Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids

cxxxv.

Lisa grinned. "I've got such a smart partner. So? You ran the kids down? Got the stolen property back?"

Jaebum harumphed. "Spoiling the ending, aren't we? But yes, the bracelet is sitting back on the wife's wrist as we speak. Although I believe I encouraged her to just sell the damn thing and convert it to cash."

"Way to go, Jaebum." She smiled and picked up the second folder. "Now tell me about the dog that ruined a neighbor's vegetable garden."

Jaebum sighed, losing his air of smugness as he leaned back in his chair and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Not much to tell. Dog slipped under the fence and dug up a couple of carrots and a head of lettuce before the neighbor came out and threatened to plant the dog six feet under."

"So, what'd you do?"

"I told the dog's owner that they needed to get that fence fixed and that I couldn't take action against the neighbor based off a mere threat without any action to back it up. It was an annoying case, no doubt why they shoved it on our desks."

"And?" Lisa asked, standing up and flipping to the third folder. "What of the domestic abuse phone call? Did you track down the origin of the complaint?"

"Yeah, but she said it was an accident."

Lisa gave Jaebum a look. "How do you accidentally call the police on your significant other?"

Jaebum sighed. "I don't know. Maybe they just yelled and she felt threatened. Either way, she denied that there was a problem, and without anything more to go on, I had to drop the case. We'll file it away and hang onto it in case she calls back, but assuming that she doesn't, the case is closed. Wasn't a case to begin with, really."

"How did you contact her? By phone? Or did you trace the number to her address and make a personal visit?"

"Phone. I called the number back. You know that we don't have the resources right now to be tracing down numbers for cases that have no supporting evidence, Lisa. So I tried calling first and she picked up. Told me it was all a mistake, that she was fine, that she's sorry she wasted our time. Then she politely asked me not to use her phone number again - something about the phone company and getting charged for going over her minutes - and then she hung up. Thirty, forty second call."

Lisa sighed. "Well, if she's telling the truth, then I guess that's good, right? If there was just a mistake?"

Jaebum stared at the folder. "If she's telling the truth. But...I don't think it would be a bad idea to keep the file close."

Lisa nodded. "Will do. Thanks for covering for me this past week."

He nodded, turning to look at her. "Are you all finished moving into his place?"

She nodded, looking down with a small smile on her face. "I just put the apartment up for sale last night. I'm glad to be out of it. Too quiet for me."

Jaebum nodded slowly, still staring at her intensely. "How are you doing, Lisa?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "I'm fi-" she started to say automatically before really processing the question, and her smile reshaped her lips. "I'm good. Really."

He exhaled softly before nodding. "I'm glad to hear that, Lisa. It's been long enough."

She chuckled. "Stop worrying about me, Jaebum. It's weird."

He huffed and abruptly spun his chair to face his desk once more. "Whatever. Go sign the papers and have them filed. You owe me one. Or three."

She smiled and took the files, looking over the details as she signed and verified a few statements. Something in one of the cases tickled her memory, but she couldn't remember exactly what it was that bothered her. Still, as instructed, she filed the folders in their hard copy archive system after scanning them into the computer and filing the digital copies in their online archive. As for the third folder, she left it in the top drawer of her desk. She'd hang onto it for a few weeks and, if no new information came up, she'd file it with the others.