“Yes, Ma’am. I’m ready, Officer Burns.”
Cassidy gripped the steering wheel tighter after hearing Jacob refer to her as ma’am. She clenched her teeth, seething with frustration toward him as she sped a little faster down Main Street. The station was not far away, but with the constant construction going on, she knew it would take longer to get there than she’d like. Her face reddened and her palms began to sweat due to the tension. The tension that she had inadvertently helped to create.
She quickly reached over to adjust the fan on the air conditioning. Immediately, a cool blast of air hit her face. This temporarily soothed the burning sensation radiating down her neck and chest. It did not, however, stop Cassidy’s mind from racing nor the strange pulsation feeling throughout her legs and back. It was like a constant buzzing sensation that made her feel weird and tingly. Cassidy tried to remind herself that these were routine charges being brought against Jacob’s crew member and his wife. Still, she was a bit confused by the chief’s specific order to bring Mr. Ramirez in for questioning about them. She took in a sharp inhalation and held her breath. Not obeying the chief’s explicit orders was causing chaos inside her body. Cassidy needed to get out of the car fast. She needed to not be locked in such a tight space with Jacob either. She was desperate for a distraction, so Cassidy reluctantly settled on small talk.
“How are your parents doing? Are they still working?”
“They’re both doing well. Thanks for asking, Cass—I mean, Officer Burns. My mom retired two years ago from teaching and now she is very much enjoying her book and garden clubs. My dad, on the other hand, is adamant that he’s still a spring chicken. Dr. Roberts is still seeing patients at the blessed age of 80, but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He keeps Mondays open for Pinochle and Fridays for golf, of course.”
Cassidy smiled, remembering Jacob’s parents fondly. They were always active and social people, so she could clearly picture them as Jacob just described.
“Wait, what about Wednesdays?”
“Ah, good catch. Wednesdays are for Mom. She insisted that they have a day to do something together, since usually the weekends are filled with seeing friends and family, and going to church.”
Cassidy nodded. The buzzing sound began to grow louder in her ears and for a brief moment, she heard ringing in her left ear. It thankfully subsided quickly. She took a large sip of her water, trying to do everything she could to keep her composure. Yet, Jacob’s obvious reciprocal question back to Cassidy nearly made her spit out her water.
“So how are your parents?”
Her whole body tensed up and Cassidy shifted in her seat anxiously, trying to calm her nerves. A sharp pain cascaded down her spine like a lightning bolt, reigniting the fresh wound she had endured only a couple days ago. Cassidy had gone over to her parents for dinner, but the conversation had turned south rather quickly with little warning, causing harsh words to be exchanged. She wished they hadn’t departed on such bad terms. Her mood shifted back to darkness as she continued to wrestle with the hurt. Her answer was muted and short.
“They’re away on a two-month cruise.”
“Wow, that’s exciting! Where are they going?”
Cassidy shrugged and simply replied, “I guess.”
Jacob must have sensed her tone, as he did not say anything else. Cassidy couldn’t even steal a glance his way, but his pine scent filled her nostrils, making her stomach do somersaults of both joy and dread. Cassidy thought she was going to be sick, but a wave of relief rolled over her once the station came into view. The good old 29. Cassidy remembered the first time she had walked through those doors. She was ten and her Uncle Jared was beaming with pride as he gave his favorite niece a tour of the place. Cassidy smiled, remembering how in awe she had felt that day and the way her uncle had made police work seem so exciting and rewarding. It was that day that Cassidy had secretly decided she wanted to follow in her Uncle Jared’s footsteps and become a cop.
Unfortunately, her plans were put on hold due to her parents’ insistence on college first. Cassidy didn’t regret her degree in criminal justice, though, as she knew it would eventually help her with her end goal of becoming a detective one day. She just wished that her Uncle Jared could have lived long enough to see her graduate from the police academy. Cassidy was proud to be a part of the family of blue and vowed to continue his impeccable legacy.
“We better hurry, Jacob. I’m running behind schedule now, so hopefully, this won’t take long.”
“Copy that, Officer Burns, I copy, do you? Over.”
Cassidy shot Jacob a stern look for that sassy comment but couldn’t help but smile a little anyway. Jacob had always been able to make her laugh, which both made her happy and a bit infuriated by his charm at the same time. Without further prompting or silliness, Jacob and Cassidy got out of the cruiser and headed inside quickly.
She led Jacob down a crowded hallway with cops and administrative workers crisscrossing paths everywhere. It was a decently large building for the small town of Naven. Nestled on the outskirts of Lake Glenoake and the Dovetail Mountains, the small town of Naven beckons many tourists in the summer for its serenity and secret nature hideaways. Around 500 people call it home, so everyone knows everybody. Not a lot of crime happens in the tight-knit town of Naven, but often, Cassidy’s precinct gets enlisted to help with the three other neighboring towns nearby— even though the closest one is 45 minutes away.
Cassidy was surprised to see Jacob back in their hometown. Last she had heard, he had been living out west somewhere after attending college in California to become an architect. She wanted to ask him what had made him move back and start a roofing company, but her stomach was churning in knots, so Cassidy dared not say a word. They made their way toward the back of the station and down a corridor with several offices and meeting rooms. Cassidy led Jacob inside one of the open meeting spaces and closed the door mostly, leaving it slightly ajar. She needed that little opening as a reminder that she could leave at any moment and be free of Jacob’s intoxicating enchantment over her.
Fumbling with her clipboard, she laid out five pieces of paper on the table. Jacob rolled his chair closer to take a look. He was now right next to her, and that made Cassidy lose her concentration for a moment. She took a deep breath to regain her composure and used all her strength to stay focused on the task at hand. She had been given specific orders from the chief with this visit and although she technically did not follow them exactly, Cassidy knew Jacob was a man of honor and would help fix the mess that his two crew members created. At least she hoped.
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine as her body felt damp and cold. This time, it was not Jacob’s doing. Cassidy clenched her teeth tight to prevent her body from retching. Her eyes grew wide and fear froze her as she watched in horror when her boss burst through the door. He did not look angry. Not yet, anyway. Good, maybe there’s time for me to explain, Cassidy thought. Before Cassidy could even open her mouth, Chief Braxton boomed loudly.
“Mr. Ramirez, I think you know why you’re here—wait, who are you? Burns, this is not Mr. Ramirez!”
Cassidy trembled and felt her knees buckle beneath her. She was about to faint when she felt a gentle hand touch her arm. Jacob’s sweet gesture of support helped Cassidy regain enough strength to answer her boss.
“Chief, I know you had given me specific orders to bring Mr. Ramirez in, but—”
“But you didn’t do it! You didn’t follow what I asked you to do. This is very serious, Burns.”
At this point, Cassidy sank down into her chair. Tears welled in her eyes as she fought desperately to hold them back. She could not allow herself to be seen crying right now. That would make this whole thing so much worse. Cassidy stared down at the large oak conference table before her. She knew she would break if she made eye contact with either man. She was lost in her racing thoughts until Jacob startled her with his voice.
“Sir, if I may, Officer Burns tried to talk to Carlos, but I prevented her. I asked her to take me instead. I don’t understand why everyone is getting so worked up over a couple of unpaid parking tickets, but I will pay them. It’s fine.”
Chief Braxton slammed his fist on the table, causing both Cassidy and Jacob to jump. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure everyone in the room could hear it—maybe even the entire precinct. She tried to take a breath in, but it was difficult. Cassidy hoped that this nightmare would be over soon because she desperately needed to get outside for some fresh air.
“Fine, you say? It is not fine! It is quite the opposite. Mr. Ramirez was not being brought in today because of a ‘few unpaid parking tickets.’”
Cassidy’s face turned ghost-white now. She heard her voice speak out meekly, but at this point, she felt so numb; it was like an out-of-body experience.
“Why was Mr. Ramirez being brought in today?”
Chief Braxton was now moving swiftly towards the door while typing fiercely fast on his tablet. He didn’t even turn his head as he yelled the answer back to them on his way out.
“There’s an arrest warrant out for him.”
Placing both her hands over her mouth, Cassidy stifled the scream that was building inside of her. She had failed her duty as an officer. She had let a criminal go free and it was all her fault. Even worse than that, Cassidy had failed to uphold her Uncle Jared’s legacy. Her instincts had been wrong to trust Jacob and there was no way to undo what she had done. Cassidy felt the weight of it all crashing down on her as she realized everything she had worked for had been lost.
To be continued…
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