Deadly News: A Thriller by Zooey Smith Page A

Something she had left out before, and which she had only now revealed because she had been distracted worrying about Ecks, was that the only thing stolen was a folder, with some odd contents.
    “Odd?”
    “Dossiers. I don’t know who they were on, I didn’t have time to investigate before it got taken.”
    “Interesting,” the detective interviewing her said. He looked around the station, waved his hand in the air for several seconds.
    Abby looked where he was; an office, blinds up, a woman sitting at a desk.
    She finally looked up, looked displeased, then stood.
    The women that exited the office near the center of the station looked to be forty-ish, thin and tall. Her hair was short and her demeanor, Abby could tell even without hearing her speak, would be unpleasant, at best.
    “Lieutenant, Abby here was just telling me about a folder that was taken.”
    The lieutenant looked at Abby, eyebrow raised. “I’m guessing that’s not the end of your story?”
    “The break-in the other night, near Stevie’s Bar,” the detective clarified.
    “The Melcer case?”
    “That’s the one.” He held a hand out toward Abby. “Meet Abby Melcer.”
    “And this folder, it had something important, I gather?”
    “I don’t—” Abby began.
    “That’s the thing,” the detective interrupted. “It was taken before she could get a good look at what was inside it. But Abby here is a reporter.”
    The lieutenant slowly turned to look at the detective. “Thanks for the warning, Masterson.”
    “No problem.” He smiled. “In any case, there might be more to this than there seems. Her source—”
    “Friend,” Abby interjected.
    “Right, her friend, the one who got that folder to her”—he twisted around on his desk, searching—“uh…”
    “Soren,” Abby said. “His name is Soren Hagelin.”
    “Right, Hagelin. Anyway, he’s gone missing—”
    “What!” Abby stood. “Why didn’t you tell me!”
    The lieutenant put a hand on Abby’s shoulder and gently, firmly, pressed down. “Ms Melcer, please.”
    “What happened? Hell, you probably know more than I do about what’s going on.” She allowed herself to be pushed back down into her seat.
    “Now Abby, I only just found out, just a few minutes ago it was, right before I started taking your statement. It’s why I wanted to go over things again with you. Because you mentioned Hagelin in your statement, but didn’t say why. But then you mentioned the folder, and I got sidetracked. You hadn’t mentioned that in your original statement.” He smiled again, that same satisfied smile. “Now who’s keeping things from whom?”
    “I forgot. I was under stress. Have you ever been robbed?”
    He sighed, a long sigh. “Matter of fact, I have.” He shook his head. “Five times now? I just have bad luck.”
    Abby didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything.
    “Okay,” the lieutenant said. “Ms Melcer, Abby. Try to remember everything you can about that folder, Masterson here will take your statement again, and then we’ll see if we can figure this out.”
    “But Soren…”
    “Masterson, this Hagelin is the abandoned vehicle from third shift?”
    “Yep.”
    She stuck her tongue in her upper lip. “Hmm. Hell of a lot of coincidence.”
    “Exactly what I thought. Why I decided, when Delano brought Ms Abby here in, to see if I couldn’t get a bit more.”
    The lieutenant rolled her eyes. “You walked the beat once too.”
    “And good riddance.”
    She dismissed this with her expression, then looked back at Abby. “Abby, have you made any enemies? People who might not have liked what you wrote about them?”
    Abby shook her head. “I write about tech stuff. Geeky college kids. If anything, they’re happy with the coverage.”
    “No one you might have pissed off?” the detective prodded.
    Abby shrugged. “No. I don’t think so.”
    “Fine,” the lieutenant said. “Masterson, take her statement, and try to get everything this