Coffee Break
"I'm starved, shall we stop for coffee?"
"We have a lot of work to do-"
"It will only take a second, and anyways, I know this great place right around the corner."
Rey rested his chin on his fist as he listened to Lennie explain the details they learned with Jack and Abbie. They had spent over an hour in the small coffee shop, sipping now cold coffee and nibbling on what was left of the biscuits.
He sighed deeply, wondering why they agreed to Lennie in the first place. They were working on a murder mystery- they didn't have time to sit in a coffee shop sipping freezing expresso.
"What's your opinion on this all Curtis?"
"Hm?"
"The case, who do you think did it?"
"Does that really matter?"
Abbie looked flustered, and her cheeks went pink slightly. Rey raised a think eyebrow and sat up straight, pressing two fists together to pop his knuckles.
"No, not really I suppose, but I was just wondering..."
"I think it was the kid. His alibi just doesn't seem to flow."
"Oh... I think so too..."
She flashed Rey a warm smile, an apologetic look in her eyes. It was almost as if she knew that he was running out of time to do something important.
"Would you like a biscuit?"
Rey looked at Jack offering him the small chocolate chip biscuit and he accepted it with a half-hearted smile.
"Aren't you supposed to discuss these things in an office?"
They all looked at Rey weird, as if he was still the rookie kid on the squad. He blinked a few times, and Jack smiled at him warmly.
"Yeah I think your right kid."
Rey winced visibly at the term 'kid' and Jack chuckled softly, and he felt Lennie pat his shoulder. He had always assumed the two men were more into their work then this but you never can truly know somebody.
Rey tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling blankly, watching the elegant lines curve and twist all over the place forming the black outline of a large phoenix.
His mind shifted back to the case, about the little girl shot at the schoolyard. It interested him deeply, but it frightened him.
The girl looked all too similar to one of his own...
"Anyone else want some more coffee?"
Rey jerked his head in surprise and looked at Abbie exit the booth, turned to the bar looking over her shoulder.
"Yeah- same as last."
"Whatever is good- no dark though."
"Rey?"
"No thanks."
"You sure? I'm buying."
"Nah- thanks anyways."
Abbie shrugged her thin shoulders and walked to the bar to by the coffee. Lennie's face darkened as he turned to look at Rey in the eyes, his hands placed firmly on the table.
"I need to know Rey, what is wrong?"
"Nothing wrong. What do you mean?"
"You've been zoned out ever since you saw the little girl's body."
"Amelia."
"What?"
"Her name was Amelia."
"Oh, thanks Jack, anyways, what's wrong?"
"She just looks like my own little girl is all."
Rey shrugged his shoulders and regretted doing so. His began to sting and he wiped them carefully. Jack looked momentarily confused, but Lennie seemed to get the point.
"I need to tell you Rey, you've come along way since you were the Rookie in the office. And I got to hand it to you- I'm impressed. But there is one thing you didn't seem to have learned."
"What is that?"
He knew that he sounded harsh, but his head was swimming with so many thoughts it confused him. One thing seemed to be dominant- he hated being referred to as the rookie.
Lennie continued unfazed
"There are times to bring your emotions into the case- this isn't one of them. Just don't lose those. I don't want you going hard like I've seen so many. After all- you're still the rookie to me."
Rey stared at Lennie in disbelief, running a hand through his black hair. A smile spread across his face and he nodded.
He may never have expected something like that from Lennie, but if it were from anyone else he wouldn't have believed it.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Who's right? What I miss?"
Lennie looked at Rey who shook his head ever so slightly, and then Lennie seemed to pass the message to Jack through the same unverbel talk.
Abbie didn't notice a thing.
"Nothing- now, where were we in the case?"