Silent Witness

Chapter 7

Ethan

I was watching Ryder watch the monkeys he kept glancing back at me and I waved, then I saw the panic on his face. I looked around me to see what was scaring him but he took off and I dropped everything to try and run after him. Where was he going, I lost sight of him, damn it Ryder. I was scared and I didn't know what spooked him but I didn't see anything and I had Riggs on speed dial as I called him. "Riggs" he said, "Riggs, I was at the Zoo with Ryder and he took off. I have no idea where he is, something must of scared him I need help" I said. "We are coming" Riggs said and I knew my partner and best friend wouldn't let me down. I swear I ran around the entire zoo looking for him. I even had the staff helping me, "we need to find him" I said to one guy. "I know sir we are looking" he said, we walked by the penguin house and it was closed for maintenance. I didn't see that sign earlier so I wondered if it was just recent.

"Is that normal?" I asked pointing to the sign, "yes we often close it down to clean it penguins like to splash and what not" he said. "Can we check in there?" I asked, "not if they have the machine on its not safe, and they would know if a kid was in there" he said. I rolled my eyes he was very tiny I bet no one would even notice him at all. I wanted to go in there but I followed this idiot instead. Riggs and Collins were there, "anything?" Riggs said, "no nothing I should have made him come with me" I said, "Ethan don't beat yourself up we will find him" Riggs tried to reassure me. I saw Collins run towards the penguin hut it was on fire, "fuck!" I said as I ran towards it the staff were calling the fire department and every part of me wanted to run in there. "Ethan you can't" Riggs said, "he is in there I just know it" I said, "Travis is coming" Collins said, pointing to my other best friend as he ran into the building, I just prayed with everything that Ryder was not in there or that he was okay. 

My heart couldn't take this he was everything to me even though it hasn't been that long, I just got him. I didn't want to lose him. A few seconds later Travis came out holding his tiny body and I dropped to my knees. I knew I should have gone in there, he wasn't moving and I needed to get to him. "Ryder" I said when I was beside him, Zoey was trying to get him breathing again, "he inhaled a lot of smoke and has some burns" Travis said, "Fuck!" I said as they put a breathing tube into him and I watched in horror. I needed answers and I needed them now, "you go Ethan we got this" Riggs said as I went in the ambulance with Zoey and tossed Riggs the keys to my truck. I knew he would bring it to me and find whoever did this.

Riggs

Alright I needed to find answers for him, I looked over to the penguin house and it was destroyed. The fire department was trying to figure it out, I walked up to the staff, "I need to speak to everyone as of right now, the zoo is closed" I said. "You can't do that" one of the staff members said. I showed him my badge, "I can and I just did, get the families out now, this is officially police business. That little boy almost died and I want answers" I said. He nodded and there was an announcement over the PA system. "Folks we are very sorry for the inconvenience but the park is now closed. If we could please have everyone leave in an orderly fashion, we again are very sorry for the inconvenience." It took just over 30 minutes to get everyone out and I had the Zoo director in front of me.

"Why was the penguin exhibit closed?" I asked, "we close it to clean the floors it gets very wet in there" he said. "Was it supposed to be closed at that time?" I asked, "it is usually done every 2 hours, it was a little earlier than expected" he said. "I need to know who was scheduled to clean it" I said. "That would be Barry he is our maintenance guy" he said, "get me Barry" I said and before I knew it a scrawny man was in front of me it was not what I was expecting. "Did you close the exhibit?" I asked, "no I wasn't due to clean it until 2" he said, "could someone else have done it?" I asked, "sure everyone has access to the maintenance shed, its just right there" he said, I looked and the door was in fact open. Travis walked up to me, "it was arson, someone set it on fire" he said. "So they must have known Ryder was in there" I said, "I think so he was the only one and the door was jammed from the outside locking him in" Travis said. I sighed this was not something Ethan needed right now. "None of my staff would do this" the director said, "I need to speak to everyone working" I said. "Yes of course" he said and before I knew it I was interviewing all the staff, Collins was helping me. We each took half, and it took us just over 3 hours.