Dandelion

Thirty-One

"Darius! My office!" Gary yelled from across the department. Darius looked up to see the old fart with a look of distaste written all over his face. Darius rose from his desk, closing a file he was looking through for information on a case that had come up a few weeks prior. He made his way through the small police department, stopping briefly to say hello to Charlene, the receptionist who was talking to one of the officers.
"Detective Winters," she nodded with a pleasant smile as he walked past. He stepped in but left the door open. Gary was talking on the phone but waved his hand for Darius to shut the door as he turned his back to him. Darius proceeded to do so, as he waited patiently.

"I don't give a shit what you have to do, Tom! I want this looked into, and I want it done now!" Gary yelled and turned and slammed his phone down. He leaned over his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose as he slowly lowered down into his chair. Both Gary and Darius had been working for the Opp police department for almost twenty years together. Darius knew Gary, and he knew that it took a lot to have him yell like that at someone on the phone. Whatever was going on was not good.

"We have a serious problem," he said as he finally looked up. Darius eyed him for a moment before he walked over and sat in the chair across from Gary.

"A few days ago, I received word that someone went and visited David Garret," he started. Darius shrugged.

"What's so strange about that? His mother goes twice a month to see him," Darius remarked.

"I thought the same, until I received a call this morning from Alice Craig," he sighed and shook his head, "it was his mother last week, but she was there with a defense attorney."

Darius sat up straighter now, unsure if his ears were hearing right or not.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"A Christopher Hill from Charles and Burk," he continued.

"Christopher Hill? Wait a minute, that's-"

"I know, that's the sister's fiancé. I know. I don't know why he was there, but what I do know is that you have a big red target on your back right now," Gary said gravelly. Darius looked at him confused.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Darius asked annoyed.

"What I'm talking about is the case that David Garret is making against you at this very moment for falsely arresting him and putting him in prison," Gary sat up, his voice harsher now.

"That's bullshit. I followed that entire case by the book," Darius could feel his anger biting at him.

"They've made it possible to have you kept away from the prison and to seek no contact with Garret from this day and until the investigation is over. They have also subpoenaed all your evidence and files not only from his case but from others to check for inconsistencies-"

"What! Are you seriously entertaining this idiocy? You were there with me the day I first arrested that sick son of a bitch! He ruined that girl's life, and several others in the process to get to her!" Darius shot up out of the chair shouting.

"What I think and what I know are two very different things. You worked this case alongside others from the Montgomery Department, day in and day out. But Darius dammit, if you didn't follow one little step, not only are they going to bring you down, but they will also bring down this entire department along with its integrity. Now it's not just you. Johana Mason who was head over the case is also being investigated as well. The big ticker about this entire thing is that they are gunning for you because of your history with David Garret and the Davis family," Gary stood up and shook his head.

"So, you're telling me we're about to put that family through hell all over again, all because some psychopath is crying wolf?" Darius resisted shouting again, but it wasn't without difficulty.