Zane
I take a deep breath as I stand in front of the door. I have been dreading this moment ever since I got the case. Being called in by the chief can only mean one this for me right now.
She doubts I can handle this case and plans to hand it over to someone else.
I place my hand on the cold doorknob and turn it, opening the door. A wave of soothing warm air hits me. The cozy aura of the room never fails to ease the tension a little.
I see the heaters are finally fixed.
Stepping inside, I spot the chief, in a navy blue suit, sitting at her desk looking at some documents. Her dark hair tied into a ponytail rests gently on her right shoulder.
"Sit," says the woman with serious dark eyes without looking up from the papers.
I make my way towards an empty chair across the desk, which is covered with many documents. I glance at the wall to my left which is obscured by her numerous certificates and achievements.
Greta Michelles, before becoming chief, was a very determined and hardworking officer. Her earnest dedication to her work has resulted in her achieving this position. Her defining trait is her strong sense of justice.
Which is why I can tell by her expression that she's getting impatient that the criminal is still on the loose.
"I can tell you already know why I've called you." She says closing the document and placing it on top of the document on her desk.
"Yes, ma'am, I know. But I would also like to inform you that we've recently made good progress. It's only a matter of time before-"
"Zane!" She stops me abruptly and then continues "Yes, I know you've talked to a lot of media outlets and had them ask the people about any sightings of the disguised criminal and you're now awaiting results from the surveillance camera footages but...I've noticed something about you that seems strange."
As she looks at me with her cold eyes, I feel like if she stared any harder, she'll know the truth. The room suddenly feels like it's getting warmer.
"I don't understand what you mean. Strange how? Didn't you call me here because you want to hand over the case to someone else?" I ask her curiously.
She places her hand on the desk and taps her fingers.
"Hear me out first. Over the past few years, I've always seen how good you are at your job. Any task I assign to you, you show determination, quick progress and accomplish it in no time. This is the first I'm detecting a change in you regarding this particular case. You've dealt with serial killers before and I understand it's not an easy job. Solving a case may take days, weeks or in some cases depending upon how influential the victim's family is months. But there's something else that's going to be a problem."
What's she getting at? I know she's sharp but could it be possible that I've been unintentionally acting suspicious lately.
"Umm...what are you trying to get at?" I ask humbly.
"You're lacking the motivation to catch this killer. It's like...you don't want to. The way you throw yourself at any opportunity to prove your skills, there's none of that here." She says and stands up from her chair.
As she makes her way to the water dispenser on top of a shelf, I feel myself getting agitated.
"With all due respect chief, my partners and I have been working tirelessly to solve this case. Even now we've been making progress and have gotten even closer to catching the killer. So you're sadly mistaken if you think the progress is slow because I've been slacking off."
She doesn't say a word and pours some cold water into a disposable cup.
"I'm sorry to bring this up but...do you remember how your father died?" She says as she hands the cup to me. As I take it from her, I realise my hands are shaking.
"What does that have to do anything with the case?"
"You both were pursuing a criminal. After cornering him in an alleyway you pointed your guns at him but you were unable to get close to him since he was holding a child hostage." She says as she watches another cup fill up with cold water.
I find myself sweating profusely as I gulp down the water in one sip. Why is she bringing this up!?
As if on cue, I begin to hear a child's laughter. It's distant but I can sense it from all directions. Just then, I see a child's head peek from behind the desk. Those familiar innocent eyes and brown hair. I close my eyes for a sec while the chief continues.
"Long story short, the criminal ended up killing the kid and tried to kill you too but you were protected by your father. So it was your father who died. You then enraged, shot down the criminal. Zane, tell me, how did you feel seeing a loved one die in front of you and the culprit still alive and breathing at that moment." She turns towards me and leans against the wall.
The empty cup crumbles in my hand " words don't even begin to describe that...anger and sense of loss I felt. The only thing on my mind was that I wanted to kill that bastard a million times over." I tell her as I force myself not to remember that scene. Me standing in a pool of blood, surrounded by three dead bodies, shaken to the core. The aftermath of the showdown. I didn't know how I was going to face Ethan. I felt the walls close in until another officer called out to me.
"Hmm. That's the thing. That's what the parents of those kids are afraid of. Seeing the dead body of their child and knowing the killer is at loose. You don't want more parents to feel that way do you?" She drinks her water and puts the cup aside.
"Get your shit together and take this seriously. Use your past feelings as fuel and motivation. Imagine the kids and the citizens as your loved ones. Protect them not just because it's your duty, but because you'd do anything for justice." She walks back to her chair and sits down, one leg on top of the other.
"I understand. I'll...make sure to finish this case as soon as possible without making any excuses. But...please, I just need more time." I tell her honestly.
She sighs " Five days. I'm giving you five more days to wrap it up or I'm taking this case away from you. The media is already making us look incompetent. Don't disappoint me." She says sternly, putting more emphasis on the last sentence.
I thank her and get up. As I walk towards the door, I internally groan.
Time and luck are not on my side.
Not only am I being used as a puppet to entertain that brat but now I'm being pressurised by the higher-ups.
I open the door and let myself out.
"Zane!"
I look ahead and notice someone familiar standing nearby with a tablet in her hand. Someone from real-time being here can only mean one thing.
"Freda, what's up?" I ask her.
The woman with smooth dark skin, dressed in a black turtle neck and white jeans, smiles as she holds up her tab.
"I think we found her." Now this is just what I needed after all that happened in the chief's room.
"I'm listening," I tell her as I walk towards my desk. She walks alongside me as she talks as we move through the crowd.
"Through facial recognition, it was confirmed that it's Morgan Stanley. Since we didn't know where she went from that old video, we started inspecting all the surveillance camera footages near that street of that specific day and bingo! We found her with that foldable trolley on the main road exiting that community. After that, all we had to do was follow her through many cameras" she says as she shows her tablet to me.
On the screen were multiple surveillance footages, cramped together in boxes. I spot the culprit in question in one of them, blending within the crowd.
"And where did she go?" I ask her.
She flashes a cheeky smile, Seemingly proud of herself and opens her mouth to speak, that is until someone interrupts her.
"She's in Riverdale!" Walter yells from a distance as he runs up to us. Freda frowns and gives him an irritated look.
"Riverdale?" I ask him once he reaches us.
"That's what I was going to say. The cameras traced her back to Riverdale." Freda says bluntly.
"And we just received a phone call from a taxi driver saying he remembers dropping that girl off to that location. He insisted he had no idea she was the angel-wing serial killer." Says Walter as he catcheshis breath.
"Although, why Riverdale?" Freda questions as she looks back at her tablet.
I think for a second then it hits me.
"She's hiding in that old factory! Walter, get the S.W.A.T team! There's a chance she's holding the Miller siblings hostage!" I order him. He nods and rushes away.
"Thanks for the help, Freda. I owe you one." I tell her as I walk away, ready to get prepared.
"Sure, how about that restaurant we used to go to when we were kids!" She calls out from behind.
I give her a thumbs up and exit the room.
I can't waste any more time. I'm finally this close to getting that Morgan.
'Traitor'
I stop dead in my tracks. W-who said that!? Frantically, I look around the room.
Everyone just seems to be working and minding their own business.
Am I going crazy?