the manager for us so that we can look into this further?" "Have you seen this girl before?" I asked the barista, showing him a picture of Lia on my phone. The barista looks at the picture for a few moments, seemingly trying to recall whether or not he's seen Lia before. After a few seconds, he tilts his head to the side, his expression conveying that he has some faint memory of Lia. "I... I think so," he finally replies. "She was here with a guy, I think," he said, pointing to a door in the corner of the cafe, his voice trembling slightly. "That's the manager's office." As we made our way through the busy cafe, we eventually reached the corner office of the manager. My heart rate started to increase as I could see the manager staring at us in confusion and concern. I reached for my badge and held it up, displaying it for the manager to see. I intend to immediately put him at ease, letting him know that we are legitimate detectives working on a real case. "Now, what can I help you with, detectives?" he asked as we took our seats. I cleared my throat, trying to compose myself. "As you know, a murder occurred a few days ago, and the victim was last seen with a man we suspect is the killer here on the same day of the crime. We would appreciate it if you let us see the CCTV footage from that day." The manager nodded, seeming to understand the urgency of the situation. "Of course, detectives. We understand that these types of investigations can be time-sensitive, and we want to do whatever we can to assist you with your case." We walked towards the CCTV room, with the manager leading the way. The room is located in a secure and secluded area of the office, away from the hustle and bustle of the main floor. The manager's head was towards the monitors, his face serious and determined. He took a moment to look through the different cameras, searching for footage of Lia and the man she was seen with. After a few minutes of searching, the manager finally found the right feed. We saw Lia and the man we'd been looking for together at the front counter. They were ordering drinks and seemed to be having a conversation. We moved closer to the monitor and zoomed in on the face of the man with Lia. But as soon as we get a good look at him, we see that he's wearing a mask.

"Damn it," Josh said, sounding frustrated. "How am I supposed to identify the guy if he's wearing a mask?" "Let me take a picture of this with my phone." I reached for my phone in my pocket, hoping to capture a clear image of the man's face, even though he was wearing a mask. I approached the monitor, carefully aiming my phone's camera to take a good shot of the man. I snapped the picture, making sure to capture the image clearly, before pocketing my phone again. "That should come in handy later." As we continued to watch the rest of the footage, we didn't find anything else suspicious or out of the ordinary. The man with Lia appears to be acting and behaving normally. We said our goodbyes to the manager and headed back to the police station, feeling a sense of disappointment. We thought that the footage would be more revealing and provide us with some clues or information about the man with Lia, but it turned out to be a dead end. "Goddamn it!" I let out a long sigh of frustration as I sat down at my desk. "It feels like he's playing with us," I said as I massaged my temples and attempted to relieve some of the tension and stress that's been building inside me. "Like, he's giving us just enough information to keep us guessing and always a step behind." "You know what? I'm going to search the places around the area of the killing." I got up from my seat and grabbed my coat as well. "Maybe there is evidence there that we missed."

"Hey, Sally?" Josh called, and I turned around to face him. My heart sinks when I hear his next words:

"What if...what if this case is not for us?"

I never expected to hear those words escape Josh's lips. The Heart Collector case has been his #1 priority since we were assigned to it. He's spent countless hours following every lead and studying every piece of evidence we can find. But now, it seems like Josh is giving up on the case. What made him change his mind? "Listen, Josh," I said firmly, walking over to him. "I don't want this case to turn into Emily Allen's case; we ARE going to solve this case." "Not with this again," Josh sighed, rolling his eyes at me. "You know damn well Emily Allen is still alive, somewhere-" "We closed this case two years ago," Josh argued back, seeming to ignore my point. "The chief closed it, not us." I stopped him before he continued, knowing that our conversation was about to take a dark turn. We both worked passionately on that case, and the fact that it remains unsolved is something that we still struggle to accept even after all this time. The silence feels uncomfortable, and I clear my throat to break the tension. "I better get going."

I stood exactly where the body was found, and a feeling of unease washed over me as I observed the scene before me. There was still yellow police caution tape around the park, marking the spot where the victim was discovered. The area was silent, and it was still as if the murder had just happened. The park was not as it used to be; the knowledge that a crime happened here changed the atmosphere completely. The cold wind gusting from a late autumn night blew through my hair as I stood in the empty park. I can feel the chill in the air, causing a shiver to run down my spine. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stay warm, but the sense of unease persisted. The park now felt empty and eerie, as if the presence of death was still lingering in the air. As I continued my search, I became more and more aware of the looks that the other parkgoers were giving me. It was clear that my behavior seemed odd or out of place to them. Suddenly, I noticed two Starbucks cups among the trash in one of the trash cans. As I approach, I realize that one of the cups has Lia's name written on it, while the other has Leo's name on it. My enthusiasm was building as I quickly put the two Starbucks cups into evidence bags. "We're almost there,"