Deputy Leo D'amato just finished off his coffee and flicked over the latest issue of the Neptune Navigator, you would think he would have moved on from reading the local high school paper but the articles were often funny, sarcastic and it kept him up to date with scores on the local football games. He supported the local team, the Pirates were a great bunch of kids, he ended up at parties with them sometimes. Tuesday nights were usually slow in the Sheriffs department and he was stuck on the phones, the zombie shift as he liked to call it. He contemplated taking up doing the crosswords just to make the nights go in that much faster, but he had seen the addiction that had become for Inga and Sacks, so he decided to skip that part just yet, he needed to leave something to aspire to when he made detective he mused.
Ring Ring
The phone had not rang much tonight, so it took him a moment to realise it needed answered.
"Hello, Sheriffs Department" Leo asked.
"Hi, this is Keith Mars, I need someone available to pick up a key witness in the Lilly Kane murder case, it's a closed file but new evidence has come up. I need someone to take a witness statement as soon as possible, and a black and white to get to track down a car, I have the license plate here" the voice answered in a hurry.
"Mars, as in Former Sheriff Mars?" Leo asked.
"Yes, now do you have a pen?" Keith demanded.
"I do, Mr Mars unfortunately most of the department is out breaking up a party on Nereids Point, down on the beach near the pier" he apologised, he hated how understaffed and inefficient the department he worked for was.
"I understand that, I know you are thin on the ground, but this is an emergency, I have boots on the ground but they need to locate this car, there's a life at stake" Keith told him urgently.
"A life at stake?" Leo repeated, the voice on the other side of the phone sounded deeply stressed.
"Yes, my daughters, you know my daughter, Veronica?" Keith explained, he knew Veronica had sweet talked this deputy at some point when she had needed to make a video tape disappear for that kid Wallace.
"Ah, yes, I think I do remember her" Leo said, visions of a petite blond pizza offering goddess fluttered into his mind. "How can I help Sheriff?" he asked, clicking his pen ready for the license plate.
"Logan Echolls, license plate EHY 9786" Keith explained. "I need the vehicle located and an alert put out to take him into custody as soon as possible, and I need that information to be shared with Vinnie Van Lowe. I should be back in Neptune in about 2 hours" Keith continued.
"Back in Neptune?" Leo questioned.
"Yes, I am bringing in a witness, who will need to be put someplace safe, I don't care if you have to call the Chief County Office for this, you get the men that you need" Keith declared.
"I'll do what I can Keith" Leo promised.
"I know you will" Mr Mars replied before hanging up.
Leo ran the license plate into the cctv system and ran a search, flicking through his desk for those Vinnie Van Lowe cheesy pens he always left in the office when he brought in a bail jumper. It took several minutes but it finally flagged up, Neptune Plaza Pier Car Park, not too far away from Nereids point. He texted the update to Vinnie Van Lowe and called Sheriff Lamb.
"Why you calling me Numb nuts? Don't I give you enough Desk Duty, you have disturb my nights off?" Lamb complained as he answered, he was currently enjoying the delightful company of a young lady from the Neptune Grand Bar in her hotel suite. Didn't he employ these people so he didn't have to work after 5pm?
"There was just a call in from Keith Mars?" Leo explained.
"And?" Lamb snapped.
"He said he needs someone to take a witness statement about the Lilly Kane murder?" Leo told him.
"The Lilly Kane murder? That's a closed case… what the hell kind of witness could he have about this?" Lamb demanded, his mood was now ruined. The Lilly Kane case, the case that had made him Sheriff and ousted that idiot Mars from office last year, and he was still digging into it? He had to hand it to the guy, he was obsessed. Commited, he should BE commited. Lamb thought.
"He didn't say" Leo told him, regretting even mentioning it now.
"Alright, I'm coming in, anything else?" Lamb demanded.
"Just a location a car" he replied.
"A location on a car? Whose Car?" Lamb snapped.
"Logan Echolls" Leo told him.
"Echolls, as in Aaron Echolls son? As in Movie Star, Neptune Elite, Mayor Campaign Financing Contributing Echolls?" Lamb shouted. This night was getting worse, last thing he wanted was the Mayor on his back and the Kanes. Why couldn't Keith Mars just move out of town?
"Yes Sheriff" Leo replied.
"Ok, track the car, and then send a car, last thing we want is Keith Mars harassing the fine people of Neptune's 0909" Lamb snorted before hanging up.
"What a prick" Leo muttered, putting the phone back down on the stand.
Vinnie Van Lowe looked at the text from Leo, he owed that guy a box of donuts, he smiled. Ok, Teenage Kids and Beach. No Brainer really, although, if he hadn't seen the state of the Camelott Motel, he would have thought that strict ethical do gooder Keith Mars was be overreacting for nothing.
He finished the hot dog he was holding and headed towards the bonfires lit on the beach, there were lots of teenagers here but he had a good idea of what he was looking for. Veronica was smart, she would hide where there were plenty of people. If this Echolls kid was looking for her, he wouldn't risk hurting her here, he brought his side arm along just encase, you never knew the kinds of ways situations like these could evolve.