Solving for Myself

Chapter 7: Derailed

After crossing through the yard and onto the next street, he ran as fast as he could and returned fire when he had to. It took him 2 hours on foot but he managed to arrive at the precinct and only then did he realize that he was burned a bit and his knuckles were skinned badly. As he walked into the front doors, he was greeted by armed officers and a medical team who pulled him into Chief Harris's office just as he began to get a bit dizzy. As the door to the office opened, Carson was transferred into the hands of two individuals who laid him down on the couch. Those two people were none other than Stella and the chief. The medical team came back in with bandages and disinfectants and went to work on cleaning the cuts on his arms and hands and treating some of his burns with topical steroids.

Overall, Carson was in good shape, minus the exposed flesh on his knuckles and the scratches on his arms. As if on cue, Carson sat up and took stock of his surroundings before training his eyes on Stella and saying"B-but-" just as Stella cut him off and said"I heard the car as if revved and it gave me just enough time to reach your bedroom, bust a window and slip out into the bushes where I hid until they turned their attention to you and I realized I had to make my escape so one of us could at least survive". Chief Harris said, "now that you both confirmed the suspicions that they have political backing and are carrying out the murders; I will have to shut down the investigation".

Stella looked at him and said"Sir we still have a lot more to solve" he smiled and said"I know but now that the mayor and his affiliates are catching on, they'll do anything to stop it from spreading. Tonight this precinct building saved us but next time it might be the one to suffer arson, a gas explosion, or even an active shooter situation if you catch my drift". Carson nodded and said"Well that's understandable sir". Harris said"were publicly moving you two outta state and transferring all data to the governor's investigative team which should protect all of us from getting killed in an "accident."Stella said, "Then what about the investigation?" Harris said, "There's an off-the-books mini-mansion we sometimes use for certain sting operations, so you guys will stay there".

Stella smiled and said"Thank you" before the chief chuckled and said, "You're welcome but do try and keep things strictly professional when you get there". Stella frowned and said, "Oh please, me fall in love with him; don't make me laugh". The chief rolled his eyes and said"Whatever, now follow me". The chief led them to a police car, shoved the two in the back, and said to the driver get em outta here but drive as if you're on patrol". He nodded and said"I'll get em' there boss but what about you?" He smiled and said"I'll be heading to Texas to see family until things die down but don't worry I have a plan to get out of here safely". He nodded and said"alright boss take care" before pulling out the parking garage.

As they drove towards the state lines in the dark night, Carson had unknowingly dosed off and was now resting with his head in Stella's lap. Although she kept her composure, seeing Carson's bruised body earlier, really hurt her heart and scared her a lot. As he lay there, she tussled his hair and smiled at him before dozing off herself. They arrived early the next morning and offloaded their supplies and equipment before saying their final goodbyes to the officer and heading inside. Carson went inside, found the first room, locked himself inside, and asked not to be bothered. Stella knew it wasn't that important to not bother him since he left all his equipment in the foyer.

As much as she hated doing all the work, she still unpacked all their equipment and took it to the operations center in the basement. Over the next couple of days, Stella looked over the evidence again and gathered some promising evidence that could be a breakthrough, During this time, Carson still didn't show his face at all and while it was nice for her work, she knew this pity party had to end. After she finished printing out new clusters of evidence pertaining to the CEO of "Jungle" and supposed members of the cult, she headed upstairs to Carson's room. When she arrived, she knocked on the door and said"Carson I have some new evidence reports for you". He sighed and said in a low tone"Leave them on my desk...I'll get them whenever".

Stella sighed and sat the papers down before kicking in Carson's door and walking inside. He was lying in bed with the curtains drawn and the room all messy like some 14-year-old and Stella was ready to set him straight. She turned on the light and said"Get up...in case you haven't noticed we're working on a case and you're my partner". He sighed and said, "not anymore...this is what you wanted anyways so leave me be".Stella leaned over and slapped him before saying"Get a hold of yourself...so you made a terrible call and almost got us both killed, so what? We all fuck up and if your ego is so big that you can't handle being wrong then this isn't the right profession for you".

Carson said"It's not that, it's that my actions almost got you killed...it was horrifying and painful during the perilous trek to safety because I didn't know if I had just left you to die in that fire or if that had caught you. I don't think I would've ever forgiven myself if my worst fears had come true".Stella blushed and said"Well I forgive you so please forgive yourself...besides I need you so c'mon and get up, I got some strong leads". He sighed and said"I'll give it some thought" just as Stella left the room.