Joyce couldn't believe she had to deal with the biggest cop in Hawkins. He weighed a ton! She dragged Hopper's unconscious body to one of the house's basement pillars.
"All right, let's see where you have them." She muttered nervously .
Her plan was to rob the house, but frisking a cop was a different story. It was odd and embarrassing, to say the least... but... Um? Exciting? Joyce, concentrate! She dug through his pockets and found a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of pills. The label wasn't deceptive; they were antidepressants.
"Oh, shit," she exclaimed. Things are never as they appear. That guy, like any drunk, sought refuge with alcohol last night. But what he wanted was to forget. Of course, she wasn't the only one who was having difficulties. Who knows, they would have shared a bottle, if they had met under different circumstances.
"Ships that pass in the night, huh?" She lamented. Seeing how others were suffering made her feel more sympathetic. Joyce eventually discovered what she was looking for: his handcuffs.
"I'm sorry. Bad time and a bad place." She pressed his back against the column and secured his wrists behind it. Then she heard a metallic voice next to her. She looked up at the cop, startled, but he was still unconscious. It was his radio.
"Are you there, Chief? If you're there, please move your sorry ass. Jane has already made three calls to the station. Three! She's lonely and concerned, you know?" The voice seemed to calm down after a static pause. "Hopper, come on. It's your daughter. At the very least, call her."
"Hopper..." she muttered, slightly intrigued.
"Don't do that, Joyce," a voice from behind her said.
"Do what?" She turned to face Murray, who was staring at her.
He leaned against the doorjamb, arms folded. "Don't learn his name," Murray stated solemnly .
Things had become more complicated. They now had a police officer as a witness, and to make it worse, they couldn't find what they were looking for. It was a fucking disaster.
Joyce stood up to confront her partner. "Have you had any luck?"
His shoulders shook. "I've searched everywhere. It isn't here."
"It's got to be there!" She exclaimed, her disappointment visible. "The name fits! This is the house."
"Joyce, it's big enough for you to notice! It's not here, I assure you."
Overwhelmed, her lips pursed and she rubbed her face. Nothing was going well. "What are we going to do now?"
His beard was scratched by his fingers. "I'm not sure. But, this," Murray pointed to Hopper. "We must get rid of him."
"What exactly do you mean?" Her eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe he'd say such a thing. "Are you insane?"
"Hey, I noticed he recognized you."
"What? No!" The woman shook her head. "He doesn't know who I am."
"I've seen it with my own eyes, Joyce!" Murray became impatient and raised his voice. "He looked at you as if he already knew who you were!"
"Murray, you're a moron. He would have tried to arrest me yesterday if he knew who I was!"
She was expecting another angry reaction from his partner, but he narrowed his eyes and gave her a stare.
"Is it a joke?" His smile had faded. "I hope this isn't the guy from the dinner."
With an awkward pause, she avoided answering.
"Joyce, I can't believe it. I simply cannot believe it!" He was now yelling and waving his arms in rage.
Joyce made an annoyed expression. "Don't start, Murray."
It's too late. "You have to talk to a cop out of all the fucking people in this fucking town?" He clapped for her. "Bravo! But if you're going to screw up big time, it had better be with the chief of police, right?"
"Murray, come on..."
"Joyce, why on earth didn't you notice the huuuuge golden plate on his chest. Ooooh, right... you were busy looking into his preeeety blue eyes, uh?"
Joyce crossed her arms, irritated. "And how could I possibly know? He wasn't wearing a uniform, you know."
"It's known as intuition! They can be identified from a distance!"
"Oh, yes? How? The man was pleasant."
"Well... uh... I'm not sure!" He admitted, but far from giving up. "But they do smell like cops!"
She sighed helplessly. "You are, after all, a bright soul, aren't you?"
"Hey, look. I have no doubt that the guy was pleasant yesterday. But I will tell you what will happen tomorrow. This nice gentleman," He cast a glance over at Hopper. "He'll very kindly issue an arrest warrant for your cute face. All over the place!" Then he smirked maniacally . "By the way, he hasn't forgotten about your cute face." Those final words were tinged with sly irony.
She uncrossed her arms and placed them on her hip. "You're exaggerating!"
"About what? What will he do, or how much you seem to remember each other?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Shut up!"
Hopper's agonized groan was the only thing that broke the silence. He was still bound, and his head leaned back against the pillar.
"Please, for God's sake, stop talking. You're giving me a severe headache," He mumbled, still dazed.
Murray became agitated. "We'll come up with something. It's best to leave now."
"Are we going to abandon him here? Like this?"
"Let's apologize and give him some chocolates. Of course, we're leaving him here!"
She returned her gaze to the officer. He tried to move, but the cuffs wouldn't let him. His head bowed in surprise, and their gazes locked.
"But... he's alone, in an empty house's basement," she grumbled.
"Right. It will take some time to locate the man. That will buy us some time." Murray rolled his eyes as she continued to look at him in disbelief. "Oh, came on... He's the chief of police. Someone will go out and look for him."
"And what happens if they don't find him in time?"
"Are you particularly worried? Do I need to remind you why we're here?" Murray sighed, exhausted but eager to put the matter to rest. "I'm going. I'll start the car."
Joyce took a deep breath as she watched her companion walk away. She returned her gaze to the cop, still struggling with the handcuffs.
"I… I'm sorry." She was unsure.
Hopper looked at her, tired from his efforts. " Seriously ?" He responded wryly .
She nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You shouldn't have come here. What brought you here?! This wasn't meant to happen!"
His brow furrowed in surprise. He didn't understand the woman's reasoning. He was a cop, after all, and they were raiding a house. What was supposed to happen? She finally gave him a sad smile after biting her lower lip. She was, without a doubt, the girl with the pretty smile.
"Good luck," she said as she tossed the handcuff keys to him, next to his boots.
Hopper looked at her, puzzled. "Why?"
"At least one of us has a kid at home, waiting for him." She spoke, before disappearing down the hall, leaving Hopper even more confused.
Okay. It could have gone much worse. Hopper pondered as his foot reached for the keys. They weren't within reach. "Shit." He stretched as far as his wrists would allow, nearly breaking them. His heel almost brushed up against the keys.
"Dammit." His body became exhausted as a result of the effort. He was capable. But it would take some time. Long enough for her to flee? Oh, she was great.
They'd been driving for a while. With no particular destination in mind, just looking for somewhere safe. Joyce leaned against the van window, deep in thought.
"So…" Murray broke the awkward silence by clearing his throat. "If it wasn't in the house..."
Her eyes were shut . Was it possible to avoid the conversation? "That guy got it, but I'm not sure what he did with it. Did he sell it? Did he donate it? Did he pawn it?" She sighed, exhausted. "We'll have to try to get more information, but what about Bob? He's not here, but we can ask. It's a small town, after all, everyone knows everyone."
"Oh, don't even think about it," Murray smirked. "At least not you, because look what happened when you asked!"
She growled, sick of hearing the same old story. "How long are you going to keep doing this? At the very least, I obtained information."
"Oh, you forgot to mention that we've also pissed off a cop who won't hesitate to screw us over."
Joyce paused before responding. She wanted to ask but she was afraid of the response. "Hey, Murray... Were you serious...about killing him?"
He came to a complete stop at a traffic light. "Are you mad? Of course not! I was going to threaten him or rule him out with a minor injury to keep him busy for a few days. I'm not sure, a leg, an arm, nothing major. Who do you think I am, Joyce?"
She breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know, Murray... I never imagined we'd get this far. I'm not sure what we'll be capable of. I just want it to be over."
He grabbed her shoulder gently . "We will save your son, Will. We'll do it, okay?"
Her head bobbed, uncertainly .
"Hey, at the end of the day, what did you do with our dear friend with the pretty blue eyes?"
Her lips were pressed together.
"Tell me you didn't let him go, please. Joyce?!"
"What do you want me to tell you...?" Her shoulders shrugged. "On his radio, I heard that he had a worried daughter. What exactly did you want me to do? I'm not as cold-hearted as you."
He gripped the steering wheel more tightly. Clearly frustrated. "You're insane!"
"Please relax. I didn't make it so simple. I believe we have enough time to eat something. I know a good place. What do you think?"
To be continued.