Chapter 3
The investigation office moved way faster than I had expected.
The middle-aged officer they called Keith Mason came down in no time. He walked fast, and his eyes were sharp, like he missed nothing.
He did not bother with small talk. He took the documents straight from Danny and went through them page by page, careful and focused.
His expression looked even more serious than Danny's.
When he finished, he closed the folder and tapped the desk with his knuckles.
"Open a case," he said, firm and direct. "Danny, take two people right now. Go back to the apartment complex with Mr. Frazier. Lock down the scene, talk to witnesses, and bring Misty in for questioning."
"Yes, sir." Danny stood up right away, alert and ready.
Keith turned to me. His tone softened a little, but it still carried weight. "Mr. Frazier, thank you for putting together such detailed evidence. You saved us a lot of time.
"Don't worry. The law will not let anyone get away with this. Now, please come back to the scene with us and confirm everything."
"No problem." I nodded.
Half an hour later, an unmarked Volkswagen rolled quietly into the underground garage of our apartment complex.
Danny, two other plainclothes officers, and I got out of the car.
Everything looked exactly the same as when I had left. My parking spot was still empty.
The officers started taking photos and securing the scene.
Danny looked at me. "Mr. Frazier, are you sure this is where it was stolen?"
I nodded. "I'm sure. That spot belongs to me, and I always park there."
"Okay." He nodded.
Once the evidence was collected, we all took the elevator upstairs.
The doors opened, and right at that moment, Misty's son, Simon Norris, walked in from outside carrying a bag of fruit.
He saw me, then noticed the serious-looking strangers behind me, and paused.
Simon was kind of a big deal in our building. He worked as a department manager at a small company, liked to act important, and always thought he was better than everyone else.
He frowned and looked Danny and the others up and down, judging them. Then he turned to me, his tone sharp and unfriendly. "Elbert, what are you doing? Did you hire some guys to scare my mom?
"Listen. Don't be ungrateful. Do you really want to cause trouble over a piece of junk motorcycle?"
He clearly thought I had brought thugs with me.
Before I could say anything, Danny stepped forward, pulled out his badge, and showed it. "We are from the municipal criminal investigation office. We're investigating a major theft case. Please cooperate."
"Police?" Simon's face changed right away. His arrogance vanished. "What theft case? Officer, there must be some misunderstanding."
"Whether there is a misunderstanding, we will find out after we speak to your mother. Is Misty at home?" Danny's tone left no room for argument.
Simon swallowed, his eyes shifting.
He had clearly guessed something, but he was still holding onto hope. "My mom is home. Officer, this really is not a big deal.
"She just thought his motorcycle was too noisy and disturbed the kid's sleep, so she handled it. We gave him 1,000 dollars, and he accepted it. How is that theft?"
"1,000 dollars?" Danny let out a short, mocking laugh. "Do you even know how much that motorcycle is worth?"
"Is it not just a junk bike? How much could it be worth? Maybe 6,000 dollars at most." Simon sounded dismissive, like that number was already high.
Danny did not answer. He just looked at Simon as if he were an idiot.
Then he walked past Simon and went straight to Misty's door. He raised his hand and knocked hard.
The dull knocking echoed through the quiet hallway, heavy and unsettling.
A moment later, the door swung open.
Misty stood there in an apron, holding a spatula, looking annoyed. "Who is it? Why are you knocking like that—"
She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the group at her door.
When her eyes met Danny's cold stare, the impatience on her face turned into shock, then guilt.
"Police?" she muttered, shooting me a quick, nasty look.
"Misty Norris, is that you?" Danny asked. His voice was calm, but it carried pressure.
"It is me. Officer, what do you need?" She forced a smile and wiped her hands nervously on her apron.
"We received a report that you are suspected of stealing property. The amount involved is large. Please come back to the station with us for questioning," Danny said.
His words hit her like a bomb.
"Theft? A large amount?" She laughed as if it were the biggest joke she had ever heard, her voice rising. "Officer, you must be mistaken. How could I steal anything?
"I just sold that noisy junk motorcycle. I gave him money. What more does he want? He is making things up. I should sue him for false accusation."
She pointed at me while shouting, acting like she had been seriously wronged.
Simon rushed in to back her up. "Yeah, my mom meant well. She just handled it the wrong way. This is at most a misunderstanding. How can it be theft?"
Danny didn't bother arguing with them.
He waved at the two officers behind him. "Take her."
The two officers stepped forward right away and grabbed Misty by both arms.
"What are you doing? Let me go. I did nothing wrong. What right do you have to arrest me?" Misty struggled hard, instantly falling back on her usual tantrum. "The police are hitting people! They're arresting people for no reason!"
Her shouting drew the neighbors out. Doors opened one after another, and people peeked out to watch.
The same neighbors who had taken her side yesterday and told me to let it go were now staring, shocked and confused.
Danny frowned, his voice turning cold. "Misty, I'm warning you. We are summoning you according to the law. If you keep interfering, we will take stronger measures."
As he spoke, he pulled out a pair of shiny handcuffs.
The moment she saw them, Misty went silent.
All the color drained from her face. Her lips trembled, but no words came out.
She finally realized this was not a joke.
"Mom." Simon panicked. He rushed forward, trying to stop them, but another officer blocked him.
"Officer, let's talk this through," Simon said. "My mom is old and in poor health. You can't do this."
"Then hire a lawyer for her," Danny said coldly. Then he turned to his team. "Take her to the car."
Misty completely collapsed. She went limp as the officers dragged her toward the elevator.
As she passed me, she shot me a vicious look and muttered, "You bastard. You'll pay for this..."
I watched her without any expression until the elevator doors closed.
The hallway was dead silent.
One by one, the neighbors pulled back inside and quietly shut their doors.
Only Simon remained, standing there in a daze, his face pale.
He finally looked at me, panic and confusion all over his face. "What did you do? How much was that motorcycle really worth?"
I looked at him and spoke slowly, one word at a time. "Not much. Just enough to get your mother ten years."