The Last Order | Requiem 2

New Beginnings, The Underwoods, and Florence

Hatcher sat down at the table looking none too pleased about having to be there so early in the morning. Across from her was Internal Affairs Director Cameron Halt.

Director Halt drank some shit coffee he just poured from the nearby breakroom. "Thank you for coming in today, Detective Hatcher. How've you been?"

"Wonderful. What is this?"

Director Halt slid Hatcher's badge and gun across the table. "They're yours."

"Just like that?"

"The investigation's over and the ninth floor has cleared you and Detective Jerico of all charges."

"Really? I would have bet my life we were gonna be the scapegoats. What happened?"

"Ella Croft has apparently been connected to several murders across the country. I'm told it's circumstantial at this time, but the evidence is solid. Solid enough to clear you two and give you back your jobs."

Hatcher stood up and draped her badge around her neck and clipped her gun and its holster to her waist.

"I hope we never meet again." Hatcher smiled.

"Completely understandable."

Hatcher returned to her desk at the precinct and just—sat there. It was loud as usual, and then there was Jerico's empty desk in the middle of all that chaos. Where had the time gone?

She sat down in Jerico's chair and spun around a few times, allowing herself to recall some of the conversations that they had at those desks over the years. The ones that got heated were the best. Those were the ones that led to them ravaging one another later that day.

"Hey there, Hatcher." Detective Domingo said.

"What's up, Domingo?"

"You're back?"

"Yep, guess so."

"Nice. It's good to see you back. What about Jerico?"

"They cleared him too, but I don't know where he is, so."

"Oh. Well, he stopped in the other day."

"What? He was here?"

"Yeah. Not long, though. Said he had to get some stuff he left laying around. Welp, I gotta get back to it. Investigations won't close themselves." Domingo smiled and walked away.

Hatcher couldn't believe it. He was here? And what stuff did he leave lying around? He didn't keep anything important at the precinct. She opened the top, center drawer of Jerico's desk and found an envelope with her name on the front. Hatcher opened the envelope and unfolded the paper.

"The first thing I want to say is I'm sorry. For Danny. For what I did. I won't make excuses, though. I had plenty of time to tell you what was going on and I chose not to. For all that, I'm sorry. This angel inside of me, he tells me that the universe is dying, so we have to find this device that can show us where God is. I'll be thinking about you."

Hatcher folded the note and slid it back into the envelope, then stuffed it into her pants pocket.

"Detective Hatcher." Captain Donaldson greeted her when she walked into his office. "I just saw you sitting out there, and I was about to introduce myself. I'm the new captain here at the four, five. Billy Donaldson." He extended his hand, but Hatcher didn't shake.

"Hey, Billy Donaldson. I quit." Hatcher took her badge off and placed it with her gun and holster on his desk.

"This must be some kind of joke. You just came back, and you're quitting?"