Little Red Murder

Chapter 2 - Caged Animal

"Give me all the information you have on this case, Alex," Scarlett demanded.

Alexander held up a file. "I know you, Scarlett. You're the kind of person that won't step down, once you set your mind to something. We're keeping the murder weapon and the badge here for safekeeping."

"Look who I'm talking to," Scarlett said. "You taught me everything." She snatched the file out of his hands and walked into the other room.

"That's what I was afraid of," Alex mumbled to himself.

In the other room, the two police officers tossed William into a jail cell and locked him in.

"Hey! Do I look like a caged animal to you?!" He complained. "If you did your jobs better, innocent people won't continue to be wrongly accused of crimes they didn't commit, or, I don't know... Civilians dying when the police take their time to arrive! An emergency situation is called an emergency for a reason!"

"Quiet back there!" One of the policemen ordered.

"What are you going to do next? Hm?" William said. "Are you going to hurt me like how your buddy hurt a minor on a school campus or shoot an innocent man when you feel threatened?"

"Calm down, Will," Scarlett said. "Officers, you're relieved of your duties here." She grabbed a chair as the two policemen walked out. "You okay?" She asked as she sat down.

"What do you think?" William sighed. "I've been framed for a murder I didn't commit. I don't know if I should call this a cliché move or not by the real culprit."

"Look, I promise I'll get you out of there," Scarlett said as she opened the file.

"I hope you really mean it." William leaned against the metal bars.

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"As we all know, the Red Hoods are declining in numbers."

"So? Why bring that up all of a sudden?" She asked. "What does that have to do with this case?"

"It has nothing to do with this case," William said. "It has everything to do with us."

Scarlett looked at him sadly. "Look, if you think I'm just going to leave you here-"

"How are you so sure you won't just leave?" William challenged. "Just like all the other Reds. They decided to leave the city because they saw it as a dangerous place to live in. The same city that everyone calls 'The Enchanted Forest'. Now that old Granny Volkov was murdered and everyone knows it, how are either of us so sure that you won't leave like them?"

"I'll tell you why I'm so sure," Scarlett said. "You and I have been through thick and thin together. We've been partners ever since the day we met. We've stopped a teenage boy named Peter from jumping off a skyscraper because he believed he could fly. We saved that little girl, Ariel, from drowning in that fish tank when Jill put her there. You and I solved a twenty-year-old missing persons case and saved Ivo and Isa from becoming the new victims."

"We've really been through a lot together, haven't we?" William mused.

"Face it, William. Not everything we do is related to a crime, but we do save lives. I'd be lost without you and I'm sure you'd be lost without me. I know you're frustrated that you've been framed, but don't lose hope. You're not alone, and I know that's what you're afraid of the most." Scarlett reached out to him. "Believe me. I will get you out of there."

"I trust you more than anyone else in this crazy 'Enchanted Forest'." William held her hand. "Get me out of here soon."

Scarlett released his hand and went through the file. "I'll head to the crime scene and look around to make sure they haven't missed anything. I'm positive they overlooked some things, though."