The Thoughtful Detective

Chapter 12 - Moving On

Colton's POV

2 YEARS LATER

There's a lot of narrative exposition in this chapter, but it's all important to the story :)

Eva and I sat in silence as we pulled out of the parking lot of Dolcetto Ristorante. "Damn it!" she blurted out, as we turned the corner and onto the road. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

I sighed, as I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. I turned to face my ex-girlfriend. She was leaning forward in her seat, eyes closed, and palms pressed against her forehead.

I wanted to reach over, place my hand on her shoulder, and tell her that everything was going to be okay...but I was also losing hope myself.

"I don't know," I said quietly.

Two months ago, we received a lead on Johnny's illegal operations at Dolcetto Ristorante. We've worked tirelessly on the lead, but we've only managed to collect miniscule evidence. The bastard was exceptionally cunning. His senior henchmen were tightlipped, and the cordial manager of the restaurant was unconditionally loyal. I had run a background check on her and was surprised by her credentials. Born and raised in a small farming community just outside of Oklahoma City, Lidia Russo was only twenty-six years old, with a prestigious business degree from Carmichael University. She spoke with impeccable elegance and her facial expressions evoked nothing but purity and innocence. Regardless of the nefarious thoughts that ran through her head when I questioned her, she gave away nothing that would lead us to Johnny's location. At this point in time, Eva and I did not possess reasonable or probable grounds to submit an application for a search warrant on any one of the twelve properties Johnny owned.

The most frustrating aspect of mindreading was my inability to actually use the evidence I gathered. Obviously, my ability remained a secret, as telepathy would never hold up in court. I often had to seek creative ways to extract the information verbally from the accused. They had to incriminate themselves. For example, I couldn't just tell my team that I was certain Bobby Garrick's basement held narcotics. I had to dig up ways to make Bobby lead us to that information. Essentially, telepathy helped me confirm corruption, but I still needed to maneuver my way through the standard law enforcement steps in order to make an arrest.

My paranormal ability was a paradox that served as a gift and a curse simultaneously. It was outrageously frustrating to hear the damning evidence from someone's mind, but not be able to find a way to prove their guilt.

I wasn't yet ready to give up on Johnny, though. Word on the street was that his operations were expanding rapidly. The bigger something gets, the more difficult it becomes to operate effectively. Someone was eventually going to get sloppy. I was anxiously waiting for that moment.

We stopped at a red light and Eva suddenly shot up from her seat. "Shit! What time is it?" She glanced at the radio display. It was seven o'clock.

*Shit, shit, shit!*

She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a black cocktail dress.

*I'm going to be late!*

She reclined her seat all the way back and started to remove her clothing. I stole a quick glance in her direction but quickly averted my eyes.

She had on burgundy undergarments with intricate lace, and was currently pulling on a black cocktail dress. It didn't take a mindreader to know that she was going somewhere prominent, quite possibly a date.

My heart sank at the thought. It had been eighteen months since Eva and I broke up. Correction: since Eva had ended our relationship. I couldn't forgive myself for what happened with Fred and Gia. Not being able to find Johnny ate away at me, and at some point, I became lost and desolate. My telepathy became intolerable. I was constantly worried it would interfere with my natural instincts and cause destruction. I started avoiding social events, and Eva was forced to attend everything alone.

Eventually, Eva told me she had tried her best with me, and that I had become unrecognizable. She asked for a transfer out of our professional partnership. She started patrolling with Weitzman instead, but that only lasted for four months before Weitzman filed a complaint against her for being uncooperative.

She ended up partnering with me again, since we truly did work well together. By then, I had picked myself up from the floor. I stopped drinking, and I started hanging out with the crew again. However, many months had passed, and Eva had grown apart from me. We didn't hang out alone outside of work, and she didn't disclose much about her personal life to me. The transition was disheartening, but I dealt with it as best I could. Some days, it was still difficult to swallow the fact that we weren't together anymore. In hindsight, I should've confided in Eva instead of wallowing in my own self-pity. I often wished I had handled things differently, but shit happens. We all have to learn from our mistakes, I guess...

About six weeks ago, some mystery man appeared in her life. I have no idea where or how they met. The only thing I knew about him was that he was a professor, and they had gone out a few times.

She checked her reflection in the mirror and started to comb her hair with her fingers.

I regretted it the moment I opened my mouth, but I couldn't stop myself. "That's a fancy dress. Where are you off to tonight?"

She hesitated for a moment. "A party," she responded without looking at me.

She wasn't lying. I had already gathered she was going somewhere lavish based on her attire, but she was conveniently leaving out the purpose of the celebration and the people she would be attending the party with.

"Nice," I said casually.

We drove in silence for the remainder of the ride. We pulled into the police station, and I parked directly beside her personal vehicle. "Have a nice time tonight," I said, as I turned off the engine.

Before I could exit the vehicle, she grabbed my arm.

"Wait, Colton," she began. She tightened her grip. When I turned to face her, she relaxed slightly.

"Tomorrow is your birthday," she noted.

I turned away from her and pretended to wipe away some debris from the window with my sleeve. Eva knew that I never celebrated my birthday. My thirteenth birthday was the reason my father went out to purchase eggs, so that my mother could bake me a cake. My birthday was the reason he died that day. The annual milestone served as a painful reminder of his untimely death. I had no reason to celebrate the occasion. When Eva and I were dating, she tried to change that. Eva usually won our arguments, but this was the one thing I had always been adamant about.

I didn't respond. I laid my head against the glass window and closed my eyes.

"Since we have to work tomorrow evening, I'd like to take you out tonight. It's your 30th birthday, which is typically considered a significant milestone. You have a lot to be proud of, Colton. We could have dinner and grab a drink—"

"Don't you have a big party tonight?" I interrupted.

"I do...b-but...I don't have to go."

I shook my head. "Eva, your event seems important. Don't let me keep you." 

I wanted to be with her more than anything, but not like this. She was dressed to the nines and looking at me with a sad expression on her face. I wanted her to want to spend time with me, and not because of pity, or simply because it was my birthday.

We remained silent for a long moment. I rested my head against the window again. Eventually, I heard the jingling of her car keys. "Okay, Colton. I'll see you tomorrow." She exited the vehicle and closed the door.

The thought of Eva laughing and dancing with a handsome professor made me want to ram my head into the dashboard. I decided that I would drive home and walk over to the local bar down the street from my house. I hadn't had a drink in nine months, but tonight felt like the perfect night to have one.