wounds that won't heal // bellarke

newcomer

The automatic doors slide open as I approach the front of the Metropolitan Police Department. As soon as I walk in, many friendly and familiar faces greet me.

"Good morning Lieutenant," the woman at the front desk, Alyssa, greets me. I exchange a polite smile and continue towards my desk.

The first thing to do each morning that I come to work is turn on my computer. The computer is the beholder of all knowledge: files, cases, identities, etc. Without technology, this job would be done a lot less efficiently; therefore, I'm grateful for all of the recent advances in technology. If it makes my job easier, I'm up for the changes.

As I'm typing in my password, I hear footsteps approaching me. I immediately know who it is, considering I hear and see the same exact person each day. I turn around in my wheelie chair and see Murphy standing right in front of me.

"There's my favorite Lieutenant!" Murphy says, causing a smile to grow on my face.

I turn around to face my computer again, still speaking to Murphy. "Murphy, you've been saying that same thing every day for the past five years."

"What? I can't show love to my best friend, which by the way, is a Lieutenant." Murphy laughs, and sits down at the empty desk that is attached to mine. He drops his voice lower, "So I heard there is a new detective coming in today. I also heard that he was the best detective in Detroit."

My ears perk up, interested in whoever Murphy is talking about. "What's his name?"

Murphy looks around him, as if to check to make sure no one is listening, "I dont know, but I overheard Chief calling him Detective Blake. Seems mysterious to me."

"That's weird, Captain didn't mention anything about a newcomer to me. And you know he tells me everything." I say in a secretive tone. Chief, also known as Thelonious Jaha, talks to me about everything; drama in the office, newcomers, cases, anything you can think of. We've had a close relationship since what happened three years ago. It's out of character for him to not tell me about a new detective in the department.

"I know, it's weird," Murphy rubs his head in confusion, "well, I should go to my desk and actually work. See you on the other side, Clarke." He gets up and walks over to his desk, which is in front of mine; not the one attached to mine, murphy's desk is farther in front.

The first thing I do on my computer each morning is look through my emails. There is nothing worse than not opening your email for a few days and then coming back to a mess in your inbox. While emailing is more efficient, I feel like life would be so much better with letters. Think about it, it takes time to send a letter so you're not recieving a bunch at a time. It's more spaced out and not as much of a cluster.

It's ironic how I went from being grateful for the advances in technology to criticizing emails.

As I'm sorting through my emails, a yell echos throughout the office. "Lieutenant, I need you in my office!" I rise from my chair and head over to the Chief's office.

When I reach the outside of his office, I linger around the door until he sees me. Once he spots me outside of his door, he gestures for me to come inside. "Close the door behind you," Chief Jaha says.

I stand by waiting for him to talk. "Sit, sit. You don't have to stand."

I sit down in the chair across from his desk, "Why do you need me here, Jaha?"

"Well, I thought I should notify you that we have a newcomer today. He should be here any minute." Chief Jaha informs me, "he was the best detective in Detroit, hell, even the best in Michigan."