Don seethed as he absorbed the news a perp that he had helped put away a few years back in New Mexico had been set free on parole.
"Damn it!" the agent shook his head. While it hadn't been the first time this had happened, it still grated, more than usual. Actually, a lot of things grated him more than usual.Lately, he had been feeling as if what he was doing was useless. Either the criminal escaped, went on parole, or another one would popup.
With a sigh, he returned to doing some needed paperwork. It another downside to being in law enforcement. Sometimes he felt that he spent more time on paperwork than actual working of the case. His bosses wanted reports every five minutes, it seemed.
"It's kinda hard to make progress, when I have to write a report every hour" he thought.
"You okay?" Megan asked later. Her boss looked peeved as she passed by his desk.
"Fine" Don said, not in the mood to talk. He and his teamates had put so much effort, andworked long hours, only so some commitee could let the man go.
"Okay..." Megan knew when it was better not to push.
---------------------------------------
Later, someone came to see him.
"Thank you for seeing me, Agent Eppes" he told Don, and shook his hand. "I'm Hugo Boveda." The man wore a suit, and like Don, had black hair and dark eyes.
"What can I do for you?" Don asked.
"The question is what I can do for you"
"Huh?" Don was puzzled.
The man sat down at a chair around Don's desk.
"I've been following your career for a while. ." he began. "The press conference you had last week confirmed my gut feeling, that you should be in public office"
"Is this a joke?" Don asked with his 'what the hell' face.
"No. You handled the press very well, and you've got lots of leadership experiance. In New Mexico, you became the head of a field office. The demotion you got here was because of your mother's illness, so it woudln't really hurt you..."
"Wait Wait...I've got no interest in running for office."Don said. He didn't think that politics was for him.
"The law and system are flawed. Surely you see that everyday, in your line of work." Hugo sat back in his chair.
"You don't know I see in my line of work" Don started to get annoyed. He hated when people assumed things about his job.
"Neither do most lawmakers" Brian said.
"If you need a canadate, why don't you go talk to a prosecuter or something?"
"Look, here is my card. Call me if you change your mind" he gave it to Don.
Seconds later, Charlie came to his desk.
"Who was that?"
"No one" Don gave a dismissive wave.
Charlie picked up the card and read with a puzzled face"Hugo Boveda Campaign consultant".
"He came here, trying to get me to think about running for office" Don rolled his eyes.
"Really?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. He couldn't see Don making political speeches, or going to fundraising parties.
"Yeah, but I told him no. Let someone else make the laws, while I enforce'm." Don commented.
At dinner, Charlie mentioned what happened to Alan."A campaign consultant tried to get Don to run for office"
"Is that right?" Alan asked with surprise.
"Yep..." Don served himself some more macaroni and cheese. "Can you believe it?"
"No, but if you were to do it, I'd support you all the way!" Alan said.
"Thanks Dad!"
---------------------------------------------------
"What do you mean we have to offer Wang a plea bargain?" Megan demanded. Said person had killed two people in an explosion.
"We need information on the bigwigs of this outfit" Don told her, disliking what he had to do. His bosses had insisted on this deal.
"One of the vics was a child!" Megan reminded him painfully.
"This isn't my decision, okay?" Don snapped. "Just do it!"
"That's easy for you to say!" she huffed and returned to work.
Informants: they were a double edged sword. They could be an important tool, but sometimes, the informants did terrible things for which they got away with, in order so that other or bigger fish could be gotten. Don wished that there was a way around it.
Finally, he went home at six, had dinner, and watched T.V until he was called. There was a crime scene, with several bodies. With a sick feeling in his stomach that was all too familiar, he left his apartment, and went to it.
" They all had been reported missing two days ago" David said when Don arrived. They could hear someone throwing up.
A detective introduced himself. "Detective Palion"
"Agent Eppes" they shook hands, and Don went through the same things he always did. Seeing the bodies, questioning people etc etc. To make things worse, all the bodies had been mutilated.
As Megan gave her profile a bit later, he half listened, feeling as if he had heard it hundreds of times before.
"Don?" she asked after a bit, noticing that he was only half listening.
"Yeah?"
"Something wrong?"
"Everything" Don pointed to the crime scene.
"Oh?"
"We'll get whoever did this, then someone else will come along and do the same thing!" Don didn't know where this pessimism was coming from. "Before we know it, the first guy will be out on parole"
"Someone needs a vacation!" Colby commented. He had just joined the conversation.
"Where did this come, from Don?" Megan asked.
Deciding not to dwell on it, Don said"Let's get back to work"
------------------------------------------
Some months and a few victims later when the case was solved, Hugo Boveda paid Don another visit.
"Congrats on closing that case!" he told the agent.
"It was a team effort" Don said.
"You give credit where it's due, that's a good thing!" Hugo said.
"Look, I've got a new case and I need to work on it" Don wasn't in the mood for another sales pitch.
"Arent' you tired of just being a bandaid on a hemorrhage?" Hugo asked.
"I help get dangerous people off the streets!" Don started to get angry at what the man implied.
"I heard that the perp had been arrested before."
"Yeah he was..." Don said, shuffling some papers, hoping that the man would get the hint.
"Maybe you should think about that." With that statement, Hugo left Don to think.
TBC