There’s a bored looking officer behind the counter, with his chin in one upturned palm. He’s pecking away at a lazy pace on his keyboard with one finger and he doesn’t look up when I approach. I glance at his name tag—it reads Officer Mann.
Clearing my throat finally gets his attention. “I need to make a report,” I say, my voice shaky. Pressing both hands flat against the counter to steady myself, I continue, “I just saw a man get beaten and shoved into the trunk of a car on the beltline. They chased me and tried to run me off the road.”
Officer Mann jumps to his feet and reaches for the radio on his shoulder, whispering something I can’t quite make out because of the thick glass between us. He reaches below the counter, and I hear the door leading to the back offices, buzz.
“Come in and have a seat.”
I hurry through the door, hoping that being on the other side will finally make me feel safe.
When I sit down beside his desk, he says, “Take a deep breath, start at the beginning and tell me everything just the way you remember it.”
I tell him every detail, starting with the area of the beltline they pulled off on, the time, and what kind of black sedan I thought it was. How the men in suits beat up Mr. Allen and the more serious injury on his shoulder. I explain how they shoved the water bottle to his chest, pushed him back into the trunk, and slammed the lid shut. I’m running out of steam by the timeI get to the last part. “And that’s when they chased after me and tried to run my car off the road.” Making a gesture with my hands, I tell him, “I slammed on my brakes and gave them the slip. Then I drove straight here.”
“Did they follow you to the station?” he asks calmly as he continues scribbling notes.
I’m still feeling a little freaked out by the whole thing. “Yeah, they caught up with me just as I was pulling in, but they weren’t brave enough to come into the parking lot.”
“Having a body in their trunk will do that,” he replies wryly without looking up from his note taking.
“Is there anything else?”
“Yeah. I recognize their victim. He’s Robert Allen, my friend’s father.”
“And you’re sure that’s who you saw? Can you make a positive ID?”
“Absolutely. We went to high school together and I know him quite well.”
Officer Mann’s head snaps up. “You’re friends with his daughter?”
I shrug. “We were closer in high school. I guess at college we ended up with different friend groups and don’t really hang out so much.”
“Do you have contact information on the family?”
Pulling out my phone, I tell him, “I’ve got Lauren’s cell phone number, but my phone needs to be charged to retrieve it.”
He looks at my charging port and pulls his own cord over for me to use. It’s already plugged into a lamp on his desk with a USB port. I give it a few minutes, and then I switch the phone on and pull up her number.
“Do you think that I should call her and tell her what I saw before handing over the phone to you?”
“Yes. But don’t mention any details of the case. At this stage, everyone is a suspect, and we don’t know who will be within earshot when she takes the call.”
“Wait. Does that mean I’m a suspect as well?”
The officer stares at me for a brief second before saying flatly, “Make the call. I need to talk to the family.”
I sit there, shaking as I wait for the video call to connect, hoping that making the call is the right move. I think it is, but who can be sure? It takes four rings for her to pick up. “Hello. Jules? Are you okay?”
I decide to break it to her gently. “Are you sitting down?”
“Yeah, I’m still in bed. What’s up?”
“I saw someone abduct your father tonight and wanted to tell you right away.”
Her voice becomes clear, but she’s not talking to me. She’s screaming for her parents.
I hand off the phone to Officer Mann, and all we can see is darkness where she threw her phone face down on the bed. Within seconds, we hear hushed voices. After a short back and forth, Lauren gets back on the phone. “What is going on, Jules?”she demands. “Is this some kind of prank? Have you been drinking?”
Officer Mann lifts the phone so she can see her face. “Ms. Allen, this isn’t a prank. We have a credible eyewitness report that your father might have been abducted tonight. Can I ask when was the last time you spoke to him in person or communicated with him by phone? I should advise you that if his abductors have asked for ransom, paying it might not guarantee he will be returned safely.”
