Thank you so much for the love that the first chapter received! I haven't written stories in a couple of years, I'm glad everyone has enjoyed the first chapter; it's about to get crazier!
Hope you dig the second chapter of Death Sentence.
"Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which will win. And one cannot exist without the other."
~Eric Burdon.
How do you define good? How do you define evil? Is there a true difference between the two?
A good person is an individual who knows their strengths and weaknesses, who knows their limitations and are fully aware of their choices and consequences. Same goes for evil, they know where they lack and where they succeed. The only true difference between the two is how they handle their shadows, one chooses to improve and try again, the other chooses to lash out and fight against it.
Where do you lie?
Death Sentence
Chapter 2: Strategic Manipulation
48 Hours Later
The "Amy Dietiago Project" is underway. It's a simple, yet diabolical plan. Penelope, who for this scheme is changing her name to Becca Carter; to avoid any traces that lead back to her. "Becca" recently moved to New York and plans on befriending Amy, learning all of her secrets, fears, and desires. The last 48 hours consisted of learning about Amy and her character; from interests, where she's from, down to her allergies. Amy Santiago is about to meet her best friend and her worst nightmare.
...
In the last 48 hours, the only piece of evidence Amy receives was Jordyn who recently went down to NYSDOC to visit Jack. She suspects that the talk relates to the recent conversation she had with Jack; confirming that Jordyn is Penelope.
Amy's drive for the case is grueling to watch. Jake's been extremely supportive, he sees the dedication that she's putting into the case, he wants it solved just as much as she does.
Not much evidence has unveiled, still, Amy has not and will not quit until she discovers a location for Penelope and tracks her down.
It's the beginning of the workday. The daily briefing meeting on the currently assigned cases is anything besides interesting.
"Despite the lack of interesting cases, I'm pleased that the workload hasn't changed. I'm sure cases will come flying in soon," Terry declares.
"Keep up the good work, dismissed."
The Detectives rose from their seats and made their way back to their desk,
"Amy, I was wondering if you need any help on the case? I know the evidence isn't there, however, if the two of us work together, I'm sure it'll be solved in no time," Jake inquires.
"No thanks, I think it's best if we keep this separate. The evidence is locked up and concealed. Not much of a trace is surrounding the case. I can't solve this case if there isn't any lingering evidence," Amy sighs.
"Oh, Penelope must be good at hiding her evidence."
"Jack was also good at concealing evidence. It took me months to figure out his scheme. However, this case is different, Penelope must've taken on her brother skills and developed her own along the way."
Rosa overheard the conversation amongst Jake and Amy,
"Amy, don't you think you're putting too much of yourself in the case? You haven't withdrawn yourself from the case in two days," Rosa states.
"You want to know what I do when I become stressed during a case, I ride my hog. The wind in my hair, the freedom. Try to relax and maybe something will come to you." she advised.
"Rosa does make a point, want to know what I do when I'm stressed? I cook. I prepare exquisite dishes from all over the world. Eating is the best source of comfort," Charles chimes.
"Wrong, Boyle once again you prove that you know nothing. The best way to relieve stress is to dance; calming your muscles, grooving to the music, the standing ovations. That's the true way to relax," Gina interjects.
"Oh sure, twerking and body rolls calms me down. It makes you look foolish and distasteful," Boyle argues.
"The only thing that is distasteful is Monkey butt and cow testicles, it's not 'exquisite', it's vile," Gina testifies.
"It is a palate expander, it enhances your taste and mind."
"So does dancing, it enhances your mind. News flash Boyle- exercise is beneficial, try it sometime."
"Please, I work out all the time," Boyle retaliates.
"Walking to your car doesn't count! If you exercise, how come you aren't as buff as Terry?"
"No ones wants another Terry."
Terry overhears the conversation going on amongst the precinct,
"Hey, this doesn't sound like work. By the way, the best way to relieve stress is-"
"Yogurt?" Jake asks.
"No, that's the best dairy product. The best way to relieve stress is-"
"Being shirtless," Gina interrupts.
"Why would I finish my sentence with being shirtless?" Terry rebukes. "What I was going to say, the best way to relieve stress is getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night."
"That's lame, the way I relieve stress is sex, or solving a crime," Jake responds.
Holt comes out of his office, "Hey, this doesn't sound like you're working. Get back to your cases, I understand the cases may be unbearable, but it's your job to solve them and then complete the paperwork. At the end of the day, I expect a massive collection of paperwork on my desk."
Holt closes the door; going back to his desk.
Everyone grows silent and returns to their tasks.
Jake turns to Amy, "Hey, if you need help relieving stress I can help, I was partially joking about the sex- unless you're interested. We could go for a walk to the library, I'll even go to the paper & folder supply store you adore so much?" Jake offers.
"I appreciate that you care, but I'm not stressed; I'm currently at a halt. I don't need to calm down, I am relaxed. Please, continue working on your case and I'll focus on mine," Amy answers.
Jake frowns, "Geez, I'm only trying to help, sorry. I won't bother you anymore."
Amy felt guilty, she didn't mean to upset him; she only wanted everyone to drop her case. She didn't feel stressed, only frustration due to her case not going anywhere. It's taking more time to solve than she anticipated, wishing to get quicker results.
...
Penelope is going over last-minute final training to take down Amy. She's with her brother reviewing the plan one final time.
"What's Amy biggest allergy?" Jack quizzes.
"Dogs, she typically sneezes when she's near dogs," Penelope answers.
"Correct, what would you say is Amy's biggest flaw?"
"Besides all of them," Penelope laughs. "I would say being overbearing and compulsive."
"Both are correct."
"What's her badge number."
"Don't tell me, I know this one... I remember it's 98204."
"Spot on, one more and I think you'll be all set- what's her ultimate fear?"
"She's claustrophobic, so being trapped in dense spaces."
"You nailed it, one more time what's the plan?"
"To befriend her, ultimately, her showing me the precinct and her home, gaining more knowledge about her and the case; possibly giving her false information, to have her lose our trail, and then if all else fails, kill her."
"You are ready Penelope, or should I say, Becca."
"Let's go befriend a Santiago," Penelope says, her and Jack both chuckling.
...
Amy decides that after five hours of staring at the evidence, hoping it jumps in her face, decides that she should and go take a walk; to clear her head before heading back and staring at it for the rest of her shift. Amy isn't experiencing a slump, there isn't any evidence or clear info about Penelope, Jack was useless for not giving any information. Amy knew that Jack knew something, she wasn't sure how much he knew.
Amy is glancing at the ground; kicking a rock that's in her path when she accidentally bumps into a young woman, who's in her mid-20s.
"I am terribly sorry, are you okay?"
"It's alright, I'm fine. Hey, I'm Becca, I just moved into the city, I was wondering if you could show me around; show me what's New York is all about?"
"I'm Amy, I don't see why not, I could use the distraction, I've had an interminable day."
"Oh, tell me about it, maybe I can help," Becca says.
...
Jake is tapping his pen on his desk, he hasn't talked to Amy since the little spat they had earlier. He felt culpable for the argument, he was badgering her about being on the investigation and coddling her, from talking to her about stress to trying to throw himself into finding some evidence. He only wanted to help. He felt like she'd be closer to solving it if two minds were on the case, rather than one. He wishes he could've handled his response more maturely. He knew how stressed she was (whether she liked to admit it or not) and knew the case was slowly getting to her. Jake saw Amy leave about an hour and a half ago, not telling him where she went, or how long she'd be gone. He couldn't tell if she was still upset with him or not. He's minutes away from getting up and going to look for her, when she enters the precinct, with a girl.
'Is that Penelope?" he thought. Amy and 'Becca' were laughing, 'Wait, why would she be laughing if this is Penelope,' he continued. Jake never met this friend of Amy's before, nor did she mention to him a friend was coming to visit.
Jake gets up and approaches the two girls, "Hey Ames, who's your friend?"
"Jake, this is Becca, she recently moved to the city and I was just showing her around."
"And you decide to show her where we work?" He asked.
"No, she was telling me countless stories about you, that I practically begged her if I could meet you." Becca smiles, hugging Jake.
"I hope the stories she told weren't embarrassing," Jake begs, laughing nervously.
"Not yet, anyway." Becca jokes.
"Amy, can I talk to you alone for a second?" Jake asks.
"Sure, I'll be right back Becca," Amy responds.
Jake took Amy's hand and went into the break room; closing the door behind them.
"First, I want to apologize about the little argument we had earlier." He said, "But, why didn't you tell me a friend was coming to the city?"
"I'm sorry about the fight too and I just met her. After I left I was taking a stroll; to clear my head when I accidentally bumped into her. She is new to the city and asked if I could show her around and I was happy too." Amy recalls.
"Isn't this a little suspicious. Don't you think it's weird that all of a sudden a new girl shows up in the city and asks to be shown around, right when you start working on the case? Don't you think this is Penelope, or maybe one of her moles to spy on you?"
"No, I don't think she is a mole, she's a young girl; she hasn't mentioned the case or tried to get any information from it. Look, you wanted me to relax and take a break from the case and I am. If it makes you feel better, I'll keep my eyes open."
"That's all I ask, now let's get back to work before anyone gets too suspicious." Amy nods, as they both left the break room.
"So, Becca where did you move from?" Jake asked.
"I am originally from Chicago, but I want to go to school here for fashion design. New York is one of the top Fashion Capitals of the world! Why not be where the magic happens?"
"That's actually pretty cool, have any sketches or designs we could see?" Gina asked, "Hey, I'm in a dance group, do you think you could design our costumes, see I'd do it, but I'm pretty busy with the choreography, the lessons, and auditions. My life is hard."
"Oh, I'd love too, write out suggestions of what you vision your costumes to emulate and I'll get right on it."
"Amy, why haven't you introduced me to this friend? If you have cool friends like Becca, I may boost your status on the list." Gina states.
"Well, she and I met earlier." Gina rolls her eyes, but proceed to make a list of demands she wants on the costumes.
"Anyway Ames, I'll let you get back to work. We still on for tonight?" Becca asks.
"We sure are, I'll see you at Shaw's at 9." Becca waves as she leaves, taking the stairs.
Amy smiles, "wait, you invited her to 'our' bar?" Jake asks.
"Yeah, we all usually go there for a couple hours every night, why not include her? It's her first night in the city," Amy replies, "Jake are you jealous of Becca?" she asks.
Jake scoffs, "Me jealous, pfft no. We all just met her, we barely know her, shouldn't we get into her in a casual setting?"
"What's more casual than a bar- we drink, get drunk, and smash talk. It's like one of my family reunions." Rosa states.
"You know what I mean, it's our turf, she hasn't done the squads initiation."
"Initiation? We don't have an initiation. Look, I understand you don't have her trust yet; for whatever reason. But if you give her a chance." Amy says, leaning into Jake's ears whispering, "I'll give you the best 3 minutes of your life before we go to bed."
Jake grows the biggest grin, "Let's go get drunk!"
Amy chuckles and kisses his cheek.
...
It's 9 o'clock, the squad was slowly merging into Shaw's. Normally the squad would have some winding down time before they go to Shaw's; mostly to get out of their work attire, but Holt has been persistent and wanted their paperwork on his desk.
The first to arrive were Charles and Gina.
"So, ready for the Boyle family reunion next week?" Charles asks. Boyle and Gina are stepsiblings, their parents got married a couple years ago. Gina is still weirded out being a part of the Boyle clan, especially when she slept with Charles before their parents met.
"No, spending an entire week with the Boyle's will be a nightmare. I already feel like it's a Boyle reunion with us working together, now I have to spend time with the rest of your family, I may die on this trip." Gina responds.
"It's not so bad, we sing family songs, have a dance off-"
"Wait, a dance-off?" Gina asks, "Like modern dancing?"
"No, ballroom, us Boyle's love Dancing with the Stars."
"Wow, I might actually die due to this conversation." Gina rebuttals.
Next to Arrive is Rosa and Terry.
"So, how are you holding up about Pimento?" Terry asks.
"Fine, why do you ask?"
"I wanted to make sure you didn't feel lonely."
"Being lonely is the best feeling, there's no disappointment; it's just you. I can do what I want without anyone's opinion," Rosa says, "What's not to like?"
"Look having alone time is great, but being lonely sucks. You don't have to get back out there, but find time to hang out with friends; whether if it's with the squad or friends outside of work."
"Why are we even talking about my love life? I vowed I would never talk about it after being with Marcus." Rosa says, walking away from the conversation.
"Rosa, come on we care about you!" Terry yells, following her.
Not long after, Amy, Jake, and Becca arrive,
"This bar is charming and adorable, the bars back in Chicago is loud and congested," Becca informs.
"That sounds awesome," Jake responds. Becca and Amy both looked at him with skepticism.
"What's so fascinating about a bar that's too busy that servers 'accidentally' dumps alcohol on you, to men grinding on you as if you asked for it?" Becca counters.
"Free beer, free lap dances? I don't know, but the people sound friendly," Jake said.
"The people were uncivil; distasteful towards women, vile to the employees, always causing a brawl."
Jake appeared dumbfounded, no matter how many conversations he had with Becca, most gradually turns into an argument. He was only trying to make friends with Becca, a girl Amy has taken a keen to. He didn't know what Amy saw in her, but hopefully, the adrenaline will wear off. Even though Jake didn't want to admit, he liked her better when she was stressed about the case.
Jake walks away and starts talking to Gina and Charles.
"Having fun with Amy's friend?" Gina asked.
"No, she's contentious, no matter what I say, she likes to jump down my throat. She was telling us a story about a Chicago bar; the bar sounded cool, I mean it was crowded and deafening, reminding me of a concert at Time Square; what's not to like? She proceeds to tell me that people are vile and disorderly, does she not realize that my job is about taking care of the disorderly and that I find it enjoyable."
"Dude, that bar sounds entertaining, I like her though, she's similar to Amy; except more tolerable," Gina adds.
"How does she remind you of Amy? She's nothing like her," Jake exclaims.
"Well, earlier at work, while you were in the bathroom, I overheard Becca and Amy rave and geeking out over folders and pens. Becca has an abnormal obsession over office supplies like Amy. Which I didn't know was even possible."
"Yeah," Charles interjects, "I also heard a conversation how they both grew up with seven brothers and both have severe allergies towards dogs. Becca seems she could be Amy's twin."
"Do you think that's a coincidence?" Jake asks.
"Are we talking about Becca and Amy strange similarities?' Rosa chimes in.
"Yeah, you noticed too?" Gina questions.
"Yeah, as I walked past them, I heard them talking about going to a crossword puzzle camp, and being the 'Queen Solvers'. It made my ears bleed."
Terry eventually found Rosa, "There you are, you didn't want to talk about your love life with me, but you would rather talk about it with the rest of the squad?" Terry interrogates.
"No,- wait you're saying Rosa, this Rosa was talking about her love life?' Gina chuckles.
"We were talking about Becca and Amy?" Jake clarifies.
"Those two are scarily similar, how similar can two individuals be? As I was trying to catch up to Rosa, I heard them talking about playing the French Horn in High School and how they are both extremely claustrophobic," Terry recalls.
"Is it me, or is it that Becca is trying to mimic Amy? What if Becca is trying to get under Amy's skin and distract her from the case. Maybe she is one of Penelope moles and she studied Amy?" Jake proposes.
"You know, that doesn't sound ridiculous, I mean you can guess some traits by looking at her, but there were a few specific details that cannot be explained. Jake, you might be on to something." Terry says.
"Looks like we have our own little investigation on our hands." Jake marvels, "Finally, an interesting case."
"A secret case, we'll keep a look out on it, but this stays between us." Terry corrected.
"A secret case, even better." Jake gleams.
...
Amy offered Becca to stay the night at her and Jake's apartment since her apartment isn't all settled in.
The next morning Becca (who is now Penelope at the moment) was quietly talking on the phone with Jack.
"So, got any information yet?" Jack asked.
"Nope, Jake doesn't like me, but Amy is totally in awe with me, feeling she finally knows someone who has her same and boring interests."
"I thought we were going to have Jake befriend you, wasn't that part of the plan? Are you already screwing this up?"
"No, I thought of something better. Jake will get suspicious and do is own digging, and once I catch him to being close to solving the case, I'll kill him; leaving Amy in hysterics that she'll have to leave the squad due to her broken heart and mysteriously, I'll steal the evidence and burn it."
"Oh, that's an even better plan than we had earlier, continue with that plan. Penelope, don't let me down."
"Oh trust me, Jack, I doubt anyone knows I'm Penelope."
Penelope hangs up the phone and puts her mindset back to Becca.
What Penelope didn't realize is that Jake recorded that phone call and had proof Becca is Penelope. He was flabbergasted as he thought she was a mole, but he is still correct that this whole Becca scenario is a facade. He didn't know how to tell Amy about the call, but he'll have to do it in private.
Jake emerges from the hallway two minutes later, walking into the kitchen.
"Good morning Becca, did you sleep well?"
"I did, your apartment is exquisite."
"Thanks, it's actually Amy's apartment. Want some breakfast, I can cook up some mean eggs?"
"Sure, that'd be great, is Amy getting ready?"
"Yeah, plus she doesn't cook since she's terrible at it. She should be out in a few."
Jake starts whipping up some eggs, Becca quietly sneaks off into the bathroom.
'Crap, if he heard that phone call, I might have to kill him sooner than I thought. Oh well, it's not my funeral.' Becca thought.
Things are turning for the worst. What is Becca's, or should I say Penelope's next step? Is the entire squad safe? How soon until this scheme falls apart? What is Jake next move?
Things are heating up and being dished out. I guess it's true, Jake is an amazing detective/genius.
How will the rest play out? Thanks again for the love, I'll try and get out chapters once or twice a week! The second chapter is completed, stay tuned for the next one.
