**Chapter Nineteen**
"That can't be right? Whaddya mean the vehicle was empty? How could it have hit them going so fast?" Letty's mind was in overhaul. What was he trying to say?
"The report says that both vehicles are impounded and the second one is being investigated. If you like you could come down and check it out, you might a bit more about these cars then some of the people there." Tanner said standing from his chair.
This was great. Letty was the centre of attention here trying to find the answers to the accident. "I'd appreciate that."
The impound lot was full of cars that had been towed from parking spaces, stolen vehicles and vehicles that had been in accidents. Immediately from walking in there Letty spotted Mia's beat up Integra. Her head fell to one side as she approached the bundle of twisted metal and paint. A tear escaped her eye as she examined the damage, thoughts of Mia and Brian being stuck in the middle of this mess.
Tanner could hardly believe his eyes as well. But he remained strong, trying not to let his personal feelings get the better of him. He cleared his throat and when Letty turned to him he said, "The second vehicle is this one right here."
She walked around the front of him slowly. The car wasn't anything special. Just a Ford Explorer, bull bars on the front, big and stocky. The hood was quite twisted but other than that it was fine. She walked over and as she was about to look in the driver's side she turned and asked, "Is it alright for me to touch?" Tanner nodded so she proceeded.
Yanking the door open she climbed inside and sat where the driver would have been. Lightly she tapped her hands on the steering wheel as she looked around for any sort of clue as to who might have been driving. She opened the glove box, which flew open with a loud thud. Empty. She checked the little compartments behind the steering wheel. Empty as well. "Has this car been emptied of its contents?" She yelled out as she asked Tanner.
He flicked through the report and shook his head. "It was empty when they found it. Nothing in it anywhere."
She nodded her head slowly, biting her lower lip as she did. She looked in the back but there was nothing. No car mats even. This car looked brand new, just out of the factory. So why didn't this all feel right. She flicked open the shade above her and out fell a silver chain with a cross on it. She picked it up and examined it closer. Looked like something that would belong to a girl.
She quickly shoved the necklace into her pocket and got out of the car before Tanner could see what she was looking at. "What were the plates on the car?" she asked moving to the front to get a better look.
"There were none. It's like this car never existed."
Tanner walked Letty to her car, neither saying a word. "Look, let Brian know we're on this case and we'll find the person responsible." He turned away and began to walk across the street.
"Hey Tanner." He turned. "Thanks." She said before climbing into her car. He gave her a wave and then she burned rubber and gassed it outta there. Without a second thought she pulled up at the apartment Jesse, Leon and Vince shared and ran upstairs to let them know what she had found. BANG BANG BANG! She knocked on the door as hard as she could to get them to wake up. Finally after shouting the building down Leon opened the door, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey Let! What's up?" he said as he moved out of the way for her to storm in. "Yeah, sure. Come in." he said as he shut the door.
"Something's up with that accident man. I can feel it in my bones." She said pacing back and forth.
Leon yawned, scratched his belly then walked solemnly to the fridge. "Like what?" he pulled the milk carton out and drunk straight from the bottle.
"Like the car was brand new. Didn't even have plates yet. No registration, no owner. There were no books, receipts, anything in the car, not even a car manual for god's sake. It was like someone had taken this car for a test drive and accidentally crashed it into Mia and Brian!" she held her head, still pacing as she thought of her options.
Leon sat on the couch, his bare chest exposed along with his Snoopy boxer shorts. "So you think this shit was planned?"
Letty shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what to think. But who's ever this is, they know what the fuck is going on." She reached into her pocket and through the chain at Leon.
He caught it a little off guard and examined the necklace. "Do you know how many people could have one of these in the state of California alone Letty? Probably hundreds!" he turned it over and read the initials on the back. "C M" he said out loud.
"What's that?" Letty said, walking over and leaning towards the necklace.
"Look, right here. You see that? Some kind of initials."
Letty yanked it out of Leon's hands. "Come on, we gotta go tell Dom this. I mean, maybe if we got to the hospital Mia will be allowed visitors and she may be able to tell us something. Go wake the boys up."
Leon reluctantly got off the couch and gathered the guys up. This was gonna be interesting.
"That can't be right? Whaddya mean the vehicle was empty? How could it have hit them going so fast?" Letty's mind was in overhaul. What was he trying to say?
"The report says that both vehicles are impounded and the second one is being investigated. If you like you could come down and check it out, you might a bit more about these cars then some of the people there." Tanner said standing from his chair.
This was great. Letty was the centre of attention here trying to find the answers to the accident. "I'd appreciate that."
The impound lot was full of cars that had been towed from parking spaces, stolen vehicles and vehicles that had been in accidents. Immediately from walking in there Letty spotted Mia's beat up Integra. Her head fell to one side as she approached the bundle of twisted metal and paint. A tear escaped her eye as she examined the damage, thoughts of Mia and Brian being stuck in the middle of this mess.
Tanner could hardly believe his eyes as well. But he remained strong, trying not to let his personal feelings get the better of him. He cleared his throat and when Letty turned to him he said, "The second vehicle is this one right here."
She walked around the front of him slowly. The car wasn't anything special. Just a Ford Explorer, bull bars on the front, big and stocky. The hood was quite twisted but other than that it was fine. She walked over and as she was about to look in the driver's side she turned and asked, "Is it alright for me to touch?" Tanner nodded so she proceeded.
Yanking the door open she climbed inside and sat where the driver would have been. Lightly she tapped her hands on the steering wheel as she looked around for any sort of clue as to who might have been driving. She opened the glove box, which flew open with a loud thud. Empty. She checked the little compartments behind the steering wheel. Empty as well. "Has this car been emptied of its contents?" She yelled out as she asked Tanner.
He flicked through the report and shook his head. "It was empty when they found it. Nothing in it anywhere."
She nodded her head slowly, biting her lower lip as she did. She looked in the back but there was nothing. No car mats even. This car looked brand new, just out of the factory. So why didn't this all feel right. She flicked open the shade above her and out fell a silver chain with a cross on it. She picked it up and examined it closer. Looked like something that would belong to a girl.
She quickly shoved the necklace into her pocket and got out of the car before Tanner could see what she was looking at. "What were the plates on the car?" she asked moving to the front to get a better look.
"There were none. It's like this car never existed."
Tanner walked Letty to her car, neither saying a word. "Look, let Brian know we're on this case and we'll find the person responsible." He turned away and began to walk across the street.
"Hey Tanner." He turned. "Thanks." She said before climbing into her car. He gave her a wave and then she burned rubber and gassed it outta there. Without a second thought she pulled up at the apartment Jesse, Leon and Vince shared and ran upstairs to let them know what she had found. BANG BANG BANG! She knocked on the door as hard as she could to get them to wake up. Finally after shouting the building down Leon opened the door, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey Let! What's up?" he said as he moved out of the way for her to storm in. "Yeah, sure. Come in." he said as he shut the door.
"Something's up with that accident man. I can feel it in my bones." She said pacing back and forth.
Leon yawned, scratched his belly then walked solemnly to the fridge. "Like what?" he pulled the milk carton out and drunk straight from the bottle.
"Like the car was brand new. Didn't even have plates yet. No registration, no owner. There were no books, receipts, anything in the car, not even a car manual for god's sake. It was like someone had taken this car for a test drive and accidentally crashed it into Mia and Brian!" she held her head, still pacing as she thought of her options.
Leon sat on the couch, his bare chest exposed along with his Snoopy boxer shorts. "So you think this shit was planned?"
Letty shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what to think. But who's ever this is, they know what the fuck is going on." She reached into her pocket and through the chain at Leon.
He caught it a little off guard and examined the necklace. "Do you know how many people could have one of these in the state of California alone Letty? Probably hundreds!" he turned it over and read the initials on the back. "C M" he said out loud.
"What's that?" Letty said, walking over and leaning towards the necklace.
"Look, right here. You see that? Some kind of initials."
Letty yanked it out of Leon's hands. "Come on, we gotta go tell Dom this. I mean, maybe if we got to the hospital Mia will be allowed visitors and she may be able to tell us something. Go wake the boys up."
Leon reluctantly got off the couch and gathered the guys up. This was gonna be interesting.
