‘The one request from the White House was to keep this quiet and away from the media. Do you know how exposed we are now, that we can’t even keep the dead body of one of our greatest presidents guarded? What does that say about our ability to keep our living one safe?’
Jackson and Jamison looked towards each other, offering a resigned look, knowing full well that they now had to work together on this case, regardless of their personal relationship. They had to bring that body home fast and they couldn’t go it alone.
‘Sir, the parks are talking. We had to reveal some information to the management of the tourist sites so we could gain access to some of the more sensitive data without acquiring a warrant.’
‘You should’ve come to me before revealing anything sensitive!’
‘But we’re making progress, we’ve made two arrests over the last few days.’
‘And these arrests, how did they go?’
‘Well, Rick Spabrunt we had to let go. We didn’t have enough evidence on him besides him entering Lincoln national parks around the country days before the kidnap. The other is still in her cell waiting for questioning.’
‘Who was the second arrest?’ Vanessa turned to her colleague, searching for answers.
‘Poppy Shipman,’ Darnell replied. Vanessa placed her shaking head in her hands, exhausted by her colleague’s obsession with her. ‘We’ve officially arrested her on an assault charge, she spat in my face yesterday. But I think we can get more out of her in connection to the case.’
‘Who interviewed Rick Spabrunt?’ Hill asked, slamming his hand down on the desk.
‘We did, sir.’ The lump in his throat was prominent.
‘Why didn’t you bring the CIA in to interrogate him? This case is bordering on domestic terrorism. This isn’t your responsibility. We’ve now lost one of our only suspects due to your incompetency. And as for this Poppy Shipman, I don’t know where you’re going with this but I’m going to get someone else to interview her; you’re not only incompetent but you’re also involved since it was you who was assaulted. How could you both be so useless?’
‘With all due respect, sir, you’ve given us very little direction on this case. We’ve been running around blind for days with little support from the FBI, the CIA, or yourself. We were told to keep it on the lowdown, and so we felt it was necessary to interview people ourselves.’
‘And you failed to keep it on the lowdown. Now get outta my sight. I can’t look at either of you right now. You two better find that body and fast!’
The door slammed behind them. They turned to each other with hope that the other would have answers or offer some direction, but each appeared as lost as the other. They left the precinct to the glare of flashing lights. A herd of paparazzi galloped towards them.
‘What do you know about the Lincoln body?’ asked one reporter.
‘Who did this?’ asked another.
‘Why did you keep this a secret?’
Jackson and Jamison placed a hand over their eyes and pushed through the crowd of photographers before climbing into Darnell’s Mercedes. The blacked out windows offered them some privacy as they caught up on the past twelve hours since their fallout the evening prior.
‘What have you got on Poppy Shipman?’ Vanessa asked as soon as she closed the passenger door.
‘Not here, come on. Let’s go to your house.’
The ride over was uncomfortably silent. Neither knew what to say but Vanessa felt the ice had to be broken if they were to continue on this mission.
‘Listen, Darnell, I’m really sorry about yesterday. I truly didn’t mean any of it. And I didn’t tell your wife. I wouldn’t do that to you. Really I wouldn’t. And as for that word I used yesterday, I can only plead with you to believe that I’m not a racist.’
‘I know you’re not a racist, Vanessa,’ Darnell replied with a resigned tone. ‘It does rattle me when I hear it though. When you’ve walked down these streets all your life and heard the same word to describe you, it rubs you up the wrong way, especially when someone you respect says it too.’
Vanessa sighed with relief and smiled at her colleague.
‘But what the hell were you doing at my property last night? I saw you outside.’ The town’s long straight streets with little traffic allowed him to take his eyes off the road and glare at his colleague as he grilled her.
‘I came to apologise,’ Vanessa lied; she couldn’t break it to him that she was stalking his suspicious son. She was beginning to understand that she had her own obsession. ‘I was waiting outside for you to return home, but as soon as I saw your car, I couldn’t do it. I was still too angry and I knew you’d lose your mind if you saw me.’
‘Yeah you’re right.’ Jackson nodded. ‘I wasn’t in a good place yesterday. Truth be told it’s really rubbed me up this investigation and let’s just say I’m more than a little sensitive at the moment. I was outta line the way I spoke to you. And now this whole thing seems to be falling apart. God knows why Jasmine thinks something is going on between us. I was sure it was you who told her.’
‘What’s more worrying is who told the press. Us and our big mouths. My dad always said it’d get me in trouble.’
Darnell pulled into Vanessa’s drive.
