The Witness
Chapter 22
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Bosco had just hung-up from talking to Alex Jenkins. He advised him of the situation with Cole and Jenkins told him that he'd be over to the jail first thing in the morning. He told Bosco how sorry he was that it didn't work out and that he'd do everything he could to help Cole. Bosco thanked him before hanging up. He looked at his watch - midnight. He put on his coat and headed out of the hospital lounge toward his car. As he walked out the door and toward his car, he got a feeling that he was being watched. He tucked his elbow in toward his belt and felt the comfort of his off-duty weapon at his side.
He reached his car and casually looked around before opening the door. As he stooped to get into the car he heard a voice behind him suddenly.
"You're that friend of Cole's, right?" came the quiet, female voice behind him. Bosco stood up slowly and turned toward the source of the voice. It seemed to be coming from near the dumpster on the side of the lot, about eight feet from Bosco's car.
"Who's there?" Bosco asked, again feeling for his weapon, but this time with his hand on the butt of the gun, prepared to remove it from it's holster.
"I can't tell you my name, but you're that friend of Cole's, right?" the girl asked again.
"Yeah," Bosco said, squinting in hopes of getting a view of who was talking without success. He took a few steps toward the voice and was stopped by an urgent warning.
"No. Don't come any closer. No one can know that I'm talking to you," she said. "He'll kill me if he finds out."
"Who? Who will kill you?" Bosco asked. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
"You won't be able to stop them," she said, her voice suddenly quieter. "I just want you to know that it isn't Cole's fault. He needs your help."
"What isn't?" he asked, looking around to make sure he wasn't being ambushed.
"That he's back on the drugs. It's not his fault. And he didn't try to sell to that girl either," the girl said to him.
"Who are you? How do you know all this?" Bosco asked, hope at what the girl was saying seeping in despite trying not to get his hopes up.
"I can't tell you that. But, Raven's the one that got Cole back on the drugs. He held Cole down and put the drugs in him. Over a few days he kept doing it. It was all over after that. Cole didn't have a chance to beat the craving again on his own," she said.
"What!?" Bosco said, not quite able to comprehend what the girl was saying.
"And he didn't try to sell to that girl either. He put those drugs in Cole's pocket and then dumped him in that alley. That girl's mother is a friend of Raven's and she's lying," the girl said. "I have to go now. I just wanted you to know that in case you still wanted to help Cole," she finished.
"Thanks. But, how do you know all this?" Bosco asked. Only silence answered him. The girl was gone.
He stepped back toward his car and reached inside to get the flashlight that was under the front seat. He turned it on and pointed the beam toward the dumpster. He walked slowly toward the area, his gun now in his hand. He looked around, but found no one there. He turned to head back toward his car when he saw something shimmer on the ground as the light from the flashlight hit it. He stopped and bent down to pick it up.
"Bos?" came another voice, making Bosco jump again. He tightened the grip on his gun before he recognized the voice was Faith's.
"That's a good way to get shot," he said, sarcasm in his voice. "What're you doing here?" he asked, noticing that she was in her street clothes.
"I thought maybe you'd want to talk so I came over after work. I figured if you weren't still here, I'd try your house, but then I saw your car still here in the lot. What're you doing back there?" she asked him, puzzled.
"Cole's being set up," Bosco stated simply.
"What are you talking about?" Faith questioned.
"Somebody was waiting for me to come out. When I got to my car, some girl was waiting behind this dumpster. She told me that Cole didn't go back on the drugs on his own. She told me that Raven forced them on him over a period of days and then dumped him in that alley with the drugs in his pocket," he said, knowing the story sounded crazy.
"What? My God, Bosco? Do you believe her?" Faith asked in astonishment.
"I think so. She was terrified to talk to me. She wouldn't give me her name and wouldn't let me see her. She said that Raven would kill her if he found out she said anything. After she left I got my light and found this on the ground behind the dumpster. It must be hers," he said, indicating the item in his hand.
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TBC...
Chapter 22
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Bosco had just hung-up from talking to Alex Jenkins. He advised him of the situation with Cole and Jenkins told him that he'd be over to the jail first thing in the morning. He told Bosco how sorry he was that it didn't work out and that he'd do everything he could to help Cole. Bosco thanked him before hanging up. He looked at his watch - midnight. He put on his coat and headed out of the hospital lounge toward his car. As he walked out the door and toward his car, he got a feeling that he was being watched. He tucked his elbow in toward his belt and felt the comfort of his off-duty weapon at his side.
He reached his car and casually looked around before opening the door. As he stooped to get into the car he heard a voice behind him suddenly.
"You're that friend of Cole's, right?" came the quiet, female voice behind him. Bosco stood up slowly and turned toward the source of the voice. It seemed to be coming from near the dumpster on the side of the lot, about eight feet from Bosco's car.
"Who's there?" Bosco asked, again feeling for his weapon, but this time with his hand on the butt of the gun, prepared to remove it from it's holster.
"I can't tell you my name, but you're that friend of Cole's, right?" the girl asked again.
"Yeah," Bosco said, squinting in hopes of getting a view of who was talking without success. He took a few steps toward the voice and was stopped by an urgent warning.
"No. Don't come any closer. No one can know that I'm talking to you," she said. "He'll kill me if he finds out."
"Who? Who will kill you?" Bosco asked. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
"You won't be able to stop them," she said, her voice suddenly quieter. "I just want you to know that it isn't Cole's fault. He needs your help."
"What isn't?" he asked, looking around to make sure he wasn't being ambushed.
"That he's back on the drugs. It's not his fault. And he didn't try to sell to that girl either," the girl said to him.
"Who are you? How do you know all this?" Bosco asked, hope at what the girl was saying seeping in despite trying not to get his hopes up.
"I can't tell you that. But, Raven's the one that got Cole back on the drugs. He held Cole down and put the drugs in him. Over a few days he kept doing it. It was all over after that. Cole didn't have a chance to beat the craving again on his own," she said.
"What!?" Bosco said, not quite able to comprehend what the girl was saying.
"And he didn't try to sell to that girl either. He put those drugs in Cole's pocket and then dumped him in that alley. That girl's mother is a friend of Raven's and she's lying," the girl said. "I have to go now. I just wanted you to know that in case you still wanted to help Cole," she finished.
"Thanks. But, how do you know all this?" Bosco asked. Only silence answered him. The girl was gone.
He stepped back toward his car and reached inside to get the flashlight that was under the front seat. He turned it on and pointed the beam toward the dumpster. He walked slowly toward the area, his gun now in his hand. He looked around, but found no one there. He turned to head back toward his car when he saw something shimmer on the ground as the light from the flashlight hit it. He stopped and bent down to pick it up.
"Bos?" came another voice, making Bosco jump again. He tightened the grip on his gun before he recognized the voice was Faith's.
"That's a good way to get shot," he said, sarcasm in his voice. "What're you doing here?" he asked, noticing that she was in her street clothes.
"I thought maybe you'd want to talk so I came over after work. I figured if you weren't still here, I'd try your house, but then I saw your car still here in the lot. What're you doing back there?" she asked him, puzzled.
"Cole's being set up," Bosco stated simply.
"What are you talking about?" Faith questioned.
"Somebody was waiting for me to come out. When I got to my car, some girl was waiting behind this dumpster. She told me that Cole didn't go back on the drugs on his own. She told me that Raven forced them on him over a period of days and then dumped him in that alley with the drugs in his pocket," he said, knowing the story sounded crazy.
"What? My God, Bosco? Do you believe her?" Faith asked in astonishment.
"I think so. She was terrified to talk to me. She wouldn't give me her name and wouldn't let me see her. She said that Raven would kill her if he found out she said anything. After she left I got my light and found this on the ground behind the dumpster. It must be hers," he said, indicating the item in his hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...