10. Officer Monroe's POV
I step out of the black and blue policeshuttle and take in the suburban street. "Dispatch, this is the 3041, we've arrived at our destination and are about to take a look." It´s a calm neighbourhood. Old trees adorn the sidewalk and the large houses are delicately furnished with green lawns and an occasional porch.
"Copy that, keep me informed."
The red bricked house seems to have earned its place in history as it's in part overgrown with roses. This night's blackness melts with the dark slates of the roof.
Bridges walks around the shuttle to join me and whistles his appreciation for the stately mansion to which we are dispatched. "...Nice" he adds.
No longer am I surprised at harsh incidents that take place behind closed doors, even doors that are carefully painted, maintained and seem to attest to the stability and normality of the familylife it keeps hidden. My career with the force has provided me with enough sceptisism to approach even this one with healthy caution.
A light jumps on as I approach the front door and force my finger eagerly on the button that will hopefully alert the admiral of my presence. A long silence follows.
"She's the one that planted that computervirus directly into the Borgqueen." Bridges face betrays his excitement as he shares his admiration with me. Unwilling to get caught in his unproffesional gossip I wave it off absentmindedly and step back towards the shuttle. "...yeah, I've heard. I'm going to request a scan to see if there's someone in the house." A wet puddle reminds me of the rain that fell earlier this evening as I move down the frontdoorstep and stand with one boot in its watery mudd.
I'm surprised at the sound of the door opening.
"Officers?"
"Admiral Janeway." It's not a question for her identity, I recognize her off countless newsreports in which she is everpresent.
It's as if she tries to hold my gaze hostage with hers. Her bright blue eyes are set on mine and are in total disregard of my young partner Bridges. I realise she'd been succesful for the short moment it had lasted since I only now notice she wears a black hat that's pulled over her left eyebrow in a cocky yet mysterious style. She wears a long black coat that she has buttoned up to her mouth.
"We have someone at the bureau who claims there are intrudors in your house ma'am." It elicits no reaction. "Is everything allright?"
"Someone at the bureau?" She asks confused. I reveal a padd from out of my coatpocket and show her a photo of miss Caulfield. The admiral slowly shakes her head in denial "I've never seen her."
The infopanel in the shuttle had disclosed miss Caulfields indirect relation to admiral Janeway, apparently they share some loveinterest named Johnson, which may explain her preoccupation with the woman. The psychiatrist fulfilling the nightshift had recovered a mental health record which summarized an old history of psychoses, a possibly pathological fixation on the admiral and intensive marriage counseling. Janeways neighbour had cared for the confused woman whom he had seen climbing down the roof. She had been in shock and covered in dirt. He'd brought her straight to the hospital and dispatch hadn't been notified of the incident until Janeways current husband made a direct call to our captain.
"So she hasn't been inside your house earlier this evening? You didn't notice or hear anything on your roof?" I ask.
"My roof?! I've been home since about nine...nine-thirty perhaps, and since then I've noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Listen, I don't know what some deranged woman told you but it sure has nothing to do with me, so, if you don't mind officer-" she looks at my chest to inform herself of my name "Monroe, I'm in a hurry. Goodnight." She moves to shut the door but I stop it with one hand in its centre.
"Ma'am, I'm truly sorry to intrude, but she claims her husband is being held here. We are told he's your former fiance; Mark Johnson? We haven't yet been able to locate him so if you wouldn't mind-"
"Mark? I can assure you there's no one here, especially not Mark, I haven't seen him in ages."
I try a different tactic and point to her coat "Were you about to leave, ma'am?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I'm due back at the Presidium. Like I said, I'm in quite a hurry." She makes use off her full bodylength in standing her ground.
"I won't take long, admiral, if we could just take a quick look inside..." I add persuasion to my bluffed decisiveness by stepping towards her and take an informative glance into the broad corridor behind her. I can easily see past her short form and into the dimlit room but see nothing out of the ordinary.
My momemtum is interrupted by her hand on my chest and she swiftly moves to block my path. "I don't suppose you have a court warrant?"
I act surprised "We don't need one if we have your permission to enter and, honestly ma'am, we might as well spare ourselves the time and trouble of those formalities, wouldn't you agree?" She remains unconvinced and unwilling to let us in.
I don't step back but lean in a bit closer to her face. "It would ease my mind if we could take a look, admiral. I'd very much appreciate it." She averts her face as she leans against the door and moves a hand to her forehead to pinch the bridge of her nose. She seems annoyed by us but I fear she keeps her face hidden by her hand and the shadow of her hat and the dim light.
"Ease your mind?" She overarticulates the words. "I'm expected to go over some details with the Arcadian ambassador in San Fransisco, you expect me to tell her I'm late because I needed to ease some constables mind? Really, officer..." I step back in the realisation she won't be deterred.
"We're headed there ourselves" I lie "we'll fly with you."
She sighs, unmoved and unimpressed by yet another invasive attempt "Get off my property, officer Monroe."
I pause.
"You might want to let you husband know nothing is out of the ordinary. Our captain just received a call from him, I hear he sounded quite alarmed."
The slightest quiver of her lower lip alerts the sixth sense every experienced policeman is blessed with. I feel like I caught her off guard by mentioning her husband.
Bridges is allready halfway across the lawn but before I turn to leave I decide to give it one last shot.
"If there were some way, some reason, that kept you from talking openly...that meant you couldn't be honest with me now, then perhaps you could...give me a sign? Like...blink, or perhaps...wink?"
I look at her steadily and she returns the favour. Me, Bridges, Janeway; we all patiently wait and closely moniter each others eyes.
Hers remain open but are somehow less sure of themselves.
Finally, she breaks contact and looks down.
"Really, officer," she chuckles "I think perhaps you've played one too many a holodeckprogram."
