Team HART Age 8 The Cold Case
"Where is she?" A girl sat at her desk covered with reports and files, a picture of a pale girl with raven hair sat on top of all of them.
"I'm can't let this one go. I always find my mark, and I'm not going to let her disappear like the others."
The girl slumped onto the desk in defeat. How many days had it been? Tweleve? Thirteen? Any longer and she might never be found. She sat back upright and pushed her coffee brown hair out from her face.
Hayzel Winterthorn was the only juinor detective from the Vale Police Department, because she did her investigtions in secret and passed her findings to the police when she had solid leads. But this latest case had been her wall for sometime now. Hayzel began shifting through newspapers and other files when she heard a knock on the door. Her heart had skipped a beat.
"Hayzel? You hungry hun?"
"Uh, ye-yeah dad! Just a minute!" She began to shuffle and stuff the papers into the drawers of the desk before leaving.
"Coming!" Hayzel crused her dad's terrible timing and ran down the stairs to go eat. Just another night of searching false leads and she might just call this one a cold case.
Hayzel causally walked through the kitchen as if she had just been waking up from a nap, she took her seat at the dinner table while her dad dished up her plate.
Huxford Winterthorn, the head of the Vale Police Department of Investigations and Cold Case Unit, began to sit more upright and stare down Hayzel. Somewhat sotic in his appearance with jet black hair and curly mustache, it was easy to see Hayzel got her looks from her mother. Huxford rasied an eyebrow to his daughters careful attentiveness, "So Hayzel," Hayzel shifted in her seat uncomfortably, "What exactly were you doing up there?"
Hayzel looked at him with utter disgust, knowing full well what this was, an interrogation.
"I was napping if you must know, I'm still a little groggy is all."
"Really now? Then who is 'she'?"
Shoot "I was just sleep talking again, you know I do that."
"Yes I'm well aware of your nocturnal condintion. However, that doesn't explain why your eyes arn't crusted, and your hair isn't tostled to any particular side. Care to explain?" Huxford sat at the opposite end of the table, his fingers where knotted below his chin.
Double shoot "I was sleeping head down on my desk, and only about 20 minutes when I last looked at the clock."
"Oh? Your desk? Isn't that uncomfortable? What where you doing at your desk?"
Oh no, she brought up her desk, stupid Hayzel, he has you cornered. "I was reading the newspaper." Stupid Hayzel, now he's got you.
"What were you reading?" Huxford was smiling, he knew.
Hayzel was trapped, cornered, finished! She had one thing left to play, her trump card.
"Seriously dad?! Why do you do this? Why can't you take my word instead of questioning everything I do? You do this all the time, its as if i'm under constant house arrest! I'd be better off with mom!"
She did it, she went all in. Now the ball lay in his court.
Huxford's expression dropped, the color in his face went red and his brow furrowed. Now it was only a matter of time for his response, she knew that she had dropped a huge bomb. But this wasn't like last time, this was different. Hayzel's dad just sat there, fuming, almost as if he was trying to think of what to say. This has never happened before, her dad always had something to say. They just ate in silence. It wasn't until they were both done did Huxford speak again.
"Hayzel? I have to tell you something."
Wait, this wasn't about her anymore. "Ummm, yeah?"
"I was offered a promotion at work today. And I wasn't sure how to tell you untill now."
"A promotion? But isn't that a good thing?" This was confusing.
"It would be a good thing, but it would required us to move," Huxford sat forward with his weight on his hands.
"But dad! This is our house! How far away are we moving? Why do we even need to move? Why can't you just drive to work like you always do?" Hayzel was now in charge of this interrogation, and she wasn't leaving until she had all the answers.
Her father sighed, "Hayzel, it's not that easy anymore. The position they offered me, it's not in Vale."
Hayzel studdered, "Wha-what do you mean its not in Vale? Where is it?"
"Well its best if i start at the beginning, hun." Huxford leaned back in the chair, he tried to look at his daughter's terrorifed eyes but he couldn't. He knew this was her home, the last place she saw her mother.
No this can't be happening, they promised as a family to honor her wishes. Both of them decided this was best.
"No, no beginnings, no middles, nothing. Because this is our end, where we make it right."
"Hayzel! Not everything can stay the same forever. Sometimes things have to change so they can start becoming better."
"That excuse is bullshit!" Hayzel leapt from her seat and headed towards the door.
"Young lady?! You get back here and sit down!" Huxford's face was already on his way towards a purple hue.
"No, I'm done talking. I'm leaving." Hayzel grabbed her coat and the flashlight hanging by the door as she walked out.
"Where are you going at this time of night?"
"To the same place I always do." And with that said, Hayzel slammed the door.
Hayzel stomped her way down the street until she hit the corner to turn. She knew her dad wouldn't follow yet, this was their process for this kind of thing. Hayzel began to mindlessly follow the landmarks her mother left her when she was still there to comfort her. Even after all this time, the marks were still etched in the walls and street. Hayzel began across the street again as she came to the lit sign of the bar. Almost nothing had changed from the dreary exterior, the inside was another story.
Hayzel pushed open both doors dramatically as she strode pass both bouncers.
The bouncer on the left about grabbed Hayzel
"Hey kid! You can't come in here! This is an adult venue!"
The bouncer on the right smacked the bouncer on the left.
"She gets in."
"Wha-"
Lefty got smacked again. "She goes in"
Lefty begrungling let go of Hayzel, her response was less then friendly as she continued inside. The double doors slide open dramatically like always. Hayzel started down the unnneccasarilly long stairway, making her way across the dance floor. It was a week night so only a few partrons were actually dancing, a couple others were hiding in the back booths. The bar was manned by a much taller and muscular man, easily twice the size as Lefty at the front door. Sporting a buzzed cut and gotee, Juinor groaned as Hayzel approached.
"Rough night kid?"
"Yup, but I think I over did it this time."
Juinor scoffed, "Thats what you said last time. You know you're still too young to be in here, let along at the bar."
Hayzel took a seat at the bar and slumped down on the bar, "And you remember what my mother said if I was ever in trouble. Strawberry shake please."
Junior rolled his eyes, "Tall glass?"
"With real strawberries please?"
"Sure kid." Junior started mixing her drink in the blender.
This was the second phase of her process, drink enough sugary beverage until Hayzel was full or when Junior ran out of milk. This time, Hayzel was too full to finish the fourth one.
"So what happened? Details this time, looks pretty bad seeing how fast you drank all those." Junior was cleaning all the glasswear.
Hayzel stirred from her milkshake empathy, "Dad wants us to move to Atlas for some new job. I disagreed."
Junior scoffed, "Obviously, but what did you do?"
Hayzel sighed, "I said, 'I would be better off with mom,' and then I left before he could say anymore. He was so angry."
Junior had almost dropped the glass in his hand before regaining his focus and responding finally, "You know that she left for a good reason. She told me she'd be back to collect from me finally."
"Yeah? Maybe in 20 years, after the police put it away in the cold case files."
Juinor sat the glass down and leaned forward a little, "Cold cases? Isn't that why you decided to help the VPD? To find your mother?"
"Yeah I- wait, why are you asking me?" Juinor was acting out of character. Hayzel tested her theory and played dumb.
Jumior shifted uncomfortably, "It's just, your mother made it very clear never to track her down."
Hayzel kept playing her dad's game, "Well even if i don't find leads to my Mother," she paused for Junior's reaction. He was looking unreasonable shifty for a crime boss bartender.
"I can at least take my dad's place once he retires from the Cold Case Investigation Unit. They'll need another Winterthorne to keep order in that place. I mean have you seen how messy it is in there? I bet the guy who organized it couldn't find water in you fell out of a canoe." Hayzel smirked.
Junior was about to respond when he suddenly clasped his hand around his ear. The ear piece had fallen out and started spiting out an angry retort,
"YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO THAT I HAVE TAKEN THAT RUNDOWN, SORRY EXCUSE OF AND OFFICE AND TURNED INTO A WELL OILED MACHINE! I'VE SEEN YOUR ROOM YOUNG LADY, YOU'VE BARELY MANAGED TO KEEP THE FLOOR VISABLE WITH ALL YOUR NEWPAPERS AND 'INVESTAGTNG'! IF YOU KNEW HALF THE STUFF I HAD TO GO THROUGH, YOU'D HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR MY WORK!"
The ear piece continued to yell as Junior fumbled with it while dangling from his collar.
"Sorry you had to be a snitch tonight but I gotta go Junior," Hayzel said in a whisper. She threw 60 Lien on the counter and snuck out the back before Junior could stop her. And out the back door to her second hiding place.