Page 7 of Miki

As he took a seat on the other side of the desk, I watched him intently.

He took a deep breath before speaking.

“I was hired by your father to look into something for him not long before he was murdered. We met in the police force when I was a uniform sergeant before I was forced to leave to look after my sick wife. She had a brain tumour. I needed to care for her and our two children. After she died, I joined a retired police officer in his private investigator’s business. I took it over myself when he passed away,” he said.

He looked like he was waiting for me to ask something, but I still wasn’t ready yet. I just continued to sit there quietly, observing him, and waited.

Once he realised I had no intention of speaking, he cleared his throat and continued.

“Anyway, your dad knew me and trusted me to look into things for him. He believed that some members of his department were taking bribes from criminals to ignore or lose evidence and even, sometimes, to plant evidence. He gave me a list of four names and told me his suspicions, but he didn’t have any actual evidence and felt unable to make an internal complaint about his colleagues without it. So, he asked me to investigate on the quiet.”

Nodding, I finally spoke.

“Go on.”

“I spent a couple of days tailing the names on his list, two of whom I knew from my time in the force. The photographs I sent you, except for a few of them, were copies of the ones I took where anything suspicious occurred. I had already passed the originals, along with my report, to your father less than an hour before his murder. I met him where he was killed, and he had been reading it when I left him.”

He looked away from me then and appeared lost in thought. I desperately wanted to ask my questions, but I bit my tongue to stop them from pouring from my mouth while I waited to hear the rest of what he had to say.

“The photographs showing his murder and the exchange with the man who was his killer were pushed under my door several days ago with a note advising me to ensure you received them and to tell you everything I knew.”

That did it. I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Why didn’t you before now? And why didn’t you tell the detectives working on my dad’s murder what you knew?” I asked, annoyance lacing my voice

Why had this man been sitting on evidence?

“I am truly sorry for what happened to your dad. He was a good man. However, after the evidence had gone missing from your dad’s car when he was found dead, it didn’t seem like a coincidence and I got scared.”

He sniffed nervously.

“Thankfully, I didn’t give him anything in the report or photographs that would have alerted anyone to my identity; otherwise, I may have been next. I didn’t go to the police because I was unsure whom I could trust.”

“You have to go to the police. We can go together. With these photographs and your testimony, they would need to reopen my dad’s case and…”

“No,” he shouted, cutting me off mid-sentence.

“I won’t go to the police. That may seem cowardly to you, Miss Campbell, but I have two children who need me. They have already lost one parent, and I couldn’t risk them losing another.”

He paused, gulping, as I stared at him in anger.

“I had only been on the case for a couple of days, and the photographs were my initial findings along with this report,” he said, handing me a thin file.

“It just states times, locations, and persons involved in the meetings shown on the photographs,” he continued.

“As for the additional photographs, I do not know where they came from, who took them, or how they knew I had any involvement with your dad’s investigation. That is all I know, and I have now passed it to you. You can do with it whatever you wish, but please leave me out of it. I have destroyed all other evidence of my involvement, and I will deny having anything to do with it if you try to involve me,” he said, rising and coming around the desk.

“You need to testify, Mr Aldridge; I will get you protection!” I insisted, rising to face him.

“Your department is corrupt, Detective, and I don’t know whom you can trust. Who knows how far up the corruption goes? I gave you the information I have to clear my conscience because whoever pushed those photos under my door obviously wanted me to. However, I have no intention of ever testifying,” he said, opening the door.

“I was unaware that anyone knew I’d been helping your dad, but obviously, somebody did, and that concerns me. However, I am leaving town permanently. I wish you well, Miss Campbell, and advise you to be very careful. I would hate for anything to happen to you, but I have given you all the help I can,” he said, ushering me out and closing the door firmly in my face.

Shocked, I stared at it.

Did the guy seriously think I was going to let this go?

Furious, I tried to open it, but it was locked. I rattled the handle and pushed at it with my shoulder.

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