Mystery Loves Company

Chapter 67 - File #7.5: The Shady Bunch

There was no greater feeling than when an ice pack touched my bruised temple. It stung a bit when the coldness tried to cease the pain, but it felt better in a minute. Seeing a reflection of my face on my phone screen, I nearly had a black eye if the perpetrator slid his punch a bit.

Chief, who was there when I woke up, insisted to go to the hospital, but I begged him not to bring me there. I even refused when he tried to call Aunt Ella, so he broke his own rule by bringing me to the almost-empty station.

Sitting on the couch at his office, Officer Parry—still wearing the same outfit as this morning—put a glass of water on the table. He glanced at me in confusion. With a few movements of his eyes and eyebrows, he tried to ask me what happened, but my head was in too much pain to decode the meaning.

"Thank you, Parry," Chief Snell said as he walked into the room. He stood in front of me with his arms folded on his chest. "So, what's the explanation for all of this? I hope this isn't just a stunt to get you inside the station."

"Oh, for God's sake—I got a blow to my head and got my car stolen! Do you think I would go to that extent just to enter your stupid building?" I spat, but immediately put my head down because he was ready to give me another punch. "Sorry."

"Well?" The Chief sat behind his desk and started his interrogation.

"Her phone is turned off," I growled, but he didn't budge. "I told you, Avery stole something in my possession. Some things."

"A flash drive and a car," he caught up fast.

"And a bunch of folders from my bag," I added.

"What's so important about this flash drive and folders that she had to knock you unconscious to get them? Besides, can she even drive?"

"They're very important—and no, she didn't hit me. Somebody else did," I hissed when the pain stung again. I could not forget that red hair as I had been seeing it every morning and every night for almost three years. "It was Noel Winston, my roommate."

He winced as the name tingled his mind.

"I know you must be asking what's my roommate got to do with this—"

"Rhett," he cut. "I know who he is."

Both of my eyebrows were gradually raised. "What do you know?"

"That he's Jonathan Garner's son," replied the Chief, "the man who was allegedly murdered by Leonard Pierce eight years ago."

My jaw dropped. "Oh," was the only word that could come out of my mouth.

"He's not exactly the same case like the Kanes who had to change the children's last name from their birth certificates for obvious reason," he added. "Eddie might or might not give me some info about the case. Besides, didn't you tell me to read that folder you gave me?"

Chief Snell pulled out something from the stack of paper on his desk—and there it was, the Derek Rickard folder that I thought was meaningless.

I gasped—I immediately stood up, ignoring the pain that appeared again. "You've investigated the folder, but still arresting Pierce and letting the actual criminal stepped up for mayor?!"

"SSSHHH!!" He got up and slammed the table. "This is exactly the reason why I didn't want to tell you anything. I have been doing an investigation on my own, and I'm not gonna lie that your folder helped me so much."

My heart melted—I was touched but at the same time, I was frustrated that he let me think I was useless. I sat back feeling discouraged. "You've known everything... Does that mean you also know about how crooked Detective Evans was?"