Chapter 4

"No."

"But..."

"Absolutely no. It's out of question."

After we got back from Narrow River with Jamie, I headed straight to Officer Smith's office, begging him to give me a chance to investigate the case under supervision, but all I get is a 'no' and no explanation as of why. It's the perfect case for my thesis and maybe my only chance here.

"Officer Smith, due all my respect, but this can be the perfect opportunity for me to write my thesis, plus I think I can help with the case."

"Vero... Miss Hughes, due all my respect, no."

"But why?! It's unfair!"

"Miss Hughes... you don't have the knowledge to investigate and this is outside Lieutenant Oliver's competence."

"Can't you supervise me?"

"Inspector Montgomery is assigned to this case."

I clench my fists in annoyance and get up to leave, Mr. Smith pretending to order some documents on his desk, avoiding my murderous gaze. Time for plan B.

                         ***

"Miss Ashwood, you need to make a call."

"Veronika, I'm on a vacation."

"I don't care! Call the Police Chief and make him let me investigate!"

"Veronika, you're not qualified for this yet."

"Ugh, again with this?! I don't care! Either call him or find another place to reassign me to! Nothing happens here and now finally that I got a chance to work on something that can help me with my paper, Officer Smith keeps me away!"

On the other side of the phone, I get only a deep sigh as an answer, then I hang up. She sent me here, she better makes some effort.

"Bossy much?"

A husky voice sneaks behind me, startling me as I stare at the big screen in my hand. I turn back jumping and see Christopher in his full intimidating glory, holding a paper bag from Grace's in one hand and a coffee to-go in the other one.

I look left and right, looking for someone else who he can potentially be talking to, but no, currently the only person outside the station is me.

"Are you talking to me?"

Christopher only rolls his eyes, then heads inside to the office. After a minute or two, and after I calm down a little, I get inside too.

"Ve... Miss Hughes, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course."

Mr. Smith peeks through the back door and calls me, and I, satisfied with my little win, walk victoriously to his office.

"Yes, Mr. Smith?"

"Miss Hughes... as you can guess already, your teacher called me and was quite... demanding."

"I know, I made her call you."

"Listen, I know you won't give up until you get what you want, so here's my offer. If you manage to make Christopher agree to work with you on the case, you have a green light." The Officer gives me an emphatic smile and a shoulder shrug, as if he knows this option is doomed right from the beginning.

"Ugh. Wonderful."

I walk out, defeated. Thinking of the unfriendly grump and the fact Nancy ruined every chance for me to at least be able to greet him a good morning, I think it'll be easier to just sneak in and investigate myself. But doing so will most probably cost me any chance to graduate or work at all, even as a mall cop.

"We need to talk." I stand in front of his desk and decide to be straightforward, better to have tried than only wondering and regretting.

"We?" Christopher shoots me back a short question, emphasising the 'we' part.

"Yes, we."

"No, you may want to talk but I don't need to do so."

Wow, this is the longest conversation we have had so far. Christopher goes back to digging into his sandwich and I sigh at his rudeness.

"Listen, the 'Narrow River' case is a chance to write my university paper and get the hell out of here. And the fastest I do it, the sooner I'll leave. So please, if you want me out of your hair, accept working with me. Otherwise, we'll be stuck here for a whole year."

A little proud of my threat to annoy him for a whole, agonisingly long year, I wait for his response and a smirk forms on my lips, then I hurry to hide it. 

A minute or two in silence pass, Christopher doesn't even seem to think about what I just said.

"So?"

"So what? Did you ask me something?"

Finally finishing his sandwich, he lifts his head and looks me straight in the eye, just chewing and swallowing the last bite. His perfect jaws clench and relax, making me feel the need to brush the skin with my fingers.

"So?" He repeats me and I feel my cheeks get a little warm, realising I zoned out.

"I... uh, yes. I-I asked a question. Do you prefer being stuck with me for a year or helping me to write my thesis so I can leave sooner?"

"I don't see why you being here should be any concern of mine?"

"Ugh, screw you!" I get mad and trample to my desk, throwing myself on the chair and turning my back at him. I can't believe his audacity.

       

                           ***

Have you ever had to wait for something to come to an end? Like a boring class at school? Or an awkward family gathering? Yes? Then you know how painfully slow the time passes.

Having a clock hanging on the wall doesn't help either. Every ticking of its stabs you in the head, as an only source of a sound, interrupting the deadly silence. You check the time every now and then, hoping for at least an hour to have passed, only to discover it was just a few minutes. Maybe two or three at the most.

You hear your own heart, beating in a perfect, even rhythm. So calm and perfect it irritates you.

And if you work at an office or another place where a computer is required, you know the clicking of the mouse and the tapping on the keyboard only adds to the tense and nauseous feeling. 

I hear even the breathing of Christopher. Calm and steady breathing. It annoys me too. This is ridiculous, I need to find something to do.

"Hey, mom! How are you?" I call my mom and she picks up immediately as if she was waiting for my call on the phone.

"Veronika! It was about time to call!" I hear my mother shouting on the phone, half-angry and half-anxious. "How are you? How are things there?"

"Everything is fine, I--"

"Ugh, you can not talk any louder, can you?" The rough voice of Christopher rings in my ears, making me lift my head and look at him.

"Mom, can you wait for a moment?" I ask, but without waiting for her answer I mute the microphone and leave my phone on the desk. "What's your problem?" I ask Christopher, sounding more angrily than I supposed to, but I don't give a damn.

"Obviously, your loud talking." He crosses his arms and leans back on his chair.

"No, no. What is your real problem with me?! You don't even know me, yet you treat me like I did something to you!" I'm done trying to be good. If he wants a war, he will get a war.

"Why should I have a problem with you? I don't even like you, you're no one to me." Christopher furrows his eyebrows, then relaxes to a perfectly neutral stone face.

"See?! This is your problem! Zero respect, full hostility! You can at least pretend to be nice!" I am fuming and without realising I am stood up with fists clenched on the wooden desk.

"Why should I pretend to like someone? I don't like playing games of pretending. And don't get yourself flattered, I don't like anyone."

"But why are you such an asshole?! What's it? A woman hurt you?! Is it why you're so inimical to me?! What's it? Come on, tell me! Or wait, maybe you had a woman for a partner and she stabbed you in the back?!"

"Bold of you to make such assumptions, but it's none of them." Christopher remains fully calm and this enrages me even more! How can one be so neutral?!

"What's it? Trust issues? Daddy issues? Mommy left you?!" 

"Do not mention her!" I pushed his buttons and now he stands just a mere inches away from my face, breathing heavily and fury oozing from his body.

 It's unexplainable how fast he took the ten feet distance between us just in a few huge steps. For a moment I'm taken aback, then I straighten my shoulders and look him back in the eyes.

"So that's it? Did mommy leave you? How old were you? Were you young? Did she find herself a lover?"

"I swear if you say one more word--" He hisses through teeth.

"You'll do what? You'll hit me? Come on, I dare you." 

He towers over me, my desk bending under his weight, as he's leaning on it, holding a tight grip on some of the papers that I ordered just an hour ago.

"Christopher Montgomery!" The ordering voice of Officer Smith cuts through the tension, putting an end to our staring-daggers game.

Christopher remains silent for a moment, then the loud hit on the desk startles me.

"Christopher, in my office. Now."

Christopher only grumbles, then angrily tramples to the staircase leading to Officer Smith's office.

"Phew." I sigh relaxed and as I plop in my chair, I hear my mother's voice from the phone. Jesus, she's still on the phone.

"Hey, mom! I'm so sorry you had to wait for me." I quickly blurt out an apology and place a hand on my chest, as if that will calm down my racing heart.

"Roni, is everything alright there?"

"Yeah, it's just so boring."

"Good thing Nancy is there with you, right? She's anything but boring." My mother giggles and I decide to leave her with the idea of everything being fine around me. "Listen, Roni, I need to go. Apparently, someone has something stuck in their butt and I'm supposed to inspect." 

"Ew, mom! That's gross!" I shiver from disgust. It's a whole miracle that my mother keeps working this. I've heard so many bizarre stories, more than enough to make me not want to even visit the ER. 

"Okay, honey! Have a good day! I'll send you pics later!"

"No, no. I prefer not to see someone's butt." I complain, then we both laugh and she hangs up.

Alice Hughes, or in other words my savage mother is a 45 years old ER head nurse. She is the best of a mother a kid can ask for. Even Nancy is jealous because of that. Funny, knowing Nancy and how wild she can be, you will expect her mother to be the same energetic ball of sass, but in fact, she's the coldest and most conservative person you can meet. Yes, she beats even Christopher in being cold and unfriendly.

The teenage all-night parties and the fact that Nancy chose not to follow her mother's steps, joining the local church's community labelled her as the disgrace of the family. The last straw was when Nancy admitted that she's actually asexual, killing any hope of Miss Cooper's for getting grandchildren. Miss Cooper couldn't accept her daughter's sexuality and kicked her out of their home. And yes, that's the reason for Nancy to move out to here with me. 

She knows the doors of our home are always open for her. We live together since my freshman year, turning her into the sister I've never had. The fact my parents adore her help in her case too. They treat her like a second daughter.

"Christopher, calm the fuck down!" 

My zoning out is fastly interrupted by Officer Smith's shouting. So loud, I'm able to hear them downstairs. Once again curiosity wins and I decide to eavesdrop. Childish, even impolite you might say, but something makes me believe it's about me.

"Listen, Jason! I can't stand this woman!"

"Well, you need to put some effort!"

"But she-- she started this! She triggered me! You know better than anyone that my mother is a topic-tabu!"

"No, Christopher. You started this. The girl is trying to be friendly since the moment she came here. You're the one giving her the cold shoulder."

"Yeah, because snooping around is friendly. Whatever, Jason!"

"Can't you call me dad when we're alone? It feels so weird otherwise. Or at least act more like my son and less like a protesting worker."

"Whenever you start acting like a father and not like a boss."

They're father and son?! I'm so shocked to discover this, I'm almost caught eavesdropping. I hear Christopher's heavy steps just a moment before he opens the door and I basically fly down the stairs and to my desk, pretending I didn't hear a thing. He's the son of the Police chief? This doesn't make any sense. They have different family names, they look way too different and don't let me get started with their personalities. Why would they pretend to not be relatives?

"Jason wants to see you in his office. Or Officer Smith, whatever you call him." Christopher brisks angrily outside, murmuring whatever he said. I gulp and step warningly to the Officer's office.

"Yes, sir? You wanted to see me?" I whisper, holding the door ajar and poking my head inside.

"Yes, Veronika. Please, come in." Officer Smith sighs, keeping his eyes focused on the ceiling.

I carefully step inside and sit obediently in the chair in front of his desk, not knowing what to say or what to do.

"Sir, I--"

"I'm sorry for his behaviour, Veronika."

"Wait, what?!" I toss my head back in surprise. I expected to be punished or shouted at, at least.

"I'm sorry for his behaviour and what you've witnessed. Usually, he's not this... short-tempered."

"Oh, no, no, sir. It's me who has to apologise. I admit I crossed a line with some of the things I've said."

"Well, he wasn't the best of coworker since you came so it's somehow understandable. Just know this is not the way to make him work with you." The Officer sighs and looks at me with head rested in his hands.

"I tried with good and it didn't help, I tried with bad- it didn't help too. How am I supposed to make him at least not hate me?" I furrow my brows and complain. How the fuck am I supposed to make him work with me?!

"Well, this is something you need to find out yourself. The only thing I can hint you is that he loves Grace's grilled sandwiches."

"And what am I supposed to do? Buy him a lifelong voucher for Grace's?!" 

"That can work, yeah." The Officer laughs. "And don't think he hates you. He's like this with everyone."

"What happened to his mother, sir?"

"I-- I prefer not to answer on his behalf. It was a horrible accident and it marked the whole town indeed." Jason answers and his light smile frown. His whole vibe fastly changes to something cold, something sad.

"Uh, okay. Sorry for asking, sir."

"Hm." He only shortly nods and his eyes are back to focusing something on the ceiling.

"Bye." I make myself leave as fast as I can and running downstairs I bump, of course, into Christopher.

"Ugh, what a--" He murmurs, holding me tight by my arm as I almost fell. It felt like bumping into a brick wall. He didn't even tremble, yet I almost fell on my butt!

"I- I'm sorry." I clear my throat and hurry to apologise, but then I realise there's actually no space left between us and I'm leaning on his chest. My cheeks get hot, even burning and watching him in the eyes makes my mind play the scenario that Nancy offered the other day at the party.

Christopher is at least a head and a half taller than me. Always wearing a perfect white shirt, carefully put below his belt. The tight black slacks are sometimes changed to black denim jeans and his hair is always precisely put back. And let me not mention the amazingly smooth shaved face of his.

"Are you done staring?" My eyes wander to his face. The thin lips close and straighten to perfectly still line and the pair of black eyes is shaded by two thick furrowed brows. "Hellooo?! Earth to Veronika!" 

"Oh my God! Jesus, I'm so, so sorry!" I jump back as if lightning stroke me. For how long was I staring?!

"Yeah, just next time watch your steps." He leaves my arm and grumbles, then walks to his desk.

I feel like I want to squeak, no- to scream from the top of my lungs. An unexplainable wave of joy rushes through my body. He's a pain in the ass, a huge one. But is the most handsome pain in the ass I've ever seen.