A Few Author's Notes: A trip to the Sheriff's Department causes more questions to arise. Norma remembers something from her past with Romero.
Sorry for the delay! My attempt was to get this completed last week, but I had to rewrite a part of it and unfortunately I didn't get a chance to edit it yet.
*Please let me know what you think, I always value your opinions! Your reviews keep me motivated and allow me to determine if I should continue or not.
Please enjoy…
Chapter 10: A Hidden Clue
"Damn," Dylan groans as he sits in the passenger seat of Emma's car. "I forgot how ridiculously small this thing is."
Emma glares to her right to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend struggling to get into the rather tiny vehicle. "I know I didn't hear you complain about my bug just now."
"This thing is not meant for people over 5 feet," he grumbles while trying to adjust the seat backwards to avoid crashing his knees into the dash in front of him.
She narrows her eyes and scoffs at the comment, shoving her keys in the ignition roughly. "Hey, I'm over 5 feet."
With finally getting his seat positioned to where his legs aren't bent up to his chest, he responds with a sarcastic mumble. "Barely."
Emma sighs out of exasperation, starts the vehicle and then drives out of the motel parking lot in a huff. Once the tires hit the smoother pavement of the highway, Emma can no longer hold in her feelings and decides to disrupt the awkward silence suffocating the inside of the constricted space. "I know this isn't about the car, Dylan. You're upset about what happened earlier and you don't want to deal with it. At least be honest and allow yourself to deal with all of these emotions you're experiencing." Emma's attempt to urge her boyfriend to speak freely fails when she glances over at Dylan, only to notice him fixating his attention to the vast open fields with blurred scattered trees outside his passenger window.
After about ten more minutes of stifling agitation, Dylan decides to respond. However, his vision remains glued to the distractions of the outdoors as they continue to drive by. "I'm fine Emma," he mumbles weakly.
"You are not fine. You can't be after everything that happened today." She insists, gripping the stirring wheel a little tighter in frustration. "You saw something trigger Norma's memory. Something that was painful for the both of you."
"I don't want to talk about it Emma and that's final!" He protests through gritted teeth, successfully keeping his face hidden from her.
Ignoring Dylan's harsh response, Emma continues to speak in an attempt to get her point across to him. "Remember when you told me how much lighter you felt after talking about your childhood with Norma?" She asks, trying to remind her boyfriend of the relief he felt after explaining his past. "I didn't listen to your conversation if that's what you're thinking. I would never do that to you because I know you're not ready for me to hear about it and I respect that. But, I'm not sure how much longer you can go on like this, Dylan. A lot has happened recently and I know you must be overwhelmed." Emma states with empathy and concern, softening her expression when she feels her boyfriend's eyes intently focus on the side of her face now. "I care about you. I wouldn't say any of this if I didn't."
With gradually loosening his jaw ajar and squeezing his eyelids closed briefly, Dylan exhales deeply to calm himself when realizes he's channeling his anxiety towards the wrong target. "I know you do, Emma," he utters under his breath and then pauses before continuing. "Yes, what went on with Norma today affected me. A lot of her actions affect me, they always have but I can't let it get to me." He sighs, "I have to remain numb. It's what works for me."
Emma resists the impulse to offer comfort at hearing his saddened words. She knows any more forced conversations or lectures from her will only make the situation worse, so she remains quiet with her focus concentrating on the road ahead of them.
After 15 additional minutes of driving, the young couple arrives in the parking lot of the White Pine Bay Sheriff's Department. Emma turns her vehicle off and removes the keys from the ignition, dropping them into her handbag. After unclasping her seatbelt, Emma reaches for the inner handle of her door but suddenly stops herself before touching it when she notices Dylan making no effort to move. Emma awkwardly twists her body to face her seemingly detached boyfriend while he stares blankly through the windshield in front of them.
The silence is deafening for minutes, but is finally broken with a raspy whisper. "Maybe this was a bad idea," he drones under his breath. "We should go."
With widened eyes, Emma touches his left thigh with her hand and squeezes it once to gain his attention. "We're not leaving Dylan. You need to do this," she encourages with a firm tone.
The young man snaps his eyes to meet hers with a combination of intensity and vulnerability etched in his glare. "Can I really press charges against my own brother?" Dylan questions weakly, but his gaze remains wild and strong.
Emma leans in closer to him, swiping her thumb gently against his thigh in a soothing manner. "Yes you can," she reassures with persuasiveness and hidden confusion. Emma can't understand how Dylan can go from one extreme to another regarding his little brother's behavior. Without being able to sweep this curiosity away from her mind, Emma decides to ask the question plaguing her mind. "This morning you were so intent on not only pressing charges against Norman for what happened a few days ago, but you also believed he was responsible for Norma's injuries. What changed?" She asks sweetly to avoid upsetting her obviously conflicted boyfriend any further.
Dylan's concentration shifts back to glaring through the window in front of him with a long sigh, color slowly draining from his face. "Norma will never forgive me when she finds out I sent her favorite son to jail." He then pauses for a moment, allowing the possibilities of outcomes to race through his thoughts. "I will need to leave with you and not return, Emma." He states mechanically, completely void of emotion.
Without really knowing how to respond to the young man's statement, Emma tentatively opens her mouth to speak. "Your mother won't want to lose you again," she murmurs with fake confidence. In all honesty, Emma has no idea how Norma will handle everything. Her mother figure is the picture of unpredictability and with the entire family not being truthful regarding her recent forgotten past, all of them could be shunned and tossed aside when she does finally remember.
At the end of this, it's possible Norma and Norman's dysfunctional relationship will be the last one standing which would be shattering for everyone. Everyone, except Norman of course.
Instead of feeding into the inevitable stillness between the two of them, Emma continues to push forward with her support in an attempt to motivate Dylan and break him of his current mental struggle. "I think you're right about Norma's incident."
In hearing those words of validation from his girlfriend, Dylan instantly looks to his left. "You believe me?"
"Yes," she smiles with a slight nod. "When I was in the other room waiting for you, I kept looking over at the staircase where she fell. It just got me thinking about Norma and what could have happened that day."
With a quirked right brow, Dylan squints his eyes and quickly scans Emma's expression to determine if she actually means what she says. "And?"
"I don't know how Norman is involved in all of this, but I have a strong feeling he is." Immediately, Dylan's face brightens and a smile gradually stretches across his lips leading to an equal reaction from Emma. "I know you are afraid of losing your relationship with Norma, but if your brother doesn't get help things could get much worse." She earns a hesitant nod from her boyfriend.
Dylan takes a deep inhale and exhale, curls his fingers loosely around Emma's hand which is still placed on his thigh and closes his eyelids briefly. "You're right, Emma. I had a momentarily lapse of judgement, but I'm thinking clearly know. I know what I have to do," he states while unraveling his hand from hers. He unfastens his seatbelt and rapidly opens the car door to step outside.
In seeing her boyfriend with a renewed enlightenment, Emma matches his movements and picks up her speed to equal his steps.
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After almost 30 minutes of explaining every detail of the attack to Deputy Evans, Dylan finally finished his version of the violent episode and officially pressed charges against his brother. Emma could see he was tense at first, but then gradually gained confidence while speaking about the incident. Evans was luckily the same deputy who assisted with the aftermath of the heated battle so he already had pictures of Dylan's injuries, the first-hand view of the complete disarray of the kitchen and the basic back story of the viciousness that occurred between the brothers.
Emma's description of her involvement took much less time to finish, only about 15 minutes. She inwardly cringed in recounting the facts of the case, especially when she had to mention the rage in her former friend's eyes and how Dylan had to struggle against his own brother to stay alive. Still a little shaky, Emma presented all of the specifics on how she had to take control of the situation in order to stop Norman and save her boyfriend.
Providing all of the disturbing information from that day had been more difficult for her than she anticipated. Emma found herself unable to shake the nerves bubbling within her, even after the interview was over.
Strangely enough, the more time they had spent in the deputy's office the quicker the roles seem to reverse for the young couple. Dylan had become the one who is calm, cool and collected while Emma appears to have turned into a nervous wreck.
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Once the interviews are finally complete, Emma stands from the chair she has been occupying for almost an hour with a small sense of relief. She's just about to leave the office when she freezes in place, noticing her boyfriend hasn't moved an inch.
Dylan continues to rest the palms of his hands on the top of each thigh, remaining focused on the man in uniform sitting across the table. "Actually before we go, I have some questions for you." His statement catches both Emma and the deputy a little off guard, believing their conversation had already been finished. Without waiting for a response from the officer, Dylan continues. "It's about my mom's accident. Were you one of the deputies working the investigation?"
The older man leans back in his office chair with a curious expression written on his face, wondering why this particular subject would be brought up in the conversation when the case had already been closed. "Yes, I was the one who found your brother."
Dylan raises a brow with a tiny smirk forming on his lips, believing this is the exact person he needs to speak to about this. "Good. I have questions specifically for you then."
The deputy leans forward and props his elbows on his desk, inquisitively directing his attention to the young man in front of him. "What is this about?" He narrows his eyes, slightly irritated since everything about that specific day had already been settled. "The case was ruled an accident, you know this Massett. Your mother fell down the stairs, which was pretty obvious from the scene."
"Didn't the Sheriff talk to you about this when he was here earlier?" Dylan asks, immediately seeing the deputy shake his head from side to side. "Well, since I wasn't here for the investigation there are some things I need to know." He points his right index finger in the air. "For one, where was my brother found?" Dylan then aims his right middle finger in the air in addition to the other one. "Secondly, what was he doing?" He asks while leaning his chest a little closer toward the desk and dropping his hand back to the top of his leg again. "And I guess lastly, was there anything out of the ordinary you can remember about his behavior?" He inquires impatiently, glancing to his left to see Emma has already taken her original seat next to him, intently listening to the conversation between the two men.
Deputy Evans bends down and removes the keys from his belt to unlock the file cabinet attached to his desk. He takes a few seconds and then sits up again with a file in his hand. In opening the folder in front of him he shuffles through the pages, until he finds what he's looking for. "Alright I found my report in here. I can't remember every detail of the incident, but this should help jog my memory a bit. The Sheriff wasn't directly involved in this case because he is too close to the situation, but he should know most of the details also. I secretly used his advice in handling this," he mentions in nearly a whisper before he continues in his normal volume again. "Anyway, it looks like your brother was found in his bedroom with the lights turned off. He was lying flat on his back on top of the bed and his eyes were shut. I specifically remember he was difficult to wake. It actually took me several minutes of roughly shaking his shoulders if I recall correctly. Norman also seemed quite dazed when he woke up, asking what happened right away. Almost as if he didn't know where he was. To be honest, I haven't seen anyone so out of it before and I've worked in law enforcement for almost 10 years." The deputy peers upward to meet Dylan's eyes briefly, noticing how the young man's demeanor has grown uneasy. Evans then glances at Emma, who appears to have the same reaction as her boyfriend to his words.
"Anything in his room seem strange?" Emma asks with concern evident in her tone before she turns her neck to exchange a distressed look with Dylan.
The deputy slides his right index finger down one of the pages set in front of him, skimming the written words until he locates the specific condition of Norman's room upon arrival. "It says here when he was asleep, the bed was perfectly made. I thought that was a little different since usually if someone is sleeping, the covers would at the very least be wrinkled, but they weren't. There was some blue crumpled up material on the ground next to the bed. It could've been a jacket, a robe or maybe even another blanket, I'm not sure. The weirdest thing of all I found in the room was a stuffed dog. Not a stuffed animal, but an actual dead dog. It gave me the creeps," the officer says with a noticeable shiver. "It just kept staring at me."
Dylan nods in response with an unsettling smirk. "My little brother has a rather disturbing hobby," he advises sarcastically but then stops himself from making another snide comment about Norman's unusual past time. His girlfriend would definitely not find any further remark about the subject humorous and he's not willing to start an argument with her, especially when it simultaneously concerns her father's choice of income. Dylan would definitely lose this silly battle and somewhat pities Evans, who is on the receiving end of the young woman's death stare at the moment due to his offensive earlier reference to Norman's lifeless dog.
"I may have more questions about this Deputy, but I know you're a busy man today without the Sheriff available so we'll leave you alone for now." The young man stands from his chair quickly with a couple of cracks to his knee joints and then assists Emma from her seat by lightly grabbing her right bicep with his left grip. "Please keep me updated about the charges against my brother, you have my number."
Evans scrambles to his feet and reaches out his right hand to shake Dylan's unoccupied one. "I appreciate you two coming in today. I will be submitting this charge immediately which will keep Norman in the institution for observation for another 72 hours, but if he displays good behavior during his continued stay he will be released by the doctors."
"I understand," Dylan says while dropping his hand from the deputy's. He then proceeds to walk through the door with Emma's arm still in his gentle grasp. "Also, I'm not sure if Romero was able to get ahold of you or not since he left earlier but he's with my mom right now and things are kind of sensitive at the moment. So, if you don't hear from him that's why."
Evans slowly follows the couple out of the office. "The Sheriff said he's available by text. I'll be sure to keep you both updated."
"Thanks, I'll be waiting for your call." Dylan flashes a faulty smile, already running different theories in his mind of what could have occurred with Norman on the day of their mother's accident.
As soon as Emma and Dylan are sitting in her VW bug, Dylan turns to make eye contact with his girlfriend who is shakily inserting her keys into the ignition. The whole interview process and conversation following it has put Emma on edge. She tries to calm herself by filling her lungs up with every bit of air she can gather before exhaling loudly, catching the attention of her boyfriend.
"Now that we know Norman will remain in custody a little while longer, let's go to the cabin and think about everything Evans told us in his office. I also need to explain all of this to Caleb and get my truck back. This car is giving me leg cramps," he grimaces in pain while squeezing both of his knee joints with his strengthened grip. "Before you say anything, I appreciate you and your little clown car." He smiles genuinely, earning a tiny giggle from his left.
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Romero winces in agony again as another lightning bolt of pain shoots up his right side.
The idea of removing his gun belt prior to joining his mentally exhausted wife on the hardwood floor completely slipped his mind at the time. Remembering this little detail would have completely prevented the stiffened grip of his .42 caliber from digging further and further in his ribs with every breath he takes, causing the painful sting to be almost unbearable. He's currently been in this position for 46 minutes and 32 seconds. The Sheriff knows this for a fact because this entire time he's either been on alert for updates from his work cell which is in his left grasp or staring at his watch clasped around his wrist.
At 17 minutes and 40 seconds, Norma moved from her original position with her left cheek resting against his upper chest to her head lying on his lap with the rest of her body curling around his outstretched legs. The good part about this move is his right arm which had fallen asleep around 11 minutes prior is now finally free. Currently, he's content to use his unrestricted hand to gently rub up and down her back with the occasional running of his fingers through her wavy hair. Surprisingly, she did not even blink an eye open nor did she regain any sort of consciousness during this sleeping adjustment which is quite impressive. The soft purrs escaping her lips as she dreams is a sign his wife is definitely in a deep sleep and after her emotionally draining day, it's best he endure the constant pain than wake Norma from her seemingly peaceful slumber.
This last update he received from his deputy was two minutes ago regarding the unusual line of questioning from his eldest stepson during the earlier conducted interview at the Sheriff's Department. Romero is now patiently waiting for Evans to return his curious text about the interaction. Because of all the chaos with Norma's reaction today and her possibly regaining some more memories, the Sheriff forgot all about the conversation he had with Dylan out on the porch this morning. The young man's new theory of Norman being at least partially responsible for Norma's so-called accident isn't too farfetched when he thinks about it, especially after hearing both Dylan's and Emma's account of the attack which took place a mere 72 hours before.
A loud gasp suddenly disrupts the otherwise noiseless room, completely drowning out the almost silent sound of an incoming text from his phone. Immediately concerned with his wife's welfare, Romero ignores the nagging pain of his body and wraps his arms snug around Norma. In pulling her closer into his embrace he hears a small contented sigh escape her lungs. "Are you alright?" He asks softly, careful not to agitate her already shaky condition.
Norma doesn't answer. Instead, she whimpers against his broad chest and nuzzles her body against his as much as possible.
"Did you have a nightmare? You fell asleep with a smile, did something happen in your dream?" He questions, occasionally feeling her figure tremble in his arms. He places a tiny kiss on the crown of her head as a sign of support and reassurance.
Tilting her chin upward, she pulls back only slightly from his hold in order to meet her husband's eyes. "I saw you in my dream," she smiles even with tears dropping to her cheeks. "You calmed me before - ." She stops herself from continuing, reluctant to share a part of her past Alex may not know. Would he judge her for the mistakes of her distant past? Norma panics when the left arm wrapped loosely around her middle suddenly disappears, but exhales in relief when she immediately experiences the sensation of her husband's thumb gently sweep away some of the wetness from her cheekbone. Her eyes flutter shut momentarily at the tender touch.
Romero can't help but be disappointed when his wife chooses not to share her thoughts. However, after a few moments of stillness he decides to encourage her to speak again. Maybe he can help ease her mind and allow her to realize she'll receive no judgement for any choices she may have made. She doesn't realize this, but he already knows her most protected secret. "Before?"
Focusing on her husband's kind expression, Norma shyly continues. "I fell asleep with such peaceful thoughts because you were by my side, but then my dreams turned cruel and I couldn't control all the flashes rushing at me." She whispers while burrowing the side of her face into his uniform shirt, staining it with faint tears. "Images I don't understand."
"Maybe I can help." He offers while moving his left arm to the original position, draping his support around her torso and shoulders.
A grateful smile masks her hesitancy. Norma's voice tremors as she gather's the strength to explain. "At first I saw my giggly, happy little boy. He was exactly how I remember him as a toddler, but then his appearance changed. He became older in my dream and I started to see how he turned from my cheerful son into a sad young man. Then the pictures in my mind altered again, to a face I didn't recognize. The child couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 years old, with soft brown hair and bright blue eyes similar to Dylan's. I feel so lost and confused in seeing this child I don't know," she nervously sighs. "What does all of this mean?"
The Sheriff's complexion pales, afraid the mental pictures of Norman as a boy would trigger some memories Norma isn't ready to face yet. Romero bites the inside of his cheek in attempt to distract himself from the fact he is blatantly lying to his vulnerable wife. He convinces himself his pretend ignorance isn't a lie, but rather a form of protection for Norma. She's too fragile to handle the subject of her youngest son at this time. "I don't know Norma. I don't know." He murmurs quietly, setting his right cheek on the top of her disarrayed hair after she tucks the side of her chin deeper into his pectoral muscle.
"Right before I woke up," Norma then erratically inhales with a shallow breath as the recollection of her last sleep induced illusion corrupts her memory. "I saw a curled hand forming a fist belonging to a faceless man," she shutters in her husband's hold. "At first I thought it was going to be a gentle touch, but then at the last possible moment it became forceful and then all of a sudden I woke up. It felt so real Alex, like I experienced an actual fist to my face."
"That faceless man wasn't me, Norma." Romero speaks in a comforting tone, he peers downward in time to meet the flicker of her eyes. "It would never be me."
"I know."
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After the Sheriff's muscles have long since grown numb, Norma breaks the silence they've been encased in for the last couple of hours now. "Would you like some tea?" She asks meekly, still firmly huddled into her husband's embrace.
"Romero flashes a smile. "I'll make it," receiving a timid nod from his wife in response.
With a grimace, the Sheriff painfully untangles himself from his wife at a slow pace and shoves his cell into his right pocket. His muscles hiss and his bones release various cracking noises as he finally moves to his feet. Immediately he releases his gun belt and discards it to the floor, feeling instant relief at the sudden loss of weight around his middle. Bending at the waist, Romero extends his right hand toward Norma who happily accepts his offer. A restrained gasp is released from the usually tolerant Sheriff as he smoothly pulls his wife to stand in front of him.
Once they step into the kitchen, Romero slides a chair slightly away from the dining table and waves his hand to invite her to have a seat. As she shifts in her seat seeking comfort, Norma grins with a glint to her reddened eyes in noticing her usually confident and strong husband frenziedly rummage through the kitchen. Oddly, seeing her husband a little panicked over the most trivial of things as finding a tea bag soothes her. She may or may not be giggling discreetly behind her hand at the sight. "Need a little help?" The woman asks with a not so hidden snicker.
At the loveable sound he can't hear enough, the Sheriff finds himself chuckling at his own expense. "Looks like I do."
With a smirk sneaking onto her lips, Norma isn't able to control her playful sassiness. "Emma showed me around the room earlier, so I am well aware the tea bags are hiding in the bottom right drawer. The one place you missed, Alex." Using her hands as a gesture for her husband to move closer, Romero instinctively strides toward his wife at her request. Leaning in the direction of the Sheriff, Norma teasingly pats the palm of her right hand on the seat next to her. Without a hint of hesitation, the man sits on the chair and scoots it along the kitchen floor with a loud screech causing them both to wince at the noise.
"No tea?" He says jokingly with a quick wink. "After all, I know where it is now."
Norma laughs and reaches her right arm up to lightly touch her husband's forehead with her fingertips, but then stops abruptly and recoils her hand. The smile formed on both their faces fade for different reasons. While the Sheriff simply reacts to his wife's sudden change in demeanor, Norma is experiencing a flashing memory.
Norma senses her pulse race uncontrollably and her lungs struggle to find breath. Blinking her eyes close, the woman concentrates on the pictures running through her mind in silence.
Meanwhile, the Sheriff is frozen in place until Norma finally flutters her eyelids open again to meet his gaze.
"I remember this." She advises with a teary yet sweetened smile, reaching to gently touch her husband's face. Slowly she runs her fingertips down the left side of his cheek and then cups her hand under his jaw.
The Sheriff's muscles tense at the initial touch and then immediately relax at the soothing comfort of his wife's caress. A glimmer appears in his eyes as he continues to study Norma's every move and expression.
"I remember we were sitting at this table, in this exact same position actually. You were injured, Alex." She pauses for a few seconds and captures her bottom lip in her teeth before releasing it again. "You should have a scar right about here," the woman whispers as she delicately dances the tips of her fingers across the faint wound above his left eye. "You smiled at me," she grins bashfully in noticing her husband's cheeks become blushed with a trace of pink. "I remember feeling something was very special about that particular smile. Almost as if everything changed at that moment but we were too blind to see it or maybe we weren't ready to see it. I'm not sure."
Romero instantly recalls the memory. It was a special moment for him, one not easily forgotten. The memory etched into his mind isn't because of the injury he suffered that night, but because he realized his feelings for the woman sitting next to him might actually be returned.
"I said to you that I thought your face was paralyzed because you rarely smiled," she giggles removing her hand from his face and placing it on her thigh instead. "I want to let you know that smile changed me. However long it took me to share a loving sentiment with you, I meant it silently on the night I saw you flash that smile."
The Sheriff's clears his throat awkwardly to relieve the increasing pressure building while stealthily trying to dismiss the dampness christening the corner of his eyes with a quick swipe of his hand, which doesn't go unnoticed by the woman in the room. His attempt to not lose his strong and stoic character in front of his wife, fails miserably.
"I believe I specifically told you I didn't smile, but of course you saw right through that." The Sheriff teases with a tiny hitch in his breath and a chuckle before turning serious again. While taking her hand in his, Romero lifts her knuckles to his lips and places a tender kiss to them before whispering sincerely. "That night was special for me too, Norma."
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After Norma makes a cup of chamomile tea for the both of them, the couple settles into the living room and exchange warmhearted banter.
Once the pair finished drinking their tea and the cups had been washed and put away, Norma suggests watching a movie to unwind. Norma cozies her tired body next to her husband's strong side with a contented sigh, feeling his arm snuggle her closer into his torso occasionally until there is not even a sliver of air between them.
While Norma focuses her sole attention on the television hanging on the wall in front of them and the comfort of her husband's touch, Romero carefully pulls the phone from his right pocket and places it on the empty couch cushion next to him. The Sheriff is careful not to disturb his wife while he uses his hand free hand to scroll through the few unread messages from the day.
Romero responds to the texts from Evans, advising his deputy to reopen Norma's case. Yes, technically he isn't supposed to be involved in any discussions regarding the incident with his wife but he's desperate and willing to bend the rules a bit to get to the truth, he is the Sheriff after all. Something has always seemed unfinished when he thinks of Norma's incident; however, with his wife's devastating injuries he's chosen to concentrate on her well-being versus the case. Now with Dylan also suspecting foul play concerning the so-called accident, it will be easier for the Sheriff to divide his time to both the investigation and Norma. Of course, he'll be working secretly on the case to avoid any unnecessary attention from neighboring departments. Any intrusions from outside sources could cause more harm than good in this circumstance.
After reading Dylan's text message mentioning his intention to stay at the cabin for the night, Romero decides to enjoy the rest of the evening with his wife and forget about the case for the time being. When he hears a little giggle from his left sneak into his eardrum, a fond smile appears on his lips and an idea pops into his head. The man's grin continues to shine as he reaches his right hand to his cell again. Quickly Romero scans his contacts and after he selects the correct name, he types a short message and eagerly waits for a response.
"Emma.I need a favor…"
Author's Notes: First of all, I left a hint in this chapter about the "accident." Secondly, the scene I chose for this chapter is probably one of my favorites from the show between Romero and Norma. It's not a big love scene or anything, but you could tell the attraction between the two of them in even this simple interaction. It was a suggestion of what was to come for the couple in later episodes in my opinion and I loved it. I hope you feel the same way. As always, thank you for reading this chapter!