It's All In the Family
By Ceramac24
CHAPTER SIX
"It's like I told your mom, Bosco," Sarah, Julie's roommate, told Bosco and Faith the next day. "She left the store around 7:15 after helping Ray out for about an hour. That was the last I saw or heard from her."
"Well, thanks anyways," Bosco said. He and Faith got up from their spots on the couch and walked outside.
The night before Bosco and Faith had been out past one o'clock searching all the places they could think of. Parks, subway stops, public bathrooms; anywhere Julie could have been attacked and left. They had found nothing. They were now asking the material witnesses again what they saw last night, just in case Bosco and Faith had missed something. In this case, it was pretty hard to mistake what "nothing" stood for.
"You wanna talk to Ray next?" Faith asked once they were outside.
"Why bother, he's only going to give us the same answers that he did last night."
"You never know, Bos."
"Fine. Let's go." he said. He knocked, politely this time, on Ray's door. A woman, his wife, they assumed, answered the door. "Can I help you?" she asked. Both officers were in plain clothes, their shift not starting until later that day, so they showed her their badges.
"I'm Officer Boscorelli and this is Officer Yokas. Is Ray around?"
"He's downstairs in the store. You're welcome to go down if you want," she said.
"Thank you, ma'am." Bosco said. He and Faith turned to walk down the stairs. "He's not in any trouble is he?" she called.
Bosco turned around. "Don't worry. We're not after him."
They entered the store through the front door. Ray spotted them immediately and gestured them to follow him into the back room. "Did you find her?" he asked.
"No," Bosco said. "But we came back to ask you if there was anything that you forgot to tell us."
"Or that we missed." Faith said.
Ray looked around, apparently thinking. "No. Just what I told you last night."
Bosco's face fell. He knew they weren't going to get any new information out of Ray, but deep down, he had hoped that they might. He shook hands with Ray. "Thanks for everything, Ray."
"Sure." Ray said. He watched the two officers leave the back room and move towards the front door. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "Hey!" he yelled.
Bosco and Faith turned around.
"You should ask that boyfriend of hers." Ray said. "He was in here when she left."
"What boyfriend?" Bosco asked.
"You know, her boyfriend," he said. "I never did catch his name, but I'm sure Sarah would know."
"Julie doesn't have a boyfriend." Bosco said.
"You sure?" Faith asked.
"Positive. My mother would have said something." Bosco said. "She adores Julie and no way would this topic been avoided last night at dinner!"
"All I know is that, once she left, he came up to the counter with his purchases." Ray said, getting Bosco's full attention. "He laid the stuff down and pointed at the door. He said to me, 'That's my girlfriend.'
I was a little apprehensive at first, mostly because in all the time he was in the store, she hadn't talked to him. Hadn't even looked at him either! I was going to call him on it when he went on. He told me that they were fighting, and that's why she didn't talk to him. I shrugged my shoulders and accepted it. I know how stubborn Julie can get. You should have seen her when we were making up the lease agreement. Man, that girl can put up a fight!"
"Wonder where she gets that from?" Faith asked.
"Anyways, I figured he was telling the truth. He paid for his stuff and left."
"Which way did he turn?" Bosco asked.
"The same way Julie turned."
"I'll be damned." Bosco whispered. "What did he look like?"
"Um, well, he was kinda tall." Ray said, pausing long enough to make Faith think that was it.
"Kinda tall?" Faith asked. "That's it?"
"You didn't let me finish." Ray said. "He was kind of a heavy-set, older man. Not someone I would pick as Julie's type."
Bosco was searching his brain for someone to match that profile. He came up with no one. He would have to ask Sarah, and his mother if he had to, if it sounded familiar.
He was still thinking when Ray dropped the bomb that they had been searching for.
"Oh, yeah." Ray said. "He stuttered, too."
By Ceramac24
CHAPTER SIX
"It's like I told your mom, Bosco," Sarah, Julie's roommate, told Bosco and Faith the next day. "She left the store around 7:15 after helping Ray out for about an hour. That was the last I saw or heard from her."
"Well, thanks anyways," Bosco said. He and Faith got up from their spots on the couch and walked outside.
The night before Bosco and Faith had been out past one o'clock searching all the places they could think of. Parks, subway stops, public bathrooms; anywhere Julie could have been attacked and left. They had found nothing. They were now asking the material witnesses again what they saw last night, just in case Bosco and Faith had missed something. In this case, it was pretty hard to mistake what "nothing" stood for.
"You wanna talk to Ray next?" Faith asked once they were outside.
"Why bother, he's only going to give us the same answers that he did last night."
"You never know, Bos."
"Fine. Let's go." he said. He knocked, politely this time, on Ray's door. A woman, his wife, they assumed, answered the door. "Can I help you?" she asked. Both officers were in plain clothes, their shift not starting until later that day, so they showed her their badges.
"I'm Officer Boscorelli and this is Officer Yokas. Is Ray around?"
"He's downstairs in the store. You're welcome to go down if you want," she said.
"Thank you, ma'am." Bosco said. He and Faith turned to walk down the stairs. "He's not in any trouble is he?" she called.
Bosco turned around. "Don't worry. We're not after him."
They entered the store through the front door. Ray spotted them immediately and gestured them to follow him into the back room. "Did you find her?" he asked.
"No," Bosco said. "But we came back to ask you if there was anything that you forgot to tell us."
"Or that we missed." Faith said.
Ray looked around, apparently thinking. "No. Just what I told you last night."
Bosco's face fell. He knew they weren't going to get any new information out of Ray, but deep down, he had hoped that they might. He shook hands with Ray. "Thanks for everything, Ray."
"Sure." Ray said. He watched the two officers leave the back room and move towards the front door. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "Hey!" he yelled.
Bosco and Faith turned around.
"You should ask that boyfriend of hers." Ray said. "He was in here when she left."
"What boyfriend?" Bosco asked.
"You know, her boyfriend," he said. "I never did catch his name, but I'm sure Sarah would know."
"Julie doesn't have a boyfriend." Bosco said.
"You sure?" Faith asked.
"Positive. My mother would have said something." Bosco said. "She adores Julie and no way would this topic been avoided last night at dinner!"
"All I know is that, once she left, he came up to the counter with his purchases." Ray said, getting Bosco's full attention. "He laid the stuff down and pointed at the door. He said to me, 'That's my girlfriend.'
I was a little apprehensive at first, mostly because in all the time he was in the store, she hadn't talked to him. Hadn't even looked at him either! I was going to call him on it when he went on. He told me that they were fighting, and that's why she didn't talk to him. I shrugged my shoulders and accepted it. I know how stubborn Julie can get. You should have seen her when we were making up the lease agreement. Man, that girl can put up a fight!"
"Wonder where she gets that from?" Faith asked.
"Anyways, I figured he was telling the truth. He paid for his stuff and left."
"Which way did he turn?" Bosco asked.
"The same way Julie turned."
"I'll be damned." Bosco whispered. "What did he look like?"
"Um, well, he was kinda tall." Ray said, pausing long enough to make Faith think that was it.
"Kinda tall?" Faith asked. "That's it?"
"You didn't let me finish." Ray said. "He was kind of a heavy-set, older man. Not someone I would pick as Julie's type."
Bosco was searching his brain for someone to match that profile. He came up with no one. He would have to ask Sarah, and his mother if he had to, if it sounded familiar.
He was still thinking when Ray dropped the bomb that they had been searching for.
"Oh, yeah." Ray said. "He stuttered, too."