Witness Protection Program // n.h.

Chapter Two

"My daughter just witnessed a murder, sir."

It shocked me that my father had been so blunt, and small gasp came from me. I supposed there really was no other way to put it, but just hearing it said out loud from someone else made it seem so much more real.

"How long ago was this?" Detective O'Conner asked. He seemed somewhat shocked, but overall fairly calm. He was an officer in New York City, so I suspected he was used to this kind of thing happening nearly everyday.

"A-bout an hour ago, maybe a bit m-more," I answered, surprising myself.

"Can I ask you two to step out of a room for a few moments? It's regulation that I question the witness alone before anyone else," He explained, directing his question to my parents.

"Of course."

"You're alright, honey. Just tell him what you told us, okay?" Mom looked at me, smiling as best as she could. I knew that she was still slightly in shock herself, but she was trying to pull herself together for my sake.

Once the door had shut behind them, Detective O'Connor turned to me.

"So you say this happened about an hour ago?" He raised his eyebrows. I nodded, looking away. "I understand that you're shaken up and probably scared, but I need you to answer all of my questions honestly and as best as you can, okay? We are only here to help," He said.

"Alright." My voice was painfully weak, as I still tried to keep my tears at bay.

"Good. Now do you remember where this took place?" He started.

"An alleyway on Ellis Street. I believe it was the one beside the furniture shop but I can't really remember," I answered honestly.

"Alright. I am going to go in form the squad to head down there and get the investigation started. I'll be right back, hang tight." I sent him a short nod, watching as he retreated out of the room.

As I sat there by myself, I pondered over every detail I could remember. I knew that I needed to be as specific as possible with every answer I were to give, so I pushed myself to think of every part so I wouldn't leave leave anything out. The more I thought about it, however, the more upset I got. I saw a man die. I heard him try to convince them not to do it. I was caught and chased down the street while being shot at. I didn't think hat it had fully resisters how much trouble I was actually in.

I jumped in my seat when the door reopened, the detective entering. My paranoia was really getting the better of me, and there was no way my guard could be let down for even a quick moment.

"The other police were notified and they are on there way to take care of things right now, so don't worry about that. Now, I have a few more questions for you before I can figure out what we are going to do, okay?" He smiled.

"Okay."

"Can you tell me why you were walking by yourself so late at night?" He raised his eyebrows. He had his pen ready, waiting to jot down every word I said.

"I was on my way home from work." I was relieved that my stuttering had finally stopped and I was starting to calm down. I was still in slight shock, but realized that I was safe where I was and they were going to make sure it stayed that way.

"Where do you work?"

"Epic Records. It's a small music store on Ellis Street," I told him, watching as he nodded and wrote down my exact words.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened from start to finish?"

"I left the shop at about ten and started walking home. I had only been walking for a few minutes before I started hearing noises. The closer I got, the louder they got, and I realized that it was voices I was hearing. As I neared the alley, I saw a group of men yelling at each other aggressively. I tried to leave and get away before they saw me, but I was completely frozen to the spot," I rushed.