Chapter 6:
Julio Anthony flipped off the evening news. He was tired to the bone and planned to sleep for the next 36 hours. Julio got up and placed his cup and plate from dinner in the sink. Before he could take a step away from the sink, there was a loud crash behind him. Without any time to even process what had happened, he found himself flat on his kitchen floor with a plain clothes detective snapping cuffs on his wrists. He felt like he was listening under water when the police detectives were shouting at him, "Where is she? Where's the girl?" There were no words making their way out of his mouth due to sheer and utter shock.
Detective Gregory dragged Anthony to his feet and pulled him toward the open door. Remnants of the shattered door frame were littered around the floor. Pushing aside a large piece of what was formerly known as Anthony's front door with his foot, he led Julio Anthony to the waiting patrol car. "Tear this place apart if that's what it takes. We need to find that girl." Gregory hoped that announcement would convince Anthony to come clean with him and Petersen.
Petersen watched his partner drag Julio Anthony outside and he was shocked. Not that he found his partner's behavior surprising, not that the police team that specializes in warrants was systematically working their way through every nook and cranny of Anthony's home, but by Anthony himself. If Jeff Petersen didn't know any better, he would swear that Julio Anthony had absolutely no idea why they were there. Bewildered at that and feeling less than optimistic that this lead had panned out the way they expected, he followed Mike Gregory outside.
Julio Anthony was living a nightmare. Forty five minutes ago he was standing in his kitchen mourning a recent breakup and trying to recover from the five shifts he had worked over the past three days. He was completely and utterly mystified how his bad week had progressed to the point where he was seated in the back of a squad car under arrest for kidnapping. He had no idea what his ex, Michelle, had gotten herself into after canceling their romantic weekend and breaking up with him, but it couldn't be good. It was the only explanation he could come up with other than mistaken identity, but since the police had called him by name that wasn't likely.
Julio wasn't the smartest guy, but he knew enough to keep his mouth shut until he had a lawyer. He was desperately trying to push through his exhaustion and the shock of the past hour to figure out who he could call for help. As the patrol car transporting him pulled up alongside the police station, the two patrol officers got out of the car and opened the car door for him. They helped him out of the black and white cruiser and led him inside. Julio was placed in an interrogation room and handcuffed to the heavy table bolted in the room. He was so overwhelmed that he hung his head and started to cry.
When Detectives Gregory and Petersen walked into the interrogation room an hour later, they found a man beside himself waiting for them. As soon as the door closed behind them, Julio began speaking.
"Look officers, I don't know what Michelle told you but I was nowhere near her after she dumped me. I gave my buddy the weekend in the Poconos that I already paid for, so he could take his girl. Then I basically worked every shift I could get my hands on for the past three days to try to keep my mind off things. I thought Michelle was the one. I mean I love that girl and I would never do anything to hurt her. We were supposed to be spending a weekend away together, but then she decided she needed to take time for herself." he used air quotes to emphasize the words Michelle Perkins had used when breaking off their relationship. "I'm sorry detectives but I'm going to have to ask for my lawyer before I answer any questions."
The detectives were dumbfounded. They stared blankly at Julio trying to figure out what to do next. While they had differences in opinion about how deeply involved Julio Anthony was in this case, neither one had any idea what the hell he was talking about. It felt like they were in the wrong interrogation room questioning someone else's suspect. Unfortunately, Julio Anthony was their suspect, time was ticking away and a little girl was still missing. The detectives excused themselves as required by his request for a lawyer and walked into the hallway. Gregory knew they had to get to the bottom of this quickly. "Petersen, you look into this "Michelle" and check with his employer about what shifts he's been on for the past few days. I'm going to type up warrants for his phone records and time sheets, but first I'm going to see if Officer Janko can head over to talk to Emelia's family. Maybe they've heard of Julio or his girlfriend and we can figure out what the hell is going on."
Eddie and Jamie were fast asleep on the couch in the living room when Eddie's phone rang. In his exhausted state, and used to being the one who got the late night work calls since being promoted, he picked it up and answered it. "Sgt. Reagan here. What can I do for you?"
Now Gregory's head was spinning when the unfamiliar voice reached his ears. "I'm sorry, is everything OK with Officer Janko? I was trying to reach her about a case she is helping with." Tonight was getting worse by the minute, he thought.
"I'm sorry detective. I picked up my wife's phone by accident. Here she is.." Jamie laughed slightly as he passed the phone to Eddie. Silently he began praying that the news his wife was getting would not be bad.
Eddie accepted the phone and did her best to hide the sleepiness in her voice when she answered. The remainder of her conversation consisted of monosyllabic responses to whatever Detective Gregory was telling her. Jamie tried reading her expression for signs of distress but none were visible. As soon as she closed off and placed her phone on the table, she turned to her husband with a pleading expression. "Jamie, I have to go out for a little while and see the family of the little girl." He nodded, albeit reluctantly and offered to make her coffee while she changed into something appropriate for work. Then he told her she should take his car because it would be less conspicuous than a vintage Porsche. Since she had no uniforms at home, she chose a pair of dark jeans and a simple grey turtleneck sweater. Grabbing the travel mug from Jamie and kissing him gratefully, she headed out to see the Perez family.
As she drove through the night, she fervently wished she was still partnered with Jamie and that he was with her to handle this. Detective Gregory had asked her to see if anyone in the family knew Julio Anthony, his girlfriend Michelle Perkins or anyone else who worked at the UPS facility with Anthony. She wasn't sure how to approach the family. If she was direct, and they had an immediate connection to offer, it could provide valuable time needed to bring Emelia home to her family. If they didn't know anything, and she used that approach, they could begin to lose hope in the investigation. That loss of confidence could prevent them from being clear headed enough to help detectives with the connections they might be able to identify. Instead, Eddie decided to float the names and locations to them without revealing their possible involvement. As she became more seasoned in her job, it was as if she could hear Jamie's counter arguments or alternative points of view in her head whenever she needed to make a decision. He was still her partner in spirit and she was able to capitalize on the well rounded approach they had always had as a unit.
