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Chapter 22 - Her back up
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Oakley and Diego burst into the police station without hesitation, their guns instantly going up.
Carter jumped as he stood up, his hands automatically going up in the air.
"The hell are you-"
"Where's Jasper?!" Diego fired out frantically.
The Captain appeared as he was instantly startled and confused. "What the hell?!"
"WHERE'S JASPER?!" Diego shouted out louder.
The Captain and Carter looked about confused as Diego and Oakley quickly realised they had no idea.
"Is he-" The Captain started as he finally clicked.
Diego barely managed a nod as both him and Oakley separated. She took off towards the interrogation rooms, as Carter and The Captain both pulled their own firearms from them.
"CARTER!" His loud voice boomed instantly. "Check the break rooms and changing rooms! Diego! Holding cells are through there!" He gestured to another door.
Diego and Carter instantly nodded as the pair split up, leaving the Captain to go back into his office and make a radio call for all his officers out on the streets.
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Diego pressed himself against the wall as he took a few deep breaths, his gun held tightly in his hand as he slowly opened the door to the holding cells.
The large area was pitch black as he felt for the light.
Yet the switch wouldn't work.
The room stayed black as he crept further inside.
His senses heightened.
"Jasper?"
*****
Carter couldn't get his head around it.
Jasper was his lifelong best friend and colleague.
Jasper, the guy who went to church religiously every Sunday, said thanks before every meal, it just didn't fit the bill, he even believed in no sex before marriage.
But according to the reports, Oakley and Diego were never wrong.
His hand gripped his gun tighter as he slowly opened the door to the large changing rooms.
Through muscle memory alone, his hand went straight to the light switch.
Yet the switch wouldn't work.
The large room stayed dark.
The small dripping of water was heard as he crept further inside.
"Jasp buddy, you in here?"
*****
Oakley's back was firmly pressed against the wall as she side stepped along the corridor.
The light switch hadn't worked so she relied heavily on her hearing.
The grip on her gun never loosening.
Each step caused her heart to beat faster.
"Jasper?"
*****
"Come on Jasp, it's me." Carter spoke again.
His feet slowly edging further into the showers.
"We can talk about this."
Nothing.
*****
"I get what you were trying to do." Oakley spoke as she continued to walk in the dark, unsure whether Jasper was even near her.
Her mind flashed through every encounter with Jasper and everything she knew. Suddenly it all made sense.
The second murder, where he was found behind the pawn shop? No-one had seen any of either crews, just regular people and officers. Jasper.
Jasper knew whenever Ace was with her or Diego, he'd seen the trio eating together outside the diner when they told him they were taking Ace home afterwards, cutting his alibi short. The same night Charlie was shot.
Jasper was the one that first spoke to Billy that night, when they were at the hospital, as though he had to make sure Billy hadn't seen him.
And of course, why wouldn't Charlie feel safe enough to willingly leave the bar with a police officer?
Jasper had been the one, along with Carter, that had first taken on the View crew, taking Tom home.
And of course, why wouldn't Tom feel safe enough to willingly let a police officer into his home? Giving Jasper ample time to plant the handgun Diego had found in his room.
Jasper was the one always asking where Ace was, reacting different each time he leant the cobra was sticking with the detective.
Jasper was the one always trying to push the blame onto the cobras, specifically Ace.
Jasper was the one that had told Diego about the four younger children Ace frequently picked on.
Jasper couldn't have gone for the cobras last night, with them tucked safely in Oakley's room and the View crew tucked safely in Diego's room.
Jasper had been the one who was knocked out by Charlie and suffered a broken nose, the first cobra hit.
Jasper had known the whereabouts of each cobra at all times.
It had been Jasper all along.
*****
"If you're in here, I know you can hear me." Diego spoke firmly, his eyes desperately trying to focus in the dark.
"You can explain your side of the story. I just wanna talk."
Nothing.
*****
"Jasper, come on let's talk." Oakley pressed further into the wall as she heard a small click in the corner of the room.
"Jasper..." she spoke again.
Unfortunately for her, she still wasn't fully committed to knowing this police station by heart.
Unfortunately for her, this was Jasper's home turf.
Unfortunately for her, he had the upper hand.
Especially with the main door now locked.
"Jasp-"
*****
"Well?!" The Captain snapped out as he stepped out of his office, looking between Ashton, Diego and a couple more officers who had just arrived.
"We can't find him." Carter mumbled nervously, this was too much for him.
"Where's Taylor?"
Diego instantly looked around, panic setting in as he ran towards the double doors she had gone through.
Yet they were locked.
Instantly the other officers joined him as they struggled to get in.
Yet Diego wasn't as polite as them. This wasn't his station and he didn't care. Oakley was in there.
Raising his foot, he sent it straight at the handles, causing both doors to fly open.
All four instantly fled in, guns up as The Captain watched eagerly. Yet his attention turned as the front doors burst open and Ashton stumbled inside, cobras and View crew by his side.
"Jasp-" he panted heavily, bending over and trying to catch his breathe.
"We think he's in there, Oakley's gone."
Ace instantly straightened up and went to go through the doors, his hand automatically going into his pocket for his knife. Yet he was stopped by two hands. Ashton and, to his surprise, Tom.
Ashton shook his head at him as Tom pulled a gun from his jacket pocket and offered it out to Ace.
"What? I just said no!" Ashton snapped as Ace instantly grabbed the gun.
Yet before he could head into the dark corridor, Diego came flying out.
Everyone stumbled back as Carter followed, watching as Diego scrambled on the desk for the phone.
"She's gone." Carter mumbled, offering up Oakley's police badge.
"What are you doing?!" The Captain snapped at Diego as he couldn't handle what was happening in his force and station at moment.
"Getting her back, what the fuck do you think?!" Diego snapped as he began making a call.
"Who are you ringing?!" Came the next question from the Captain.
"Back up."
"All my officers are already on route." The Captain tried to explain but Diego only shook his head.
"Not your back up." He fired out as the phone was answered. "Get me Captain Taylor." He spoke firmly as he looked up at Castle Rock's Captain.
"Her back up."