Few days ago
"Commander, I can't bear this injustice!"
I was sure he would let me open the case. Why won't he? He was my father after all...
"Detective Venesa, the world is full of injustices and crime, you must accept it." He said casually while sipping the tea. He proved me wrong again.
The hero image I had crafted out of him in my childhood was getting degraded with more time I spent with him in the station. As a father, he was still my hero but as a commander, he was the anti-hero.
"It's shameful for a police to say so," I said while gritting my teeth and slamming the desk so hard that the cup on the table clattered. The old senior officers present in the meeting looked at me and shook their heads as if judging me instead of my father.
"Ghost City is a clan to never mess with. If you all have finished, we shall end the meeting here. And this is a command that no one shall come up with a case belonging to Ghost City until and unless I personally assign you. Understood?"
Like a good kid, the junior officers nodded their heads and let him leave the office without an explanation.
___
"You are new, first get a good number of badges." Jake, my supervisor said. "Even a fellow like me hasn't got to touch the dust of those files yet."
"Why?" I asked. "Isn't it a national concern, why are they treating this as child play."
"Who knows, maybe some greater entity has hand over it,"
"Hah~" I sighed. A rumour circulated around the station that the high officials would work secretly on the Ghost City's cases. It was a fact that the liberal members ran the clan for the required funds and as an act of rebellion towards the royal.
People believed liberals were the vulnerable of the cruel aristocrats, saviour of the general public and believer of equality and peace. But people failed to realise that in order to remove monarchy the liberals follow extreme methods, the example itself was the gore crimes done by Ghost City, an organisation under which they operate.
"I wonder if Commander Bright's hair is turning grey with the worry of the station being blown as the act of rebel one day," As expected, Jake didn't laugh at my unfunny joke. He looked straight and walked solemnly.
"I wonder sometimes that his worry might not be wrong." Sometimes, I just hate my unfunny and very serious supervisor.
"Jakyyy~ Vinyy~" I heard an annoying cry before a hand abruptly clamped on my shoulder.
"Don't call me that dumbass, I am senior to you," Jake complained and June teased him more. I shook my head and chuckled.
With our laughter and gossip we reached the mess area and the first thing we noticed in the room was a long line. This was an everyday routine. Come on time but still be late. What an irony.
The wait was long before the three of us got our food. We sat at the table near the window and ate our food while enjoying the view of people walking by.
"June, did you complete the Plama's paperwork?" Jake said between chewing his food.
Yes, in the era of modern technology, we still fill out paperwork and I would not lie, it was hell troublesome.
"I don't talk while eating food, dear Detective," June replied wittily, evidently, she hadn't done her work
"What about you Venesa?"
"June, have you heard someone calling me?" I pretended. Of course, I was busy preparing for the meeting and felt lazy to write about some H-108 Asdon car.
"Of course not, just hearing a random dog barking at the street." She replied.
Jake shook his head with annoyance and we both laughed.
Jake, June and I met during the defence training period. Jake and June being old-school friends easily became mates but I was alone.
June was the one who approached me first to become my combat partner as there was no female trainee except us, it took time but we became good friends over time and later she introduced me to Jake.
As time flew, we shared hardship, cried with each other for nights in defeat but at last, we succeeded and our friendship bond grew with those memories.
But the only thing that differentiated me and June from Jake is that we remained as his assistant detective while he got promoted to Lieutenant Detective. Even though we passed the exam, we failed for being a 'WOMEN'
-----------
Due to the meeting, we had our lunch at a very late afternoon hour therefore by the time we reached our chamber, it was already dark.
I tried to switch on the light and was surprised when the lights were on at once. It was a rare occurrence in Hazael for continuous electricity supply.
With my stomach satisfied, I sat chair and took out the files to fill in the pending work.
But suddenly, the telephone on our shared table rang.
I picked up the phone and said, "Hazael Police Department, how may I help you?"
"Detective Venesa, Sargeant Gale reporting; a dead body has been found during my patrol hour." Gale directly delivered the news.
"Where?"
"Roseground subway, 16th Precinct."