Rebecca P.I: The Missing Piece

There was a calm that filled the overcast sky. Nine am on the Saturday before Christmas, and the weatherman had said there would be some snow flurries throughout the weekend, but up to that point it was nothing save black ice. Standing in front of two tombstones is Tyler Restrepo. The frigid air has Tyler bundled up tightly. Tyler's beanie barely reveals his long, dark hair.

“I will keep my promise to you.” He sniffles, his tears raining from his face. Soft footsteps startle him, and he wipes his face trying to disguise the pain. When he turns, he spots a grey fox gingerly making its way into the forest.Tyler sighs softly. A moment passes, and he spots a single snowflake hitting the ground. Looking up he and flurries of snow rapidly fall and stick to the ground.

Tyler makes his way inside to a nearby diner. Shivering as he takes a seat at the counter, he speaks his order to the waiter. A simple caramel Americano and a blueberry muffin. This breakfast reminds him of simpler times. The memories of his parents flood his mind. He grabs his phone and opens up Facebook. “It's been a year since my parents passed. Today has been really rough, the memories of my parents' smiles are the only thing keeping me going.” Tyler sniffles as he types on his phone. A few tears fall on the counter as he wipes his face. “All of this just reminds me of my sister Savanna. She was only thirteen when she went missing.”

Tyler takes a deep breath, the years of frustration building with every word he types. “Everyone knows it was that pedophile Troy, but the cops said there was not enough evidence. Which is BS! I don’t know what to do anymore. My parents fought until their last breath to try to find out what happened to Savanna. If anyone has any ideas…my DMs are open.” With a contented sigh he hits the button to post. It seems an immense weight finally lifted from his shoulders, and they relaxed a bit. Grabbing his mug of coffee, he glances up at the TV above him, noting Captain Davenport on the screen discussing details of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Finishing up his muffin, Tyler pays the cashier, and as he steps back out into the frigid cold he feels his phone vibrate. Reluctantly pulling out his phone, Tyler sees a message from a mutual friend. “Saw your post, sorry for your loss. If you ever need anything, I’m here for you! Also check out Rebecca Jiminez. She is a great P.I. She helped another friend of mine with a missing person’s case a year ago. Here’s her address.” He reads over the message several times in disbelief. Throughout the rest of the day, Tyler replays the message in his head. He considers the risks of getting his hopes up again. The pain in his parents' eyes after years of no answers leaves Tyler feeling helpless.

Meanwhile, Rebecca and LiSandra are at the office. After helping the police capture a serial arsonist, they are working late to finish up paperwork. “You know, these late nights really make me hungry!” LiSandra states as she stretches. “You are always hungry Li.” Rebecca comments as she peers up from her laptop. “I need to consume a lot of calories.” LiSandra looks down at her phone, checking the time. “It’s almost midnight, so it's about to be a new day.” At that moment, an insecure knock comes from the front door. The room gets quiet. Rebecca and LiSandra stare at each other for a few moments. LiSandra makes her way to the door. When she opens, Tyler is standing in the doorway. Head hanging with his hands in his jacket pockets. “Hi…I know it’s really late but..” He pauses for a moment as he lifts his head. Tears filled his eyes. “I was told you could help me find out what happened to my sister?” He asks innocently. LiSandra steps to the side inviting him in. “Come in, we can discuss this in more detail.” Tyler nods as he enters the office.

“Would you like ‌water or soda?” LiSandra asks as she guides him further inside the office. As he turns the corner Rebecca looks up from her computer. Squinting slightly at Tyler as he removes his beanie, book bag and his jacket. He looks around the office and rubs his hands together. “Uhm, no thank you. I am ok.” Rebecca stands up and curiously approaches Tyler. “You look very familiar.” She mentions as she stands to the side of her desk. Tyler turns and nods. “You look familiar too. Did you go to UNC?” Rebecca nods and smiles “Tyler right? We took Calc together for a semester.”

Tyler smiles softly. “Right, I should have recognized the name. How have you been?” Leaning against the desk, Rebecca responds. “I have been good.” She looks around the office. “I started this practice with my best friend a few years ago, work has been steady.” “Someone on Facebook recommended I come see you about my sister’s disappearance.” Tyler reaches in his bag and grabs some files out. Looking into Rebecca’s eyes, holding the files out pleading. “Please, you are my last hope.” Rebecca grabs the files. She sits at her desk and reads through a few of the files. Occasionally glancing up at Tyler.

Rebecca gives a quick glare over at LiSandra as LiSandra pulls two chairs up for herself and Tyler. As they sit, Rebecca places the files down. “It’s been twenty years since she went missing. Do you remember what happened the day she went missing?” Tyler rubs his face. A wave of frustration washed over him. “Not really, I got home after Savanna, so by the time I got off the bus police surrounded the house. My parents tried to keep things from me and so my grandparents took me out for dinner.” Tyler sniffles. LiSandra hands him a Kleenex as he wipes his eyes and blows his nose. “Do you remember anything weird about Troy Crane? The files say he was a person of interest, but the police could never gather enough evidence to bring charges.” Rebecca states. She grabs a file and hands it to LiSandra.

Tyler, visibly shaking, exclaims. “Savanna said he creeped her out. Then one day she just stopped talking about him. I figured he left her alone.” LiSandra gently places her hand on Tyler’s. He looks up at her, eyes wide. “Hey, relax.” She states calmly. “If we can find anything here, we will. I promise.” “Definitely.” Rebecca chimes in. “We will comb through this tirelessly until we find something we can use to find out what happened to your sister.” Tyler unclenches his jaw, his shoulders and hands relax. Slumping in the chair, Tyler takes a deep breath. “Thank you. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Tyler walks out of the office, and LiSandra closes the door behind him. “Can we get something to eat now? I am starved!” LiSandra pleads with Rebecca. Rebecca smirks. “I guess we can see if mom would cook for us.” “Hopefully she’ll make me that brisket sandwich at one in the morning.” Rebecca and LiSandra chuckle softly as they walk out of the office.

Two days earlier, the police of Staunton, Virginia, were called in to halt construction work. The detectives arrive on scene and the foreman escorts them to an area that had been freshly dug up. In the loose dirt, a small, skeletal hand lay exposed. Detectives quickly call CSI to package up the body, determined to preserve as much evidence as possible. Once CSI arrives on the scene, they carefully remove the body, sifting through the gritty pound of dirt. Discovering a skeleton in a girl’s school uniform. Carefully, they wrap the body up and take it back to the precinct to be studied by the medical examiner.

Presently, Rebecca and LiSandra make their way to the Charlotte Police Department. The bustling noise within the precinct greets them as they make their way to the front desk. Filling out the paperwork, Rebecca and LiSandra grab their visitors' badges and make their way to Detective White. “Hey, you think you can do us a favor?” Rebecca asks as she leans over his desk. LiSandra smiles and waves from behind her. “Depends on the favor. Last time I helped you out I almost lost my badge.” Detective White exclaims as he looks up from his computer.

Rebecca shows him the file she received from Tyler. “A cold case from twenty years ago. Someone reported a thirteen-year-old girl missing and at the time the police had a suspect but could never gather enough evidence to convict. We just want to see the evidence that was collected.” Detective White looks over the file. Standing up and placing the file down on his desk he guides them down to the evidence locker. “Follow me.” Once they get down to the evidence locker, they approach the window where the clerk sits reading a paper. “Hey Jim, can you find the evidence for case number 356974?” Detective White demands. Jim places the newspaper down and goes to the back. A few moments pass and Jim comes back with a box. “Here is all the evidence for case 356974. Would you mind signing that form, please?” Jim slides the box to Detective White as he fills out the form.

Detective White grabs the box with a warm smile. “Thanks, Jim!” Rebecca and LiSandra follow Detective White back upstairs to his desk. Arriving back at the desk, Detective White opens the box and pulls the evidence out. The slight dusty smell fills the air. “This is everything gathered for the Savannah Restrepo case.” Rebecca and LiSandra look over the evidence. Laying on the desk is a torn blouse, a few documents from the school district and some images of tire marks. “No wonder the case went cold. There is nothing here.” LiSandra laments as she lifts the image of tire marks. Rebecca grabs the documents from the school district.

Detective White glares at Rebecca. “What do you see?” He asks curiously. “From this document it says Savanna’s parents put in a bus route change.” LiSandra and Detective White close in on Rebecca trying to view the document. “It seems like they filed a request to ask to have Savanna’s bus stop changed because they were worried for her safety.” Rebecca looks up at Detective White. “Hey, can you pull up the case file for Savanna’s disappearance?” He runs around to his computer and starts typing. “What are you looking for?” Rebecca leans beside him. The screen brightly displays the information of Savanna’s case. Squinting as she reads she taps the desk excitedly. “That! There was a dna request put in to confirm whether Troy had been sexually assaulting Savanna!” LiSandra and Detective White lean in to read the file. "It seems they never completed the request." LiSandra runs her hands through her short black hair. “I have seen this before. Someone forgets to file a report or put a request in properly.” Detective White states. “I think the statute of limitations is past for this request, and no new evidence means we can’t put in an additional request.”

Rebecca slams her hands on the desk. Standing up and pacing the floor of the precinct thinking of what their next step could be. LiSandra looks around the room for a few moments. “Is there anything we can do?” Detective White rubs his eyes as he leans back in his chair. “We could reopen the case and see if the judge would grant us a search warrant.” Rebecca pauses. “It might take some convincing but….” He hesitates as he looks back at Rebecca. A hesitant smile played on his lips. “It could work.”

A few hours later, a loud knock at a door rings through a small apartment. A thin, tall man approaches the door. He walks past droves of trash and clothes littered across the floor. Opening the door, Detective White smiles as he holds the search warrant with dozens of police and CSI behind him. “Hey Troy! Can we chat for a moment?”