The Reporter and The Photographer

XVI

Tintin

I was sitting in my office trying to place clues together. I knew I couldn't show myself in the restaurant again. My physical features were a dead give away. I sighed in exhaustion, this wasn't like my normal articles. This time I had something to lose, a big something. I had a friend at risk. This is exactly why I didn't want a partner.

Just as I had started insulting myself there was a knock at the door. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the door. I regained myself, and tried to look less tired and worn. I opened the door and smiled. "Ah, Thompson and Thomson. Great to see you. I hope you don't mind me asking but why are you here?" I said with a soft smile. They didn't look all happy to see me. "Well yes, we have a search warrant." Thomson said. "To be precise, we are going to search your flat." Thompson added. I was a bit taken back. "What for?" I asked slightly confused. "An anonymous tip told us that they saw Miss.Dougless coming to your apartment the night she disappeared." Thompson informed me.

"Go right ahead gentlemen, but you won't find anything of Abigale's." I told them confidently. "Righty-o then, let's get this over with." Thomson said. I nodded and led them around my flat. Everything was going find until they got to the dresser. "Mhhh, what do you keep in here?" Thompson asked. "Clothes." I replied a matter-of-factly.

They both looked at each other and nodded. They opened drawer, by draw. They found absolutely nothing, that is until they went to the bottom draw. I wasn't really paying attention but I heard them both gasp. "Great Scotland Yard!" They yelped. I whipped my head in their direction and my eyes widened.

It was Abi's pink dress, but that's not the only thing, it was covered in blood. I felt my heart drop. What if she was dead? What if they had killed her and then tried to frame me to cover up their pathetic tracks! The detectives looked at me gravely and horrified all at the same time. "Tintin, you are under arrest for the disappearance and now believed murder of Abigale Dougless." Thomson said sadly. "I was framed! You have to believe me, I would never kill anyone. Especially not her." I pleaded.

They didn't listen. I wouldn't listen to me either, after all the evidence on me was to great to ignore. I felt crushed. I couldn't get the imagine of Abigale dying out of my mind. I was put in a cell as I awaited an integration. It was probably the same one Abi was in that night of out water fight. The memory brought a smile.

I sighed and twitted my thumbs; I had been framed lots of times, but none had ever hit me this hard. Soon Thompson came by and brought me to the interrogation room. I sat down calmly and looked between the two.

"How many guns do you own." Asked Thomson.
"Just one." I replied with melancholy tone.
Thompson held up the gun usually keep in my back pocket. "This is your gun, correct." He asked.
I nodded, and sighed. "Look," I said powerfully "I didn't kill her. She was a good friend."
"We know." The replied smugly. I sat there completely dumbfounded. "Your bullets don't match the ones imbedded in the fabric in the dress." Thomson told me with a smile. "That's it? That's how you cleared me?" I asked. They both shook their heads. Thomson pulled out the dress and flipped it over to the back-side.

"What am I looking at?" I asked. I didn't wanna see the dress she died in. "The bullet was found in the back of the dress, so where's the blood?" Thompson asked me. My eyes widened "Great Snakes, your right!" I cheered.