In the Belly of the Giant

Part 11

Joey managed to get some sleep, and first thing in the morning he hurried over to the police station. He was grasping at straws, hoping for any sort of lead to help him track down his missing girlfriend. His throat tightened up every time he thought about her, and how scared she must be. He forced back his tears and clenched his jaw with determination. He would find her.

When he arrived at the police station, the first thing he did was check with the officers coming off of night shift to see if there was any new information. Nothing. Soon after, the secretary showed up to look at more mugshots. She looked tired and upset, with her auburn hair unkempt. She was good friends with Eren, and the human's disappearance had disturbed her greatly. She felt terribly guilty for leaving Eren at the clinic alone with that perfidious, disreputable giant. Perhaps, if she had been there, she could have prevented the abduction.

Ray showed up to work with a truckload of cinnamon rolls to share and lots of coffee. He gave Joey a sympathetic pat on the shoulder with a cup of fresh coffee and guided him to the morning briefing. Joey, normally so punctual and sedulous regarding his work, was so distraught that he wasn't paying attention to the time or any of his usual responsibilities. He couldn't focus on anything that wasn't related to his girlfriend's predicament.

After the meeting, Joey checked back with the secretary. He ran into her in the hallway on his way there. "Joey!" the giantess exclaimed excitedly. "We found out who he is!"

Joey perked up. His blood started to flow. "Really?"

"Yes!" They rushed over to the photographs and she pointed to a seedy, slovenly man who matched the police sketch to an uncanny degree. "That giant there." Joey regarded the mugshot with a scowl. The giant's name was listed underneath his photo: Jake "the Snake" Stiles. Joey quickly obtained a copy of the photograph and the criminal's file detailing his long list of sordid crimes, which included multiple instances of burglary, auto theft, violent assault, and drug dealing. He reviewed the file, scouring it for any pertinent information. His blood was boiling. He wanted to find this man and slaughter him.

He took the file straight to the police chief. The chief was a big, rotund, bald giant with ruddy cheeks who was perpetually sweating and grumpy. He was sitting inside his office, reviewing some paperwork, when Joey presented him with the updated news.

"I have a suspicion that Eren's abduction is linked to the other missing humans from the boarding school," Joey explained. "If we find this man, hopefully we can find the others. Please, sir. Put me on the case."

The police chief regarded him with a skeptical eye. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not assigning you this case. We'll get someone else to handle it."

Joey balked. "What?! Why?! I'm heavily invested in this case! I know I can solve it! I need to find Eren!" He couldn't keep the hysterical edge out of his words as he raised his voice with passion.

"Exactly. That's the problem. You can't be objective when you're this emotional. I can't have you making reckless decisions and jeopardizing the investigation," the police chief lectured sternly.

"But... but, sir," Joey protested, "she's my girlfriend..." He balled up his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms. "I need to have some involvement at least."

The police chief huffed, and leaned back in his chair in contemplation. He massaged his forehead with his chubby fingers. "Fine. Whatever. You can work with the officers whom I give the case. However!" He pointed his fat sausage of a finger belligerently for emphasis. "You're not in charge, and you're on a very short leash. You don't make any moves without express approval first. And you'll still have to work any other jobs you're given. Do I make myself clear?"