Chapter 1:
-The Interview
It had been a month after the explosion and almost two months after the death of the lemon pie queen, as she had been christened. And since the case was getting all complicated, the public developed some kind of curiosity around the case, meaning that they demanded that the media did something about it. And that was what they just did.
After spending a hell lot of time trying to figure out things, the media decided that it would be a good idea for them to call the police spokesperson to the news desk and get them to answer a couple of questions about the case. It had been very dicey for the police to get to talk about this since they had lost one of their own and it was still painful. But then again, they knew that they had a right to tell the public how the case was progressing and that was why they took the time to show up.
The interviewer was very understanding and she made sure that she was always jumping on the questions that looked friendlier to Agent Morris. She as well as her fellow agents had lost people and that in mind, the interviewer tried not to make her emotional even though Agent Morris looked as though she could handle just about anything.
And that said, the only other thing that could have made some sense at that moment would have been to kick back and try to talk about what they were doing to combat the terrorism rather than being stuck on getting revenge and stuff like that.
“Well, we have recovered from the cowardice attack and I am glad to say that it hasn’t shaken us that much. As a matter of fact, I think the most important thing happened in the midst of the tragedy and that is the fact that we are more united than ever. We are going to get to the bottom of this and see to it that we have found these culprits and brought them to justice once and for all.”
“Well, we are looking forward to the time where you get these culprits put behind bars. And how are the Jones family members holding up? I am sure that they had gone through a traumatizing phase.”
“Last time I checked, they were doing fine. And like I said earlier, it seemed as though the only thing we can do to help them find solace is by finding the killers and putting them behind bars. I don’t know if they are going to hide behind their masks for a very long time because we are on to them.
“And if the killer is listening in, which I know he is, I want to tell you that we are on to you. Try as hard as possible to get yourself all sorted out. And once that has happened, the next thing for you to do will be to ensure that you made peace with your maker and family because you will be gone for a very long time.”
Agent Morris was clearly not playing, if her tone was anything to go by. She was ready to use both her experience as well as the intelligence that she had to make sure that some people were paying a great deal for the mistakes that they made. She knew that by that time they had done all in their power to ensure that they had everything under control.
And that said, the only thing that would have made more sense would have been to stay focused at all times and eventually, things would work out rather perfectly in the end. The journalist was as smart as she was very observant. And so when she realized that Agent Morris was getting all emotional, she decided to cut the interview short by getting a commercial break which was clearly placed on an impromptu basis.
It seemed as though everything was getting to work out rather perfectly and that said, the journalist didn’t see the need of her to continue with the interview at that point. As a matter of fact, she thought that agent Morris had done such a meticulous job and she deserved a medal. And as she was going out of the interview, the journalist caught up with her and congratulated her for being way too strong.
“You are not only giving the police officers a good name but us women as well. Seeing how passionate you are when it comes to giving justice is nothing short of an inspiration. Keep up with the good work.”
“Thank you.”
That was all that Agent Morris could say at the time. It seemed as though nothing she could say past that would make any more sense since she was angry. Sometimes the people just failed to see the kind of sacrifices that the police always do to ensure that everything is safe and sound. But thankfully, she had finished the interview and it was time to get back to work. The real murderer was still on the prowl and needed catching.
***
After the commercial break, the journalist came back with a hell lot tougher questions. It seemed as though the first time she was just gaging to see how Agent Morris was going to handle herself, something that she ended up doing in a very meticulous manner. And now the only thing that seemed to be incredible would have been to let the viewers get to ask the questions.
This was the part of the interview that would determine whether the police officers would win the public or disgust them. And the commander was standing behind the scenes with his fingers crossed. The interview also meant a hell lot for him and it went without saying that he had no other option but to perform or else he wasn’t going to have that colorful retirement that he kept on looking forward to.
In the end, the most important thing at that moment would have been to just kickback and make sure that she was calm and collected. Yes, it might have been a very difficult thing to go about since the emotions were still very fresh in Agent Morris’ mind but still, she volunteered to do it despite the fact that the commander didn’t advice.
But sometimes the commander always left Agent Morris to whatever she pleased since she was the best agent and always did the right thing. Besides, she had lost a best friend and it wouldn’t be a good idea to steal the spotlight from her.
If anything, the commander thought that it was a much better idea to let her stand out in everything since he knew that she was better placed especially when it came to making herself known and also getting the message that the police weren’t playing even a single bit.
The questions kept on coming and Agent Morris kept her cool despite the fact that some of the questions were cruel as well as farfetched.
“Well, what can you say about that viewer who claims that the police blew themselves up in order to buy themselves time?”
Agent Morris paused for a moment. At the time, she didn’t know how best she was going to react since she was getting to experience a hell lot of mixed reactions and that said, she knew that she needed to take some time to cool off because it would have been just a matter of time before she killed someone – something that she could have done without a moment’s hesitation.
“We have had a lot of high profile murders in the past ten years and we have managed to solve most of them. And as far as those we can’t solve, we shelve them under the tag of cold cases which will be investigated indefinitely. And since we didn’t opt to blow ourselves up then, I don’t think we would want to do that now.
“And that brings me to yet another point. I think it would be a good idea for some of the members of the public to show respect. We lost good men and women that day and I don’t think it’s wise to poke fun and make silly assumptions.”
It seemed as though the viewers hadn’t learnt their lesson especially after the first interview and that got Agent Morris a little pissed off. But still, that didn’t stop her from doing her job and so the most important thing that could have happened at that moment would have been to stay focused as much as possible.
Thankfully, Agent Morris wasn’t going to let that minor incident define her. And that said, the only thing that she could have done would be to ensure that she was all sorted out with the rest of the questions. And once she had done that, the final thing was to talk about policing and what made her take that career path. It was a little refreshing since the old days were much more exciting and less stressful that whatever was going on.
Agent Morris actually came to enjoy the whole interview and she chuckled a couple of times. It was such an amazing thing and in the end, the only thing that made sense was that the interviewer was amazing. She knew that Agent Morris was under a lot of stress and the last thing she needed to d
o was allow the insensitive viewers to keep pushing and pressing her buttons.
Chapter 2:
-The funeral-
After the incredible interview that Agent Morris gave, she managed to win the people over, and most of them assured her that they were going to turn up for the funeral – something that she highly appreciated. And now, for the first time ever since she was assigned to the case, it seemed as though she was going to have no other choice but to accept things the way they were, put the case aside and mourn her friends.
One of those important friends was none other than Agent Howard. Agent Morris had decided to give him a break from the discussion so that he could bring her coffee as he always volunteered especially when Agent Morris had her hands full. And now, for some reason, Agent Morris blamed herself for everything that was happening. If only she had told him to stay behind, then Agent Howard would probably be still alive.
The politicians were also present including the vice president as well as the chief and a host of other politicians who had come to show their support. But the truth of the matter was that they had just come to show that they care when the only thing that they cared about was re-election which was just around the corner. It was almost funny because the people already knew and they were tired.
And the only reason that they didn’t boo them was out of the respect that they had for the fallen soldiers.
The funeral service was hurried since the politicians had done such a fine job in making sure that they had taken huge chunks out of the time that had been allocated for the ceremony, to the disgust of everyone else. And once they were sure about everything, the next thing was to lower the bodies to the ground after a twenty-one-gun salute.
In the end, the most important thing was that they were in a position to stay focused and stay strong. But that wasn’t going to happen since half of the agents were already shading tears.
In short, it was a painful moment that no one could have been judged if they shed a tear or two for that matter. And that said, the next business was to mingle with the families and reassure them that they were going to bring them some justice.
Agent Morris went straight to Mrs. Howard, Agent Howard’s widow and reassure her that everything was going to work out just fine. All that she needed to do was keep her daughter safe. Mrs. Howard and Agent Morris had been friends for a while now and so she believed every single word that she said.
“I know you did everything you could to protect him, but it was his time to go. I just don’t know what I am going to do without him. I warned him against taking the lemon pie murder case since I had a bad feeling about it. But he just wouldn’t listen.”
“You know; Howard was an incredible agent. He always did all he could to make sure that other people were safe. That was his strength.”
“And look where that got him, to an early grave.”
And with that, Mrs. Howard took her child’s hand and left. For a moment, Agent Morris didn’t utter a word. She was feeling the pain as well and couldn’t blame Mrs. Howard for blaming her since she was the one who always dragged people into dangerous cases. Yes, that was the whole point of being a police officer, but still, that didn’t make or justify Mrs. Morris for putting people at risk.
But that said, she knew that she had to stay as strong as possible for her own sake. If at all she was to continue staying focused at all times, then she ought to have done all in her power to ensure that she was in a position to accept that it was her fault and that there was nothing she could do.
From a distance, Agent Morris could spot the commander coming towards her and she immediately wiped off her tears and replaced the long face with a long, fake smile, trying not to show any signs of weakness. But from the look of things, it seemed as though the commander had already spotted her crying and that was the reason he wanted to come over and offer a shoulder for her to cry on.
“Look, I do understand that it’s hard on you and it’s ok to cry. Just know that it’s not your fault. If you knew that bomb was going to be thrown in the base, I know you could have saved us all, even if it meant sacrificing your own life. And about Mrs. Howard, she will come around. She is just sad.”
“I hope you are right commander; I do hope you are right.”
***
The funeral was finally over and everyone, including the very persistent journalists who seemed to have any respect for the families in mourning, left the burial ground. The politicians had already made their rehearsed speeches to the cameras and walked off, feelings as though they were in a position to win the elections.
But Agent Morris felt as though she wasn’t done just yet. She had to say goodbye to her best friend properly. And so when the other police officers were leaving, she felt as though she didn’t have any other choice. She went to the nearest bar and opened a couple of bottles and drunk while reminiscing on the good times that she shared with her best friend.
She thought that if at all Agent Howard was still there, maybe they could have just kicked back and have a couple of beers together, probably discuss on the case. One thing that Agent Morris was going to miss so much about her best friend was his incredibly genius ideas. As far as being a genius was concerned, not even agent McCartney from the forensics could come close.
It seemed as though his intelligence, especially when coming up with smart ideas to solve or approach a case were on a superhuman level. And that, among many other things, would make him to be very much missed, something that Agent Morris couldn’t take. But he was gone, and there was nothing that could be done as far as that fact was concerned. As a matter of fact, the only thing that made some sense at the time would have been to drink herself silly.
Agent Morris tried to bring back the case so that at least she could think about it but her mind had been clouded. And besides, not having her best friend around also added salt to her injury. It seemed as though every single thing that she had been working too darn hard to achieve had all gone up in smoke and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Hey, I am sorry about what you are going through, but we still have a killer out there. Get the hell up, dust yourself and get back to work!!”
Agent Morris looked around, but there was no one in the pub. It was very earlier in the afternoon and most people were at work. But at that moment, she swore that she heard Agent Howard speaking to her. But on realizing that there was no one but herself, Agent Morris smiled. She thought that she truly was losing her mind and that nothing could be done to stop herself from getting all drunk.
She was about to order another beer when the bartender refused. And he had good reason because Agent Howard was also his friend and instead of drinking, he came back from the funeral and kept on working since he knew that was what Agent Howard would have wanted.
“In as much as I would like to serve you a drink, then another one, I am afraid that I just can’t do that! You are drinking way too much and that said, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to keep on risking your life for nothing. It’s not your fault you know.” The bartender said.
“Well, you don’t really know that, do you? Jesus Christ! Why does everyone keep saying that it isn’t my fault yet I am the one who sent them to pursue these criminals? Now all hell has broken lose and no one wants to give me the reality, it’s even worse. It’s like all of you are pitying me.”
The bartender edged a little closer and tapped Agent Morris on the shoulder before giving her one of the most realistic pieces of advice out there.
“Look, I don’t mean to come off rude, but this is fate. All of this isn’t happening because of you but it is happening to you. It was meant to be, meaning that no matter how hard you try to fight it, you just can’t. You get my drift? So what will really count in this situation is what you choose to do with it. You can either choose to fight a vigilantly as possible or you can be an ass and drink yourself to death. Either way, your story isn’t finished just yet. But how you finish it, it all depends on you.”
And with that, the bartender patted her on the back and took her empty glass away, leaving a tearful Agent Morris engrossed in deep thought. The bartender wouldn’t have put it better and from the look of things, it seemed as though he had motivated her to the right direction and needless to say, it was about time for her to do something about it.
Chapter 3:
-Back to business-
Finally, the renovations in the police headquarters had been completed and it was a matter of time before they became fully operational. Even the smell of paint that irritated the commander had subsided and now he could come in and out of the address room without having to worry way too much.
As far as the other agents were concerned, it was just another day at work. They had zeroed down to at least two major suspects and judging by the amount of evidence that they had on them, the agents were sure that it was either one of them or they were working together. And the fact that Mr. Brown and Mr. Jefferson were both in the lemon pie business, then it all made some sense.
“Well, the only thing that remains to be done is to go over the evidence one more time, then get to visit a judge in order to get a warrant. That way, you will be required to make a point of arresting these people. I will be talking to some of the best civil lawyers while all of you will be carrying out the arrests. Make sure that you are following the law as well as protocol since these people know we are coming and would do anything to duck the law.
COZY MYSTERY: Lemon Pie Murder Series (Lemon Mystery Murder) Page 7
