ᗴ᙭ᑭᒪOՏIᐯᗴՏ|ᵗⁱᵐ ᵇʳᵃᵈᶠᵒʳᵈ

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒| 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥.

"So you are saying that you have met Derryl Jones, but you never talked to him?"

"Well, I greeted him, but he never answered. And that was all that happened. I went upstairs and watched some TV."

Diana nodded, scribbling something down in her notebook. "And that was the only time Jones went to your house?"

"The only time I saw him. But father often had business partners over without me noticing. I was mostly upstairs and not interested in what he was doing."

"Okay," the Detective said, writing it down before she set down the pencil and leaned back in her chair. "How are you feeling, Charly? Is everything alright in here?"

The man in the orange overall shrugged. "Well, it's still prison but... I feel safer now. I was unsure when you told me about being in a private prison instead of a federal one, since I thought that the people here can be just as bribed as in a prison run by the state but... the guards here don't seem that way."

"A friend of mine is owning this prison, another one is running it as the director. They make sure that the guards are paid a fair wage and that the working conditions are proper. That minimalises the risk of bribery."

"Thank you, Detective. I'm really grateful for everything. And please tell your partner the same. Not only did you believe me, but you also made sure that Trang and the girls are safe."

Diana smiled at him. "Don't worry, Charly. We're just doing our jobs. Now," she said, standing up. "I need to get back to the station. I will come by again sometime soon. Take care, okay?"

"Yes, see you next time."
_

"Oh my God, you wouldn't believe what Bradford did today."

Diana looked up from her lunch as the chair next to her was drawn back and someone sat down. That person happened to be Lucy, so she relaxed and continued to chew. "Whaf?"

"You know, IA is doing this reversals thing this week, and we actually had Mario Lopez speed past a stop sign - which is cool but beside the point. Bradford obviously saw right through it. But not even an hour later, we had this call and we walk into the house to find thousands of dollars worth of hallucinative mushrooms, you know? And we find the guy who owns this lying on the floor, his leg caught inside some trap that when you step into it, it snaps up and claws its iron fangs inside your flesh. A bear trap, that's it. And Bradford thought he was jut another clever trap from IA."

"Don't tell me-"

"Oh yeah," Chen interrupted her with wide eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line. "He pulled the trap away. The blood spilled all over him. I still can't believe it. I mean, what's the problem with him and this IA woman?"

Diana perked up at the mention of a female playing a part in his life. "A woman? Does he like her maybe?"That'd be progress after his divorce.

"Nah, it seems she was the one who investigated Isabel, but he wouldn't explain further."

"Mhm," the Detective shrugged. "Well, not my problem."

"But he's my problem?"

"Well, yeah." Diana grinned at her with a lot of Schadenfreude. "He's your TO. But do you want some advice?"

Lucy sighed. "Please."

"Bradford is paranoid, but no matter how much this woman messes with him, he is still a good cop. I think, in the end of the day, you can trust his skills."

"You're right. Thanks... but it still-"

"Lucy, no," the Detective quickly shut her down. "After a lot of sticking my nose into his business, I know one thing about him for sure: if he wants you to know something, he'll tell you."