Valen: Chapter 5

Valen starts her new job.

Five

Valen

I can't believe how the last four days just went by in a blur, and it was already Monday. I dressed into a pair of grey slacks and a lavender top, and then went into the kitchen where mom was making me my favorite veggie omelet for breakfast.

"Good morning honey," she said with a smile. "Did they not issue you a uniform yet?" 

"I only have orientation today, but I should get it sometime this week."

"So you won't be out on the streets for a few more days then?"

I shrugged. "I guess not, I'm not sure. Why?" 

She frowned. "Just curious is all."

I already knew why she was asking so I decided to drop the subject. Mom never really wanted me to become a cop because she thinks it's too dangerous, but she also wants to support me in what I want to do so she doesn't contend. I understand that she doesn't want her only child to get hurt. Or worse.

***

I arrived at the police station fifteen minutes before nine a.m., which is when my orientation was scheduled to begin. I checked in at the front desk with a fifty-something balding officer with glasses who asked me to take a seat in the open waiting area until Chief Russell came for me. I sat down, and took in my surroundings as people almost constantly walked by the waiting area. There were officers in navy blue uniforms, civilians, and the occasional person dressed in a nice suit. Possibly detectives. Maybe even F.B.I. I hope to be promoted to Detective one day. 

Suddenly there was a commotion at the front desk. There was a thirty-something blonde woman talking to the balding officer attending the desk, and her voice was growing louder by the second. She was somewhat frantic, and she obviously had fear in her voice.

She held up a piece of paper as she spoke to the officer. "So when he shows up at my house angry and out of control, I just have to throw this piece of paper at him, and pray that it makes him go away?" 

"Ma'am, we've done everything we can do at this point. I suggest that you keep a phone on your person at all times, and call us immediately if he comes within sixty feet of you," the balding desk officer told the blond woman. He didn't seem all that empathetic either.

"So that's it! I guess I'm on my own then? Thanks for all your help," she said sarcastically before storming away from the desk, and then out the front door of the station.

"Good morning, Ms. Sinclair." I heard before looking up to see Chief Russell looking down at me with a smile. I was so distracted with the blond woman that I never saw him approach me.

I forced a smile back. "Good morning."

"You can come on back now," he told me. 

I walked beside of Chief Russell as he spoke. "I hope you don't mind sitting in on our briefing this morning. I wanted you to get a taste of what's going on, plus I would like to go ahead and introduce you to some of your co-workers."

"No, I don't mind," I fibbed. I consider myself to be somewhat socially awkward around large groups of people that I don't know. It makes me extremely nervous. I especially don't want to be made a center of attention in a room full of strangers. I reluctantly followed Chief Russell into the same conference room where I had my interview only days earlier. Unfortunately for me the room was packed full, and all eyes turned to Chief Russell and I as soon as we walked in. I took a slow, deep breath to keep myself from having a possible panic attack. 

"Everyone, I want to introduce our newest squad recruit, Valen Sinclair. I expect you all to make her feel welcome." There were a few low echoes of "Hi Valen," just before Chief Russell turned back to me. "Valen you can take any empty seat."

There were only three empty that I noticed, and I sat in the closest chair within my reach. I sat down and instantly froze when I saw the gorgeous blue-eyed stranger sitting at the front of the conference room. Chief Russell began his briefing at the podium that was settled at the front of the room. "As you all know, the Camden Butcher is still at large. He has claimed four victims and we're going to work as a team, and do everything in our power to keep him or her from claiming a fifth. At the request of Detective Fitzgerald, Commissioner McVey was able to get twenty hours a week of overtime approved for the next three weeks. Hopefully the Butcher will be apprehended by then, but if any of you would be interested in any of this overtime there will be a sign-up sheet posted right outside my office." He then motioned his hand toward the very handsome man. "Detective Fitzgerald and Detective Lozado have been taking lead on this case since the very beginning, so they're going to fill you in on the details."

I watched intently as the handsome man walked gracefully to the podium and began to speak. "Good morning everyone! As Chief Russell said, the Camden Butcher has claimed four innocent lives. My partner, Detective Lozado and I, are asking for your help in keeping this monster from killing anyone else. We recently found out that all of the victims have hung out at Club Revolt in search of customers, and we believe that the Butcher may hang out there as well. We're asking for extra patrol around the vicinity of the club. We need to check out any suspicious characters and take note of everything about them. If you feel strongly that you need to question them...we don't recommend that you do it alone, but call for back up before approaching the suspicious subject. We don't know what the Butcher is capable of if he or she feels cornered or threatened in any way." 

I hadn't imagined the Irish accent at all the other day, it was certainly there, and it was sexy as hell. 

An officer with dark brown hair and a goat-tee raised his hand. 

"Yes sir?" Detective Fitzgerald asked the goat-tee man.

"You keep referring to the killer as he or she. Is it possible the Butcher can be a woman?" The goat-tee officer asked.

"We don't have any evidence that rules that out at this time," Fitzgerald answered. "I'm going to let Detective Lozado give you a brief profile of the killer that we've come up with so far."

Fitzgerald took his seat as Detective Lozado took over at the podium. I tried without success to follow what Detective Lozado was saying, but all I could focus on was Fitzgerald. I knew that I should pay attention since there was a good chance I would be working the streets before the killer was caught, but I just couldn't take my eyes off of the handsome man. Suddenly his beautiful eyes found mine, and my body shivered under his intense scrutiny.

***

After the briefing was over, Chief Russell introduced me to an officer named Brian whom I would spend the rest of my first day shadowing. Brian was temporarily assigned to a desk while he recovered from knee replacement surgery. Right from the beginning he was charming, witty, and very friendly, maybe a little too friendly unless I'm just overreacting. 

"Not to be blunt, but you seem young for someone to have knee replacement," I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm only twenty-five, but it was an existing injury from my high school football days."

"Oh! Well, I hope it heals soon." 

He's certainly built like a football player, and with his perfect skin, plump lips, and dimples he looks as though he could be a model for GQ. I'm sure he has women falling at his feet just like Fitzgerald. So far, they're bound to be two of the best looking men that I'll be working with in my future. 

"Thanks! You know, I was Homecoming and Prom King my senior year of high school. I bet you were at least Queen of one, if not both."

I shook my head. "Um thanks, but no, I wasn't voted Queen of anything." I haven't decided if he just gained or lost points in my newfound male grade-book. An F for cockiness and an A for a compliment might average out to a C if I were giving grades. 

"Aw that's too bad. I bet you were one of the prettiest girls in your school though."

I could feel my cheeks burn a little, and I was sure I was blushing. "Thanks," I smiled, and I mentally raised his grade from a C to a B for now.

For the rest of the day, Brian showed me the tricks and trade of his boring desk job such as filing, helping the other officers with their paperwork, answering the phone, and more filing. With one exception, we did have an interesting visitor. A woman called Mrs. Morelli who seemed to be a regular visitor, and a conspiracy theorist according to Brian. She walked with a cane, and had slowly made her way straight to Brian's desk. He had let out a frustrated groan as soon as he caught sight of her. 

"I don't feel like dealing with her today," he whispered with frustration.

"Good afternoon Brian," Mrs. Morelli told him once she finally reached his desk.

"Hi Mrs. Morelli. Take a seat," he gestured to the empty chair in front of his desk.

I quickly stood up from my seat to help her with the empty chair, and I noticed she's much shorter than I am. I bet she's barely five feet tall. She had her silver hair pulled up in a bun, and she wore a blue shawl over her shoulders even though it's the middle of June. 

"Oh, thank you my dear. You were taught good manners," she told me.

"Yes ma'am." I gave her a smile. 

Once we were both seated, Brian continued. "How can I help you today, Mrs. Morelli?"

"I wanted to let you know that the man in the grey car with dark windows was back again this morning."

Brian's expression and tone showed he was clearly agitated. "Now Mrs. Morelli, you know that you can just call me from your home to let me know that. You don't have to come all the way down here to the station." 

His agitation didn't seem to faze Mrs. Morelli a bit. "I know my dear Brian, but I would rather talk with you in person." She turned and spoke directly to me. "Brian reminds me so much of my son Roger." She paused, and her eyes suddenly turned sad. "I haven't seen Roger in over two years."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you know what happened to him?" I heard Brian let out a sigh at my question. I assumed I must've opened a can of worms, as the expression goes.

"Well dear, Roger is in the CIA, and he has been working on a very important mission. He can't contact me, and I don't know if he is even still alive or not." She lowered her head, and I thought she might begin to cry.

"Well, you said something about a man in a grey car?" I asked, trying to get her mind off Roger.

Brian quickly interceded. "Yeah. Mrs. Morelli has been seeing a man in a grey car sitting on the street across from her house, but he hasn't done anything illegal."

Mrs. Morelli raised her head to look at Brian. "Not yet my dear Brian, but I'm telling you there is something off about that man. I think he's waiting for something...or someone. He may be waiting for my Roger. Either way, it's not normal for him to sit and watch my house like he does."

"You're right!" I said, and both of their heads quickly turned in my direction. "It's not normal for someone to sit and watch a house. There has to be a logical explanation though. If you'll give me your address Mrs. Morelli, I'll drive by your house and check it out myself as soon as I get assigned a patrol car."

Mrs. Morelli wrote her address down on a piece of paper and handed it to me before she left Brian's desk, and then slowly made her way to the exit. I turned to face Brian who was staring at me. "What?" I asked him defensively.

"You know you're just adding fuel to her crazy conspiracy-theory fire, don't you?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't hurt to check it out though."

Copyright © 2016, R.J. Snow