A Love Story

Part title

                                 Alicia Harp
            It was a cold, damp Monday morning. Alex sat up, exhausted from last night's party. As she got in the shower at 4:30 am, she wondered if anybody else would be at work this early. Who was she kidding? People got to work at 2:00am sometimes. The water in the shower was unusually cool that morning. Alex didn't mind it, though. She was the roughest, toughest, grouchiest cop on the force, after all. She cursed as she dropped the soap in the tub for the third time. Why do these things always happen to me? Alex thought. A nineteen year old girl as a cop, could their be a worse occupation for a teenager? Anything could happen, after all, especially if you were as rash as Alex. She was known for her bad attitude. Swearing and cursing were like breathing for her. It was a habit. It had been like that since she was a little, little girl. As Alex got out of the shower, lightning zapped outside her bathroom window. Looks like I'm taking the car today, she thought, trying not to slip on the soaked, marble floor.
As Alex strode out to her driveway, her neighbour, coworker and best friend, Chloe, waved to her. Alex walked over to her, sunglasses soaking in the rain.
"What're you doing out in this storm?" She asked Chloe.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Ms. Rudeness herself. I was just going to tell you that there's a case file sitting on your desk."
"A new one?"
"Yep. Really unusual one, too. All it has is a blood stained note."
Alex raised her eyebrow.
"That's all? No witnesses, no suspects...?"
"Nope. Just a note. Chief says if you can't solve it in a month, you're fired."
Fear struck Alex's heart, but she kept a straight face.
"Fired?"
"Fired."
Alex muttered to herself about her busy schedule that month as she got into her red Jaguar, black, unbuttoned reefer jacket drenched, thanks to the freezing rain. She muttered a swear word under her breath to the fact that her Jaguar wouldn't start without a fight. After cursing and turning the key about twenty times, her car finally started and she began to drive.
Walking into the International Office of Injustice was never fun for Alex. People would always say, "Good morning!" to her as if it would actually be a good morning. Were they expecting her to answer anyway? Probably not. Hopefully not. Otherwise Alex would think they were a bunch on boneheads. Well, she already thought that. It was true. Since she was the Head Cop, it was difficult for her to see others as high as she saw herself. Alex strode up to the front desk grumpily. The secretary, Percy, always greeted her in the same way.
"Good morning, Officer Waters! And how are you on this fine morning?"
Alex grumbled under her breath.
"Fine, thanks. How 'bout you?"
"Marvellous! Excellent! On top of the world! You see, I have developed a taste for chocolate!"
Alex stared at Percy's fat, short body.
"Um, didn't you already have a taste for chocolate?" She said, not straining to hide her smirk.
"Oh! How rude! No, Mademoiselle, I did not. Now I do, though. It is quite delicious."
"Quite." Alex turned, still smirking about her own joke.
She stared out the glass double doors. A tall, quivering lady scurried in, wearing a black dress and black cloche hat. She looked exactly like a damsel in distress from a medieval movie. Alex couldn't help smirking a bit more at this sight. She turned back to face Percy, who was now stuffing a chocolate donut in his rather large mouth. The quivering lady scurried up to the front desk.
"M-M-My name i-is Alicia Harp." She said, "My husband's been abducted by aliens!"
Alex stared.
"What?"
Tears ran down Alicia's face as she told them her story in a rather high pitched voice:
"My husband's name is Jon Harp. H-h-he was working late into the n-night at the dining table in the kitchen. H-He came upstairs to sleep at around 1:00am. About half an hour later, he had to use the washroom. So he got out of bed and went into the bathroom. I heard the flush just about the same time there was a bright, green light and he was gone! Just like that! Whaaaaaa! It was horrible!"
Alicia continued to sob. Most of the other cops would try to calm her down, but Alex had no sympathy. She stood, silver, dead eyes under gleaming, black sunglasses.
"Ma'am, please. Our Head Cop is on the case." Percy said to Alicia.
Now Alex was paying attention. Was that what the case file Chloe told her about was about? Alex hoped it wasn't. She as getting a headache, listening to this madwoman sob her head off. Percy tried to calm her down, but Alicia clearly had no intention of shutting up anytime soon. Alex rolled her eyes. Percy's fat arms led Alicia away to the chief's office. Alex stood, face slightly pale. She skulked away into her office before anyone could see her.