I got up early and reached office. Maria was standing at the front table. She saw me coming and wished me.
"Hey Daniel"
I wished her back.
I walked into my cabin.
Ron and Vicky were also there. Ron was looking at Vicky and trying to muffle the laughter that was threatening to come out at any time. She was busy glaring at him and did not notice me until I stood in front of the duo.
Maria followed slowly with some documents.
Yesterday, when he was out with Angel getting her acquainted with the case, Ron, Vicky and Maria were out for catching some thugs who were stealing steel pipes from the store downtown and selling it somewhere out of town. Neigel, who saw his neighbor leave house at midnight,followed him till the store. When he spotted the group with the tools and realized that they were going to steal, he immediately called Maria and informed her.
"Good Morning everyone. How did it go yesterday? Did you catch those thugs?"
"Don't ask about it!" Vicky had a disgusted look on her face.
Ron and Maria started laughing. This was not unusual. Daniel's team was filled of people he knew throughout his life. They lived in this small town and were friends with all their families. So, silly jokes are very common. Definitely Daniel was missing some fun they had. He was curious now.
"What happened?"
"One of the thugs proposed to her." Ron was snickering while saying that.
Vicky slapped him playfully and glared at me.
"Don't you dare say something stupid?"
I held my hands in mock surrender.
"I was not even there. Why don't you guys tell me what happened there?"
Maria started laughing
"We just barged in and got hold of these guys after a little shooting. And there was this guy who was all built up and looked scruff. He proposed in a loud and clear voice to Vicky."
"And" I pressed on
"What is it that you want to know exactly? If I accepted his proposal or hit him right at the spot?"
Maria was laughing uncontrollably. Even Ron was banging his hands on the table.
His laughter was muffled as Vicky was trying to strangle him.
At that time, there was a knock on the door and Angy was standing at the door.
All of them stopped laughing and got up to greet her. After finishing the initial round of introductions, there was an awkward silence for some unknown reason. Apparently we must have looked like a bunch of idiots to her.
"So, you guys were sharing some kind of joke before I came in. I could hear you guys laughing."
"That is something you" Ron did not get to finish his sentence as Vicky nudged him.
Maria stopped both of them with a glare and said it was just a prank on Vicky.
"Let's get down to work. Vicky, I heard that you are good at tracking people. Please find out whatever you can about Grisham.
Maria, please go through the forensics once again and get me the report with your understanding. And get me the call log of Sasha.
Ron, Please go and tail Sasha for one day."
Everyone was gaping at her. She is new to the team. They have never heard me giving them instructions like that. We casually interacting with each other. And judging by the looks on their faces, she must have understood by now that they must be unaware of what transpired yesterday. Some kind of explanation should fix their communication gap for now.
"Sasha said that she doesn't have an idea about Veronica's work. That's a plain lie."
Everyone nodded in agreement and left the office.
"So what am I supposed to do?"
She gave me a skeptical look.
"Were you seriously asking for your share of work. You must have taken this is in a wrong way. I am not trying to show off any authority here. I am not ordering people around Danny. Take a look at it."
"What is this?"
She handed me a small box in which a rectangular...Oh my God! How did she??
"Where did you get this? And why is there only a part of it?"
"I got it from a trusted source. We have to find the other part."
"What are you hiding? Who is the trusted source?"
"I told you all you have to know"
"It is Loca! Isn't he?"
"Why would you think so?"
"Why not? He was one of the two people you interrogated yesterday."
"So?"
"He is a close friend of Veronica. She must have left it with him!"
"You are wrong and it doesn't matter anymore"
He was annoyed that she was hiding something. She was not trusting him enough. How are they going to solve a case together? For time being, he tried to hold on.
"If she hid it in separate places, then there must be a way to get to it."
"The paper"
"What?"
"The paper which was found at the crime scene."
"The Code?"
"Can you show it to me?"
"Wait a minute"
I picked up the phone and called Maria and asked her to bring the evidence.
Maria agreed and got the paper which was kept in a plastic cover.
She carefully handed it to Angy and left.
"Maria, did you send this paper to forensics?"
Maria stopped at the door and answered.
"Yes, Angel"
"Whose fingerprints were found on it?"
"Veronica's"
"Thanks"
"Okay"
She nodded at me and left the office.
"What is it Angel?"
"If there is any way that Verni is going to leave a clue to me, then that would be this paper"
She thought it out loud.
I was surprised. So, there was something that I did not know.
"Why would Veronica leave a clue to you?"
Realizing what she just did, she looked at me guilt evident in her eyes.
"I said it out loud. Din't I?"
I nodded.
She sighed and said in a lower voice.
"I will tell you once I come to know. I just have this feeling that Verni wants me to find the second piece which would lead me to the truth."
I lost it now. She would not trust me at any cost. And I can't lead an investigation with half known truths.
"So, you and your dead friend are playing a game."
Angel got up and looked at me dead in the eye.
"Calm down Danny! Why don't you just follow the lead which I gave you? Please remember that you din't even have this clue a while back."
Daniel thought about it. If she showed this piece to him and asked for his help, then she had put some trust in him. He was not supposed to lose his control over his personal feelings.
But all night, he could not get over the feeling that Angy was in the same town and not with him. He thought he had moved on but there were still feelings for her. So, at around 10pm, he went to Angy's house but could not muster courage to knock her door. Instead he stood there for what felt like hours and then came back.
While going to his home, he had to pass through veronica's house and was surprised to see lights in the front room.
He went up to the window and looked inside through the glass.
To his surprise, there was no burglar, but his sweet Angel was thinking about something and then fell asleep on the couch. He checked the alarm of the house and after making sure that the doors were locked, went back to his house.
Now, she was sitting here staring at him.
"Don't just stare at me Danny. Say something. Will you help me or not?"
"I will"
"Then get up. We have to go to my cabin."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Somewhere in the other part of town.
He pressed the call button and waited for him to pick the call.
"Hi"
"Hi" the voice on the other side said.
"Just making sure you did not hurt yourself."
There was a long pause.
"How are things going on in town?
"A new officer joined to investigate."
"Who is it?"
"I did not call you to bother you for such a trivial thing. Take care."
"Okay"
The line went dead. He hung up. 'If only he did not love her.................'
Lets read further and find out who the mysterious person is!! ehh ;)
And Will Daniel be overcome his insecurity towards Angel.
What is Angel hiding anyway!!
Hope you are having a good time.