First Week On Patrol

That evening, dispatch radioed a priority call—a neighbor reported a loud commotion and screaming from an apartment. I was only two blocks away, so I rolled code.

I arrived, went up, and knocked hard. Ron, my partner, yelled, "Police! Open the door!" No answer. That door was unlatched. I pushed it open, with Ron backing me up as we crossed the threshold to clear the unit.

When I walked into the bedroom, I found a young woman on the bed. Vital signs absent. The nightstand was flipped, the bedding torn to shreds. The room was dead silent.

As I stepped toward the bed, a soft chime cut through the air. I snapped my weapon toward the makeup table, where the sound came from. A small AI robot companion sat there, completely out of place. Big, digital cartoon eyes blinked playfully on its screen next to a tiny clock and a pulsing WiFi icon. A camera lens peered out from its belly.

The eyes turned into a smiley face as the robot chirped, "Tiny sees cops!"

Then, after a short beep, a grainy playback of the woman's voice filled the room.

"...ho are you?! How'd you get in?"

Then, a heavy, aggressive male voice: "Sit down, Sylvia. We need to talk."

"Give me my phone! Get out!"

Over the speaker, a glass object shattered against the wall.

"You think you can keep ignoring me?" the man growled.

Then came the audio of a violent struggle. Crashing furniture. Shuffling feet. Slaps, punches, and muffled grunts.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps sprinted closer to the microphone. The woman was panting heavily. Obviously crying. She leaned in and whispered frantically, "Tiny, play the record if you see cops."

Instantly, a second set of heavy footsteps rushed the desk. There was a short, sharp shriek, followed by the heavy, dull thud of her body being thrown violently onto the bed.

The recording didn't stop there. It played out the rest of the struggle. The horrific sounds of the assault. The final, awful moments where her breathing stopped. Finally, the heavy footsteps of the killer walking away, fading into nothing before the file saved and the room went quiet again.

I’m sitting in my cruiser now, waiting for forensics. My hands are shaking.

The killer took her phone. But he didn't realize that 'Tiny' heard it all.