Firecracker (On Hold)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Officer Palmer

That girl is a serious piece of work. She's infuriating and intriguing at the same time. After I put her into the cell, I go back to Emma and fill out the paper work with her. Emma is frustrated, I can see it a mile away and I think Arya saw it too. It's very unlike Emma to react to a perpetrator, but Arya has a special way of pushing people's buttons and getting under their skin. She will just keep pushing until she gets the reaction she's looking for. I know this, but sometimes it's very difficult not to react.

As we're going through the papers, I casually ask Emma, “What's the deal with this girl?”

“I don't know. Her juvenile record is sealed. We only have from the age of 15 on file. She has a history of violent crimes, mostly assault, resisting arrest, things like that. She was in and out of homes from 15 but she kept running away from them. In the end, it seems like she was left to her own devices after she ran away just before she hit 17.”

“Geez, that's rough. So, we don't know what happened before that?”

“No. Don't feel too bad; she probably was just as violent in all of the homes and got thrown out. Someone like her doesn't just happen upon violence like that. Don't even spare it another thought, Joe.”

“How can you not, Emma? It's our job to think about people like her.”

“No, it's your job to arrest criminals and charge them. It's my job to prosecute them. Whether or not they are guilty is up to a judge and jury to decide. Miss Flynn has been found guilty in a court of law more than enough times, Joe. She chose her path and now she has to deal with it. It's not like she doesn't choose to be violent.”

I decide not to push the issue, Emma doesn't understand my way of thinking. Instead I ask, “Have you got a place for her to go?”

“I think so. It's a ranch in Tennessee. It's owned by an ex Marine, so he's not going to put up with her back chat or violent nature. If she does try to attack him, she'll meet her match. I just have to draw up the contract and get onto the Marshall's Office to get someone to take her there. You guys consider her a danger, right?”

“Yes ma'am. She's taken out quite a few cops in her time.”

“Has she ever hit you?”

“Not in a long time. I think she respects that I don't take the bait or react. Plus, I don't treat her like everyone else. They all make comments which she considers inappropriate, so she 'deals with it'. Her words, not mine.”

“Maybe she's right, Joe.”

“Huh?”

“Maybe you are going soft. Or maybe you just have a soft spot for her...”

“You can't make a call on that, Emma. You've only just walked in here. You know nothing about this situation. I'm not going soft. I just don't like injustice, whether it's by the criminals or us.”

“Well, she'll be out of your hair soon enough.”

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe this is for the best. Maybe it'll help Arya not to reoffend and maybe it will help her deal with whatever issues she has. However, I'm not holding my breath on that. I can't figure out why she'd want to go to jail rather than work on a ranch. This girl makes no sense at all.