Chapter 11: Chapter 11
"So, Detective, what you are telling me is that you entered the premises of a suspected criminal operation, alone. Once inside you interviewed a potential suspect in a murder investigation, alone. You then went for dinner with that suspect, alone, and acquired evidence from him that may or may not have been doctered. That man then appeared at your home, the location of which he knew because you had given him it freely, with a witness who raises your own husband as a suspect in the same murder. And all of this, without making a single report. Is that correct?" Asked Chief Maddison.
"That's all correct, Ma'am," Melissa replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her.
Chief Maddison sighed, running a hand through her graying hair. "Very well, Detective. You are suspended until an investigation of your conduct has been completed. Please place your badge and gun on the table and I will have Office Clarke escort you from the building."
"I understand , Ma'am," Melissa replied, complying with the order. She placed her badge and gun on the desk, her heart heavy with disappointment and anger. She stood up, her chair screeching loudly against the linoleum floor.
"Good luck, Detective," Chief Maddison said, her voice softer than before. "I hope this isn't the end of your career."
Melissa nodded, a lump forming in her throat. She turned and left the office, her footsteps echoing down the long hallway. Officer Clarke was waiting for her, his expression sympathetic.
As they got to the entrance Burrows came running up.
"Hey Clarke, can I get a moment with my partner here?" Burrows asked, slightly out of breath. Clarke nodded and stepped aside, giving them some privacy.
"I wouldn't go home if I was you, it's swarming with CSI. We picked Tom up just outside his office. He's lawyered up and not saying anything." Burrows said, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.
"Thanks for letting me know, Burrows, I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess," Melissa said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Don't worry about it, Erikson. We'll sort this out together," Burrows replied, his expression serious.
Melissa nodded, grateful for his support. She turned to Clarke, "Can you give us a minute, please?"
Clarke nodded and stepped away, giving them some privacy.
"I wouldn't go home if I was you, Erikson, CSI are all over your house. We picked Tom up outside his office. He's lawyered up, of course." Burrow's said quietly.
"Thanks Burrows, sorry I've dragged you into this mess." Melissa said.
As she drove out of the parking lot, she realised she had nowhere to go and she stopped on the exit road.
"Fuck!" She screamed, punching the steering wheel, frustration and fury boiling up inside her. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
She had no family nearby, no friends she could impose upon. She thought about going to a motel, but the idea of sleeping in someone elses filth filled her with dread. She battered the dashboard some more.
Her phone rang, startling her out of her tantrum. Melissa didn't recognise the number but answered anyway.
"Detective! I hear there has been an arrest." Georgios came through the speaker cheerfully, his deep voice unmistakeable.
She swallowed hard. "What do you want, Georgios?" she asked exhausted.
"To congratulate you, of course. I pressume my witness was useful?" Georgios replied smoothly.
"Did you know?" Melissa asked.
"Did I know what, Detective?" Georgios sounded genuinely curious.
Melissa hesitated, then decided to lay it all out. She explained that her husband had been at the strip club, that he was the prime suspect in the murder, that she had been suspended for her mishandling of the case and would have to find a motel for the night. She expected Georgios to gloat, to revel in the misfortune of a cop. But he simply listened.
"That is very regrettable, Detective," he said when she had finished. "You cannot stay in a motel, a woman such as yourself. You must come to my apartment. I have plenty of room. I will text you the address. Do not protest."
Georgios hung up the phone.
Melissa stared at the intersection before her. She couldn't believe she was even considering this. But what choice did she have? She couldn't go home, she didn't want to go to a motel. She was suspended, her career potentially ruined. She needed a place to stay, and Georgios was offering it.
She remembered the guilt she had felt after their encounter at the club, but now, everything was different. Her husband was a suspect in a murder case and had been outed as a patron of that same club. The residue of her guilt had been washed away by Tom's betrayal and replaced with humiliation.
Her phone vibrated again. Georgios had sent his address.
"Fuck it." Melissa muttered, putting her car in gear and heading towards Georgios' apartment.