The Transfer

Chapter 18: Pressure to Confess

3rd person's POV

Tim stood by his locker, adjusting his uniform and preparing for the day ahead. The events of the previous night still lingered in his mind, the intensity of the undercover mission and the moments shared with Lucy etched into his thoughts. As he closed his locker, he noticed Angela approaching, a determined look on her face.

"Hey bradford." Angela greeted with a casual smile, leaning against the locker next to his. "Got a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" Tim replied, trying to keep his tone neutral.

" I just wanted to talk about last night's mission." Angela began, her eyes narrowing slightly as she observed Tim's reaction. "You and Lucy did great. Everything went smoothly."

Tim nodded, keeping his expression composed. "Yeah, it went well. The targets are in custody, and we managed to gather a lot of intel."

Angela raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with his brief response. "Come on, Tim. You know what I mean. You and Lucy were pretty convincing out there. Almost too convincing, if you ask me."

Tim chuckled, but there was a hint of nervousness in his laughter. "Just doing our jobs, Angela. You know how it is."

Angela leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Look, Tim, you can tell me. Is there something going on between you and Lucy? I mean, off the record."

Tim's mind raced as he carefully chose his words. He knew Angela was fishing for information, "We're just partners, Angela."

Angela studied him for a moment before shrugging. "If you say so."

Before Tim could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed through the precinct, signaling that roll call was about to begin. The officers made their way to the briefing room, where Sergeant Grey stood at the front, ready to address them.

"Good morning, everyone." Grey began, his authoritative voice commanding attention. "We're going to switch things up today. Chen, you'll be partnered with Lopez. Bradford, you're with West."

Tim glanced at Lucy, who was seated across the room. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, but he could see the unease in her eyes. Angela, on the other hand, seemed pleased with the change and shot Tim a playful wink.

As they dispersed to start their shifts, Tim couldn't shake the feeling that Angela was up to something. He knew she would do everything she could to pry information out of Lucy, and he hoped Lucy would be able to handle the pressure.

Lucy and Angela's first call of the day was a reported break-in at the local jewelry store. When they arrived at the scene, the store owner, a middle-aged man with a worried expression, explained that several expensive items were missing from the display cases.

"We'll need to review the security footage." Angela said, taking charge of the situation. "Can you show us the cameras?"

The owner led them to the back room, where they watched the footage. It showed a masked individual breaking the glass cases and swiftly grabbing the jewelry. Angela and Lucy exchanged a look, both recognizing the need for a thorough investigation.

"We'll need to collect evidence and canvass the area for any witnesses." Lucy said, her voice steady and professional.

As they worked through the case, Angela couldn't resist probing a little further. "So, Lucy, about last night... you and Tim looked pretty cozy. How did it feel going undercover like that?"

Lucy kept her focus on the task at hand, but she knew Angela was fishing for more. "It's all part of the job, Angela. We do what we have to do to get the job done."