Page 2 of The Situation Ship
“I don’t need a break,” he huffed, collecting his files.
Roberts’ expression softened. “You’re obsessing, and it’s not healthy. I’ve seen too many detectives get lost in fixations. Take a break, or I’ll suspend you for insubordination.” He knew she meant it.
He scrubbed his stubble, trying not to say anything he would regret.
“You’re the boss.” He saluted, closing the door behind him.
“The captain wouldn’t listenabout Ms Roe?” Isaiah’s partner, Michael, swivelled in his chair to greet him.
Shaking his head, Isaiah dropped into his chair at the desk across from his friend. Other cases were building up, but he couldn’t get Poppy Roe out of his head.
“Given her celebrity status, it’s understandable that the captain doesn’t want an investigation ending up in the media without solid evidence of a connection.” Michael sighed.
“Status shouldn’t matter; I just want to interview her. Her proximity to the victims shouldn’t be ignored.” Isaiah tapped his pen against the desk, trying to rid himself of pent-up frustration.
“They aren’t your cases; you need to let it go,” Michael warned, quietly so the other officers coming and going from the station couldn’t hear them.
“I know, and I don’t have much choice. Roberts will suspend me if I don’t give it up,” he grumbled, resigned to leaving a question mark over the whole thing.
“You can’t help anyone if you’re suspended. Once the funeral is over, Poppy will be out of the country, and you can move on to other cases,” Michael said, drinking from his World’s Best Dad mug.
“Funeral?” Isaiah asked, pulling at his navy tie.He’d been giving evidence in court early that morning, so it was mandatory.
“Martha Roe? Poppy’s aunt? She was a big Hollywood actress back in the seventies. Took a tumble down the stairs and broke her neck. Tragic way to go – Poppy found her,” Michael said, shuffling through the papers on his desk. “I have the report somewhere in this mess; I thought you’d already taken a look into it, considering your—”
“Obsession?”
“I was going to say curiosity,” Michael said.
“You get a look at the scene?” Isaiah asked, wishing he had heard about this sooner. The other officers must have kept it under wraps to stop him from prying.
“No, it was a clear-cut case. Accidental death. Her tox report read like a medical encyclopaedia, and her injuries were consistent with a fall,” Michael said, reading from the report.
“Four bodies in six months? The captainhasto listen to me now.”
“Martha Roe’s case is already closed. Case and casket, for that matter. Ms Roe will be six feet under in a few hours. Roberts won’t look kindly on you interrupting a funeral without cause.”
“I’ll stop by and pay my respects,” Isaiah reasoned. “We did investigate, after all, so it would be good to have an officer there to show our respect. The funeral will be packed; what’s one more person?”
Michael stared at him like he had lost his mind. “Gatecrashing a funeral? No wonder the captain’s worried about your mental state.”
“My mental state is fine, and I’m simply going totalkto Ms Roe, off the record.” Isaiah picked up his third cup of terribly diluted coffee, which was cold, thanks to the length of Roberts’ scolding. Still, he’d take coffee any way he could. “I’m sure she’d appreciate a kind word from the department.”
“I think youwantthe captain to suspend you. Is that it? You want to be fired?” Michael stood over him, thankfully still keeping his voice down.
“Roberts wanted me to take some time off, and as a member of the public, I see no reason that chatting with a public figure should break any rules.” He prided himself on being discreet. With the captain’s threats, he wouldn’t mention Poppy’s case again without concrete evidence.
“There’ll be so many people and media at the funeral. With her security, you won’t be able to get anywhere near her. If you cause a scene onlive TV, you’ll never hear the end of it,” Michael exclaimed. Looking out for him, as always. “Why not wait until after the funeral? Her social media says she’s going on some cruise – stepping away from the limelight to grieve for a while – so wait until things calm down.”
“Away? Where’s she going? Probably somewhere without extradition.” Isaiah frowned up at his friend. It was a change, as he was the taller of the two, though that wasn’t saying much since they were both over six feet. Michael was leaner, whereas Isaiah was stockier from his school rugby days.
“That’s all you got from what I said?” Michael shook his head. “See for yourself.” Grabbing his phone, he scrolled for a moment and then showed Isaiah Poppy Roe’s social media page. She’d shared a photo outside a church.
A legend can die but can never be forgotten. Please respect my need for space during this hard time. I’ll be back once my heart has had time to heal.
Despite it being posted only an hour ago, there were thousands of comments and likes.
Isaiah took the phone from Michael and flicked through his feed for a moment.
