Chapter 2- The Judge
I wait in the interrogation room for multiple minutes as I wait for Jake to enter. I keep a dead look in my eyes.
"Why is she here Rosa?" I ask.
"She turned herself in. She is pleading innocent in court and her trial is in two days. 'Till then we gotta find damning evidence against her 'cause I have a feeling she has a trick up her sleeve, she is cunning. She wanted to see you Jake."
"Rosa, you are gonna have to do this. She's my best friend. I can't do this to her."
"We'll you're gonna have to. I am only willing to work on this case with you."
Jake heads into the interrogation room. I know this is going to be hard.
"Why didn't you tell me you were undercover?" I ask him
"Cause you're a criminal."
"The only reason I didn't turn myself in sooner, or back out before I got in too deep was because they threatened to kill my family. I have a brother and parents that I didn't want to get hurt."
Jake nods subtly.
"Your lawyer will come in in half an hour. And Charli, you may be my best friend but I'm a cop, and you are my favourite person. I just wanted you to know that."
"Toit." I reply
"Noice." Then Jake leaves the room. If I don't win this then it's all over for me. No family that currently knows I'm still alive. No friends. Not even the mob. I was completely alone.
"Hi, I'm Alex, I'll be your lawyer. Now, if you want to stay out of jail and win this, you will need to tell me everything. Spare no details."
"It all started when I was nine. I was kidnapped by a man who was part of the mob or mafia or something. He made me work for him. The only reason he kidnapped me and forced me into doing criminal activity was because I was, and am still, small. I can fight into small tight places. I have the reflexes of a cat. The only reason I didn't bow out was because the man said that if I killed myself or bowed out, then he would hurt my family. I didn't take any drugs because I was allowed some ground rules and even they have some rules. I was forced to do criminal activity for eight years. I grew to care about the better ones, but I never cared about any of the others as much as I care about my best bud, Jake Peralta."
"Thank you. That is great information, I'll just do a few routine questions before I need you to elaborate. First question, do you have any family alive that you know of?"
"Yes. I have an older brother, an ass of a dad, and a mum."
"Can you state the worst thing they forced you to do."
"The worst thing they forced me to do was pick locks and occasionally rob someone, but they mainly used me as a spy. So no murders, or B and E's, or Arsin."
"My last question is, do you have any useful information for me that you are quite certain that the police don't know about?"
"I have quite a lot actually."
"Please tell me."
"When I was kidnapped, the man who kidnapped me was the one that the cops didn't catch. He made me change my name and identity to Charlotte Hanson, but everyone would call me Charli. I know all the places he, or the whole team might go, and I can also tell you my real identity, which I guarantee you the cops do not know."
"Then please, go ahead."
"I am an eight year old case. The kidnapping of Hannah Casey Peralta, Detective Jake Peralta's little sister. I have more info if you need it, like my apartment, Frank's apartment, and all of his girlfriends apartments."
"No no, that will be quite alright for now."
"Charlotte," I cringe at the fake name.
"Do you have any more evidence, witness, or supporting arguments to your case?"
"We do have a bit more."
"Please go on then."
"Charlotte did not cause any serious crimes, at worst she pocketed a stranger. But she did none of this willingly. We have a video recording of Frank, the criminal you did not manage to find, telling her, no, forcing her to help him. He threatened that if she committed Suicide or backed out, he would her family, and her if she wasn't already dead."
"Is that it?"
"We have one more thing. Charlotte isn't actually her real name. She is actually a case that has been unsolved for eight years. Her name isn't Charlotte Hanson, it's Hannah Casey Peralta, Detective Jake Peralta's once missing, younger sister." Gasps and murmurs shoot out across the audience. But the worst of it is the shocked, burning stares of the Brooklyn 99 Detectives, including my brother.