Emma Mia Ricci was left at the end of the sidewalk and she walked back. She returned to her cousin. Emilio had been watching the both of them and he had forgotten to put away his camera. He didn't record them, but he did found their chemistry together to be kind of adorable. He had a dark blue shirt on and a pair of light blue jeans on with black and white sneakers. He liked to be comfortable and it the truth was that if he wanted to record well, it was better for him to be in comfort. Emilio was at the bottom of the courthouse stairs waiting for her. The reporters nearby gazed at her condescendingly. She wished she could slap them all in the face. All these reporters did was to make her feel less than. She didn't like being undermined like that. She didn't like it one bit.
"Maybe you should be a model. Damn, that's gotta hurt," said Daniella Curtis from channel 4. She had long blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a yellow jacket and a black dress. She moved her head, her hair and her body mockingly. She grabbed the pockets of her yellow jacket mimicking a model. She blinked many times trying to spice up the mocking to show that Emma had been compared with superficiality. All of this was to make fun of Emma. Emma didn't like it and she was too angry. She took her middle finger out at her.
"Shove it," Emma said, but Daniella simply smirked and then walked brushing her aside treating her almost as if she was a second class citizen. Emma was glad to see her get on her white van with the words channel 4 printed on them. The van drove away and Emma glared at it.
"Can you believe the nerve of that bitch," Emma said bothered, but it was more than a bother, it was mixture of discontent with unjustice. She felt that she had clearly been undermined. Her cousin Emilio stood by her and looked at her. He knew exactly how she felt, but he knew how to take it less seriously. His short, curtain styled hair moved, including his fringe to the front of his forehead a little bit as he nodded. It was a response to her frustrations. He was holding his camera down by the side of his thigh and Emma realized that he was chewing gum.
"You got another one?" Emma asked him. She was pointed her finger at his mouth, referring to the chewing gum. Emilio nodded again and so his hair which was so soft and thick that it moved again. With his long fingers, he rumanaged quickly inside his pocket jeans and took out his pack of gum. Emma grabbed one and unwrapped it. She put the gum in her mouth and liked the flavor, it was cherry flavored. It had a strange sticky liquid that exceeded it's sugary flavor, but her tongue absorbed it well. She tossed the wrapping paper on the sidewalk without a care in the world.
"Hey, don't do that," Emilio said pointing at the gum wrapper on the floor. Emilio was kind of an enviormentalist, although not anymore since the city was so badly run. The mayor of the city was Jeremiah Milland. He was a tall, slim man that liked to exercise with a game of tennis. He had a set of sky colored eyes and dark hair with tips of grey. He had some freckles and his face was shaved clean. He seemed like a good individual, but he didn't seem to be doing a good job with the city. The only thing seemed to care about was to make billboards of pretending to do a good job. One billboard read "City of Crave, where Children Play," despite there being a decrease in births. Another billboard with a huge picture of the mayor at the edge said "Mayor Jeremiah, the best mayor of the year, new jobs, new opportunities," but the reality was that unemployment was rampant. Emma doubted that a mere candy wrapper tossed on the floor would make any difference anyway.
"If that Nefri asshole can get away with cocaine distribution, I don't think they'll mind a fucking gum wrapper," she said and walked on. Emilio put his thumb up.
"You're right," Emilio said.
"You know I'm right," Emma replied, but then Emilio changed his mind.
"But are you? I mean... the little things also count," Emilio told her as he looked at her with his shadowy dark eyes and Emma shook her head and her wig barely moved.
"Emilio, I am not in the mood for a philosophical conversation with you. I just want to get the hell out of here please," she replied.
"Where are we going?" Emilio said.
"I'm taking a break. I'm so sick and tired of this shit that you know where we're going, right?" Emma asked her cousin and her cousin nodded again. He moved his dark curtained hair back with his fingers.
"To the mall?" He asked her.
"Bingo," She replied waving her index finger at him.
"Okay, so this means you're really depressed," Her cousin said, but Emma didn't answer.
"Sorry," Emilio said trying to make her feel better, but she didn't want to say anything. She was going to the subway because she didn't have money to buy herself a car. It was a sad life.
***
Alexander reached the precinct, which also seemed pretty rundown like the rest of the city of Crave. The color of the building was light blue with dark blue ridges and it had a flat rooftop. The windows were all lined and shaped in a rectangle. The parking lot was full of cars. Some were patrol cars and others were civilian cars. The smell outside was a mix of trash and smoke. Cops went outside sometimes to smoke a cigarette.
There were cops coming in for work and others taking in small time criminals handcuffed. Other cops were coming out, taking a smoking break or leaving from their job shifts.
There was sweat over Alexander's white button shirt. He was both upset and nervous about what the department's decision was going to be after he reacted the way he did, but he had no choice. He was going to have to face the consequences anyway. He opened the door and walked along the long hallway. In the middle of the lobby he waved at the police officer who was behind a glass desk. The police officer waved back. He knew what was coming. As he walked down the lobby there was another narrow hall and at the end of that hall were the elevators of the building.
He pressed a button with an arrow that pointed down. Then, he waited for a while until one of the elevator's doors slid open. A few people came out and then he went in with a few other people that were riding up. The elevator was kind of old and made squeaky sounds from a probably old and deteriorated cable system. It even shook a little and although officers had complained about it, nothing had been done. They used the elevator with caution and with a hint of fear. Luckily, the elevator hadn't been damaged yet. Alexander pressed the button with the number 3 because he worked at the third floor where his office was. There were other buttons pressed including the seventh floor which was the last floor on the building. Most of the officers in the elevator gazed at him. Some officers knew him, others didn't, but regardless they could see that he wasn't in a mood. The elevator doors slid open on floor two and some people got out. Then it rolled up to floor three where Alexander was going. The elevator door slid open and Alexander got out.
Alexander wasn't in the mood and he hoped to avoid the unavoidable, but there they were, Officers, Michael Leeway and Jose Santiago. Michael Leeway was a dark, black man with very short trimmed hair and large brown eyes. He always had a smile or a smirk on his face and he loved putting mint chewing gum in his mouth. His partner, Jose Santiago was a Hispanic man from the Caribbean. He had a Spanish accent, big brown eyes and he was the same height as Michael, but Michael had an atheletic built and Jose didn't. They were partners in the same department as Alexander, but they loved making fun of him whenever they could and they started to joke around with him without realizing that he was pretty upset about what happened today at court.
"Hey Hardy, why don't you stop embarrassing daddy and quit the fucking force while you still have the chance?" Michael told him with a smirk as he chewed some white gum.
"Tell me, are you a fucking retard or was the warrant written in French, because, man, what a fuck up," Jose said.
"Uncle Hardy isn't going to save your ass this time, or maybe he will. What are you going to do? Are you going to cry to uncle Hardy?" Michael taunted. Jose started making whinning, crying baby sounds and then they laughed and taunted him together.
"Save me uncle Hardy, save me!" Michael said.
"Uncle Hardy, don't fire my ass. I don't qualify for a pension,"Jose said and they both laughed at him again. Alexander's face was turning red hot and he was seriously getting annoyed.
"Uncle Hardy, I'll kiss your ass-"
"What the hell's going around here? What is this, Kindergarten? That's enough. I need to talk to Detective Hardy, but I want to see you two later on to talk about interpersonal relationships in the office and harrassment," Captain Fredrick Hardy said. Michael and Jose gazed at each other with wide eyes.
"Sir, we were just-" Michael was about to explain, but the captain cut him immediately.
"Get the hell back to work. We'll talk later," Captain Fredrick said. Micheal knew he was in trouble. Jose didn't even address the captain. He just took off and returned to his desk. Michael soon followed suit.
"Come into my office detective Hardy. We need to talk," the captain said. Alexander nodded and followed him from the hallway that was created by the space in between the office desks into his office.
Captain Frederic had to talk to him about what happened over at the courthouse. He would deal with the other detectives later. He wasn't in the mood to have a discussion on interpersonal relationships in the office. He was also tired of having his assistant write warnings and memos, but he had to do what he had to do to try to correct the situation. He understood that Alexander was his nephew and that some criticism would come with the position, but Michael and Jose were taking shit way too far in his opinion.
Anyway, he had important business to discuss with Alexander. What he had done outside the courthouse was careless. Alexander glared at both Michael and Jose as they sat in their desks. He really wanted to give them both an inch of his mind, but the Captain was there and he didn't see the point of arguing with them in his presence. However, he felt he would score points with them later. Now, he had another situation he had to deal with and it wasn't going to be pretty.
Captain Fredrick Hardy, was Alexander Hardy's bigger brother and Alexander Hardy Jr.'s uncle. Alexander's father had also been on the police force until he was killed. He was at a shoot out. He died protecting a civilian from a gang member that was stealing cash from a grocery store on Valentine's day. The civilian was a woman who wore red and had heart shaped earrings. She was buying flowers for her mother when a gang came into the store to steal and cause vandalism. Alexander's father wasn't exactly in the line of duty. He was just out buying himself when the gang came in. As soon as he saw them, he made a nod at the cashier to try to remain calm. The leader of the gang had shouted out loud to everybody to lay down on the floor, but the lady in red didn't react because the fear had shocked her, so instead of lying on the floor, she froze. The gang leader aimed the gun at her and Alexander saw this, so he ran in front of the lady, received the gunshot, but he also shot the gang leader in the head. The rest of the members of the gang heard the gunshots and took cover because they didn't know what was going on. They only knew that somebody in the grocery store was firing shots. This gave the cashier a break to get out of the grocery store to cry for help. Alexander fell down on his knees, blood dripped out of his chest. He was dying. The lady in red was still in shock, but she reacted by running away. She was shaking and crying outside and soon a patrol car came and got her inside a police car where she told them what she had seen including Alexander's heroic moment. She cried feeling guilty about it and while this happened more police cars came in. The gang members hid behind gondolas of cornflakes and canned soups. An exchange of gunshots happened between both police and gang members. Some police officers rushed people out of the store, while others fired covering the civilians. Eventually some gang members ran out the back door and were caught later on, others surrendered to the police when their bullets were over. Alexander's body was taken by an ambulance and placed inside a bodybag. The police had called Alexander's wife and mom Emily to tell her what had happened over at the grocery store. Alexander was eight. At the time that happened he was playing with his little cars and building blocks. His dad had died, but bravely, he had been taught and when he grew up he decided to be a cop so that he could be as brave as his father and now, twenty two years later, here he was at the force, being brave and locking criminals inside jail cells, except for one big criminal who got away with crime, Nefri Mancinni.
"Please close the door," Captain Fredrick Hardy, uncle of Alexander Hardy said. Alexander closed the door and sat down on the chair in front of the captain's desk. On the desk there was a golden plate with his uncle's name C.F. Hardy.
Captain Frederick Hardy was a strict and disciplined man. Behind him he had a few awards he had earned both from the academy and from his service in the force. Some were signed by the last mayor and others were signed by the recent mayor of the city of Crave, Jeremiah Milland. He also had a head of a deer. Although most people found the hunting sport to be unethical, the captain didn't see it that way. In his mind, hunting was good because he saw it as a way to prevent landscaping damages and car/deer collusions. The captain was a big, bulky man. He was strong and even muscular for his age and his uniform was well pressed. He wore a cologne that smelled of sandalwood.
"Look, I'm not going to argue with you about the verdict. That was definitely shitty, but Jesus Christ Alexander, you have to learn how to control yourself," the captain began.
"I understand. I do and I apologize for what I did, but, Captain-"
"Alexander, don't Captain me. You made an ass of yourself and you humiliated this entire department with your attitude," Captain Fredrick said.
"I understand and I apologize for my behavior, but my reaction doesn't change the facts," Alexander told him.
"Yeah, it doesn't. The fact that you didn't go through the search warrant as it was written. You didn't follow procedure Alexander, that's why Mancinni is out," the captain said. This comment was a blow to Alexander's ego. His uncle was right, but it was difficult for him to admit it.
"He's out because the system is corrupt. The judge overlooked the overwhelming evidence of the case," Alexander argued.
"Either way, you're out. The case is closed. He was dismissed. You fucked up," the captain said.
"Captain-"
"I'm going to need your badge and your gun," the Captain said. Alexander did everything he could to try to keep calm. He took deep breaths before saying anything. He took a pause and then he reacted.
"Uncle-"
"It's a suspension. I'm not taking you off the force no matter what that son of a bitch says, but we have to take our precautions. I received a phone call from his lawyer and he's considering to issue lawsuit against the force. If there's something I'm going to do is to defend the department's integrity and resources. I'm not going to let that son of a bitch tear us apart, but there has to be action taken from the department to make that possible. You will be suspended for a month, without pay," the captain said.
"What?" Alexander said.
"Look, if you need any money, you can call me about it later, but Alex, we have to protect this department and we can't allow fuckers like Mancinni tapping into our resources. You're suspended. Next time make sure you follow procedure. Now give me your badge and your gun," the captain said. Alexander was angry, but there was nothing he could do. He grabbed his badge from the back pocket of his jeans. He placed the golden star badge with his badge number on the desk and then he rummanaged for his gun and handed it over.
"You will issue a public apology, tomorrow at six. You're going to issue a public statement. You don't have to write the apology though, I'll have my secretary type that for you," the captain said.
"What? I'm not going to apologize to that son of a bitch," Alexander complained.
"Listen to me. I understand how you feel, but this isn't about that. This is about preventing Mancinni from taking from our funds and fucking around with our police department. Now listen to me very carefully. Internal Affairs is investigating this particular department," the Captain said.
"They are?"
"Yes. I'm not supposed to tell you about it, but you'll be gone anyway. I know I can trust you, but there have been rumors of possible infiltration by the Mancinni family," the Captain replied. Alexander was angry and he shook his head in dissaproval.
"I can't believe this. I can't believe this is happening," Alexander said.
"I understand, but this is why we have to play our cards right. This isn't just about you, got it? Now a suspension isn't a termination, however you can't be fired just because of an outburst, so I'm doing what I can to both save your job and this department. Is that understood?" The Captain said. Alexander didn't like this, but he finally understood.
"Yes, Captain."
"Very well. Show up around 5:30pm to receive your apology note, it should be read at 6pm and then I'll handle the rest of the issue. You take a month off and come back to the force. I believe in your abilities Detective Hardy and I need you here by my side. If Internal Affairs finds anything out, we will bring that son of a bitch down. I promise you, we will continue to do our job and clean the streets of Crave City. It's not easy, there's a lot of bullshit bureaucracy, but we will press forward. I heard the tapes too, Alexander and this Mancinni guy stinks ass. Although the case is closed I suggest you focus on those two witnesses. If you find them, we might build another case against him, but remember, mum is the word," the captain said putting a finger on his lips.
"I understand," Alexander said.
"Good luck detective and I'm sorry," the captain said. Alexander gave his uncle a nod and then he left the office with a frown and a hint of frustration. As he left, his two partners Ashley Bore who was a beautiful petite blond and James Houlder, a pale, average male walked over to him to see what happened.
"Not here," Alexander said as he glanced over at his two co-workers Jose and Michael. They were now staring at him, but didn't say much because the two employees were called to go to the Captain's office for interpersonal relationship issues. Alexander and his two partners left the office area, took the elevators and left the building. When Alexander was outside, he felt more comfortable to talk about what happened.
"I've been suspended. For an entire month," Alexander said.
"What the fuck?" His partner James, complained.
"It gets worse. I have to issue an apology statement tomorrow at a press conference," Alexander said.
"Unfucking believable. That scumbag," James Houlder said.
"I'm so sorry," Ashley replied patting his shoulder. Alexander shook his head both annoyed and with resentment.
"There is just no fucking justice in this world," Alexander said, frustrated.
"You know what time it is?" James asked him. Ashley and Alexander looked at him as they walked towards the parking lot.
"No," Ashley said.
"I'm seriously not in the mood," Alexander said with a straight face.
"Dude, it's drinking time. I'm paying," James said.
"Well, if you're paying, I'm drinking then. Fuck it," Alexander said.
"Yeah, but who's car are we taking, yours or mine?" Houlder asked him and Alexander was about to reply, but Ashley interrupted him.
"Mine. I don't drink as heavily as you two," Ashley told them. Both men gazed at each other for a moment and gave a quick nod.
"Okay then, lead the way," Alexander said waving at her.
"Ladies first, I guess," James commented and Ashley did.
"She's right, we do need her," Alexander remarked.
"Yep. It looks like we'll have to drag you along," James said.
"Why, thank you," Ashley replied.
"Lead the way," Alexander said and so she did.