Beyond The Worst Case Scenario

Chapter 11: Cipher Decoded

Beyond The Worst Case Scenario

Chapter 11

Day 3

Fifth Precinct

10:53

                The day was young, breakfast was eaten, and conversation droned on merrily. Today’s sky was overcast with the promise of snow. The wind howled hard and fast causing trees and the shingles on the Fifth Precinct’s roof to sway and shutter. The four detectives sat in their desks, passing the time by joking and playfully chatting to one and other while trying to put the day’s work out of their minds. They all knew they shouldn’t be procrastinating, but the cold, wet, and heavy air of the morning was making every officer sluggish and passive.

                With belly’s full of pancakes and thirst’s quenched with coffee the small team was content with lounging around for the morning. Neither Nathaniel nor Gabriel wanted to be the one to inform their friends that they had all been kicked off their latest case by Agent Loric. The guilt of their silence was gnawing away at their hearts. Just as Gabriel decided to open his mouth to inform his friends of the most recent development, Fortune Days by The Glitch Mob came blasting from Detective Lietiz’s desk. Gabriel snapped his open mouth shut and let out a slow steady breath to calm his racing heart.

                Nathaniel dropped the half eaten pancake he was holding on to his syrup covered plate with a squelch and began to hunt around his desk for his phone. Using his sticky fingers, Detective Leitiz lifted up stacks of paper and an array of empty food wrappers in hopes of finding the ever elusive device before the call was transferred to voice mail. Finally, it was discovered in a week-old Chinese take-out container.

                “How the hell did that get there?” Nathaniel muttered to himself before swiping a dirty finger on the touch screen and answering the call with a simple, “Hello?”

                After a hand full of seconds of listening to the voice at the other end of the line Nathaniel stood from his garbage dump of a desk, grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, and migrated to a more private place to continue his conversation.

                “What’s up Dom?” Nathaniel asked quietly and still with a bitter, upset edge in his voice.

                “Good. Nathaniel, I didn’t expect you to pick up.” Dominique said lightheartedly.

                “Why wouldn’t I?” He questioned while throwing the front door to the Precinct open right as a large gust of wind roared past him. Nathaniel balanced his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he swiftly zipped up his black and grey windbreaker.

                “Knowing you, I’d expected you to have lost your phone under some pile of crap on your desk.” She replied.

                “Haha. Very funny.” Detective Lietiz retorted sarcastically, “What do you want? You’ve already let us go, we don’t owe you anything. Whatever it is, figure it out yourself.” He deadpanned.

                “I admit it was wrong of me to let you go so early. I should have waited to see how our newest lead would play out, but what’s done is done. I can’t take what I said back. Instead, how about a deal? A favor for a favor. What do you think?” Dominique offered the detective.

                “What kind of favor?”

                “We cracked the code but we need the NYPD to arrest Dr. Bellshaw and bring him in for questioning. As I’m sure you’re aware of, the CIA cannot arrest a citizen of the United States, or anyone else for that matter. The CIA needs you and your partner to ambush a rendezvous Bellshaw set up with the recently diseased, Miss. Kertis. In return, the CIA will owe you a favor in which you can collect anything at anytime. I’m sure such a thing can come in handy someday on a high profile or rushed case.”