Beyond Music

Search Warrant

The sound of the law enforcement officer echoed throughout the warehouse as a clear path was made for his entry. I froze in shock as I recognized the face of the man who had caused me so much pleasure just a few months prior.

Deputy Still stood before me with a smug look on his face. Memories of our previous encounter flooded my mind, and I felt a surge of anger and resentment towards him.

"Oh my God," I muttered under my breath, my hands trembling. Deputy Still?"

"Uh, no, it's actually Detective Still now, chuckled at my reaction. His new title only added to his arrogance, and I could feel my blood boiling at the sight of him.

"What are you doing here Deputy Still?" I managed to get out, trying to keep my composure.

He flashed his badge and announced his new title, "Again, it's Detective now," he said with a smug grin. I could feel the tension in the room rise as my fiancé's family stared at me, waiting for an explanation. I could see the judgment and skepticism in their eyes, and it made me feel even more on edge.

"Camille?" Big Jake's voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to face him. "You wanna tell all of us what the hell is going on, and how you know this dude?" he asked, his voice laced with anger. I could feel every eyeball with the last name Richards staring me down, waiting for a response.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to speak, "I met Detective Still a few months ago when he was still a Deputy. He was the one who served me my divorce papers," I explained, my voice shaking with emotion.

I could see the shock and confusion on their faces, and I could feel my inner conflict growing. I didn't want to be associated with Detective Still, but I also didn't want to lie to my fiancé's family. I explained that I didn't know why he was there, hoping that would be enough to satisfy their curiosity.

"If it's any consolation, she's telling you the truth," Detective Still said, interrupting the tense silence. I could feel Big Jake's eyes burning into my back as he stared at Detective Still, his anger and distrust evident. With both her hands on her hips, Vonnie, my future mother-in-law, walked up to Detective Still.

She snatched the candy from his possession, poured it into the nearby trash can, and stared him down with fierce determination. "What the hell do you want?" she demanded, getting in Detective Still's personal space without hesitation. "You were just here a few days ago. What the hell are you harassing my family for?" she continued, her voice rising with each word.

I could see the tension in the room growing, and I could feel the inner conflict raging inside of me. I wanted to defend my fiancé's family, to protect them from Detective Still's intrusion. But I also didn't want to cause any more trouble or conflict.

"Well, I have a little piece of paper called a search warrant, and I have been authorized to search every inch of this here warehouse," the detective stated as he made quotation marks with his hands while saying the word warehouse.

Detective Still aggressively stepped towards Vonnie, and I jumped in front of her shielding her with my arm, and told Detective Still " Search what you have to search, but stay the fuck out of my family's face. Do what you came here to do, and leave the same way you came in, and leave shit the same way you found it...Decent and in order" I sneered as the rest of the Richards family looked at me in awe. But deep down, I knew I was lying to myself. I couldn't just stand by and let this detective tear through my family's warehouse without any consequences.

My father had taught me to always stand up for what was right, and right now, that meant protecting my new family at all costs. Detective Still rooted his lips in an air kiss towards me and said, "Sure thing toots" and then directed his men to search the warehouse from top to bottom, making sure not to tear anything up. Taris being who he was asked, "What exactly are you looking for?" My mind was in utter chaos as I watched the detective and his men rummage through the warehouse. I knew they were looking for evidence to take down my family, and I couldn't let that happen. But at the same time, I couldn't go against the law. I was torn between protecting my family and staying true to my beliefs.