When the Bough Break

"Where have you been?" Lyca asked when Miles Sanchez entered the precinct early in the morning. He had been gone for quite a long time, and the only message he left was the text message he sent to Lyca, and that was four days ago. Miles sat on his chair and covered his face with his palm.

"Hope I am not going crazy," Miles said.

Lyca laughed.

"Why would you say that?"

Miles can only shake his head. "Oooh...this case. The death trail is getting spooky."

Lyca was writing on her desk the report on Doctor Molina's burglary.

"Speaking of spooky, why didn't you report in the last three days?"

Miles looked at the ceiling and then looked at Lyca like she should give him her full attention. His tone borders on insult.

"Yes, I am here. Ready to tell you what happened. Boss. Frankly, where would I start? Uh yes, let me start with the order. Someone had given me the task to go to that house in Palindrome Drive, and soon after everything…. got… fu_ked up! My wife thinks I am nuts and left me this morning, my head is spinning, my time got messed up, and I am not f_cking sure what other glitches possibly happened that I am not aware of. "

That reply had a reverse effect on Lyca. It got her mad all of a sudden.

"Are you saying you shouldn't have been given that assignment?" She stopped altogether doing the report and crossed her arms in dismay.

"Of course, that's not what I meant to say."

Lyca stood up.

"So, whatever it is... it should have been me that should have been fucked up with whatever issues you are going through, eh?"

"Can you hear me out for a second? I want to say….after the assignment….I went home to my wife thinking it was just late at night and when I went home my wife was saying...I was gone for two days already. "

"Where have you been, really?" Lyca asked in a condescending tone.

She then looked at Miles and continued her tirade, "The kind of case we are having now really isn't fun to deal with, and I agree with that. But giving a lame excuse for not coming here for the last two days is considered negligence and unforgivable."

Miles got offended. He immediately stood up to raise a point. "Am I giving you a lame excuse? I am trying to explain my side as humble as I can, and you are giving me an attitude!"

Jorge heard their argument. He went inside the room to clarify what it was all about.

"Is there something that I should know about?"

The two replied at the same time and shouted, "Yes!"

Moments later. Jorge sat in front of Miles for that man to man conversation. Lyca decided to take a two-hour break outside to cool things off. The intensity of the events for the last several days had begun to test her patience, and like a ball of crystal, some of the cracks inside her are showing.

Jorge acted more like a father than a supervisor when he tried to talk it out with Miles Sanchez.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Sorry, I got carried away. This won't happen again."

"I am expecting that. And I also want to understand what happened."

"I don't know what's happening, Jorge. Kind of spooked me a little."

"Why would you say that?"

"After I went to Palindrome Drive, things began to happen that didn't seem ordinary."

"Like what? I am listening."

"But do you believe me?"

"I will...to the best of my ability, Miles. I promise you I am here to listen."

"If you think I am making this up, I am ready to hand in my resignation. Just tell me."

Jorge touched Miles on his shoulder. "I believe you are telling the truth, Miles. So you won't do that."

Miles tried to clear up his head. His emotion is getting the best of him.

"Jorge, do you know the feeling that something just happened moments ago, and when you tried to look for it comes that feeling of deja vu?"

Jorge felt he was free-falling inside a deep ravine.

"Tell me more, Miles." His face now frowned as he listened intensely. The story sucked him in.

"This picture," he showed Jorge his wedding photo. "I lost it while I drove back home. I am sure the wind took it away. But after I looked for it and gave it up, it was there still in the car. How is that even possible? And not only that, I came back one night, and I went to this tavern, and an older man gave me his phone so that I could call my wife. I talked to her for a minute or so. When I came home, she said I didn't call her. Who did I talk to then? A ghost? And not only that, I believe I was just gone for hours, and my wife said I was gone for two days. Two long days! How can that happen? "

"And you didn't go anywhere?"

"No, Jorge. I went home straight. I never stopped other than at the tavern."

Jorge walked inside the room, his left hand on his chin, trying very hard to digest what he just heard. It crept him.

Can Miles make this all up? He asked himself.

He looked at Miles, and he remembered the first time he entered the police force. During his training, he passed all integrity and lie detector tests. Why would he doubt him now? He always told the truth. Is he breaking down? No. The case may be weird, but it is considered simple.

Everyone can be stressed by work, and he might be in those situations. Perhaps, he just wanted to be heard. But can he be believed?

Jorge looked at his watch. "Maybe we can go there. It's still early."

Miles agreed if this would help him explain his case.

Lyca came back inside the office. She was humbled by the time to reflect on everything. Certainly, this is not the time to quarrel about petty things. They have jobs to do.

When the two crossed each other's path, Lyca was the first to offer her hand in peace.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Miles took her hand to shake it.

"Thank you, accept my apologies too," Miles replied.

Inside the police car, Jorge took a heave of a sigh.

"Let's find what the mystery is all about."

Miles drove the car out of the precinct premises and away from the city.

Moments later, Jorge received a call from Lyca.

"Lyca, this better be important."

Lyca was panting.

"The IT was asking about the video the colonel sent, and you said you want to be enlarged?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"The IT department sent us a guy to do the cleaning and enlarging."

"No, Lyca. A fat IT guy, sorry for saying that inconsiderate word, came in three days ago to do just that. I didn't get his name. You mean he is being replaced?"

"No, Jorge. The department said they had not sent anyone and this guy here in front of me is the...one."

"Then who did I talk to? He got the copy of evidence!"

The voice came in a series of chopped words and cannot be discerned.

"Sorry, the line is choppy. What is that again? Hello, Jorge?"

The line went dead. Jorge suddenly got the urge to check his office for bugs too. But they were unable to make that important call when they passed through a dead spot.