Until Proven Innocent

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

AFTER
Detective Gerard Sullivan
Saturday May 20, 2016

Weston leaves the station and heads home. I pace back and forth in my office, thinking. This case keeps getting more unnerving as the hours pass. Not only did he lie about having an affair, but his affair might be the very reason his child is missing. This woman is evidently stalking him and his family. What else is she hiding?

I take out my phone and call the number that Weston gave me. It rings six times before going straight to voicemail.
"You've reached Rosella. Sorry I missed your call, please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you and have a great day." Pause. Beep.
"This is Detective Sullivan from the Davenport Police Department." I say quickly, unprepared to leave a message. "I have a few questions that I think you could help me with. If you could please give me a call back as soon as you're able, it would be greatly appreciated." I recite my number, then hang up.

A voice message isn't enough. I need to go over there again, talk to her in person. But what if she's not home? What if I can't find her? Then I'll put out the APB. I have enough for that now. This woman is critically needed in a missing person's investigation. Anyone who has any information on her will be of some assistance. The clock continues to tick and I can't help but feel as though we're running out of time.

_____

It's nearly eleven by the time I hit the road and make my way down to Rosella's neighborhood once again. But unlike my previous visit earlier in the day, everything is quiet. No people walking their dogs, no children playing on the street. The suburban homes line the streets, not a soul in site.

I pull up in front of her house and park on the street. Nothing has changed since the last time I was here, the Impala still parked in the driveway. I make my way up the steps to her front door and ring the doorbell. Peering through side window, I can see that the house in dark, no lights on at all. I knock this time – loudly – then step back and wait. Still nothing. I backtrack down the steps and try to see if there are any lights on upstairs, if there is any trace of human life inside of this house, but I can't see anything that would prove so. The house is completely dark. Empty.

I debate getting a search warrant. Although, no judge would be around to approve it at this time of night. The soonest I could get one would be by morning. Do I have that long? What if the child is in there?

I walk back up to the door and knock once more. Then I put my fingers on the door-handle and twist. It's open.

I quickly turn my head and survey my surroundings. No one is out, but someone could be peering through their windows, watching. Then again, I'm not the guilty one here. I'm the law. But still, I'm aware that what I'm doing is illegal. I shouldn't enter the premises without a warrant or probable cause. But I just can't shake the feeling that something isn't right here.

I turn the handle and push the door open, quickly walking inside and closing it tightly behind me.

"Ms. Collins," I say aloud into the vacant house. "Are you in here?"
No response.

I walk forwards, quietly and slowly, trying not to make a sound. If she isn't here, then where is she? And if she isn't here, then what am I doing in here? Do I expect to just find the child sitting in a crib all alone?

What if I'm wrong? What if this Rosella woman has nothing at all to do with Emerald's disappearance and I just broke so many rules coming in here. She could have been stalking him, yes. But that doesn't necessarily mean she's a child abductor. Did I jump to conclusions too quickly?

I continue walking through her house, curiosity getting the best of me. Perhaps if I find something – anything at all – it can give me a better sense of who this woman is, what she's like. If I can just find a clue, some piece of evidence at all. I turn left from the main hallway and enter the kitchen. And that's when I see it – see her – lying on the floor, a pool of blood beside her head.