Hiraeth

i

Slipknot- Duality

"So, did you pick?"

"Are you kidding me? Why would you think that either one of these would make good partners for me?" Carter asked as she placed the files on his desk. The chief sighed rubbing his temples wondering where he had gone wrong in his life.

Carter Madison had been an incredible cadet and then officer. She's now the best homicide detective on his force. He knew he had made the right decision when he hired her but the pain that came with her attitude drove him insane. He asks her for one thing and she always did the opposite or something that results in what he asked for along with a whole lot of unnecessary paperwork.

"You actually read these thoroughly?" he asked her. She looked around the room annoyed that he had doubted she would.

"Yeah, I did. You asked me to pick. What did you think I was going to do?" he took a deep breath and shrugged.

"In all honesty, I thought you were going to toss the papers in the air reach for one and go with what you caught?"

Carter's mouth fell open and for a split second, the chief of police thought that he was going to see Carter Madison crack a smile. Then she tightened her lips, let out an exasperated sigh, and shook her head. One can only be hopeful, he thought sitting straight knowing she's going to rip him a new one.

"Why the fuck would I do that? Who makes a decision like that?" she asked calmly to his surprise. The chief scratched the back of his neck.

"Madison, I have known you for a really long time now and I have no idea how it is that you make decisions. That's the closest thing I've ever come close to figuring you out,"

"That's not- I have two degrees in criminal justice and another in sociology and you think I make my decisions at random?"

"I- you're- you know what? Forget it. What don't you like about these two?"

"Hampton will cry every day in our time together and then he will quit and become a teacher. Carl Keneth is a literal clone of Sanders. If he comes here, I shit you not. Those two will be best friends,"

"I knew this was going to happen," the chief stood up. "What am I supposed to do with you? I can't transfer you to another city without stamping a warning label on you. You have a reputation, Madison,"

"Chief give me all the files that you have as candidates. Let me go through all of them," Carter answered. For the first time in a long time, she felt guilty.

"That's not going to make a difference. There is always going to be an excuse,"

"So, what? You're going to fire me?" she asked sitting up straight preparing herself.

"Of course not. You leave me no choice though. This is your new partner," he reached for a binder sitting on top of his file cabinet and smacked it on the desk in front of her. She looked down at the binder and reached for it. "I'll make the call. He'll be here in a couple of hours,"

"This is an FBI file," she said looking down at the engraving at the top of the plastic binder.

"I know. Take your folder, sit at your desk, and if you complain you'll be on traffic duty for the next three months," she sighed getting up without saying a word. "It's time you learn some responsibility," 

She glanced back to try and reason with him one last time. The chief put his hand up stopping her from saying anything else. He pointed towards her desk that is conveniently sitting right in front of his door. She sighed opening the door and then shut it behind her with so much force the glass framed by the wood shook.