random englot short stories

Wedding Bells and Old Spells (1/?)

The buzz inside the bullpen brought a chaotic sense of familiarity to the fuzzy, sleep-deprived mind of Police Sergeant and Acting Head of the Criminal Detection Unit Engfa Waraha. After pulling an all-nighter and taking over a case from a rookie detective who couldn't even lift a single latent fingerprint using tape, she felt the weight of the moment.

It wasn’t that she had a short patience with rookies, but she wouldn’t risk her evidence getting contaminated and destroyed just because a rookie was nervous about his first case.

After downing her fifth cup of coffee that day, she returned to burying her nose in the mountain of paperwork she had to finish. Same old, same old.

In the far corner of the station, she could hear a citizen complaining about her missing cat, hurling harsh words about how incompetent the police force was for not finding her feline pet.

Oh, how Engfa wished finding cats were the major case she had to take. She wouldn't complain, no matter how tall the trees that cat was stuck in. At least then, she could get some decent sleep afterward.

Amid the murmurs, except for the complaining woman, her desk phone suddenly rang, pulling her slightly droopy eyes away from the tedious paperwork on her computer.

She lazily picked up the phone, slightly annoyed but grateful for a momentary break.

"Sergeant Waraha, what can I do for you?"

"Hello, Sergeant Waraha. This is your daughter, Snack," came the humorous voice of her only daughter.

"Snack, this isn't a walkie-talkie," she joked back, a slight smile forming at her daughter’s humor. "Why are you calling me on my office phone? What's up?"

"I'm just missing you, Ma," Snack replied, though Engfa knew her better.

"Nice try, kid. What is it?"

Snack let out a breathy chuckle. "Well, I guess I don't stand a chance at hiding something from you, Detective. Okay, so... are you free tonight? Because I’m currently in Bangkok right now--"

"You're in Bangkok? When? Why didn't you call me before you came?"

"Hey, chill, Ma. I just landed like... thirty minutes ago. It was supposed to be a surprise, but yeah, no surprises for a 43-year-old detective."

"Hey, are you calling me old?" Engfa feigned irritation. "And to answer your question, yes, I can head out from the station early tonight. Let’s say 7?"

"Perfect, Ma. I’ll send you the details, okay? Bye, love you!"

"Love you, kid."

-----

Engfa walked into the fancy Spanish restaurant Snack had told her about in a text, still clad in her Type A uniform because it was Monday and even though she was acting head of her department, she still had superiors.

The head waiter greeted her before she mentioned her daughter’s name, who had made the reservation. Snack must have been planning something, she thought. Why else would Snack have booked a table at such an elegant, expensive restaurant just because she missed her? Engfa suspected something was up.

As the head waiter led her to their table, she kept her head down, adjusting the belt of her slacks and loosening it a bit. In a restaurant like this, she knew she’d be sure to eat a vast amount of food.

“Here they are,” the waiter said before bowing to her.

They?

When Engfa looked up, a familiar yet distant figure greeted her.