Social Work

Part 3

I got back in my car and headed towards Frederick Blvd. My stomach informed me it was still empty, so I stopped by Chick fil a. Normally I would go inside to eat, but I had an important phone call to make. The phone rang 3 times before a gruff voice answered. 

"What up, My? It's been awhile." I smiled widely. "Hey Griff. Listen, Feli gave me a case today, a girl in London Oaks. We have reports of abuse from the mom's boyfriend. The girl's name is Angela Wright. I talked to her today but I didn't get anything out of her. That's your beat, right? London Oaks?" 

"Yeah, it is. I know Angela. Well, I know of her. We picked up her moms a few times. D&D. Never locked her up though. Just dropped her off at home. What you need from me?" Griff replied, his voice filled with concern. 

"Can you maybe ride by her house a little more often? Let me know if you see anything crazy going down? I gave Angela my card and I think she will call me. But I'm worried something might pop off before she can get me on the phone. Also her neighbor Samuel wants to talk to me, but he was scared to do it in front of the house. Idk if he's been threatened previously or what," I replied. 

"Yeah you know I got you. Mr. Sam is real cool! I hope they not messing with that old man. He don't bother nobody. He's a retired fire fighter, he good people. Hell yeah, I'll keep an eye on both of them, no problem." 

I sighed with relief. "Thank you Griff. I appreciate you, as always. Keep me posted, huh?" Griff chuckled. "Will do ma'am. Take care. And ring my phone more often, too. Shit." The phone disconnected and I couldn't stop smiling. 

I had known Mike Griffin aka Griff and his partner Matt Jolley since I started working for the city. They were two of the best cops in the city in my humble opinion. They cared about P-Town and all its residents. They were on the job to make the city a better place, whereas some of their counterparts were simply there for a paycheck or for some fucked up power trip. 

I suspected Griff might like me a lil bit, though he had never made a pass at me or made any comments that would confirm that feeling. Jolley on the other hand, was quick to put him on blast. Jolley definitely wanted Griff and I to end up together. Perhaps he was living vicariously through Griff, since he had been married to his high school sweetheart for 25 years. 

Over the years the 3 of us faced some hard cases. Especially the one involving the 5 year old boy whose mom was sexually abusing him. When I arrived to investigate the call, I caught the mother in the act. I didn't even think. I scooped the boy up in one arm and ran out the front door, locking him in my car. I called Griff who was there inside of 5 minutes. 

Unfortunately for the mother that wasn't soon enough. Moms ran cursing towards me and I hit her so hard she fell back and cracked her head on the sidewalk. Griff arrived to find me in my backseat with the five year old, holding his little body wrapped up in one of my sweatshirts. His mother was sitting on the sidewalk sobbing, talking about pressing charges. 

Griff advised the mother that was a bad idea. But she insisted. I called Feli to come pick up the boy, while Griff called one of his colleagues to pick up the mother. Griff arrested me for assault that day, my one and only arrest ever. The charges where eventually dismissed, as it was found that I had acted in self-defense. 

The mother is no longer in jail, but she thankfully never regained custody of her son. Jayden, now 10 years old, was eventually adopted by a nice couple in Chesapeake and is thriving. We still check in on him occasionally, and last fall Griff and Jolley took him to Hampton Coliseum for Monster Jam.

I called Feli next to fill her in. She wasn't happy that I hadn't removed Angela from the house, but she knew I was right. Removing Angela now, could prove to be problematic in the long run. With no real proof, Angela would be placed back in the care of her mother. And most likely the abuse would get worse. 

Feli gave me a week off from regular duty (I would still have to be available in case of an emergency) to get things in order with Ed, once I finally came out with the truth of what happened last night. "I need you focused, My. And Ed needs to go. I've been telling you for years now. I'll help you with whatever you need. I'm your boss, yes. But I was your friend first. Never forget that, yeah?" Feli's tone had softened so much I felt my eyes well up. "Ok Feli. I'll still be around, so call if something comes up." Feli sucked her teeth. "And you KNOW I will, right? Head up, girl."