Marked For Murder

Chapter Three

     She mentally rolled her eyes. "C'mon Carl. What am I?"

   "No no. I ain't talkin' bout them serial killers and what not. I'm talkin' bout the Lieutenant. The politics those guys play is a dangerous game and you don't wanna hurt yourself, or ruin your career." 

     What was he getting all concerned about? "I'm not sure I understand Carl."

     He sighed and rubbed his temples before continuing. "Look, I know it's wrong, tellin' you to stay away from all the action, but, you need to understand. Those guys don't appreciate rookie cops runnin' round and messin' up their business. Just stay outta trouble, ok Charlie?"

   "No problem Carl. See ya around."
     With that, shehe stood up and made her way to the door. Checking her watch and seeing she was about to be late, she sprinted into a run down the hall and got in the lift to third floor.

     The Lieutenant's office was fairly easy to find, seeing as it was the only one with 'Lieutenent' written boldly on the door. After knocking twice, she was told to enter.

     The office was alot more...tidy than Carl's. Seeing as she had rarely ever been to the last floor, she was slightly taken aback by the stark contrast between these lavish offices and the cramped cubicles officers like her were forced to work in.

     At least, she now knew where tax payers money went.

     A man she recognized as Mercer, the Lieutenant, sat behind a finely polished desk, cross-legged. He looked her over from head to toe before picking up a file, which she assumed held her credentials.

   "Officer Charlotte Mayweather Brown?" he asked as he examined the clipboard.

   "Yes sir."

     Gesturing towards the other officers standing on either side of his desk, he said, "Please join your teammates." As she walked over to join them, he started reading off his board and assigning teams.

   "Officers Nicholas, Morgan and Brown?" he said as he looked to her and some other officers she'd become familiar with throughout her eighteen months of service in the Brownlee police department. 

   "Yes sir," they chorused.

   "We've got nine officers from the Sheriff's branch here to help out with the case. I hope you'll cooperate with our guests," he said, finalizing that chapter.

     He then adjusted his seat and picked up a new clipboard, this one containing their various assignments.

   "Alright then. As we all know, five students, all from Boulder High, were murdered. Riley Carmichael, the Mayor's daughter, Alex Parkinson and Jenna Miller on Saturday, Mindy Clarkson and Britt Popper on Sunday."

     He paused to let the news settle in before going on.

   "For now, we see them as related crimes, so, I'll be assigning groups to question different parents."

    "Officers Ketchman and Nicholas, today you'll be going to see the Clarksons. Nulta and Beltman, the Poppers. Colson and Ambers, the Parkinsons."

   "Morgan and Simpson, the Millers. And Coleman and Waters, you'll be meeting the Carmichaels, that's the Mayor and his wife. That leaves two people on my list."

     Putting the clipboard down, he looks at Charlie on one side of his desk before turning to look at a guy on the other side. Charlie hadn't given much thought to the new officers around her, or even given them a second glance.

     This one looked fairly muscular, like he wasn't total enemies with the gym, brown eyes and same hair colour. He looked like your average police man. Save for the pot-bellied ones who couldn't be caught dead without a machiatto and doughnut in hand. She averted her attention back to the Lieutenant.