The Bastard Chronicles: Small Tale

Chapter 25

Ryder's POV

The office was filled with nothing but papers flying around, piling up on each desks. This looks like police station when batman tries to help out the people in his city but only made everything worse by becoming violent.

Except this is a police station. The low tier part of the building. Everyone got their cup of coffee in hand, a donut on the other hand, a bulging belly on their uniforms, and a scowl evident on their faces whenever I enter the building.

I don't know how the fuck I end up being part of this police station without actually being a police or ever wanting to be one. I'm still young, I should be having fun screwing around bars and not running after bullshit excuse of criminals.

My father was the chief here before he hand his early resignation. It wasn't until I turned 17 when he brought me here and taught me things I did not know that happens in real life. Speaking of which, I remember him taking me into a crime scene of a homicide when I turned 15 years old.

The sight was sickening, with all the blood splattered around the floor, wall, and ceiling. The mother was brutally murdered— the head was cut off, stomach ripped open, and bones on the legs were broken. All of her possessions were gone, and you would think it was the thefts' doing but no, it's her husband and two kids' doing.

I am not boasting or anything but I was the one who solved the crime. I was quite taken back by it also but her family is not sympathetic at all. They may had shed tears during interrogations and cried during her funeral but being in the same room as them doesn't feel right.

Walking up to the elevator, I pressed a button that leads to what they call it cloud nine, got my eye and fingerprint scanned for authority confirmation. Nothing euphoric about it, it's just a fucking name for a secret office that some authorities could enter. I pulled out my phone as I remembered that I must text Cassie. Heck, I'm not even enjoying this hour without her presence.

She was always this clingy but I'm not even complaining about it. In other words, I like teasing her since she got this exaggerated facial expressions and it was too cute to not continue with it.

we didn't get to eat breakfast.

I texted. My hand connected with my forehead as I facepalmed myself for being too stupid. I forgot to take her to some diner to eat breakfast. I could stay inside her house to cook for her but I should also restrain myself from that since I know beside her, I got no control.

The elevator door opened, Abcd stepped inside while greeted me with a raise of an eyebrow. A habit I'd done but he also got from me, I guess. I spent too much time working with these fools.

"Did you get Cassie home?" Abcd spoke, standing too formally beside me. He's in my team, I'm the team leader.

"I did." I answered. "She's probably reading a book by now."

"That's what she always does." He nodded, informing me with something I obviously did not know— note the sarcasm. "About the Miguel case, do you have may updates?"

"They haven't informed me anything. I'll ask the detective towards the case. They should have his picture in the cell by now." I also added. "I'm not allowed to visit the prison cell since that happened."

Abcd said an oh as he realized what I was talking about. "I got a new tattoo." He raised an arm for me to see. It's not a tattoo with butterflies or name of his lover but it is a scar from a previous fight between the illegal drug users and obviously, our team. It was once a gunshot wound.

"How's your parents' case going?" Like on a cue, the elevator opened once more and Bryan went inside. He is also part of our team but he was the one who stayed up for 2 days straight to work on his case. A pink flowery mug filled with coffee was on his hand while the other is his brief case.

"Bro, you look like—" Abcd started but Bryan cut him off.

"Like shit, shut the fuck up." He spoke with a monotone, basically, a tired hoarsely voice. "Our parents' new client is a fucking pothead and runs an illegal marijuana somewhere in Northern England. His steps are clean so it was hard tracking them."

"You'll get to it." Abcd reassured. "But dude, why do you have Cassie's mug with you?"

My eyes turned to look at the disgustingly cute mug on Bryan's hand. "She came over one time but didn't take this home, finder's keepers."

While they exchanged conversations, I kept looking at my phone. Cassie is that type of a person who texts back immediately but I'm getting too worked up for her not replying in three minutes. I was frowning but I tried not to look like a lovesick puppy.

Maybe she fell asleep while reading.

The elevator dinged once again but this time, we've reached the destination. I was the first one to get off the elevator and towards our teams's office. It was quiet on the hallway except for the footsteps and muffled conversations on every office since everything is soundproof.

Wait till I turn that off.

Once I opened the door towards the office, I sat at my seat on the elevated part. The papers were cleared and placed at the back on where the archives are placed.

Now to start the pending cases.

"With all of these cases placed upon our desks, our—" before I could finish talking to my mates, a guy came rushing in the office and towards my desk. He placed a laminated brown folder together with an envelope.

"Sir, this is for the Miguel Johnson's case." His eyes were too focused on the paper while his voice is stuttering. "FBI released his picture today."

"Very well." I said, Abcd and Bryan instantly stood up and run towards my desk to look at the papers.

As I opened it, a picture of a man together with the report of his case embedded on the paper. I was reading through the records and when Bryan spoke too loud that it made everyone jumped out of their seats.

"That's not fucking Miguel Johnson!" Bryan was shaking and was red in the face.

"Hold up." Abcd wore his glasses and went closer to the picture. "That's not fucking Miguel Johnson!" He repeated.

I raised an eyebrow as I take the picture closer so I could examine the features. From my memory when I first had an encounter with him, his hair was dark, eyes brown, and a vertical small scar above his lip. My eyes widened, the scar is on the right side while this guy's scar is on the left side. That's when realization hit me.

"Miguel is not the type of guy to fucking surrender himself to the police, knowing he have more cases he needs to face in the court. This man is a fraud." I stood up, rubbing my temple. "This man is not Miguel."

Like another brick hit me at the back of my head, blood run cold from my veins, and I blamed myself from being too stupid. "He got her."

Abcd and Bryan looked at me with a mortified look as I repeated. "He fucking got Cassandra."