Code of Silence

The sergeant returns to the station to find that, aside from her and Joe, the place is empty—a perfect opportunity to test her hunch.

Rachel doesn't want to ruin the careers of either rookie with false accusations, but their behavior gnaws at her. Their reactions remind her of her son when he was lying—the nervous shifts, the overly cautious words, the body language that betrayed them. She knows that speaking to a superior can make anyone uneasy, but their responses were excessive.

Not believing the two rookies, the sergeant carefully questions them, scrutinizing everything they say. I'll give them enough rope to hang themselves, she thinks as she continues to monitor their behavior.

Why would Rivers and Murphy be so worried about an incident that happened more than a year ago? Their behavior doesn't add up.

She types the first name into the database and hits enter. The report appears:

Angela Murphy has been with the department for a little over a year. She graduated at the top of her class. She has a stellar record, not a single derogatory mark.

She moves to the second name.

Nadia Rivers has been on the force for about the same time. She doesn't have any reprimands, but she does have an alarming number of sick days.

Joe would never let a rookie transport a prisoner across state lines, would he? The captain might if a seasoned officer were with them.

Joe believes in training the new officers properly from the start, emphasizing that knowing the right procedure early on prepares them to handle whatever comes their way—crucial now, with a target on their backs.

She types transports into the database and sees there's just one entry for Angela and Nadia from a few months ago. Leaning back in her chair, she reviews the facts. It fits, she thinks, reaching for her ringing phone. She glances down to find it's a text from Jerry.

This is what the sketch artist came up with. It says. 

She opens it, eyes scanning the pencil drawing. Then, she looks back at the officer's record on her screen.

I need to let Joe know what I've found.

Pushing away from her desk, she heads to his office. The captain is on his phone when she arrives.

Joe glances up at the sound of footsteps. Seeing his wife in the doorway, perplexity etched into her expression, he waves her in and holds up a finger.

"The neighbor doesn't know where he might've gone?" He listens, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Stay a couple more hours. If he doesn't show, call it a day."

Hanging up, he looks at Rachel. "Neighbor says they saw Tony leaving late last night, but he hasn't come back. No clue where he'd go."

"I'll have someone check the hospital for accidents."

Joe sighs, scanning the scattered papers on his desk. "We need more than circumstantial evidence to tie him to this."

"I'll have Jerry look into it when he gets back."

Rachel hesitates. She knows Joe despises crooked cops. She also knows he's known Nadia for most of her life—common in a town this small.

Joe catches her hesitation. "Something wrong, Sergeant?"

"Remember when I asked about Nadia?"

"Yes."

"Turns out Angela Murphy did the transport that day—Nadia called in sick."

Joe leans back. "So what are you getting at?"

"I think Nadia Rivers is the killer. Here's why."

She explains her findings and hands Joe her phone.

"A witness places her at the Wilson Law shooting. Didn't see her pull the trigger, but saw her flee."

Joe recalls his sister babysitting Nadia as a child—a sweet girl, always nursing sick animals, begging to take in strays. He shakes his head. "No. That witness has to be wrong."

"So you remember the child who thought I killed his dad?"

"What about him?"

Rachel holds her phone beside her face. "Nadia and I look alike, don't you think?"

Joe studies her and the image. "There's some resemblance, but not much."

"To a child, maybe."

She hands him a paper, pointing to the dates. "Every victim died either on her days off or when she called in sick." Then she moves to the bottom of the page. "She called in sick today, yet I saw her in uniform at the fire, talking to her old partner."

Joe exhales. "Okay, okay. She looks good for this."

"So you'll take it to the DA?"

"Find me something beyond circumstantial evidence—and I will."

*** 

Rachel sits at her desk, sifting through possibilities, trying to decide the next step, when Jeff steps through the door.

"What did you find out?" she asks.

"The cameras are back online, but there was a glitch right before the fire started."

Rachel stiffens. That's the third time this has happened—the courthouse, the garage, and now here.

"I suppose no one knows why?" She presses.

Jeff shakes his head. "The guards said it worked fine all day. Then, out of nowhere, the screen went fuzzy and then dark. One of them went to check it out—and that's when the fire broke out."

"So just minutes before the fire?"

Jeff nods. "I'm checking traffic cams in the area, seeing if they caught anything."

His eyes drift to the stacks of papers cluttering her desk. Curiosity flickers across his face. "What are you working on, Sergeant?"

Rachel hesitates. Then, leaning in, she lowers her voice. "This stays between us, alright?"

Jeff nods and leans closer.

"I'm trying to prove one of our own is dirty," she whispers.

His expression stiffens with shock. Straightening, he asks, "Who?"

Rachel glances toward the door, then back at him.

"Nadia Rivers. A witness saw her fleeing Wilson Law right after the shooting."

Jeff exhales sharply.

Rachel taps a photo of the fire. "I need to move fast. She's escalating."

***

Nadia steps into the hospital room, her heart sinking at the sight of her father. He lies motionless, his skin sallow, face hollowed—like he's aged twenty years in mere days.

Her eyes trail to the web of tubes attached to him. A strange, clear mask covers his nose and mouth, a long white tube connecting it to the ventilator machine beside the bed. The nurse explained to Nadia over the phone that it's the only thing keeping him alive.

Rushing to his side, she scoops up his frail hand and squeezes it gently.

"I'm here, Dad. Your baby girl is here. And I'm going to make sure they do everything they can to help you get better."