Alex smiled as he said, "Timothy, this is an opportunity for you to show what you've got. You should be promoted."
Then, he took the offered meal and began to eat happily. However, Timothy's face was full of tension and helplessness.
"It's really hard to know what to do," he said. "I mean, look at what has happened; Maryann was drugged, the Thorntons have been acting like a bunch of devils, the Ghosts are back to bullying everyone, and you took down the biggest members of the Thornton family." He shook his head and then went on, "You really are quite fierce, you know. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up here."
He watched Alex eat for a few moments. "What's more, you know that guy Riley? Well, I hear that he has some real power in Baltimore." He sighed. "But the most important thing is that you're okay."
Alex scooped up another mouthful of food.
Timothy sighed. "The problem is that you've just dumped all of this on my lap. If you hadn't reported the matter, then I wouldn't have known anything about it. But you did, and now it's my job to deal with it."
Alex became lost in thought for a while, remembering Chelsea Wood, the police officer who had previously let him go. He hadn't heard from her in a long time, and idly, he wondered what she was up to. After a few minutes, he realized that Timothy had started talking again.
"Alex, we have bigger problems now," Timothy was saying. "My brother knows about this, too. Ever since last night, the phones haven't stopped ringing. People are calling about all the chaos that has been happening out there, and even my brother has been affected. Many people come to him for advice, but after all this, I think he's going to need to stand his ground." He frowned, probably sympathizing with his brother's difficulties. "It's difficult having to juggle the Thorntons, Robinsons, and the Ghosts."
Obviously, the matter was of major concern to Timothy, but he was going to handle it wisely. It would be difficult for the brothers to keep everyone happy. Alex knew that the only way they could keep the peace was to follow procedure, so he hoped they would do so.
Timothy had a lot of respect for Alex, and he valued his opinion. Even though Timothy had to listen to his superiors, he still regarded Alex as a valuable ally.
Alex, who had been eating happily, drank his last bit of coffee and sat back. "Timothy, I'm sure you and your brother will enforce the law strictly and impartially."
After that, Alex patted his belly and stood up. He turned to go back toward his cell when Detective Tamara Knox came in. "Hey, Alex, you can go. You've been released on bail."
Tamara saw that Alex had just finished eating his breakfast. He had left behind a doughnut, and she grabbed it and stuffed it in her mouth. She had been on shift all night and hadn't had a chance to stop and grab a bite to eat. Now she had. "Thanks, Alex," she said around a mouthful of doughnut.
Timothy looked at Tamara in surprise. "Alex is being released? Is this for real?"
After Timothy had arrested Alex, he had tried not to give him preferential treatment to avoid arousing suspicion. He supported Alex's fight, but he hadn't wanted his brother to know that. Therefore, he had been careful and had avoided making any mistakes that could jeopardize the case. He had hoped that by finding a balance, he could help Alex without drawing the attention of his brother.
But when he heard that Alex could be released on bail so soon, Timothy was surprised. "What about the others?" he asked. "What about your investigation?"
Alex, happy to hear the news, also stopped to hear what had happened.
"Riley will also be released because his story checks out," Tamara said. "From the beginning to the end of his interrogation, he told the truth. His men had opened fire without any evidence of instruction from Riley. We guess that he's probably shifting all the responsibility to others."
Alex nodded. That wily Riley, he thought. He was smooth, that was for sure. I bet that he didn't do anything because he had no chance to do so.
"The Ghosts were either killed or injured," Tamara went on. "They said that if we promised to take care of Gabriel, then they would cooperate and not try to leave the country. It seems pretty complicated." She shook her head, and then she looked at both Alex and Timothy. "To be honest, I don't know what to believe anymore. Why is all this happening? Some say that it's all your fault and that you should take the fall for it," she said, her gaze turning to Alex.
He rolled his eyes, not dignifying the accusation with a response.
"As for Maria Thornton, we will detain her for a long time," Tamara went on when she realized that she wasn't going to get a rise out of Alex. "Although Micah Fairburn's men were not detained, they were treated for their injuries. Gabriel is about to die, so we will not take measures against him for the time being."
"And you, Alex," she raised her voice. "You have prevented a large-scale war, saving the lives of many people. Because of this, you've been released on bail. But remember, it is bail, not a complete release. If we have any further questions, you will have to report to the station right away and cooperate."
She frowned, looking at him from top to bottom. "Can you even afford bail?" she asked. "It doesn't look like you can raise those kinds of funds." It was obvious that she despised how he dressed and didn't think he was worth much.
"It's all good," Alex said. "I'd like to know who came to the decision to let me out on bail, though."
"Perhaps it was me. After all, I was here all night." Tamara smiled cheekily.
He looked at her as if taking her seriously, and then he shook his head. "No, that's not your style."
She shook her head in annoyance, but also with some admiration. "To tell you the truth, we have an officer here who might have had some say in letting you go. She used to be on traffic patrol, but she advanced quickly and was transferred here by Brian."
"Oh, really?" Alex asked curiously. "I'd like to meet her."
"You sure would, wouldn't you?" Tamara snorted with laughter, but she left to find the officer.
"Alex, this police officer is rather infamous for her hardcore attitude," Timothy warned him. "I'm not sure you're going to like her very much."