The Truth Berries

XXX-IX

        Alex was already asleep when his phone suddenly rang. His wife Nelia woke him up after three unanswered rings and he grabbed it with his eyes still closed.

       “Gonzalo. What is it?”

       Alex listened as the voice on the other line told him the details of the shooting that took place a few hundred meters away from one of his crime scenes. According to the concerned citizen who reported the incident, he heard a loud skirmish inside the house for a brief moment. Then, a man dragging a woman came running out of the house to flee from someone. It was then that another man came out of the said house and started firing at them. The concerned citizen said he did not quite hear the gunshots but he was sure he was shooting them because he saw sparks as the invisible bullets hit the fleeing couple’s vehicle.

       “He must be using a silencer.” Alex estimated.

       “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. Anyway, the woman owns the house now and she was currently missing. Could also be another case of k********g for you.”

       “Wait a second. I still have an ongoing case on my hands. Isn’t Mondragon’s turn now? He’s supposed to be roving that area this week, right? Why me?”

       “Sergeant Mondragon called in sick. He’s on leave for a week and you know we are currently undermanned. Besides, we think that this new case and the one you have right now are somewhat related.”

       “What makes you think like that?”

       “The missing woman was a friend of your murdered victim. Her name is Helen Sandoval and just recently, she reported a failed attack on her at the same house. This gives us some reason to believe that she wasn’t the innocent woman she claimed to be. I think it’s about time for you to have another heart-to-heart talk with her, Sergeant Gonzalo. But you have to find her first, I think.”

       Alex was wide awake now. He thanked the woman for the information and then he dropped the line. He slipped into his gray jeans and put on a crisp white round-neck shirt before he slid his pistol into his leather holster. Then he took his jacket from a nail on the wall and he hanged it on his shoulder. His wife, Nelia, was watching him silently throughout the time but he did not notice that she was awake.

       “Where are you going, early bird?” she smiled when Alex turned to face her.

       “Morning, baby. It’s nothing serious, just some inspections to do. Some rookies were having troubles in following certain procedures. Station says senior supervision was needed and there was no one else that could do it except for me. So I got to go this early.”

       “There was always no one else, Alex.”

       “I know, baby. Why don’t you go back to sleep and I promise I’ll be back before you know it.”

       Nelia shook her head softly.

       “You know I can’t. The children must be ready for school and I have to prepare them some breakfast and two full lunchboxes before the schoolbus comes to pick them up.”

       “Okay, but don’t tire yourself out. I may have another ‘inspection’ to do when I get home later.” he winked and kissed her.

       Nelia was left standing at the doorway as she watched him drove away in his police car. When he was gone, she locked the door again and then she went to the kitchen to start her preparation. Alex, on the other hand, stopped temporarily for his early cup of coffee. Then, he went to the address that was given to him. When he reached the place, the streets were still empty except for an occasional jogger who would pass them without paying them any attention. But farther down the road, he saw a familiar-looking car. As he got nearer to the woman’s exact address, he could tell that it was the same car he saw parking across his house. He drove his service vehicle into the house’s yard and got out. The house was looking deserted already. Its front door was partly opened and he saw several empty fired shells on the floor of the porch. He knelt and picked up one of them. It was still warm to the touch and the smell of gunpowder was still strong. Alex guessed it was not long before he came that the gun was fired. He took out a small resealable bag and picked each empty cartridge on the floor. He was on his last shell when he heard a sound coming inside the unlit house. So he picked the last shell, sealed the bag and hid it in his inside jacket pocket. Then he pulled out his gun and he quietly entered the house.

       The whole living area looked like it was a scene from a war movie, where everything was broken and destroyed. Pieces of everything scattered all around him and an upturned table was visible a few steps from the entrance. Alex stopped for a moment to observe keenly. Then he heard someone rummaging inside the room not far from him. Alex headed to that direction. He managed to get to the opened door without alarming the man who had his back on him, busily stooped on searching a drawer. Against the darkness of the room, Alex could see that the man had turned the whole room upside-down in search of something and that he was on his last drawer when he found him. The homeowner’s clothes were littered all across the place and Alex was stepping on a black panties that he assumed was thrown carelessly by the man.

       “Weapons on the floor and hands in the air. Then turn around slowly.” Alex ordered.

       The man stopped what he was doing and straightened up. But he did not perform any of his instructions.

       “Relax officer. We are after the same man.”

       “Weapons on the floor and hands in the air! Don’t talk! I’m not into talking that much so shut up.”

       The man pulled his gun from his back and left it on the floor. Then, he turned around with his hands hanging. Alex was stunned when he saw who he was. It was the man from the Feds. Alex asked him what he was doing there.

       “I found your partner, Officer. I followed him here where he tried to kill a woman. He was about to put a bullet to her forehead when I came inside and stopped him. But he got away. Unfortunately, he has taken the woman as hostage. I tried to shoot him but your guy was quite slimy, I would say.”

       “Romero was here?” Alex could not believe what he heard.

       “Yes, Officer. It seems he still has some unfinished business to settle.”

       “Why did you not call the police?”

       “Are you serious, Officer? I told you that Uncle Sam wants to deal with this silently. So I can’t risk allowing your men to make this a circus show.”

       “So where are they now?”

       “I don’t know. But I don’t think they’ll go far. With that condition of the car, everybody would suspect that something is amiss. But if I were you, I’ll set up checkpoints right now between the cities’ boundaries before the sun comes up. Narrow their playground and they’ll come to you voluntarily.”

       Alex considered doing so as he tucked his gun away. The Fed man, seeing Alex has hidden his firearm, knelt to pick his own.

       “You already have a positive ID of your man. What are you waiting for, Officer?”, the man asked Alex.

       He was about to tell him not to meddle with official investigations or he would regret it when his phone rang again. It was the same voice from their switchboard.

       “Sergeant Gonzalo, we received new information about the missing woman. Apparently, she called your victim’s mother to ask for help. She said Miss Sandoval told her that she was locked inside an abandoned car’s trunk. The kidnapper left the car and his hostage behind. We have reports that they were seen on the South Superhighway.”

       Alex wasted no time. Finally, he had a solid lead to find the bastard. Miguel was going further south.