Me:You ok?
Maddie:Yeah, my father is talking to the principal. He’s mad.
Me:You’re an adult and can choose what you want to do.
Maddie:I know. I’m not able to get up and walkout. I’m still in school after all. Hopefully, the principal will hear me out.
Me:Do you want me to come get you?
Maddie:No. I’ll be alright.
I want to ignore Maddie’s wishes but I don’t. I’m going to let her be for now. Turning to the lock, I shake my head. This is breaking and entering and could be considered as tampering with evidence. Dammit. I close my eyes and think of what I can do.
Knowing that we have an open case down here, calling it in would keep me from breaking the law. I sigh and laugh. Even now, I refuse to break the law. The other places were open and didn’t require anything more than me showing my badge to get the attendant to open the doors.
“Dispatch, this is Detective Drew Vega, badge 1006.”
“Go ahead, detective.”
“I’m down at the Broomdog Docks following a lead. I’ve come across a storage unit that has an undercover division issued lock on it. However, the only case we have down here has been closed.”
“Do you have the number on the lock, Detective?”
I look over the lock, and I can feel the scratches against the numbers. Dammit. Pulling out my flashlight, I bend down, looking at the area. It’s not too damaged that I can’t read the numbers. I smile.
“Echo, five, delta, two, zero.”
There’s silence on the other end for far too long, and my heart is racing. I imagine my career is about to be over once they find out I’m investigating the Chief and Donnie. But I don’t care. This far more important.
“Detective Vega, this is Sergeant Glen.”
“Yes, Sir, what do you want me to do with this storage unit?”
“I want you to hang tight. We are sending over the lock crew to retrieve this stolen lock, and we will have crime scene investigators over as well. Good work.”
I hang up the phone feeling like a damn rat. Even if this isn’t Donnie’s unit, someone did steal the lock and that means we have someone doing shady work on the force.Fuck.
The wait is killing me. I check my phone twenty times wondering if Maddie is truly going to be safe and can get out of the situation. As I’m nonstop worrying, I see the lock crew pull up along with Sergeant Glen.
“Detective,” Sergeant Glen says as I meet him for a handshake. “We know the lock is stolen but to use it out here? That’s a new low.”
I nod. I know who owns this unit but I need hard evidence. Standing back, I watch the lock team get to work. It doesn’t take them long which is good because I’m getting antsy. Ok, I’m getting even more antsy than I already was.
The door opens, and I full on can’t move for a moment. Sergeant Glen stands with me and looks at me then back to the room. “Shit.”
Yeah, my sentiments exactly. I can’t believe the magnitude of the amount of shit that’s in here. There are filing cabinets lining the west wall. Guns are hanging on the other three walls. I see evidence bags strewn about and drugs are piled high. Damn, I was expecting something to be in here but this? Fuck me.
What catches my eye makes me sick to my stomach. There’s a corkboard full of pictures of Maddie. They are in different positions and various stages of undress. That’s not the issue. No. Fuck, no it’s not. It’s the one picture in the middle glaring at me. Maddie is on her back, fully naked, hands tied to the headboard of a bed and a rag in her mouth. I can’t see anything else in the picture but I now know what goddamn depraved shit she’s been through.
“Is that …” I turn on the sergeant.
“Not another word.” I am shaking. I can’t look anymore. I am positive everything is here that I need to get Donnie. Maybe not the Chief but Donnie is going down.
“Detective, please explain what you’ve got us mixed into.”
I look at the sergeant and I shake my head. “Internal affairs needs to be called in before we proceed; call my union rep in too.”
“I believe you are right. There’s personal artifacts ...”
