Monday morning at NYPD***
Carl was in his office leaning against his desk. He was wearing a short-sleeved ash-colored button-down shirt and black trousers. He looked sharp and well-groomed. His hair was neatly styled, and his dark green eyes were bright and clear. His features were evenly balanced, giving him an effortlessly handsome appearance. Right now, he was busy sipping his coffee and listening to Noah's excuse of why he sabotaged his date.
"I know I shouldn't have tricked you and Anastasia into meeting each other at the restaurant but I was genuinely trying to help you. I wanted you guys to get back together and I knew that if I had sent Anne there, she would feel jealous. I didn't mean to cause any problems, I'm sorry," Noah sincerely apologized to Carl.
He was sitting comfortably on the couch in Carl's elegant office. He felt guilty for making things more complicated for Carl. Nevertheless, he has always wanted Carl and Anne to be together because he wanted them to be happy again.
"It's okay Noah, I'm no longer mad at you, I only feel sorry for Cassandra. I ditched her after I met Anne which was unfair because she was supposed to be my date... And speaking of which, Cassandra sent me a text saying she wouldn't come to work today 'cause she's sick.
But knowing how she is, I know she might be lying about her health as an excuse not to come to work because she's upset with me. I think I now make her feel uncomfortable," Carl said and he was right because after Cassandra had poured her heart to him, Carl disrespected her by kissing someone else behind her back. Cassandra couldn't face Carl after their date because of how heartbroken she was so she had to lie about being sick to skip work today.
"Who gives a damn about Cassandra anyways? She has tricked you before, right? Do you think I'll ever set you up on a date with a scam in the first place?" Noah scoffed.
He added. "It's okay if you feel bad about ditching her but it shouldn't bother you. You both aren't even an official couple to begin with,"
"But still, I don't wanna hurt her feelings," Carl said.
"So you'd rather hurt Anastasia's feelings?" Noah questioned "Oh, I'm sorry I mentioned her name" he laughed silently.
Carl rolled his eyes as he kept his coffee on the desk "You know, sometimes I feel like I'm the most foolish person in the world. Even though I've always wanted a relationship with Anne, when she finally told me she wanted to be with me, I told her I wanted to give someone else a chance," Carl shook his head.
"Well, at least you admit that you're foolish," Noah muttered and Carl sneered at him after hearing what he said.
"I'm kidding! It's obvious that you only rejected her because you were trying to protect your heart from getting broken but I think that Anne meant exactly what she said to you. You should know by now that Anastasia has so much pride and for her to let her guard down and admit to you that she wants you, she's truly interested this time" Noah said.
Carl wants to believe what Noah said but aside from him being heartbroken, Anne was hurt too. She was literally crying in front of him, begging him to start all over.
Suddenly, Carl and Noah heard a knock on the office door.
"Come in," Carl said and the door opened and Sasha walked in.
"Good morning, Prosecutor Carl," Sasha greeted Carl, smiling.
"Good morning Sasha," Carl responded.
"It was actually a good morning until the devil's advocate appeared," Noah said, smirking at Sasha. He always enjoys getting her pissed off at every given chance he gets.
"Prosecutor Carl, of all the detectives in New York City, you decided to employ this clown!!" Sasha said to Carl in a husky tone.
"Hey! Who are you calling a clown?" Noah snapped.
"GUYS!!" Carl yelled to shut the both of them up and there was a few seconds of silence in the room with Noah and Sasha glaring at each other.
"Would you two please keep your differences aside and let's get to business?" Carl scolded them both as their boss.
Sasha strode to sit down on the same couch Noah was sitting with a decent amount of space created by her while Noah rolled his eyes.
"Where's Dexter? Dexter is supposed to be here too," Carl said.
"He's probably busy in the staff room. We can definitely start without him," Sasha said.
"No, I can't be in the same room with you and Noah. You both are impossible to deal with," Carl said.
"Well, it's your detective that's the problem not me," she said casually.
"Oh the real witch always looks for who to blame for her bad attitude," Noah laughed mockingly.
Carl ignored both Noah and Sasha's arguments and tried calling Dexter on the phone but Dexter wasn't picking up, which was unusual. He's usually quick to answer the phone, so Carl thought he might be busy with something. Dexter knew he was supposed to be in the office for a meeting with Noah and Sasha, so his silence was strange.
'he'll probably show up anytime soon' Carl thought and kept his phone on his office desk. He decided to get the meeting started, hoping for Dexter to show up at any time.
"Sasha can you please talk about today's news headline," Carl said to Sasha.
"Okay, the headline is: a young woman found dead on the highway, police suspect foul play… Uh.. as reported by our journalist Audrey, Abigail Harper who's a 28-year-old part-time maid, was reported missing by her mom after she failed to show up at home. And last night, Abigail's body was found on the highway, with evidence suggesting that she was likely murdered and her internal organs removed" Sasha said.
Carl sighed deeply as he listened to the tragic news.
"Boss, this is the third time such an ugly incident has happened in a space of two days. The cops and I have thoroughly investigated this issue but there are no traces of the psychopath who murders people and takes their organs" Noah said.
"That's because you've not dug deeper into the case," Sasha said to Noah.
"Who are you to teach me how to do my job," he angrily said to Sasha.
While Noah and Sasha were busy arguing, Carl thought of the crisis that had been going on in New York. His heart ached for the victims and their families who had to bear such news. He needs to find a way to stop this nonsense before more people die. He also needs to keep a closer eye on his family. He has to protect them at all costs. Although his mother, Ms. Sarah has left New York it's just his brother Richie and his grandmother.
As Carl thought about his loved ones, his mind turned to Anne. Anne also needs to be safe out there. He has asked his PI to stop following her since she wasn't comfortable with it but she needs to be careful since she does special deliveries.
Carl creased his brows as he thought of how vulnerable she was now that his PI was no longer following her. If anything bad happens to her he'll go crazy. However, he is not going to allow any harm to happen to her so far as he is alive.
Carl thought of asking another of his PI to watch over her to protect her but he shook his head. If Anne finds out again, she might get the wrong idea.
If only he had admitted his feelings to Anne when he met her at the restaurant and forget about the past just as she asked they would probably be dating by now. Also, it would've been easier for him to protect her. He would've made sure she never left his side.
His mind drifted to the kiss they shared together in the storage room and a soft chuckle escaped from his lips. Carl couldn't help but smile like an idiot as he replayed every single detail of their passionate kiss in his head. The way Anne moaned his name in his mouth was so electrifying that he wanted to hear her say his name in that manner repeatedly. And how they felt in each other's arms was something he had not felt before. It was euphoric.
"Prosecutor Carl, Prosecutor Carl," Sasha repeatedly called Carl to bring him back to reality.
"Huh?" Carl mumbled with raised brows after coming back to the present. He stared at Sasha and Noah with a puzzled look on his face, feeling lost in what was happening.
Meanwhile, Sasha stared at Carl suspiciously. She wondered what her boss was seriously thinking about because he had a love-sick smile on his face and his eyes seemed to be sparkly like he was yearning for someone. She had been calling his name and it took him time to respond like he had completely zoned out.
"Ahem" Carl cleared his throat "what were you two discussing about?" he asked Sasha and Noah awkwardly as he let his fingers run through his hair.
"You weren't paying attention the whole time??" Noah said in frustration.
"What? You two were busy fighting and I had to let you guys be" Carl said.
"Anyways, your chief of police and I have come to the conclusion that the person responsible for Miss Abigail's death must be a medical professional. I mean, the ability and skill with which her stomach was cut open proves that the perpetrator has a great deal of experience in that area. What do you think," Noah said to Carl.
Sasha might not like Noah one bit but she definitely agreed with him on this one.
As for Carl, he recalled dealing with a similar case a few years ago about a professional surgeon named Dr. Ken who used to abduct humans and sells their organs illegally. That surgeon had been in the business for several years until he was caught by Carl who took him to court and made him plead guilty. And at the end of the day, he was sentenced to death by the judge.
'No, it can't be him' Carl shook his head. That surgeon died years ago and as a matter of fact, Carl saw his dead body so this murderer is certainly not Dr. Ken. Carl thought.
So who's this new doctor? He questioned himself inwardly.
"Excuse me, boss, I just got a text from the victim's mom," Noah said and left.
"Prosecutor Carl, I don't know why but this whole incident reminds me of Dr. Ken. You know you've had a similar case just like this and it turned out to be a surgeon who was the bloody criminal," Sasha said to Carl after Noah left the office.
"Yeah, I know but Dr. Ken is dead! He died so it's definitely not him" Carl said emphatically. He was a hundred percent sure because he saw his corpse.
"We just need to work harder and find out who the culprit is… If only my secretary is at work, I need her to help me organize my files" he said in a frustrated manner.
"It's okay, I can help you do that," Sasha said.
"Nah, you don't have to. It's a lot of work"
"I insist and what's the big deal if I help you organize your files," Sasha insisted and it made Carl stare at her with surprise. Sasha was always friendly with Carl, but lately, she had been acting sweet and affectionate, which was unusual for her. He was unaware that Sasha's change in behavior was due to her romantic feelings for him.
"Thanks a lot, Sasha," Carl smiled. "You can make yourself comfortable, I'll be back shortly," he said.
"Sure, no problem boss," Sasha said and Carl left his office.
..
As Carl left his office, he spotted Dexter's tall figure disappearing in the hallway. He reached for his phone and dialed Dexter's number, hoping to catch him before he left the hallway.
Dexter halted his steps as he heard his phone ringing from his pocket. He pulled out his phone to see who was calling him and he saw Mr. McAlester's name on the screen of his phone. Dexter quickly put the phone back in his pocket without answering it. He was clueless that Carl was behind him, watching as he ignored the call. It was at that moment Carl knew that Dexter deliberately missed the meeting in his office.
"Dexter!" Carl voiced out his name and Dexter turned his back to see who just called his name.
Dexter's heart skipped as he saw Carl approaching him. He hoped that his overall boss did not see him ignoring the call.
"Good morning prosecutor Carl," Dexter forced a smile to ease his nervousness.
"Where have you been and why are you ignoring my calls? Have you been avoiding me?" Carl asked Dexter in a firm tone, ignoring his greeting.
Dexter mentally sighed. He has been secretly angry with Carl for making his sister have a hard time when he can just forgive her.