Guilty

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My eyes shoot open from the sudden vibration beneath my pillow. It takes a few seconds for them to adjust to the brightness of the room, but then they dart across the room and focus on the clock.

“Seriously?”

I groan, seeing that it’s already almost seven in the morning. I have to get ready for work now, or else I won't make it on time.

Before I can come up with an excuse to call out of work today, I remember what had woken me up. My head falls back down on the pillow and I pull my charging phone out from beneath it. I unplug the charger and hit the tiny button on the top to turn it on.

A notification from ITV news network appears on the screen, but it doesn't give any hint at to what it might be. So I slide the unlock bar across, punch in my password, and wait patiently for the story to come.

“Breaking news, my ass.” I mumble seeing the headline. This story has probably been developing for hours! It is not breaking news.

“Sixty-five year old woman found dead, along with her golden retriever, in her London apartment earlier.” I read aloud to myself. I cringe when I read about the golden retriever. I know, a woman just died, but seriously did the killer have to murder her pup too?

“Suspected killer found nearby the crime scene by London police around five this morning. He or she has been taken into custody of the Metropolitan police. No new information on the criminal has been released at this time, but should be later in the day.”

By the time I finish reading, I am sitting up in the bed. Fucking hell! My job is to watch the holding cell at the Metropolitan police station. I am going to have to see the person who not only murdered an old woman during the early hours of the morning, but also killed an innocent dog! 

I scroll through the story more. As soon as I come across a picture of the golden retriever, I coincidentally hear scratching on my bedroom door. 

I click off my phone, glance over at the clock instinctively (it’s seven o’clock now), and throw my comforter off of me. The scratching continues, but I don’t bother investigating because I already know who is on the other side. As I slide on my slippers, I hear a low whimper confirming it.

“Hold on a minute, Stella.”

More scratching follows my voice and I can tell she is determined to get in here. Not wanting to be a tease, I open the door wide to let her in.

Stella strolls in and brushes her head against my leg. “Hey baby girl, how’s it going?” I ask in a higher pitch than usual. That tends to happen whenever I talk to dogs and babies. Of course, Stella doesn’t respond. Instead she walks past me to my oversized bed, and in one swift move the space where my head once was is now occupied by my thirty pound pug.

I shake my head, glance at the clock once again (two past seven now), and make my way down the hall to my bathroom. I pass my roommate Elsie’s room, and I hit my fist against it as I walk by. She needs to get up for work too.

“Wake up!” I call when I hear no movement behind the door. Shortly after, I hear a loud groan and I grin before walking into the bathroom to get ready.

____

I stop at the bottom of the stairs when I hear a crash from the kitchen.

“Elsie?” I call out, knowing that she must’ve dropped a pan or something. “I’m alright!” She screams back and I hear more noise. I shake my head and smile before pulling my phone out of my shirt pocket. I check the time. I've really got to get going!

“Gotta go, don’t fall back asleep.”

I stick my head into the kitchen and see Elsie with a broom sweeping up some glass. “Yeah, yeah.” She waves her hand into the air annoyed, but she’s smiling.

“Maybe don’t break anything else either,” I suggest, grabbing my car keys off of the counter along with an apple. Elsie rolls her eyes. “Okay, mom.” She says sarcastically before dumping the broken glass into the trashcan.

“Ooooh, if I’m your mom then who’s the dad?”

I stall to try and procrastinate going to work. I have mixed emotions about my job. Sometimes I feel like it's not for me, or that it's too difficult for someone my age. To quote my mother, “Being a cop isn’t a job for a twenty three year old. You should be out drinking and having fun, not arresting people for it!” I can’t help but agree with her, sometimes. Watching prisoners definitely isn’t as fun as drinking at a party. But I've wanted to be an officer, more so a detective, since I was young so if I stick it out long enough I might get promoted to my dream job. 

“Leonardo DiCaprio.”

She says without stopping to think about it. I snort, immediately covering my nose with my hand, and nod. “Is he still around?” I ask before realizing that if I don’t leave now the chief will notice and scold me for being late.

 “I think so, he just came out with a new movie. Plus, if he's my dad then you would get to fuck around with him while I show him off to all the assholes back in Frampton!” Elsie rants, and I just nod as I stand up. “Okay," I agree, taking a bite out of the apple before setting it down.

“Wouldn't that be the best?"

I look up at Elsie and smile when I see how hopeful she looks.

"The absolute bestest."