AN: Again rather dry but building up to it. Baby steps people. Baby steps. :o)

Chapter 2 – Plotting a Rescue

I was new to the force. I hadn't been there very long when the Chief got a call on his personal line. It seemed to me from what little had been able to observe that he was generally a good guy but he was not happy. From what I'd heard about him in this small town he'd been dealt a ruff hand. His wife had left him 15 years ago and their 5 year old daughter who he'd had to raise on his own. But she ran off to Las Angelos three years ago and didn't keep in touch. It seemed sad to me that a child could just abandon the one person who was there for them like that.

I also heard from people around the office that she had gotten mixed up into some very bad things. She had two friends down there that had extensive rap sheets of drug use, prostitution, and reckless driving. This was on the two friends. From what I could see, I'd pulled her up several times in the system out of curiosity, she didn't have much of anything on her. It seemed to me that she wasn't a bad person at all, but just because you didn't have record didn't always make you a good person. Plenty of people I'd learned were good at avoiding being caught and with her father being a police chief I would be willing to bet that she'd learned all the tricks of the trade and how to avoid falling for them.

I'd seen the pictures that the Chief kept in his office too, the few times I'd had to go in it, and she was a beautiful girl. Although from how he talked she was younger in those pictures. Now she was 23 and fully legal to do whatever she wanted as long as it was within the law. The pictures that he had in his office couldn't have been any later then when she was 17, which were her senior pictures. I'm sure there was more to the story as to why she left. Every story had at least two sides, and I'm sure this one was no different.

I could tell something was going to happen today. I wasn't certain but I could feel it in the air. I'd only been here for about 6 months but the chief liked me and had wanted to ask a favor of me. He'd talked to me about his daughter last night as he broke down in a bar after our shift, and wondered if I'd be willing to do a favor for him and if so he'd talk about it with me today. So here I sat on my day off waiting for the Chief to come in for his shift and find out what he wanted from me.

I had been wild in my younger years. I think every teenage boy goes through that phase. I'd had my wild, drunken partying nights, and I'd filled my need for speed with fast cars and motorcycles. Racing was always my biggest weakness. Something about being behind the wheel and having so much power in my control was better then any kind of drug. Although that thrill is addicting as well and it's what got me here. Well not here as in now. I had gotten one too many speeding tickets and busted for street racing and they put me in Juvie. It was there that I made friends with some of the police and started falling in love with the idea of being a cop. I knew I had the experience and inside details to be good at being a detective but I didn't know if I could do it with the record I had. I went through Police training, passed all my tests, and graduated at the top of my class. I ended up here because it was a small town that needed more officers and didn't have many takers. So they ignored my history and gave me a chance.

Finally the Chief walked in and motioned for me to come into his office.

"Listen Edward. You're a great officer and you have the potential to be an even better detective. But being a detective means being a great actor. I was wondering how good of an actor do you think you are son," Charlie asked.

"Well Chief. I'm sure whatever job you're wanting me to do that I'll do it to the best of my abilities. I've never had much training on detective work but it's where I want my career to go," I told him.

"Well that's just it son. I don't really want you to do much detective work. I have a friend who is the police chief in Las Angelos named Black, Billy Black, and I was wondering if I could get you to go down there and temporarily work under his jurisdiction and may be get my daughter out of that lifestyle. I'd need for you to get her to trust you and be willing to do as you told her and what you thought would be best for her. Also Billy may want you to try to help him with a major drug bust that would be great for your career," Charlie finished.

"Well sir, I don't feel right deceiving your daughter I am more then willing to help out Chief Black and if in the process I'm able to help your daughter and you out then that'd be a bonus. But I need to know the details of my cover while I'm down there." I told him.

And with that he started telling me everything about his daughter, her friends, the people she was caught up in and what I would need to do once I got down there. He told me I'd be leaving in the morning and driving down. The LAPD were going to provide me with a car once I got down there and debrief me on the case.

AN: Sorry it's short but I kind of wanted to leave this whole plan as a mysterious to everyone. I gave you just enough to let you know it's Charlie and Edward is one of his officers. :o)