Twilight Imagines

24. That Should Be Illegal (Emmett Cullen)

(Published November 9, 2023) 

   Following a blood trail into the deep woods near the Cullen's place was the last thing I wanted to be doing on a drizzling day.  However, due to the extremely wet weather, our evidence would vanish if we didn't investigate right away.  So here I was, hair clinging to my face and shoes squeaking from the water, tromping through the undergrowth near the house most people tried to avoid.  Worst yet, we had lost the blood trail at the river, so my team had decided to split up and see if we could catch any other clues in the surrounding areas.  As far as I could tell, I wasn't in the right part of the forest for the murder.  I hadn't seen so much as a twig out of place.  
   Naturally, I had a bad feeling about this whole thing.  So of course, it was no surprise when one of the Cullens appeared in front of me.  I simply stopped walking and placed my hand on my gun just in case.  Cullen or not, I wasn't in the mood for games or being kidnapped right now.  
   He was sure surprised to see me, though.  His eyes widened and his brows furrowed slightly. 
   "Whoa, I didn't see you there." 
   "There's a murder investigation underway.  What are you doing out here?" I asked in my most professional manner.  
   "Just taking a walk.  I live nearby," He assured me.  
   "I know who you are." 
   "Yeah?" His wide grin was somewhat unsettling, as was his relaxed posture.  I knew I wasn't a scary cop, but this guy was unusually calm even for dealing with me.  
   "Yeah." 
   He gazed at me for a moment, giving me a quick once over he probably thought I didn't see.  I was a cop.  I saw.  I stood my ground, hand still on my gun, waiting for him to move along or say something else.  
   "Shouldn't you be asking me if I've seen anything regarding your case?" He crossed his arms over his chest, making the large muscles quite noticeable.  I pretended not to see them, keeping my eyes on his face.  
   "The station already interviewed your family.  Mr. Cullen was incredibly cooperative." 
   "Usually that worries cops." 
   I flicked a dripping strand of hair out of my eyes.  "Look, we all know the games.  If you guys were part of it, nobody is going to find any evidence because y'all are untouchable.  If you know something about where our victim was killed, I'd appreciate the information.  Otherwise, I really just want to get out of the rain, which means finishing my sweep.  Sorry to be blunt." 
   He just grinned wider, his golden eyes twinkling.  "A hot, honest cop.  That should be illegal." 
   I gave him a half hearted glare.  Turning away from him, I got a whole two steps in before he spoke again.  
   "Hey, your station never interviewed me.  I'll buy the good kind of coffee if you're willing to take my statement." 
   Sighing, I turned back to face him.  "Cullen, you're probably a really nice guy and normally I'd be flattered.  But I don't interview people.  I don't have the people skills for it on a good day." 
   He just smirked.  "I'm a hard person to offend." 
   "Mhm.  I have to get back to work." 
   "I'll see you around, Walters." 
   Well, he was observant enough to read my name tag at least.  That was a step up from the last guy. 
   I looked away just for a moment.  It was a quick moment.  And when I looked back, he had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.  I blinked, unsure of how to react.  Realizing it didn't matter because he was a Cullen and they got away with that kind of stuff, I started back on my trip through the underbrush.  
   There were two things I knew for certain.  First, Emmett Cullen was not a high schooler.  And second, he was not exactly a normal human being.  That being said, getting coffee with him was still a horrible idea.  A horrible idea that didn't seem quite so horrible to me.  It couldn't be worse than the last creep, right?  I shook my head with a small grin at the thought.  I sure did attract weirdos, didn't I?