The Missing Teen

Chapter 5

Even after ten years in the job, Adam Cole occasionally felt shocked by some of the things he encountered on the job. This was one such occasion. He had been sent outside of the storage company building to call in the relevant people to deal with the horrifying discovery they had made. Somehow, he had managed to do that part okay. It was calling his friend and partner Charlotte Flair that was proving to be difficult.

"Just do it," he told himself. After closing his eyes for a moment, he managed to make himself call Flair's number. She answered almost immediately.

"Adam. You find anything?"

"AJ's dead, Charlotte. They cut her body into fucking pieces and put it in garbage sacks," Cole choked out.

"Jesus Christ," Charlotte breathed, horrified by the news. "AJ's dead," she said, relaying the news to Rollins. Apparently they were together.

"Thorne wants you guys to go arrest Vega and Black. We'll meet you back at the station when we're done here. Can you call sergeant Rousey? She'll need to tell AJ's mom, and probably the press."

"Sure, I'll do that now," Flair said. "Adam, are you okay?"

"No," he replied honestly, before ending the call. He was glad that he wasn't the one going to arrest Vega and Black. He couldn't have trusted himself not to beat one of them half to death for what they had done. He was mentally using the word they, for he couldn't imagine how only one of them could have done something so vile and gruesome without the other knowing about it.

There was a heavy atmosphere in the Intelligence Division office when Lucy Thorne assembled the team. They were all shocked by the fate that had befallen AJ Mendez. Her body had been found in fourteen pieces, all in garbage sacks. For some reason, they had been packed in cat litter, which had helped to preserve them.

"I feel sick," Clementine said, sitting on the edge of Flair's desk.

"Well all do," Thorne said tenderly. "But the best thing we can do for AJ now is make sure we put together an airtight case on Black and Vega. They deserve life inside for this, and that's what they're going to get. So, here's what's going to happen: Adam and myself are going to interview Vega. Charlotte and Seth, you interview Black. Bayley, Clem I want you to go through the inventory of everything that was recovered in their house. Look for anything incriminating, or anything that might have been used to dismember a body."

"Got it," Martinez said.

"Right, let's go and see what these scumbags have got to say for themselves," Thorne said.

Zelina Vega sat in an interview room with an impatient look on her face, idly tapping her fingernails on the table. Having been left in there by herself for over half an hour didn't seem to be bothering her in the slightest.

"I'd love to slap that look off her face," Thorne said to Cole. They were looking at the suspected murderer through the two way mirror.

"I hear you," Cole said. "I don't think she has a clue we've found AJ's body. Her attitude is going to change pretty quickly."

"I don't know about that. She seems like a cool customer to me. Let's go and see what she's if she holds up under pressure."

The two cops walked around to the interview room's door, and Thorne led the way inside. As hard as it was to do, she started out politely.

"Hello, Zelina. I'm commander Thorne. We've met before. This is detective Cole. Would you like some water, some food, or a visit to the bathroom before we start?"

"I'll take some water," Vega said casually.

"I'll go and get it," Cole said. Leaving the interview room, he walked down to the nearby canteen, where there was a fridge that was always stocked with bottles of water. He grabbed one and went back to the interview room.