Naomi and I sat down at our desks and I looked around, it felt so unreal and so different than what it was like to be a beat cop. It felt good for sure and I liked that I was so far on a good start. I blushed as Naomi smiled at me and she began
"You can stop blushing right now."
She rolled her eyes and I laughed before the Captain came over with our first case and I was briefed that there was a potential leak in the department due to informants and officers being ambushed and killed at an alarming rate and that scared me so much. A leak in any department was bad news, if that was bad enough, imagine being the new guy. Even I noticed that they seemed to be having trouble hooking up with a drug dealer named Calderone. Naomi told me
"We keep getting beat at every corner and every bust, its a dud so far as of lately. Nobody is sure why this keeps happening. My partner Ricky Nolan, who was my partner before you, was killed by a car bomb."
I took a look at the crime scene pictures and I looked at the images that the traffic cameras took, I felt like I had to say this to them, but they were going to be pissed off...oh well, if I was right, I probably could get a promotion and if I was wrong, I was sure as hell gonna transfer the hell out of this solar system for good. I began carefully
"This leak you speak of, I think this leak may be closer to home than you think...this leak may be someone you know. Now, I'm not making any accusations here Naomi, but I think you are trusting the wrong people...I have a feeling that someone close to you is the traitor."
Naomi snorted
"Now, I don't know where you come from, but that is a crock load of bullshit right there. We run this ship tight and mighty and we don't tolerate traitors of any kind."
I rolled my eyes and began
"Now isn't the time to start me on the 'blue thin line' routine bull. You know its bullshit and so do I. Now, as I was saying, the traitor isn't just gonna say 'here I am, I betrayed the team, please arrest me'"
We decided to do something a little unconventional by having me go undercover by myself, fresh off the streets and as a corrupt cop, it was frightening because I wasn't used to being undercover all by myself as I was gonna bait out the dirty cop. I didn't expect to be in a dingy nightclub where drinks flowed and it smelled like cigarettes and the strobe light effects flashed and scintillated all over the reflecting surfaces, it was dark all around and I could see prostitutes dancing and twirling on poles and I looked around before a man in a silk blue shirt and black dress pants and black tie sat down next to me and said
"Look, you better be who you say you are. Boy if I find out you are one of them informants..."
He then drew a line across his neck in a meaning that was all too clear, my blood ran cold in my veins, I was praying to all the gods that were in existence that somehow I would make it out of this. I knew that somehow, I had to make it through this all on my own as he began
"So...where's the dough?"
I swallowed thickly before pulling up a metal Halliburton suitcase filled with 100,000 dollars and he opened it up before handing over two keys of cocaine. I then sliced up the package wide open and he added quickly
"Ah, ah, ah! You gotta test out the merchandise...the old fashioned way..."
I knew what he exactly meant. He wanted me to do a loyalty test. He wanted me to snort the cocaine in front of him. I was scared and I didn't want to, but what choice did I exactly have? I had to establish my identity as Samuel Hess. I scooped out a lump of the powdery drug onto the glittering black countertop using a knife, and I formed straight lines nervously as he smiled with hungry, dark, glittering eyes and I pinched my left nostril shut and I snorted the whole line in one shot and everything felt so much different...and not in a good way. I had just snorted a year's salary worth of cocaine and it made me so sick and guilty feeling as the high punched me hard in the stomach and I felt my head spin. My mind felt as though it was stuck in tar, and I wanted to throw up on his expensive loafers. I noticed that they looked very expensive as I fumbled with my badge and slurred
"Y...You're....under arrest..."
And the whole bar was soon swarmed with cops...or I think it was, as I was surrounded with visions of my inner demons haunting me, hunting me down as Naomi screamed at the dirty cop
"ALL THIS TIME! ALL THOSE DATES! ALL THE TIMES WE HUNG OUT! I TRUSTED YOU!!!"
I stumbled over, trying to stop her from punching him, I had to stop her from beating the asshole into a bloody pulp. Yes I was mad, but it would hurt our case and the last thing we needed was the case to be dropped because of a technicality and I felt the world spin and dance and twirl around me. I couldn't think coherently at all, my head felt like a bunch of angry bees swarming in complete chaos, thinking at all was impossible so I just gave up and stumbled after Naomi as the ex cop was taken to jail. Naomi began
"You probably should hand me the car keys Ed. I don't its such a good idea for you to drive while high."
I felt snappy at that moment and snorted
"I think I can drive. I'm capable."
Naomi sighed "We know you're capable. I'm just saying maybe you shouldn't drive...that's all"
My head was abuzz as I half heartedly tossed her the keys to my Camry and I sat in the passenger seat and I closed my eyes, trying to nurse my coke hangover...this was going to be one hell of a mess to untangle tomorrow but for now, I just couldn't muster the energy to care at all.