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Chapter 15

"Look," Alison orders, slamming one hand on the desk and extending her other hand in front of the older man's face.

"I know what a key looks like Miss Dilaurentis," Detective Pine replies while peering over the rim of his glasses, "My only question is why you are shoving it in my face?"

"Oh, sorry," Alison replies backing up from the desk, "I got a little carried away".

"Why are you showing me that old key," Detective Pine questions leaning back in his leather chair, patiently waiting for a response.

"I found it at the storage unit," Alison clarifies excitedly.

"And you'd like me to be impressed," Detective Pine asserts with a hint of snarkiness.

Sensing the older man's tone of voice and overall body language, Alison explains, "I found it tapped to the inside cover of Charlotte's Web".

"Go on," Detective Pine encourages as he sits up a bit in his seat, appearing more intrigued.

Sighing as she slumps into the chair across from his desk, Alison details, "You see I found a box full of books and I initially thought it just looked like a personal library. It didn't seem worth wasting my time rummaging through. But something inside me told me to be thorough and so I went through every single book to make sure nothing was secretively stashed in between it's pages. That's when I found the key. Detective Pine, why would Wayne Fields tape a key to the inside paper cover of a child's book unless he didn't want it found? This key has to be important and it has to be protecting something that could break open this case".

Quietly extending his hand, Detective Pine sighs heavily as he heavy inspects the tarnished key that Alison delicately placed in the palm of his hand. "I'd be inclined to believe you're right," he concludes after a few moments of silent contemplation, "Did you find anything else? Maybe something to narrow down what this key might open?"

"I found nothing," Alison replies dejectedly, "Yet at the same time, I feel like that's the whole point. The ambiguity of this key serves it's purpose... to protect whatever Wayne Fields was working on that got him killed".

"473," Detective Pine mutters, "Safety deposit box, locker key, mailbox key, hell anything could be opened with this".

"What's you're next move," the older man inquires curiously, peering over the rim of his glasses for the third time today.

"I'm going to do just that," Alison answers simply and with determination, "I'm going to search every safety deposit box, every public locker, and every public mailbox until I turn something up. I have no other choice. I have no other leads".

"Compile a list of places to search and I'll try to divide it up amongst my men so we can cover more ground faster," Detective Pine instructs as he returns the key to Alison's petite, slender hand.

"Thank you sir," Alison replies appreciate of the assistance with the daunting task ahead of her. As Alison energetically turns on her heels and begins to walk away, a sweet simple sentence stops her in her tracks.

"Keep up the good work for Wayne and Emily," Detective Pine says encouragingly.

"I promise," Alison remarks feeling a swell of emotions fill her chest, "It's infected me. It's a part of me now and I can't let this go. I need answers. I need justice".

"25 public lockers, 38 banks with safety deposit boxes, and 47 public mailboxes or post offices within a 30 mile radius of were Wayne Fields seemed to function," Alison sighs defeatedly as she throws  a pad and pen across the room, "How the hell am I supposed to go to school, work at Invictium, continue my side job here, and try and solve this case?"