We got to the women’s shelter in record time, me beating Machine by a hair. We both panted, doubled over, resting our hands on our thighs as we caught our breath. Taped to the door that led up to the apartment was a white envelope with my name on the front in messy handwriting.
I furrowed my brows as I grabbed it and pulled out the contents. I gasped. A picture was accompanied by messy handwriting that said:
SHE’S ALL MINE. STOP LOOKING OR ELSE.
I fell to my knees as I took in the image. My sister sat on a metal chair in a simple white nightgown. Her long brown hair now lay flat against her face and went down to her hips. She looked older, but there was no denying it was Lily. Tears filled my eyes. Evan came over to me.
“What’s going on?”
I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t think, all I could hear was ringing in my ears. I needed to call my team. I needed Zombie to run forensics on the envelope. Ignoring Machine’s question, I shook myself out of the daze and grabbed my phone to call Zombie, explaining that he was needed. I didn’t go into detail, not wanting to give away too much to Machine.
“Don’t touch anything! I’ll be right there,” Zombie said sternly through the phone before cutting the call.
TWELVE
BADGER
Zombie showed up in lightning speed with his intern, Toby. As they collected evidence, I sat on the sidewalk with my mind reeling. Machine sat next to me. I looked at him pleadingly.
“Before you say anything, I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
I didn’t want him here; I didn’t need someone who didn’t know me to see me break. But then again, his presence seemed to ground me in a way that I didn’t expect. I finally decided not to fight him. I didn’t have the energy.
I took out my phone and texted Chief, so Machine wouldn't hear what I said. When he glanced over, he looked confused. I knew I had to give him something to avoid too many questions.
“It’s my dad. Kinda… he’s the father figure in my life,” I spluttered.
Machine simply nodded.
“Can I know who the girl is?” he finally asked.
“My sister,” I whispered.
“By the look on your face, you haven’t seen your sister in some time,” Machine concluded.
“You could say that.” I paused. “It’s been three years.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Machine’s shocked expression. Before he could say anything, Chief pulled up in front of the shelter and walked toward us.
“Chief, this is Machine. Machine, this is Chief. He runs Dominos.” I gestured between them.
The men shook hands before Chief gave me a hug.
“I’ll go grab some lunch and bring it back,” Machine said, clearly understanding that I needed to talk to Chief in private.
I nodded and watched as Machine left before walking over to Zombie and Toby with Chief.
“How long will it take for you to process the evidence?” Chief asked Zombie.
Zombie placed the last bag of evidence, which contained the letter, into his bag. “It will take about forty-eight hours. Hopefully, whoever left it left a print. Also, I just got a call from Aaron. A dead young girl turned up in an alley near Seventh Street. I need to head there next. I will let you know what the results say as soon as I get them, and I’ll keep you posted about the girl.”
My heart sank into my stomach as I wondered if this would be the day that my sister would be found.
“Thanks, Z,” I said, placing my hand on his arm. He wasn’t into physical affection, but it was natural for me when it came to the people I loved. I loved Zombie like a brother.
“Toby, bring all of the stuff back to the truck,” Zombie instructed.
“Yes, sir,” Toby responded, overfilling his arms with equipment and hobbling toward the van.
