Into the Light

Evidence

17th June 2000 / New York

Andy's POV

"Have you found anything?!" Shouting over to the other policeman and detectives searching the abandoned house "No Nothing yet!!". I huff out a frustrated sigh and continue to warily tiptoe my way through the messy house, every inch of the floor littered in garbage and all sorts of different liquids. I inch my way towards a door that looks like it hasn't been searched yet. The closer I get the more I realize It's locked with a huge bolt on it. A surge of anger shoots through my body when I recognize it from one of the drawings Robin drew. She had drawn an old wooden door with a huge bolt keeping it shut, it certainly can't be a coincidence. "OVER HERE!!!" A stampede of footsteps follows my voice, each of them holding their guns in front of them. 

After we manage to break the bolt on the door, we kick it open, letting it smack against the wall behind it. There's a wooden staircase that leads into a pit of darkness, not an inch of light nor breeze. I yank my torch from my belt and hold it up with my gun and proceed down the stairs with caution, uncertain of what I'm going to find down there. 

When I get to the bottom of the stairs, I take a moment to scan the dark, dank room. In the far right corner are a dirty old blanket and a bedside table with a broken lamp on it. A sudden familiarity lights up in my mind like a bulb. The room is just how she described it from her flashback. I glance up at the wall to see the tiny window and just outside is a picture of a black horse that naturally she thought was real. "This is where she was kept... I want every inch of this place swept.... bag up all the evidence.... take photos... I want everything.... you got that?!" They all nod in response before taking their corner to sweep. 

"Pete.... what you got?" He hesitantly opens the box up and a wave of horror and despair washes over me as I glance down at the contents "What the fuck!! why would they keep condoms?" Pete's naivety coming out in him at the wrong time yet again. "They kept them as souvenirs" Slowly shook my head in disgust, glancing down at the mountain of used condoms. He slowly lifts a bag, taking a closer look "What on earth!?". "There her toenails and fingernails.... they ripped them off her... probably as a form of punishment" He cringes and drops them back into the box, shivering with disgust. "We need those condoms taken to the lab... test for any DNA" He gives me a quick nod and bags them all up and proceeds to sweep the basement. 

Once everything was double-checked and taken, I take a moment to look around the room. If I focus hard, I can see exactly where she would cower when they came down to her. It's such a disgusting place, the thought of her being kept down here for so long, enduring so much just makes my heartache for her. Speaking of Robin, I haven't seen her since last week which I feel really bad for but I've been following up on so many leads that I just haven't had the time, but today I'm going to drop in and see how she's doing. 

By the time I get to the hospital, It's only 11 am, seeing I was out storming the village early, which means I can spend a good amount of time here. My hand tugs at the door handle, unsure of what I'm going to see when I get in there. 

My lips stretch into a huge smile when I see her sitting in a chair in the corner, wearing a skirt and a white vest. It's nice to see her wearing something other than a hospital gown, I don't think anyone likes wearing those things. She looks a lot healthier now, having put on some weight, her figure looking more smooth and her skin looks silky and radiant unlike when she first got here. "Hello, Robin" Her head whips around at the sound of my voice, a sweet smile on her face "Andy". I grab a chair and drag it up to the window, facing it opposite hers. "How have you been?" She hums lightly, twisting her face while she thinks "Good.... It's hard at night... when I'm alone.... my nightmares make it hard to sleep". 

"Listen.... this shouldn't have happened.... you didn't do anything to deserve this...... But I promise....... We will get them.... and they will pay" A small smile graces her lips, tipping her head to the side as she gazes up at me "I know.... I believe in you". "We did storm that whole village..... swept the whole thing.... and found a lot... but they weren't there.. but we will find them...." I pause for a moment while I think through my thoughts "We put out an alert... so other precincts and other cities will know who to look for as well... and even put their faces up on the tv... we've got the whole country looking out now".