Twenty

Sharon walked into the captain’s office with a calm demeanor, but she couldn’t help being nervous. Being in the captain’s office was like being in the principal’s office.

“Shut my door,” Captain Haymond said brashly.

Sharon did so and stepped into his office wearing civilian attire.

Captain Haymond, in a white shirt and black tie, with police insignias decorating his shirt, sat in his high-back leather chair behind his wraparound desk cluttered with photos of his family, paperwork, files, his computer, and other knickknacks. He gazed at Sharon impassively.

“Have a seat.”

She took a seat directly in front of him

Captain Haymond was a burly white male with a military background. He had olive skin, cropped hair, deep blue eyes, and a dark mustache. He was stern but just. He locked eyes with Sharon, who remained silent, knowing to let the man speak first.

“You’re a good cop, Sharon, and you have the bones to become a great cop.”

Sharon smiled inwardly, but she knew there was more to come.

“You’re off the hook for the Richard Jefferson shooting. Internal Affairs cleared it and deemed it to be a justified shooting. So you’re back in. No more absence with pay or light duty. Congratulations,” he said without a smile.

“Thank you, Captain Haymond.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” He picked up a few sheets of paperwork from off his desk and tossed it her way.

Sharon’s eyes shifted down to the white sheets covered in handwriting. She had her assumptions about what was on those sheets.

“You know what that is?” he asked.

“I have an idea.”

“Those are three civilian complaints against you for this month alone, Officer Green. Three!”

“Who was the third complaint, sir?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about who. You need to be worried about me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now listen to me and listen very closely and clearly. The Parnell Watkins case is now off-limits to you. Do you understand me?”

“But Captain—”

“Don’t ‘but Captain’ me. All I want from you is a yes or no answer.”

It was hard for Sharon to say yes. She felt she was so close to knowing something. Her gut told her two females had committed the murder. She even suspected that she might have known them.

“Answer me, Officer Green. Do you understand me? If you do not back off this case, then I will be forced to suspend you without pay this time, or worse, I’ll have you back in uniform and directing traffic in the South Bronx.”

“I understand. I’ll back off.”

“Wise choice,” he said. “Now leave my office. And welcome back.”

Sharon stood up and left immediately. The minute she was outside the captain’s office, she wanted to scream out and punch something. She didn’t want Pike to be forgotten, but she also needed her job.

She sighed heavily as she went into the locker room to relax for a moment. She went into the ladies’ bathroom to splash her face with some water to wash away the tears trickling from her eyes. Pike’s death would always disturb her, and she could never leave it alone or forget about it. She wanted to believe that there would be justice for his murder. His case couldn’t end up like Biggie’s or Tupac’s. There had to be someone fighting for Pike, and she would be his warrior, even if it meant losing her job.

Sharon got her mind clear and herself ready to fight crime and arrest bad guys. She joined back up with her partner and hit the Bronx streets on a chilly, fall day.

“Welcome back,” her partner, Brian Mauldin, said smiling.

“You miss me?”

“Like I miss an STD.”

She laughed. “Yeah, you missed me.”

...

With Pike’s case off-limits to her, Sharon started to concentrate on Cristal’s case to keep busy with something while she was off-duty. Cristal was a good friend of hers, and the way she and her family were murdered was evil.

Using her computer savvy, she went through police file after file, going through encrypted information. She spent hours on her laptop in her home, reading every piece of information about her friend’s case, going through photo after photo of the bodies in the apartment. She had grown close to Cristal’s family over the years, from Grandmother Hattie to the cousins and aunts. It was hard to look at each gruesome photo and not tear up. It felt like her own family had been brutally murdered. She had to wipe away her tears, be strong and continue on. There was something evil out there, and she was determined to find out what it was. Tamar had proclaimed it was drug-related, but Sharon wasn’t buying it.

As Sharon dug further, she found that the feds had taken over the case and started their own investigation. But there weren’t any eyewitnesses like in Pike’s case.

Sharon soon stumbled across some classified documents. There was also something strange about Cristal’s case; like someone was hiding something. Sharon leaned back in her chair and sighed. Once again, it felt like she was getting nowhere. She wanted to dig further, but she didn’t have any authorization. The feds were way over her pay grade. Her hands were tied.

She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. It was after midnight, her apartment was quiet and still, and she had been at her laptop reading and looking at pictures for so long that her legs started to become numb. When she stood up to stretch, her legs felt like jelly. She plopped down on the sofa near her workstation and stretched out. Sharon needed to relax and take a quick breather. She was a hard worker and had always been, but she needed help. But who could she turn to?

She lingered on the sofa for a moment with her feet propped up on the end. Her eyes remained close, trying to brainstorm a name. Then out of nowhere she thought of someone. How could she forget about him? It had been so long since they had spoken or seen each other.

She jumped up and went to grab her cell phone from off her desk. She scrolled through the names until she came Domenic Swarthy. Seeing his name again made her smile and reminisce.

...

They’d met after she graduated from the Police Academy. She had taken a trip to upstate New York for a few days before starting her new job as an NYPD police officer. Sharon was alone in Buffalo, New York, sightseeing Niagara Falls, enjoying some solitude. She had taken advantage of her time in Buffalo, walking across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada and viewing the three waterfalls.

Her modest vacation upstate provided a distraction from everything going on in her life. With Pike gone and Cristal too, it felt like New York City was trying to swallow her up with grief and pain. Sharon had graduated from the Academy with flying colors, but she had never been outside the city, and though Buffalo was still in the state of New York, being in a different atmosphere was fairly refreshing for her.

She met Domenic at a café one morning. She was waiting on line, while he was seated at a window table, reading the local paper. She was about to exit the café with her latte when Domenic stopped her to compliment her beauty and dark skin. He was a tall Italian man, six two, with breathtaking features and short, dirty-blonde hair. He had an infectious smile that radiated charm. His chest filled out his shirt, and his stomach was a washboard of abs.

Immediately, Sharon was attracted to him. They conversed all morning, getting to know each other respectfully, and by that evening, they were fucking each other’s brains out in her hotel room. Domenic was the first man she had been with since Pike’s death.

She remembered her legs spread open as his hips thrust forward, impaling her with his big dick. For a white, Italian man, he was blessed in size and width. She let out a grunt at the motion, her hands tensed into fists as her whole body went stiff as a board beneath him. They embraced tightly, grinding and pounding, humping, and grunting. Her body shook with a wave of pleasure that raced through her whole body. He was fully on top of her, gripping the back of her thighs, fucking her fervently in the missionary position.

When his mouth touched hers, a jolt of electricity passed between them. Her mind was awash with waves of lust as he was inside of her.

After their sexual rendezvous, Sharon learned he was a field agent with the FBI and had been with them for five years. They had a lot in common. They both came from rough neighborhoods and went into law enforcement because they felt it was their calling, and both had lost a loved one. Domenic had lost a younger brother to drugs, and his best friend to a car accident, and she told him about Pike.

After Niagara Falls, the two continued to see each other in the city. However, the affair was brief. He had a wife and kids, and had been married for eight years. After two months, she ended things between them.

...

Sharon looked at Agent Swarthy’s number and dialed it. She hoped it was the same number. She had no other way to contact him. The phone rang in her ear. She blew air out of her mouth and waited.

“Hello. Agent Swarthy speaking. Who’s calling?”

Hearing his voice again made her smile, thinking about the fling they once had. But she kept it civilized and controlled her hormones, remembering he was a married man.

“Hey, Domenic. It’s me, Officer Green.”

“Sharon, it’s good to hear from you again.”

“Are you still in the city?”

“Nowhere else.”

She didn’t want to beat around the bush. “Can we meet?”

“Not a problem. When and where?”

“Is tomorrow good for you?”

“What time?”

“Noon.”

“Yes, that works,” he confirmed.

Sharon gave him the location, and they talked briefly. He inquired about her well-being and career, and she told him everything was okay.

...

Sharon walked into the Brooklyn park that sunny afternoon dressed a little better than usual in a white camisole top under a fall jacket and a pair of black coated high-waist jeans. Her heels strutted across the green grass as she walked toward the park bench where Domenic was already waiting for her, dressed in a dark suit and tie, looking like a federal agent. Most of all, he was still a very handsome man.

She smiled seeing him again, and he returned the smile.

“I’m glad you came,” she greeted.

“Anything for you.”

They hugged. She kissed him on his cheek. He smelled so good. She noticed he still had on his wedding ring. It didn’t matter; they were only friends.

“You look good, Sharon,” he said.

“And you too. What’s it been? Three years now? I’m surprised your number is still the same.”

“You know, nothing changes about me.” He smiled. “So what brings me to the park on a warm day like today?”

“I need a favor from you.”

“Shoot away.”

Sharon handed him a manila folder as they sat on the park bench. “I need your resources for this case I’ve been looking into.”

He opened the folder and leafed through the little pages inside. He examined a few pages quickly and said, “I see the FBI has taken over this case.”

“The more reason why I need your help.”

He didn’t cringe when he saw the photos of the dead family sprawled across the apartment floor. He had seen worse. “They did a number on this family. Animals.”

“The victims were friends of mine.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” She took a deep breath. “As you know, with this case handed over to the feds, my access to it is limited.”

“And you need my reach.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll see what I can do for you.”

“I would appreciate it so much. I knew I could count on you.”

Domenic closed the folder and looked at Sharon. They lingered on the park bench after talking. The way he looked at her, it was obvious he was still attracted to her. She gazed back, holding back her flirtatious behavior. She’d dressed for him, but she didn’t want to take it any farther than the friendship that developed between them.

“You know, if I wasn’t married, I would have definitely been with you.”

She smiled. “It was fun while it lasted.”

“And it could still last.”

“I’m not a home-wrecker, Domenic,” she replied respectfully.

“I know. It’s one of the many reasons why I love and respect you. You’re different.”

Sharon stood up, ready to leave. “How soon can you do that for me?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Give me a week, tops.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye, beautiful.”

Sharon turned and walked away. Her wide smile hidden from his view, she could feel Domenic’s eyes on her backside. She knew he was watching her walk away.

Domenic was right. If he wasn’t a married man, they would’ve had a chance together. He wasn’t Pike, but he sure came close.