Deadly Assumptions by Terry Odell

Author:Terry Odell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Small town police, Colorado, Rookie Police, Mapleton Mystery series, Jewel Theives, Mystery Novellas
Publisher: Terry Odell
Published: 2018-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

WAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT happening at roll call, or did Officer Gaubatz think we were wasting our time with the whiteboard?

Best way to find out was to get to the briefing room. There, Officer Gaubatz handed out the list of all the cars reported stolen in the Denver area.

I took a sheet from the stack as it came around. Twenty-seven vehicles.

While keeping an eye out for cars reported stolen was part of our patrol duty, more often than not, it worked the other way. We stopped a car for a violation, called it in, Dispatch checked it out, and if it showed up on the hot sheet, we’d take it from there.

Hadn’t happened in the two weeks—and one day—I’d been on the force.

The preliminaries over, Officer Gaubatz brought everyone up to speed. “No new reports of trespassing, and given the propensity for people to jump at shadows, especially when we’ve called their attention to them, it’s moved down the priority list. You have the stolen vehicle hot sheets. Keep your eyes open.”

“Are we still operating under the assumption the jewelry thieves might be in Mapleton?” Black asked.

“Per the chief, we’re maintaining our due diligence, but until we have stronger reasons to assume these creeps are in town, it’s moved down our list. That’s down, not off, so again, keep your eyes open.”

“Do we have a better description of the suspects?” Officer Teagan asked.

“Nothing from the Denver Sheriff’s Department,” Officer Gaubatz said. “They have promised to keep us updated.”

A thought popped into my head, and I spoke without thinking. “There might be another way to check.”

Having followed the Rookies should be seen and not heard approach to briefings, this was the first time I’d contributed anything, and a few heads turned, as if to see who the new voice belonged to. I kept my gaze fixed on Officer Gaubatz.

“Go on,” he said.

“It’s a long shot, full of ifs. If there’s still the possibility the trespassers are the jewel thieves, and if the Denver convenience store has surveillance cameras, and if they recorded whoever bought the sandwich I found in the Kretzers’ garden shed, and if they still have the video, we might have a better image of the guy.” I paused as my thoughts caught up with me. “Unless the information’s already been relayed to Denver and they’ve checked it out.”

After a moment of silence, broken only by the sound of my blood rushing in my ears as I hoped I wasn’t going to be laughed out of the room, Gaubatz nodded. “A lot of ifs to be sure, but worth looking into. You and Hepler cover that angle.”

Gaubatz dismissed us, and I found Hepler standing against the wall near the door. “Good catch, Solomon.”

Solomon? Not Rookie? A slip of the tongue, or had I moved up a few notches? If so, I was thinking Mary Ellen and I could celebrate again. Last night’s post-dinner activities had been memorable.

Hepler motioned me to his desk.

“I take it we’re not going to the Grab and Go,” I said, shifting my thoughts away from Mary Ellen.

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