Unorthodox (BOOK 1)

Chapter 21

(A/N: At Vesper's P.O.V, play song video Lean On. Enjoy!)

~Finley~

Four words.

News-reporters are annoying.

I pinch the bridge between my nose and eyebrows as the egotistic Ansel Blacden repeats to me the hundreth question. "Where did this happen?"

I swear headaches can come from idiocy.

"WE ARE STANDING ON THE STREET, ANSEL! VIXEN VALE AVENUE!"

"Calm down, Finley." A hand rests down on my shoulder. "He needs to ask his questions."

I glare up at the electric blue eyes. "You would be acting like me, if you had to answer stupid questions, Detective Sanders."

Leaving me with a reprimanding look, he walks of with the reporter, speaking gently. He comes back a few minutes after and says, "You won't be doing any more interviews for this case."

I stop myself from sighing of relief and feign irritation. "Why?"

"Because I just answered them and we don't need any bad publicity. I had to bribe Ansel to leave out the part where you shouted like a maniac in his face."

I bow my head in shame. I seriously need to calm down or I'll be threatened to leave the case. "I apologize for my rude behaviour, detective."

He smiles. " Please, we are partners! Call me Ethan. And I understand. Sometimes the social media can be really annoying. As far as he knows, U.N.O is believed to be group of mentals or really bored teenagers who hungers attention. The words you found are seen to be code names."

I mentally pat myself on the back for discovering it. "Wait a second, you said you had to bribe him? With what?"

He starts walking and I walk along side him. "Something necessary," he says. "I feel for some coffee. Coming?"

Not bothering to pursue it any further, I nod and follow him along the umbrella- littered sidewalk to Deja- Brew. The cleaning crew has a lot of work to do. Ethan stops by a crouching forensic scientist with a cotton swab. He asks, "Anything?"

The forensic nods his head no and goes to another umbrella.

Ethan sighs as I feel anger rising inside of me. A fine for littering is five-hundred bucks! They littered an ENTIRE STREET! And to make things worse, we don't even know who did this! Before I could register what I'm doing, I yell, "ARE YOU TELLING ME THERE IS NOT ONE UMBRELLA WITH A FINGERPRINT!  I WANT YOU AND YOUR CREW TO LOOK AT EVERY UMBRELLA IN THIS STREET! LEAVE NONE UNSWABBED! WE-"

I am stopped by Ethan's hand on my shoulder. I've done it again. I've shown the beast inside of me to everyone. Mom always said I had a short fuse. Ethan continues for me to the shaking worker. He speaks calmly.

"Please excuse my partner Finley," he says to the shaking forensic, "We need a lead or Captain Davis will have to shot down the case. Try to get all of your team-mates to work with you on it. if you have to look at every umbrella, do it."

The forensic nods dumbly and I feel awful. After nodding a small 'sorry' to her, I walk with Ethan with my face downcast.

"You seriously need some coffee," he mutters lowly, making me feel worse.

I am turning into Captain Davis.

                                                                                       ***

~Vesper~

There are the crazy slides.

There is a circular swimming pool surrounding the elevated, hot tub swimming pool.