Dissociative Psyche ✦ J. Riley | ✓ [book 2]

22~ Higher Esteem

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." 

~ Friedrich Nietsche

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Jake had never read so much humble jumble in his whole career.

Medical files, psychiatric statements, employment resumes and academy transcripts. All of them dating back to twenty years ago, when everything was kept in boxes and not in flash drives.

"Three hours," he huffed as he threw down another file, "We've been at this for three hours. You got anything?" he asked Jenna.

"A lot of cops who should have been denied from the force in the first place. Prone to substance abuse, juvenile battery charges, patient shows signs of over aggression towards authority. These guys would never have been given a badge and gun in this day and age," she said as she read off the papers.

"These date back all the way to the 70s. Psychology and mental health wasn't taken so seriously," he said. Jenna's eyes suddenly grew wide.

"Apparently, neither was hostility towards minorities," she slid another file towards him, "Dennis Cannard. On the force thirty years, over ten complaints about police brutality against blacks, latinos, working girls, junkies, street kids. You name it, he's done it -- well, said it," 

"Called into IAB -- sixteen times over the past three years. That's gotta be some sort of record," he said.

"If he was such a trouble maker, why did the brass keep him on?" Jenna asked.

Jake rolled the chair across to the next desk and logged onto the computer, typing furiously into the APD database. Jenna ran around the desk and peaked over, anxiousness starting to run from her chest down to her ankles. 

"Cannard knew who to target. Junkies, street kids, run-aways, people who were unreliable or just didn't bother showing up to their court dates," he said.

"But dirty cops don't just go from being abusive, racist bastards to plotting against their own," she said, "What was his motive?" 

He tried to open Cannard's file history, but he was suddenly logged out of the website, "What the hell?" 

"What happened?" Jenna asked.

"I was shut out," he said, "I don't have the clearance," 

"Lex!" Jenna called him over.

Jake stood up from the chair as he walked over, "Can you open Dennis Cannard's history?" he asked.

"Yeah," he sat down and started typing, but he got the same result, "Or maybe not,"

"I don't understand," Jenna said, "Who would lock out clearance to cops? What're they hiding?" 

Lex huffed and sat back in the chair, "I guess we got to go put on some ties and find out," 

"We?" Jake asked.

"You don't expect me to talk to Chief Singer alone, do you?"

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"I don't understand why this couldn't have waited until lunch, Lex," Chief Singer walked briskly down the hall while the other two officers tried to keep up as best they could. It wasn't exactly easy for Jake to keep up in shiny shoes and a neck tie. He preferred his jeans and canvas jacket.