Page 14 of When You're Broken
Amelia gave a curt nod, stepping past McNeill.Finn followed her back into the interview room, chest still tight with residual anger.The manager looks up, forlorn.
“Did you hear that?”Amelia asked, voice clipped.“It might be Wendell contacting you.Unlock it.”
Peterson hesitated, tears still glistening in his eyes.
Finn picked the plastic evidence bag off the shelf, retrieving the phone from inside.He thumbed the power button.The screen lit, demanding a pass-code.He glanced at Peterson.“Go on.Type your code.”
Peterson’s cuffed hands shook as he rose slightly from his chair, shuffling close enough to peck at the screen with bound wrists.Finn had to hold the phone for him at an angle so the manager could manage it.A beep sounded, and the screen unlocked.Another beep signaled a new message or email arriving.
Amelia hovered at Finn’s shoulder, tension coiled in her stance.“Check the messages.See if Wendell’s name or an unknown number is sending anything.”
Finn tapped into the phone’s email app.A single unread message stared back at him, no subject line, from a random sequence of letters—likely a throwaway address.He opened it.A short text read:He’s of no use to me anymore.Lovely working with you!Attached is a photograph.
Amelia’s face went pale as she stared at the screen.Finn’s stomach did a sickening lurch.The photo showed a man’s body face down on a grimy floor.A bullet wound at the back of his head.Hard to see the man’s features from that angle.
“God…” Finn let out.
“Let me see!”Peterson said.
“Stanley…” Amelia began.
“Please!Is it my brother!?”
Finn handed the phone back.The manager's hoarse gasp made it obvious: Thiswashis brother, James.
Peterson made a strangled cry, staggering back to the chair, half-collapsing.“No… No, no, no,” he moaned.Tears flooded his face.“That’s… that’s James!God, Wendell said if I obeyed, he’d… he’d let him go.”His voice cracked into a sob.
Amelia’s throat bobbed, pity flashing across her features.She stepped forward, resting a tentative hand on Peterson’s shoulder.“I’m sorry,” she said gently, eyes shining with genuine sorrow.“He lied to you.He always does.”She gave a look at Finn.He recognized that look—Amelia’s frustration at how this monster exploited innocent people.
For a minute, the manager’s sobs echoed in the interview room.He seemed barely aware of his surroundings, consumed by heartbreak.Finn let him grieve.Then he cleared his throat, attempting to speak in a measured tone.“If Wendell sent this, it’s probable the time stamp or metadata might help us track his location.We’ll run a forensic analysis.We can confirm that your story was true—that you were coerced.”
The manager sniffled, voice cracking.“I… I can’t believe… He was my only family.”His eyes flicked up, red-rimmed with shock.“I did everything they asked, and it didn’t matter.James is gone.”He dropped his head into his cuffed hands, tears spattering the table.
Amelia drew a shallow breath.She glanced at Finn."If your story checks out that Wendell forced you under threat, the courts might consider it.But I can't promise more."She seemed almost apologetic, compassion warring with her role as detective."We'll have a solicitor come soon and take your statement.The least we can do is ensure your side of the story is heard."
Peterson’s nod was barely perceptible.He kept murmuring “James, oh God, James,” under his breath.Finn’s own gut churned.Wendell’s cruelty has no limit.First, forcing the manager to do his bidding, then killing the hostage anyway.All to sow fear.
Amelia gently patted Peterson’s shoulder.“I’m truly sorry.”She gestured to the uniformed officer, who stepped forward to remain on watch.Amelia gave a final nod at Finn, then moved to the door.Finn followed, phone in hand.He stepped out of the interview room, carefully sealing the manager’s phone back in its bag.The corridor’s lights felt too bright, his eyes raw from tension and anger.
To his surprise, Inspector McNeill was nowhere in sight.Finn’s jaw clenched, anticipating more yelling from that direction.But there was only the quiet hum of overhead lamps.Not entirely quiet—some voices carried from the station’s main area, but no sign of McNeill’s towering presence.
Amelia looked down the hall both ways, then her gaze snagged on a figure a few yards away, approaching.Rob stood in his Chief Constable’s uniform, arms crossed.He wore a worried expression that only deepened when he saw them emerge.
Amelia frowned, stepping over.“Chief?Where’s McNeill?”
Rob inhaled slowly.“He told me what happened, then stormed off.”A hesitant flicker passed across his face, as if uncertain how to deliver the message.“McNeill wants both of you in the briefing room for the Wendell Reed taskforce.He said you were both about to find out why you should never have crossed him.”
Finn felt a chill run up his spine.He glanced at Amelia, reading the same apprehension in her eyes.A cold hush seized the corridor.Wendell’s cruelty was bad enough—now they faced an internal war with their own lead inspector.So be it.
CHAPTER SIX
Finn felt as though he were stepping onto a stage when he and Amelia walked into the conference room for the Wendell Reed taskforce.The space was much larger than the cramped interview rooms he’d grown used to.Here, in Hertfordshire HQ’s upper level, broad windows overlooked a night sky where light pollution blurred any stars.A row of fluorescent fixtures glowed overhead, illuminating the large rectangular table at the center.Whiteboards lined two walls, one scrawled with times, dates, and a partial map of potential Wendell sightings; another pinned with mugshots, victim profiles, and a huge photo of Wendell Reed’s face.The entire setup radiated a sense of urgency, as if an elusive thread was waiting to be pulled.
Inside, Detective Robert Clint—blond hair combed tidily, a crisp, navy suit—rose from his seat.He offered a warm handshake to Amelia, then Finn.“Good to see you both,” Clint said, voice bright with an amicable tone and the strength of a man not yet out of his twenties.
Amelia returned the handshake, though her posture remained tense.“Clint, it’s good to see you.”
Finn matched that handshake.“Glad to see you, Clint.Amelia says you’ve been very supportive.”
