Jenna
"God, you look awful,"
"Thanks, Olivia," Jenna answered, sighing. She was used to her friend being like this, she knew she meant no harm at all and she would've snapped back any other time, Jenna was way too exhausted that day, which Olivia quickly seemed to notice.
The brunette girl sat down on the chair next to her desk, like she always did, before speaking up again.
"Are you alright?" Her voice was laced with concern, making Jenna feel incredibly bad. She hated when people were pitying her, she clearly preferred the teasing.
"Yup, just tired," She answered with a small smile on her lips, trying to just shrug it off.
Her conversation with Maddie the night before had completely drained her.
She hoped that the alcohol would've made her forget everything by the time she'd wake up, it obviously did not. Jenna barely slept at all, replaying the conversation in her head over and over again until her alarm ringed, reminding her that she had to wake up and face the day, despite her own issues.
Not standing staying in her apartment for any longer, Jenna had decided to come to work sooner, at least her boss wouldn't annoy her about her punctuality, and work might help clear her mind.
"Don't bullshit me, Jen, I know you" Olivia said, and Jenna lowered her gaze to her feet, not daring to look into her friend's eyes anymore,
"You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?"
"And I don't." She stated, her voice low,
"I'm really not in the mood now Olivia, please."
Her friend sighed, "Alright, I'll leave you alone then... You know where to find me if you change your mind," She said, and the brunette nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Olivia gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze before leaving her alone, and Jenna buried her head in her arms. She needed to stop thinking about it, and focus on work, or she'd go insane.
She had a busy day ahead of her anyway, no time for anything else.
Barely a few minutes later, Jenna noticed her partner that had just arrived in the office in the corner of her eyes and her lips curled into a faint smile. The day could finally start. She got up and made her way to his desk, hoping that he had made more progress than she had.
She doubted it, to be completely honest.
As soon as he noticed her, he gave her a gentle smile and gestured to the chair in front of him for her to sit there.
Hunter, her partner for this case, was one of the few people she could stand there. He was clearly not the best detective, nor the brightest, but at least he wasn't another overconfident misogynist asshole, so Jenna figured it was okay, she could work with it. She was pretty glad she was assigned head detective though. Their captain might hate her and make it known but he wasn't stupid, he knew Jenna wasn't a bad detective, no matter how bad he wished she was.
"So, got anything?" She asked him as soon as she was settled, deciding not to waste time, and the detective shook his head.
"No, Nothing. It's like the thief's some kind of ghost, he didn't leave anything behind." He said, already sounding defeated,
"I don't want to be pessimistic but if the forensic don't have anything I doubt we'll find him."
"Or her," Jenna answered, a frown on her face, "And we still have many things to do, I already called the owner of the bar he went to, they do have CCTV cameras but they were all out that night, so that's an interesting lead, I'm sure we can find witnesses," She explained and the detective nodded slowly.
"I hope you're right, Ortega," He sighed,
"But it doesn't explain how he- or she," He corrected himself,
"-broke into his apartment, nor how they managed to leave no trace at all..."
She took a deep breath. She knew they had no real lead so far, but they had just started working on it. Jenna already had a few theories, one of them she was really confident about.
It was a complicated case, definitely, how could someone manage to steal a few incredibly expensive items without leaving anything behind them? It was mind wrecking, but the brunette was really far from declaring herself defeated.
"I guess we are dealing with someone experienced," She answered him after a few seconds, shrugging,
"If my theory's correct-"
Before she could finish her sentence, her phone started ringing, cutting her off. She took it out of her pocket with a grunt as her partner watched her with an amused smile, before breaking into a wide grin and seeing the name that flashed on the screen.
"It's forensic," She told Hunter before answering the call, and he leaned forward, obviously curious about what they had to say too.
Though, as the person on the other side of the phone kept on talking, her smile faded.
There was no way.
"What's up?" Hunter asked her as soon as she hung up, and she furrowed her eyebrows.
"They have nothing." She answered, slumping back down on her chair.
"What? What do you mean nothing?"
She wasn't expecting a lot, but definitely not that.
"The few stuff we found only have Tanner's DNA on it, but- I was expecting this, it's just..." Jenna sighed,
"His phone, he never downloaded any dating app or whatever, he lied to us for some reason."
"So... He wasn't really robbed?" Hunter asked her and she shrugged.
She had no idea, why would he lie about that? Was he even really expecting someone that evening, or was that a lie too?
"Don't know, I guess we have to interrogate him again," He said as a frustrated sigh left her mouth,
"Maybe he just has another phone, that wouldn't be surprising for someone like him."
"I guess," Hunter answered, his voice smaller already,
"But I'm starting to think the thief really is a ghost." He stated and Jenna chuckled.
"Yeah, maybe."
There had to be something she missed, she hoped she'd find a new lead quickly.
***
Jenna's hopes quickly faded.
It was already six in the evening, they had spent the day exploring every possibility, and analyzing the pictures they took over and over again, but nothing new came up, and Jenna could feel her head hurting already. How was that even possible?
One of their last hope was Tanner, maybe he hadn't really lied to them, or was just too embarrassed to say the whole truth. The detective knew he was suspicious from the start, though she thought it was rather out of arrogance, not that he might actually be hiding something from them purposely. But what was it and why keeping it from them?
She had called him earlier that day and he agreed to talk to the detectives once more, but Jenna didn't learn anything useful. He had stayed vague about the dating issue, stating that it was a private matter and had absolutely nothing to do with the case, despite Jenna's please about it.
The detective knew it couldn't be a coincidence, the only suspect they had was the mysterious woman he was supposed to meet that evening, but with no name and no face, or not even any evidence of her existence, it was a dead end.
The most reasonable lead they had then was that Tanner had lied to them all along about the burglary. Insurance frauds were pretty common, the man might've just managed to hide the so-called stolen items and proceeded to call the police after in hope of earning some money from it.
But then again, it didn't really make sense. If he had truly done that, then why not make it more obvious? Jenna knew if it was her she would have at least broken a thing or two to make the whole burglary act more believable, definitely not just hide the items, that was way too suspicious.
What was she missing?
The detective's last hope for that day was the bar Tanner allegedly went to, maybe she could find some witnesses there, if he didn't lie that was.
If he really came to that place often, then the bartended would most likely recognize him, and maybe the woman he was supposedly waiting for did show up that evening, then the brunette's theory was still plausible.
With one last deep sigh, she opened the doors of the bar.
Hunter had stayed at the police station, which Jenna didn't mind, she preferred working alone anyway, and her partner hadn't really been any help so far.
God, she hoped she was right. She didn't know what she'd do if she found nothing there.
The place was almost empty, which made sense as it was still pretty early. The few people who were already there seemed rather prosperous, all wearing expensive suits, even the way there were talking screamed wealth.
Jenna tried to hide her uneasiness, she was in no way poor, but she could feel she didn't belong there at all. Her badge was hidden inside her blouse, so no one could know she was a cop, which made her feel somewhat better. She knew not many people were fond of them, and, well. She definitely got it.
Forcing a smile on her lips, she made her way to the counter and sat there, trying to ignore the bad feeling she had in the back of her head. Soon enough, the bartender noticed her presence and made his way to her quickly, slightly bowing when he was close enough.
"Good evening, may I take your order?" He asked and Jenna nodded.
She definitely shouldn't drink, she was still on duty, but what kind of woman went to a bar alone to order water? She was trying to stay undercover and a drink wouldn't hurt, maybe it might even help her calm down a bit.
"I'll have a dry martini, please." She asked and he immediately got to work, making the woman smile. It had been a while since she had drunk anything that wasn't cheap alcohol, she thought she deserved it after all that happened.
A minute later, the bartender went back to her with her drink and she gave her a polite smile, speaking up before he'd go away.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," He raised an eyebrow,
"How can I help you?"
Jenna leaned forward on the counter,
"Do you know Mr Tanner? He come here pretty often," She asked and the man tilted his head to the side.
"I do," He only answered, and Jenna smiled. At least that wasn't a lie, she was getting somewhere.
"Was he here two days ago? And did he have company?" The detective asked, which seemed to take him aback.
"I'm afraid I can't help you, I'm sorry, but we respect our clients' privacy" He stated, and Jenna's lips curled into a small, amused smile.
She looked around quickly, making sure that no one was looking at them, before getting out her badge and showing it to him,
"I think you can help me, actually, though I respect your ethic." She started,
"Was he here last night, and was he alone?" She repeated, and this time the man nodded.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were a detective," He chuckled awkwardly,
"He was indeed there, I don't remember if he was with someone, though." He said, and Jenna nodded.
Well, at least that wasn't a no.
"Does he often bring women here? Or one woman in particular, perhaps?"
The bartender shrugged,
"I'm sorry, we have a lot of clients, it's hard to keep track." He started,
"I do remember seeing him talking to some women some evenings, so I doubt he's in a relationship if that's what you're curious about, but I might be wrong." He added and Jenna nodded.
Well, great. This felt like another dead end.
"Alright then, thank you for your help."
"No problems," He smiled at her before turning around and making his way to another client.
Jenna sighed, there was still some hope, he wasn't the only person working there and there had to be other clients who saw Tanner that evening, but still, the detective felt like she was getting nowhere. The more time she spent on the case, the further she felt like they were from finding the truth. Maybe Hunter was right, after all, the thief might as well be a ghost.
She picked up her drink and started sipping on it slowly, appreciating the warm feeling the alcohol brought her.
"A martini at six in the evening? Isn't that a bit early?" She heard a feminine voice say, followed by a chuckle, and Jenna immediately turned around at the sound.
A woman was standing in front of her. She was wearing heels, but the detective could tell she was much taller than her anyway, intimidating her a bit. The woman had short, blonde hair and was wearing a black suit with a skirt a little too short for it to be considered work attire. It was obvious she wanted to draw attention to her just from the way she was standing, yet everything about her screamed elegance and luxury, making her throat go dry. She felt so small beside her.
Though, that wasn't what held her attention. There was something about her eyes... They felt so familiar, Jenna swore she saw them before, but couldn't remember where or when.
She decided to just shrug it off, it probably didn't matter.
"There's no such thing as a right hour to drink a martini," Jenna answered, a cocky smile plastered on her face, and the woman only laughed, taking a sit next to the brunette.
"I guess you're right,"
Both of the women stayed silent for a few seconds, Jenna hoped it would stay that way. She wasn't fond of talking to strangers or just talking altogether.
But she didn't seem to notice that.
"I never saw you here before." The woman stated, looking in the distance.
So she came there often? Jenna couldn't hold back her smile, maybe she could learn something interesting, after all.
"It's the first time I come, a colleague told me it was nice." Jenna said,
"Maybe you know him?"
The woman turned around, looking back at the brunette with a smile,
"Maybe so, who is he?"
Jenna felt goosebumps erupt on her skin at the woman's voice. There was something so sultry about her, but her voice was laced with something so... dark but cute?
The detective had a weird feeling about her, something felt odd, and not in a good way. Jenna was used to seeing criminals and genuinely bad or evil people, and there was definitely something off with that girl.
"Tanner" Jenna said, and the woman raised an eyebrow, looking up for a few seconds as if she was in deep reflection.
"Doesn't remind me of anyone," She finally answered, and Jenna could barely hide her disappointment.
"What does he look like?"
"Huh... Pretty tall, dirty blonde, around thirty," She sighed and the blonde laughed. It was useless, he looked like most men here, and pulling out a picture of him would be suspicious.
"Yeah, that sure helps." She answered with an amused smile.
"But anyway, I'm glad he brought you here, it's nice to have some... feminine company." She stated, staring intensively into Jenna's eyes, and the detective could barely hold back a shudder at this.
She felt so vulnerable under her gaze.
"Yeah, it is," Jenna gulped.
"Well, I hope I'll see you around more often. It was nice meeting you," She said as she got up, and Jenna could only nod, the words stuck in her throat.
God, why was she feeling so uneasy?
Before Jenna knew it, she was alone again, the girl had completely vanished from the place. Jenna tried to shrug of the weird feeling that remained in the back of her mind, she still had some people to interrogate, and a case to solve, no time for distraction.
Shaking her head, she finished her drink and got up, she'd get to the bottom of it. Jenna Ortega was not one to give up so easily.
/!\ tw
Emma
Emma ran her hand through her freshly bleached hair, sighing as she waited for her Uber to come.
She wasn't fond of warm weather, liking fresh temperatures much more, but that evening was definitely too cold for her, and she was exhausted after spending such a long day at work. She couldn't wait to get home, pour herself a glass of wine, and look at another bad romcom on TV. She felt like she hadn't had any time to relax in forever and couldn't wait to get home, cuddled up in a comfortable blanket.
At least she had a somewhat fun time earlier and was able to go back to the flower shop quickly to grab her favourite item and bring it home with her. Well, that was if her ride ever came to bring her there, which didn't seem so likely to happen.
She checked the time on her phone, trying to distract herself from the cold, until a hoarse voice startled her, almost making her drop her phone on the ground.
She cursed under her breath, turning around to face the man who surprised her with a frown on her face.
"What the fuck is your problem?" She hissed, too tired to deal with anyone.
The intruder, a middle-aged man with grayish hair, raised an eyebrow in fake disbelief.
"Wow, hey there cutie, calm down, I just said hi," He was slurring the words, and Emma could clearly recognize the smell of alcohol. Hell, it wasn't even eight yet and that man was already drunk.
She decided to ignore him, not wanting to get into any kind of shitty situation. She was way too exhausted for that. She clutched her purse tightly, looking at the street in front of her, hoping that he would leave soon.
She should've known better, really.
"I live near, y'know, you could come to get a drink with me, and have some fun," He chuckled, and Emma could feel that he had gotten even closer to her. She wanted to throw up.
"I'm not interested." She kept her gaze focused on the buildings before her, her voice colder than ice.
"Come on, with a skirt like that," An evil laugh escaped his lips, making the girl shudder,
"Of course, you're interested, whore,"
Emma felt a skin crawl at the last word, the last bit of her sanity leaving her body.
That was too much.
She stepped back as she glared at the man who still had a sick smirk on his lips. She wanted nothing more than to punch it off.
She knew better than to do that, though.
Her lips curled up into a slight smirk as she blinked a few time. He was wearing an expensive looking suit and a watch that had to cost at least a few thousands dollars.
She knew what to do, screw her peaceful evening, he had ruined it anyway.
"You know what, I think I changed my mind, I really want a drink or something right now," She said, her voice lower, and the man chuckled.
She couldn't wait to make him pay for messing with her.