The Source

Part 7

Miss Mela: I'm still giggling and kicking my feet over that kiss, but we have to continue the story.

After they share a kiss Heidi calls out for Freen from inside the house. Freen presses her forehead to Becky's and sighs contentedly.

Freen: God I've waited a long time to do that. Becky giggles. When they hear footsteps along the grass, they separate and wipe their mouths.

Heidi: Freen you're getting an urgent call from work.

Freen: OK, I'll go take the call in the study. She looks at Becky. Wait for me? Becky nods. Freen walks away leaving Heidi and Becky standing there in awkward silence. Becky clears her throat before speaking.

Becky: I was wondering if I could speak with you as well Ms. Jensen. Back to work mode.

Heidi: Umm, sure. About the robbery? Becky nods. What else would you two need to talk about? 👀

Becky: Yes. I was wondering if maybe you or your father might have received any threats or if anything happened before this incident. Heidi shakes her head.

Heidi: Not really. I mean I didn't feel safe with Dad's new trophy in the house especially knowing how much it's worth, but he insisted that he wanted to see it every day in his office. Becky made a few notes in her notebook.

Becky: The night of the robbery. Do you know if anyone might have left the room for too long or was everyone in the same room? Heidi scratches her head.

Heidi: Are we suspects in the robbery?

Becky: I just need to cover all my bases for the investigation.

Heidi: The only ones that disappeared for a bit were Heng and Surprise, but we all know what they were doing if you catch my drift. A slight blush appeared on Becky's face.

Becky: OK. And no one saw anything suspicious or out of place? Heidi shook her head.

Heidi: No. We were all in the living room eating, drinking, and playing games. The only one who said he saw something was Heng, but he might have been under the influence. Becky raised her eyebrow.

Becky: Do you mean drugs? Heidi bit her lip as she nodded. Damn, Heidi. Throwing Heng under the bus just like that. Well, if you remember anything else, anything at all, here's my card. Becky hands Heidi a business card with her name and work phone number.

Heidi: Thanks, officer. Becky looked at the time on her watch.

Becky: I better get back to the office. Thank you for your cooperation. They shake hands.

Heidi: Thank you for coming.

Heidi walked back inside and sat down to watch TV. When Freen saw her on the couch she went outside to see Becky. Becky was almost inside the patrol car when Freen ran to meet her before she left.

Freen: Hey, we didn't get a chance to talk after what happened. Becky closed the door and leaned against the patrol car.

Becky: Freen, I like you a lot, but I don't want to be another one on the list. Freen tried reaching out, but Becky raised her hand. You have a girlfriend or what looks like a girlfriend. If you want me to think you are taking things seriously, I need you to show me that is going somewhere other than the bedroom. If this is just another name to scratch off your list, let's just leave things as they are. Freen shook her head and grabbed Becky's hands.

Freen: Becca, I will show you that what I feel for you is more than just physical attraction. Can you give me some time to work things out with Heidi first? Becky nodded and Freen kissed her cheek. Can I still call you to have a coffee date soon? Becky smiled.

Becky: I would very much like that. I'll see you soon. Freen opened the door for her. Becky got into the patrol car and drove off waving goodbye to Freen.

Becky parked the car outside of the station and looked at herself in the mirror. She had faint hints of lipstick all over her mouth. She wiped it clean, fixed her uniform, and headed inside.

Shen: Armstrong, come look at this! Oliver Shen, the guy who was competing for the captain position with Becky, calls her over to his desk.

Becky: What's up, Shen? He points to the screen.

Shen: Look at this footage we got from the security cameras at the Jensen House. She looked at an empty scene in fast forward.

Becky: I don't see anything. He rewinds the tape.

Shen: Look how the ladder suddenly appears. Someone tampered with the footage. There's a missing clip and I'll bet that in that part of the clip we can see the person who was helping The Artist get into the house. He switches the screen. From this angle, we see that the tranquilizer darts were all shot from the front of the house, and then this camouflaged man who's trembling more than my momma's Jello appears on the screen. He turns back twice as if he's regretting doing this and then climbs the ladder and we don't see anything else. Becky smirks.

Becky: I knew it. It's not The Artist. It's an impersonator. Shen plays with the pen in his hands.

Shen: I don't know, maybe The Artist isn't this amazing thief like everyone makes him out to be. Maybe he's a coward. Becky leans against the desk.

Becky: There's a glitch in your theory, Shen. The Artist is known for blending in with a crowd. If he looked suspicious, he wouldn't be able to pull off these crimes which he's been doing for 5 years now. Do you think this guy... she points to the screen. Is our guy? He pauses the video.

Shen: I don't know. I just want to catch the guy so badly! She pats his shoulder.

Becky: So do I, but this is one of those cases where we have to be completely sure of everything before we move on to anything else. My gut tells me this isn't The Artist. The problem is we are still not close to finding out who the real artist is and now we have to find this guy and his accomplice because he didn't do it by himself. Have we gotten any leads on the agents undercover in the black market? He shook his head. Call them again and tell them to be on the lookout for both the diamond and the painting. If The Artist didn't steal the painting either they will probably sell it to the highest bidder and that's how we catch them.

Shen: I also wanted to show you a clip from Chankimha Manor. Becky gets close to the screen. In the clip, it looks like the thief grabs a house key from under a flowerpot, puts it back, and then decides to break the window with a rock.

Becky: He wanted it to look like a robbery. Shen nods.

Shen: Our bachelorette might be in on it too. Becky moves away quickly.

Becky: Why are you suddenly suspecting her? She was with her friends at the Jensen house at the time of both robberies. He sighs.

Shen: Which is the perfect alibi. How would the thief know about the key under the flowerpot? He went straight for it, with no hesitation, and then changed his mind because obviously, it would look a hundred times worse if the thief had a key to the house.

Becky didn't want to believe him, but her mind and her heart were confused.