AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I almost agreed before I saw the amusement on Max’s face. He was making fun of me. “You ready to get started? I don’t have all night.”
“Sure, Mr. Grumpy.” Max held his hand up until the room quieted. “Officer Colton Castle is here to talk to you about the recent break-ins and graffiti issues downtown.”
“Should we be concerned?” Hailey’s eyes were wide, and her fingers clenched on the table in front of her.
I moved to stand at the end of the table, placing my hands on my duty belt to have somewhere to put them. “I think you need to be careful, especially if you’re leaving your shops at night. We believe the two instances are linked, and whoever it is wants money. Nothing else was taken. But they could be desperate and getting bolder.”
“But they broke in overnight when the stores were closed,” Easton, the owner of the ReSails shop, said.
“That’s a good point. Both stores didn’t have security systems. So, that’s one thing you could do to protect your businesses—have those installed as soon as possible. Walk with someone to your car. Report anything that is unusual.”
“Do you have any leads?” Remi asked.
“No,” I said gruffly. That grated on my nerves. I hated not having anything to go on. To be sitting on my ass just waiting for something else to happen.
Since I’d expressed interest in being promoted, I knew Chief was watching my cases closely.
“What about the graffiti?” Hailey asked.
“It seems more like something a teenager would do. It’s not the usual tagging we see.”
“Tagging?” Sophie asked.
“That’s what we call it when one of these guys paints the same symbol or picture on multiple locations. It’s their signature, if you will. Their tag.”
Sophie nodded. “That makes sense.”
Remi considered me. “This seemed more like artwork.”
I rocked back on my heels. “Either way, it’s destruction of property, which affects property values and businesses.”
When Remi flinched slightly at my gruff words, I felt bad for my harsh tone.
“And it costs money to have it removed. It’s happened twice to my building,” Hailey said.
“You could get cameras on the side of your building,” Easton offered.
“That’s not a bad idea, but it’s not cheap either,” Hailey said.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this a lot quicker if there are cameras and security alarms,” I said.
“Let’s talk to each other, too. Even something as simple as a burned-out streetlight is an opportunity for crime.”
Max joked that I was uptight, but lighting and security systems all worked to prevent crime.
Max stepped forward. “Does anyone have any more questions for Colton?”
When no one spoke up, I added, “Please feel free to come to me or any of the other officers. We want to get to the bottom of this, and no suspicions will be disregarded. We’ll look into every lead.”
I had the added motivation of wanting to prove to my boss that I was involved in the community. He’d said I needed to be proactive and that I needed to work on my people skills. Whatever that meant.
When no one asked more questions, Max slapped my shoulder. “Thanks for coming. I appreciate it.”
Moving toward the door, I said, “I’m happy to.”
“Can you stop by again next month?” Max asked.
Stepping slowly down the steps, seeing the bar had filled since we started the meeting, I said, “I hope we’re not dealing with this same situation next month.”
