Hi, this is Kimberly Grace and I want to thank all my readers/listeners for continuing to follow my story, A Cop’s Crossroads with Love. Just a friendly reminder that at some point, the rest of this story will only be accessible to my paid subscribers. Don’t worry, there is still more story for me to share with you before that happens. Now, let’s continue with Part 5 — Cassidy’s nightmare begins…
Peeling left out of the station, Cassidy and Jacob sped down Main Street as fast as Cassidy’s stomach could handle. Although she was feeling slightly better, her insides lurched with every turn. Pushing the nausea out of her mind, Cassidy tried to find something else to concentrate on. Reaching down, she turned the volume up all the way on her radio. Jacob leaned in slightly to listen to the chatter on the channel. So many voices were chiming in at once that it was hard to make out what was happening. The only thing they could gather from the gargled mess of voices was that Carlos had not been found yet and someone named Rosalina was at the house.Good, there’s still time to find him first, Cassidy thought.
She stole a glance at Jacob, who was typing intensely on his phone. Cassidy knew he was trying to get more information on Carlos’s whereabouts. He had tried calling him directly when they left the precinct, but the call had gone straight to voicemail. With sweaty palms, Cassidy tightened her grip and pushed the pedal down as hard as she could muster. She knew it wouldn’t get them there any faster than they were already going, but it made her feel better for some reason. A pounding headache formed in the upper right corner of her forehead, drumming loudly on her temple. She strained her ear towards the radio and heard that name again. Rosalina. Who is she?
“Um, Jacob?”
“Hmm?”
Jacob did not look up from his phone. He cradled it like a precious sleeping child, as he gently coaxed it to give him the answers he sought.
“Do you know who Rosalina is?”
“Yes, she’s one of my crew members. She’s also Carlos’s wife. She’s amazing—an extremely hard worker and a dedicated team member.”
Cassidy nodded, as the realization dawned on her that Rosalina was the woman roofer she had seen this morning. She worked a very tough job and Cassidy respected that. Jacob was clearly not a partial participant in this case and she needed to keep reminding herself of that fact. A good cop sticks to the facts and doesn’t let emotions get in the way. Biting her lip, Cassidy choked back a wave of guilt, remembering that it was precisely her emotional attachment to Jacob that got them into this mess. All she could do now was hope that Rosalina would be able to help shed some light not only on her husband’s current location, but also on the truth of the situation.
She just needed five minutes with her. That’s all Cassidy asked. Yet, she knew it would not be easy with Chief Braxton now directly involved. He most certainly already had Detective Landry on the case, and judging by his reaction earlier to her disobedience, Cassidy knew she would have to be careful not to be caught stepping out of line again.
“Ships and chips, no one is picking up.”
Jacob pounded his thigh in frustration. Despite the serious and somewhat awkward circumstance they found themselves in, Cassidy couldn’t help but smile. She watched Jacob scrunch his nose in concentration and scratch his chin absentmindedly, as if he could somehow extract the solution that way. His hair was a tousled mess of curls from him bending forward so much to look at his phone. Cassidy had to resist the urge to run her fingers through it. Her heart pounded in her chest so fast that she was sure he could hear it.
Turning her full attention back to the road, she shook herself, trying desperately to stop her longing for him. She sighed and noticed Jacob was now staring at her. She blushed and quickly tried to think of something that would distract his attention away from her.
“Ships and chips, eh? What are you, a salty pirate?”
Jacob’s laugh soothed her soul and tamed the panic that threatened to rise up inside of her. She loved that his laugh was so light and wholesome. It reminded her of the days growing up when they would play board games together. Cassidy never liked to lose and neither did Jacob, although he had always been much more gracious than she. Cassidy had seized every opportunity that she could to gloat about her wins over him. She cringed slightly now, realizing how childish and embarrassing she had acted. Jacob didn’t seem to notice her remorse or uncomfortable shift. He was back to typing on his phone again.
“No, not a pirate. It’s just a saying my dad likes to use, especially when playing Pinochle.”
“Oh, but…”
“…but what does it mean? Haha, good question. I don’t know exactly. It’s just an expression he decided to use when the game wasn’t going his way. I think he said something about a ship made of chips wouldn’t sail well, or was it a ship sailing in a sea of chips? I don’t know, but anyway, he said it so often, I guess it got ingrained in me. Either that or I’m getting old.”
“I like it. It’s a cute saying, old timer.”
Jacob chuckled and locked eyes with Cassidy for a moment. Suddenly, the anxious feelings and nausea settled instantly. For whatever reason, Jacob had always made her feel safe, and a wave of gratitude swept over her. It was as if they were suddenly back in high school, or maybe time had frozen until they reconnected again. Whichever it was, Cassidy felt both a little better and overwhelmingly nervous at the same time. Oh great, even the high school insecurities and emotions have followed me, she thought.
There was no time to ponder what could or could not happen between them, though. They were almost to the house and Cassidy’s stress level started to rise. She slowed up as they pulled onto the street where the house sat at the end of the cul-de-sac. Bright red and blue lights flashed like a rave up and down the street. Cassidy pulled over, way farther back up the road. She couldn’t risk being caught by her boss here. She motioned for Jacob to go on ahead of her. He climbed out of the car but stopped with the passenger door open. He ducked his head back in and moved in slightly so they were eye level with each other. Cassidy held her breath as the closeness to him was making her feel dizzy.
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“I can’t. The chief is there. What if he sees me?”
Jacob placed his hand on hers. She felt a jolt of excitement shoot up her arm from his warm touch. Jacob was such an encourager, believer, and doer, so much so that it made Cassidy want to step out of the car. Yet, fear and doubt kept her captive enough to resist his charm.
“Cass, I promise it will be fine. What can he do? He didn’t tell you not to look for Carlos.”
Cassidy sighed. He definitely was somebody who did not like to give up easily.
“No, but it was implied, Jacob. I know the look he gave me, and trust me, it was not a good one.”
Jacob released her hand and raised both his arms up in the air as a sign of surrender. She secretly missed the warmth and closeness of him.
“Fair enough. I can’t argue with the police. Well…not too much anyway.”
With that, he gave a wink and his signature grin before turning around to head in the direction of the commotion. A dozen officers were milling around the houses. Some were talking to the neighbors while others were just shooting the breeze. She watched as Jacob disappeared into the crowd. Cassidy then slumped back in her seat and closed her eyes for a second. It was in that moment she realized just how tired she really was and at first, she tried not to drift off. However, she gave up the fight eventually and fell into a deep sleep.
Cassidy dreamed that she was in a dark room with a bright light hanging above her head. It was stifling hot in the room and when she tried to move to get up, she realized that she was handcuffed to the chair. No matter how hard she tugged and twisted her body, she could not break free. Suddenly, a voice spoke out from the shadows.
“You disobeyed me and now you’re going to pay the price.”
Cassidy recognized the voice. It was Chief Braxton. Then two other people spoke up.
“We told you, but you didn’t listen. Now look what you’ve done?”
“You’ve ruined your uncle’s legacy. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Cassidy felt tears sting her eyes. Those were her parents’ voices. Then the last voice spoke, but Cassidy didn’t recognize it.
“You believed in fairytales as a little girl, but wake up! This is real life and you’ll never have a knight in shining armor. Your puppy dog love for Jacob is pathetic. You deserve this. Guards, lock her up and seal the door. She’s never getting out now.”
Cassidy wanted to scream, but her throat was dry and a lump made it hard for her to even breathe. She watched as the shadowy figures started to move out of the room. She mustered enough strength to cry out, “wait!”
Then, out from the darkness, emerged the last person to speak to her. Cassidy trembled at the sight of her. Her eyes were dark and soulless while her jet-black hair was sleeked back and wrapped in a tight bun. She had a sense of familiarity with her, though. Cassidy could not place how she knew this woman until she stepped closer to her. She bent down and gave Cassidy the most sinister-looking grin. When Cassidy met her gaze, not willingly, as the woman forced her chin up, Cassidy’s eyes grew wide in terror. The woman was…Cassidy!
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She was staring at a very dark version of herself. Her mouth dropped open and the evil Cassidy cackled loudly. It was so loud that it began to hurt Cassidy’s ears. She wanted to cover them, but her forearms were still chained to the chair. She shut her eyes instead, but the menacing laughter echoed inside her head. Cassidy’s head pounded with every booming sound of her own maniacal laughter. She did not know how much more she could take and was losing hope fast. Suddenly, a scream pierced loudly, silencing the laughter at once. It was Cassidy’s own voice. She continued to scream and couldn’t stop herself. The next thing she knew, she heard a different but familiar voice calling her name.
“Cass, wake up! It’s okay, just please, wake up!”
Cassidy opened her eyes and to her shock, she was back in her police cruiser and Jacob was standing next to her door with a very concerned look on his face. Cassidy gulped, gasping for air. Her heart was racing. She looked around wildly for a moment, just to make sure she was actually awake. Jacob handed her a water bottle, which she gladly downed in almost two gulps.
“Are you okay, Cass? You were shaking and moaning loudly in your sleep.”
“Yeah, I uh…thanks, Jacob. I had a nightmare. That’s all.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
“No! I mean, thank you, but really, I’m fine. Did you find anything out?”
Jacob nodded with a serious expression that made Cassidy’s stomach churn. She knew it was not going to be good news.
“Carlos is gone. No one knows where he went, but he took a backpack full of supplies.”
Cassidy put her head down on her steering wheel. The weight of the guilt she felt for letting Carlos escape was too much for her right now. She felt Jacob gently pat her shoulder.
“There is some good news, though. Rosalina is here. She doesn’t speak much English, but she wants to talk to you.”
“To me? I’m sure Detective Landry is the one she needs to talk to right now.”
“Yes, he tried. He even got an interpreter, but she refused to speak to him. She said she would only speak with the lady cop from this morning.”
Cassidy popped her head up so fast that Jacob stepped back a little. Her eyes searched his to confirm that what he told her was true. He nodded and smiled at her. Cassidy breathed a sigh of relief but did not return the smile. Her doubts about being a cop started plaguing her mind again. A worry line crossed the top of her forehead. Jacob seemed to be reading her mind as he took her hand again.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to do great. Rosalina is a sweet woman and I know why she chose to talk to you.”
“Oh yeah, and why’s that?”
“Because you’re the best cop in town.”
Cassidy began to roll her eyes, but the look on Jacob’s face stopped her.
“I mean it. You care deeply for others and your empathy is what makes you a really great cop. And it’s not because you’re a woman. You’ve always helped others, especially the ones who get overlooked. It’s who you are, Cass. I’m not sure why you doubt yourself, but it’s okay. You’ll remember. You’ll find the old fierce, sweet Cassidy again.”
Cassidy wanted to freeze time. Jacob’s words were so tender and healing to her soul. She wanted to reply, but didn’t know what to say. Before she could even think of anything, Chief Braxton’s loud voice shook both of them out of their trance.
“Burns! Get over here now!”
To be continued…
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