SOUL

necessary risks

Leo and Harris were in the cramped back office of the station, a mess of files and coffee cups scattered across the desk between them. The room smelled faintly of stale coffee and exhaustion. Harris was poring over a map of the area, his finger tracing a route to the outskirts of town where Jerry Wade lived. The plan was simple—stakeout the shop tonight, follow Wade home, and see if he slipped up, anything to get a hint on where he was hiding the bodies.

"We watch him from the shop, follow him home," Harris was saying, his voice low and measured. "We need to get something concrete, Leo."

Leo frowned but didn't say anything. His head was throbbing, and he hadn't slept properly in days. He knew Harris was right in some ways—they needed real evidence.

Before he could respond, the door to the office burst open, and Mary stormed in, her eyes wild and determined. "I'm coming with you," she announced, as if it was already decided.

"How did you even-" Harris cuts himself off running an angry hand through his hair "who let you in here?"

"I did" she shrugs

"Jesus christ" he sighs

"You talk loud, you've got a voice that carries that's how I knew you were doing a lookout- okay nevermind. I'm coming with you!"

Harris looked up, visibly irritated. "No, you're not. It's not safe. We're trained for this. You're not."

Mary's hands curled into fists at her sides, and she took a step closer. "I don't care if it's not my job. I see things that you don't, Harris."

"Oh, here we go," Harris muttered, rolling his eyes. "This again? We can't build a case on your 'visions.' That's not how the law works."

"I'm not asking you to build a case on it," Mary snapped back, her voice sharp. "I'm telling you that I can help. If I'm there, maybe we can stop him before he takes someone else."

"You're not coming," Harris said, standing up, his tone final. "End of discussion."

Mary looked over at Leo, her eyes pleading. "Leo, please. You know I can help."

Leo hesitated, his mind torn. He knew how dangerous it would be for her, but he also knew she wasn't going to back down. And deep down, he believed her. He had seen her visions play out too many times to doubt them now.

Harris scoffed, crossing his arms. "You're seriously entertaining this? After everything? She's not trained, Leo, and she's not equipped to handle this. She's a liability."

Leo's gaze hardened, and he turned to Harris, his voice low and tense. "You don't have to believe her, but you can't deny what she's done for this case. You don't get to treat her like she's crazy or useless. We owe it to the victims to use every tool we have, even if it's unconventional."

Harris's eyes narrowed, but he didn't argue. "This is all circumstantial, Leo. You know damn well it wouldn't hold up in court."

"What we need," Leo said, his voice firm, "is to make sure he can't hurt anyone else. And if that means taking a risk, then that's what we're going to do."

Harris was silent for a moment, his jaw clenched. Finally, he sighed, exasperated. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong, this is on you."

Mary felt a surge of relief and nodded, though she could still see the doubt in Harris's eyes. "Thank you," she said, her voice softer. "I won't get in the way. I just want to help."

---

They sat in the unmarked car that night, the chill of the evening settling in as they watched Jerry Wade's shop from a distance. The street was mostly empty, shadows stretching long across the pavement under the flickering streetlights. Wade finally closed up, locked the door, and got into his car. They followed him at a distance, trailing his taillights through the winding streets until he reached his house.