The next morning, Tim woke up quite early. He thought he would be the first one up, but he found Rose sitting on the couch with Kojo. She was clutching her stuffed animal tightly and stroking the dog's head pensively, her gaze vacant.
The little blonde seemed frightened. Just by looking at her, Tim understood that she had had a nightmare, and it broke his heart. After all, he had experienced that himself. He knew how painful it was and wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially not his daughter. The only somewhat positive aspect of the similarity in their pasts was that he knew exactly how to help her.
He approached her as gently as possible, taking care not to startle her. Then, he knelt down and whispered her name.
— Rose, sweetheart, are you feeling okay? he asked softly. The pretty blonde lifted her head to look at him. She didn't want to talk yet, but the child could see that he was genuinely trying his best. So, she decided to initiate communication and shook her head negatively. Although it saddened him to see her like this, Tim was happy to feel like he was starting to gain her trust. They were making progress.
— Did you have a bad dream? the policeman asked. This time, she nodded.
— I understand, I have them sometimes too, and it's absolutely not fun. What helps me in these cases is to change my mind. Would you like me to prepare a huge breakfast for us to eat while watching cartoons? I can make waffles, eggs, pancakes, and anything else you'd like, the policeman offered, willing to do anything to make her smile again, even if he wasn't quite sure how. This idea seemed to please her, as her face brightened slightly.
— I'll let you choose while I go prepare the food, he announced before showing her the cartoon platform.
Rose complied, and about twenty minutes later, they found themselves eating a gigantic breakfast in front of Totally Spies.
— Oh my God, never in my life would I have imagined seeing Tim Bradford having breakfast on the couch, in his pajamas, and in front of a cartoon. Little one, you don't realize it, but you have some serious persuasive power, the beautiful redhead joked gently. This made her niece smile.
About an hour later, they were all dressed and ready to head to the police station. The drive went smoothly but in complete silence. Once they arrived at their destination, they got out of the car and headed towards the police station. Rose stayed close to her father the entire way, intimidated by the imposing building and the uniformed police officers.
They entered and went directly to Sergeant Grey's office, ignoring the curious glances from the other officers. The news of Sergeant Bradford's paternity had spread among all the police officers, and they couldn't help but be curious. When they reached their destination, they found their boss, Angela, Nyla, Lucy, and Sergeants Murray and Caradine.
Everyone smiled at the little blonde when she entered with Tim and Genny Bradford. They greeted her calmly to avoid frightening her, but Angela and Grey, who had never met the child, approached to greet her. They knelt down and smiled.
— Hello Rose, I'm your dad's best friend, and I'm delighted to meet you, the beautiful brunette announced tenderly. She still couldn't believe he was a father. Despite the tragic circumstances, it was one of the best things that could happen to him.
— Angela, we've already talked about this, men don't have best friends, he joked, smiling mischievously. He was, like everyone else, well aware that this statement was false.
— Hello young lady, I'm also delighted to meet you, the team leader announced, moved.
They chatted calmly for a few minutes, catching up on the progress of the investigation and trying to show Rose photos of people who might have killed Isabel. The little girl was able to recognize some dealers she had seen at her home, but she couldn't identify the killer. Nevertheless, this gave them a few leads to explore.
They were about to set up a plan of action when Thorsten burst into the office. He took the police officers aside while Rose stayed with her aunt for a moment.
— We have a problem. Isabel's death is making headlines, and the journalists had the bright idea to mention Rose. They didn't reveal her identity, but if the killer saw the news, he knows there's a witness and might do anything to find Rose, the rookie announced hurriedly.
Everyone panicked at the thought of the young girl being in danger. After all, the people Isabel associated with were not known for being angels. They were the type of people fully capable of coming back to kill a child to ensure there were no witnesses.
Despite their fear, this news only strengthened their determination to arrest the murderer of their former colleague. Moreover, although Tim was afraid for his daughter's safety, he did not want to transmit his fears to her. When he saw her terrified gaze, he got down to her level to reassure her.
— Rose, sweetheart, don't be afraid. I can assure you that we will do absolutely everything necessary to stop this bad person. The entire police station is working on it, and I intend to get involved as well. Until that's done, you'll go with your grandparents and Aunt Genny to a secure location… Thorsten, Chen, I want you to take them to a police safe house and don't let them out of your sight until we tell you to, he explained calmly. He was determined to track down and arrest the person responsible for this situation.
— Of course, Sir, we won't let them out of our sight, the African-American officer agreed vigorously, honored that his superior had entrusted him with such an important task.
— We'll take good care of her, okay. Don't worry and focus on the arrest, Lucy concluded kindly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Their complicity did not go unnoticed in the room, and everyone was waiting for the moment when their relationship would turn into something more than friendship, but this was neither the time nor the place to address that.
After a long exchange of glances, they began to set up the upcoming operation. Once the details were settled, the five most experienced investigators set out to investigate and find the monster who had killed Isabel and was threatening the life of this adorable little girl.