CHAPTER 83

      She knocked on the door for the fifth time, each time louder than the last but still there was no answer or any movement of some kind. There had been smoke coming out of the chimney when they arrived,evidence that someone had been home. But why would someone light a fire inside the house even before the summer days were over? The cold hadn't settled in yet and it was already around eleven in the morning. Kenny walked around the house watching carefully and disappeared in the back. Dylan knocked again.

            "Bernard Cooper,this is the police. Open up!" 

  Kenny reappeared from the other side,his gun now held at ease. He shrugged when their eyes met.

             "He's gone,we are just wasting time here. The back window is open. He must have used it to run because his car is still here."

             "Someone tipped him off," they said at the same time. She stepped back and looked around the house again. "What do we do now?"

   Just then,their car door was banged shut and Melissa walked up to them. She went ahead and tried the door.

            "What are you doing? We need a warrant to go into the house without his consent,that's going against the protocol."

Melissa turned to her,"Then it's a good thing I don't need one. It's different if I'm the one who opens it,right?" They looked at each other,Kenny shrugged. She had been trying to follow everything by the book ever since she was taken in in the department but now, she was already considering going against it this one time. But what if it landed them in trouble? She was supposed to be in charge. Melissa stood there impatiently. "Look,if he knows something,we are likely to find out in his house. Whether you want it or not, I'm going inside. You can turn back and leave me but I am not turning back without at least trying."

             "What if I arrest you for breaking and entering?" she asked sternly.

            "Then do it detective. I don't care. But,it wouldn't be breaking and entering if the door was left carelessly unlocked." She pushed the door open then turned to them,"I'm just trying to help."

             "Goddammit!" she shook her head and made up her mind. 

     Inside the house seemed as normal as any other house. They walked around studying everything. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Well,except the fire cracking in the kitchen chimney. She walked towards it just in time to see the last photograph that appeared to be Melissa fade into the fire. It was too late to salvage it. Their suspicion that someone had tipped him off were now so clear.

            "Over here," she turned around and headed back to the living room where Kenny and Melissa were leaning over a large photo album. She joined them.

            "It looks like Bernard and our dear stubby principal know each other a lot more than working in one school. Who would have all this photographs of a person they weren't close to?"

 She knew Kenny was right but tried to look it in another angle.

              "A psycho who is obsessed with people who cross him. Maybe he uses them as his score board as he plans what kind of revenge is best for them."

             "They are in an album Lewis,not pinned on a scoreboard on a wall."

             "I know. I just don't want to believe that the principal could be working with him. That would be so messed up." She looked at Melissa and remembered the photograph she had just seen in the fireplace burning. She didn't want to scare her but it was better if she knew that she could be in danger than be completely in the dark. It was better to be safe than sorry and now that the culprit had disappeared into whatever place he had,there was no way to know when he would be back and if he would still be after her.

           "Melissa, I know this is going to be hard for you but you are gonna have to remain at the precinct until it is safe to go back to school."

           "What the fuck are you saying? I should go into hiding while that psycho could be headed to kill someone I love?"

           "What are you gonna do. Right now,we don't know where he has disappeared to. We will have to start looking for him and we can't have you walking around willing yourself to be kidnapped. He had your photographs here,I just saw the last one burning to ashes meaning you are his next target." She shouldn't have said that last statement.

          "Then maybe that's what I should continue being. I might be the only person who can flash him out of his hiding."

          "And where will you go? Back to school? That principal of yours might shove you down a hole and we won't even realize. We don't know for sure if he is involved or not. These photographs prove nothing," she stopped to pause and let the words take effect inside her. "You are going into protection, whether you like it or not. I'm not putting you in danger knowingly."

   The truth was,she wasn't angry or even surprised that Melissa was being stubborn. She was doing exactly what she would have done if it had been someone she loved. She had already done it once,going against her superior. The difference was that Melissa was just a twenty one year old girl who had no idea how the criminal world looked like. She was clouded by love and was willing to risk her life for someone who might not be able to return her feelings or someone who could even be dead right in that moment. Anyway, the point was that she didn't have any skills to get into that world. She would die even before she got to see her friends and that,that was not a risk she was willing to take even if it could work perfectly in another point of view.

            "I know how you feel, I have been in a similar situation before but I am not going to let you walk into danger just like that. This is our work and I promise you, we are going to bring them back safely." Right there,she broke another code. Don't promise something you don't know for sure you are going to achieve. In moments of desperation however, it was the best thing to say. Right now she needed Melissa to believe her,she needed her to obey and cooperate with them.

            "Please detective, she is the only person I know who cares about me. I can't lose her too."

          "I know and we are not going to rest until we find her." She looked into her eyes,"Now,will you please do as I say?"

Melissa nodded after sniffling some tears back, "Yeah."

                "Good."

                       ★★★

     They strolled hand in hand around the park. There were noises of kids everywhere and several of parents warning them of places to go or not go. Teddy and Ravenna were a few paces ahead of them heading towards the video game stall which had become their first favorite part in the whole place. One could say that Teddy had influenced Ravenna into loving it but the truth was,the girl had it as a secret passion so getting used to it had come easy. 

               "Any luck with finding the girls yet?" Carly asked.

She shook her head,"Not yet,every time we get close to finding something, our efforts hit rock bottom." The last week had been the hardest. It was now Saturday  and nothing had brought them any close to finding Bernard or the girls. Even issuing a B.O.L.O for him all over town and outside the town had not bore any fruits. She had tried to crack the case but nothing was working in her favor and now today, she had decided that a day off would be welcome to her overworked mind. Maybe spending time with Carly and the kids would help refresh her head. Her voice sounded defeated and Carly noticed immediately.

             "Remember when you were working on the people who were threatening us just some weeks ago?" She nodded. That had been another hard nut to crack. "You cracked it just the moment you were about to give up,right?"

              "Yeah. It's just that it's kind of annoying that I did all that when I wasn't a detective and now that I am one,I'm totally clueless."

 Carly stopped then stood in front of her. She met her eyes.

               "Here is what I know. You don't need that title to work this case. I know you can do this Dylan, I believe in you. You are going to find those girls and bring them to their families. You just have to believe in yourself."

             "What if I can't? What if that time I was pushed by the fact that I love you so much and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. Maybe this thing about being a detective isn't in me."

             "Now that's just ridiculous. I know you,you are not just pushed by the fear of losing the people you love. There is also the need to do good for people. You are always happy and satisfied when you bring a smile on peoples faces, even if you yourself are not happy. You've got this baby, I know you do." She placed her hand on her chest and smiled. "Just believe it right here."

    She pressed her own hand on hers the moment Carly was about to pull it away. Feeling it there was a huge reassurance that she didn't have to be afraid that she wasn't good enough. This woman was exactly who she needed in her life.

             "Your touch, your words and your smile always bring me back whenever I feel like I am too far gone. Thank you for coming back to me."

             "Don't thank me because with you is where I belong. I love you so much."

            "And I love you," she smiled then looked past her. Teddy and Ravenna stood a distance away. She had thought they would already be in the video games stall but they didn't seem to be in a hurry today. Instead, they were talking to another girl who seemed to be around Ravenna's age. "Looks like the kids found themselves a new friend."

 Carly turned,"I think they are gonna be fine. As long as she-" she stopped abruptly and frowned looking at the three.

             "What is it?" she asked in concern.

               "I know Teddy. He doesn't talk like that to anyone he hasn't gotten used to. Do you think that could be the girl who got him in trouble the last time he came here with my father?"

                "It could be. Let's go introduce ourselves."

                "I think you are right."

     They kids didn't see them approaching since they had been so caught up in their own excitement. They decided to stand aside and listen to what they were saying. They should have known that the part about sneaking into a movie would come up. Two Pre-teens and a seven year old who had grown up way beyond his years couldn't possibly be up to any good if they got together. They looked at each other before deciding to take action.

                "Not so fast young folks," Carly said as she stepped forward. All three turned to them in surprise. 

               "Mom!" Teddy exclaimed in surprise and being caught red handed, he struggled with words to give as an excuse. He never lied but he tried to twist everything to a point he came to a reasonable explanation but she stopped him before he could say anything. Ravenna's face was a mask of regret meaning that even though  would have gone with them,it wouldn't have been her first choice. She had taken after her father in so many ways because during their days,Carly had been the one pushing him into mischief every time.

           "Who is your friend?" Dylan asked looking at the other young girl who remained indifferent all through. Before any of them could answer,another girl slightly older than the one standing there came by and called her. Dylan looked at her. Their eyes met and she did a double take. She looked at her more closely, there was no mistaking that face. Could it be her? She quickly took out her phone and swiped to the image she had always carried with her for the last few months and compared the two. "No way!" she announced and everyone looked at her in question.