So these are, basically, a series of one-shots (unless I decide otherwise), which are based on the Facebook/ios/Android game Criminal Case, developed by the game studio Pretty Simple. Some will take place during cases, others between them, but I will be sure to include the setting at the beginning of each chapter.
Hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer - Definitely don't own Criminal Case. All I own is most of the dialogue in this Chapter, though not names of people or locations.
Setting - After the Delsin Peota case, an hour or so before the player leaves for Pacific Bay.
"Josh!"
The younger woman's voice caused me to pause mid-step and turn back toward where I had left the others. As the pink-haired young woman reached me, I smiled softly at her. "Do you need something, Cathy?" I queried.
"I just… Do you have a moment?"
I glanced quickly at my watch. I had about 40 minutes left, which was still plenty of time before I needed to be on the plane. I nodded. "What's up?"
"I… I just wanted to sincerely thank you for everything you've done. If it wasn't for you, I might never have been able to get the closure I needed about what happened to my grandmother 10 years ago. And I might never have met Alex either, so I suppose that's another reason I should be grateful to you".
Her eyes lit up as she mentioned her boyfriend's name, and I smiled gently at her. "Yeah, Alex is a good kid. A little over-enthusiastic every once in a while, but sensible, with a good head on his shoulders. I'm glad that he's found somebody to love" I said softly.
She smiled back at me. "Me too. I really do love him, Josh. He's not like anyone I've dated before, and I really like that".
I nodded. "As things stand, I really am happy for the both of you. I couldn't imagine two people better suited for each other. Could you do something for me?"
"After everything you've done for me and my family, of course! What do you need?"
I smiled. "Look after them for me? Not just Alex but the others too? I just… I think I'd feel a little better about having to leave if I knew that someone I trusted was here to make sure that they didn't do anything stupid anytime soon".
She nodded in understanding. "Of course. I understand completely. Don't worry, I promise I'll keep an eye on them for you. Like I said, it's no problem after what you've done for me and my family. And remember what I wrote on the goodbye card, alright? If you ever find yourself in a position where you need a hacker…"
I grinned gently. "I'll call you, I promise".
"You'd better keep that promise Josh, since I intend to keep mine. You do have my phone number, right?"
"Of course I do. I couldn't resist taking the time to add you to my contacts list when we were forced to arrest you during the Delsin Peota case. Which I am still incredibly sorry for, by the way. I never really believed you had anything to do with his death".
Cathy gave me a soft smile. "I know you never believed I had anything to do with Delsin's murder, Josh, and believe me when I assure you that there are no hard feelings whatsoever. You were just following the evidence, after all".
I smiled in response, glad that she wasn't angry at me for what had happened over the course of the last couple of cases. "The last few weeks have been crazy as hell, huh?""
"They really have. I still can't believe it's all over…"
"Tell me about it".
She smiled, pulling me into a quick hug. "I am going to miss you, Josh. I really am".
"I'll miss you too, Cathy".
We were interrupted by the loudspeaker. "Last call for flight GRA-031 to Pacific Bay"
I sighed, nowhere near ready to leave, though knowing I had to. "Well, I guess that's me then. Take care of yourself, Cathy, and don't forget to look me up if you're ever in Pacific Bay".
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. You take care too, alright?"
I nodded. "I promise you I will".
With those words, I turned away and began walking towards the plane. And towards my future.
~30 minutes later~
I sighed, sinking back into the leather chair, taking a long drink from the bottle of iced spring water I had taken from the bar just after take-off. It's so rare I actually get the chance to relax these days… Everything's been so hectic lately, what with Chief King's funeral and the whole business with the Crimson Order. They may have finally been taken down, and things in Grimsborough may be looking up as of last week, but the city's still going to take a while to shrug off such a dark history. I thought idly, thinking back to when I had first arrived in Grimsborough just a year before at the age of 25, a couple of weeks before I'd started working with Jones and the rest of the Grimsborough Police team.
Our first case, which had introduced me to both Chief Samuel King (one of my personal heroes, even after the Adam Bentley case and everything that we learned about his ties to the Crimson Order) and Nathan, had been easy yet ultimately satisfying. Matt Barry, the football player who we had quickly realized had been responsible for the murder of Rose Wolf, had been sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole. We'd never been able to figure out exactly why he killed her in the first place, but I had had the theory that he was actually a serial killer and Rosa Wolf had been his last victim. Of course, we'd never been able to confirm it one way or another, and it was unlikely due to the fact that the first case had produced practically no media attention whatsoever, but it had always been a possibility. I guess it's a pity I never managed to find the time to go over some of the files from cases that went cold. I might have even been able to close one or two of them. Plus they might have made for an interesting read I mused, before replacing the lid of my water bottle and settling further into my seat, letting my eyes slip closed, determined to get a few good hours sleep before we landed in Pacific Bay.
~Approximately two hours later~
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking myself awake as I adjusted to the cabin's lights. The plane was descending, meaning we'd all but arrived in Pacific Bay. That meant within half an hour I'd be meeting the chief of Pacific Bay's police team, and be thrown straight into my first investigation. I was just glad I'd had time to catch a short sleep on the flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Pacific Bay National Airport. Local time is 2:45 pm and the temperature is 89.6 degrees…"
I tuned out the rest of the flight attendant's speech, turning to the window and staring out at the blue sky. Well, here I am in Pacific Bay. A new city, a new opportunity. Let's see what I can do with it I mused, waiting until the seatbelt light clicked off and the plane came to a complete stop before I got to my feet, grabbed my bags, and started for the exit.
~In the main terminal, after going through security/baggage claim~
It didn't take me long to spot the black-haired woman in the police uniform I recognized immediately as being that of the Chief of the Pacific Bay Police Department, and I smiled briefly, shouldering my bags before striding over to her. "Chief Marquez?"
She looked up, nodding. "That's me. Are you Inspector Joshua, former member of the Grimsborough Police Department?"
I nodded, adjusting the way my jacket fell to reveal the standard issue police handgun holstered at my hip. The woman nodded, giving me a grim smile. "Well then. Shall we get the formalities over with?"
I smirked. "Let's do that. I'm eager to get to work".
"I'm glad to hear it. Welcome to Pacific Bay, Inspector Joshua. I'm Chief Marquez, and I run the Pacific Bay Police Department. I'm delighted to have you on my team".
So that's that. Personally I like how it turned out, though that might just be me.
Also, I've kinda decided to do something after every update I do for one of my stories from now on where I recommend a song or two (they won't be from any specific decade/genre, just ones that I find worth sharing. I've been trying it on another site for a while, and it seemed to work out there, so might as well do the same here.
Today's recommendations:
Stay, by Lisa Loeb.
Loyal, by Dave Dobbyn.