The Re-opened Case
1128 Words
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The briefing room was too full for eight in the morning. Nyla recognized maybe a third of the faces — homicide, cold case, two people from Internal Affairs who did not belong in a homicide briefing and knew it, judging by how carefully they avoided eye contact with everyone.
The Commissioner didn't waste time on sentiment.
"Ten years ago, Detectives Ethan and Clara Michaels were murdered in the field, in what was formally logged as a botched undercover operation gone wrong." A pause, deliberate. "That was never fully true, and most of you in this room already suspected as much. Superintendent Gate is dead. Whatever arrangement kept this file quiet for a decade died with him, and I intend to find out exactly what that arrangement was." His eyes swept the room. "This case is reopened, effective this morning. Detective Marcus Reign will lead. Detective Nyla Micheals—" a beat, acknowledging the room's collective intake of breath at the shared surname "—will be attached, given clearance by Internal Affairs this morning, with the understanding that if there is so much as a whisper of impropriety, that clearance is revoked immediately."
Nyla kept her face still through sheer force of will.
Ten years. And it started, not with a lead, not with new evidence, but with an old man's heart finally giving out — and a silence, thirty years deep, finally cracking open because the person who'd built it wasn't alive to defend it anymore.
She didn't know yet whether to be grateful to Samuel Gate for dying, or to hate him for having been the wall standing between her and the truth for a decade.
She would spend a great deal of the coming months trying to decide which.
—
After the meeting everybody went back to their work.
After hearing what was said, Nyla looked lost in her thoughts.
The words From earlier replayed in her head
"Because someone spent nearly twenty years making sure this file never saw daylight.”
Who would do such a thing to her? Why would they want the killer roaming freely?.
Is there still justice in the world?.
With her endless thinking lunch time came
Carla nudged her colleague “ Girl! Aren't you coming for lunch?”.
At the cafeteria, the entire precinct knew.
Not about the reopened case.
About Jacobi.
Apparently heartbreak traveled faster than official memos.
Nyla had already denied three invitations to "talk about it," two offers to set her up with somebody's cousin, and one very serious suggestion from Carla to "key his car."
"I don't even know what car he drives," Nyla muttered.
Carla shrugged.
"Find one that looks expensive."
Marcus looked up from his desk.
"I've created a support group."
"No."
"We meet every Thursday."
"No."
"The first topic is 'How Not to Date Liars.’”
Nyla picked up a file.
"I'm going to hit you with this."
"You've threatened me six times today."
"I've grown."
Before Marcus could respond, Captain Brooks appeared beside their desks.
"Micheals."
"Ma'am."
"Conference room."
"Now?"
"Now.”
The conference room felt smaller than usual.
Captain Brooks stood beside a projector while two unfamiliar men arranged files across the table.
One wore a navy suit.
The other looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"The Financial Crimes Unit requested our assistance," Brooks began.
Marcus frowned.
"We're homicide."
"They know."
"So why us?"
"Because one of the names appearing repeatedly in their investigation also appears in three unsolved homicide files."
That silenced the room.
The exhausted-looking man introduced himself.
"Agent Daniel Ross. Financial Crimes."
He clicked the projector.
Rows of shell companies filled the screen.
Most of them meant nothing to Nyla.
Until—
One logo appeared.
Grey Inland Revenue Services.
“Isn't that Jacobi’s company” she thought inwardly.
Marcus leaned closer.
"They're huge."
Ross nodded.
"They are."
"So why are we here?"
"We're not investigating GIRS."
Ross answered before anyone could jump to conclusions.
"They prepared tax documentation for one of the companies under investigation. That's all."
Nyla scribbled the company name into her notebook.
Not because she suspected anyone.
Because detectives wrote everything down.
The meeting ended almost as quickly as it began.
Outside the conference room, Marcus stretched.
"So..."
"We're basically glorified observers."
"For now."
Nyla nodded absentmindedly.
Her phone buzzed.
Jacobi Calling...
She stared at it.
Marcus noticed.
"Are you going to answer?"
"No."
"What if it's important?"
"It wasn't important yesterday."
The phone stopped ringing.
Seconds later...
A text arrived.
Please, Nyla. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking.
She locked her phone.
"If he keeps this up..."
Marcus smiled.
"You'll arrest him?"
"I'll consider it."
“Bye!”.
That evening...
Jacobi was waiting outside her apartment.
Flowers in one hand.
An apology already written across his face.
"Nyla."
She stopped walking.
"I've been calling."
"I noticed."
"I'm sorry."
"You've said that."
"I was ashamed."
"So you lied."
"I thought if I became successful first..."
His voice cracked.
"...then one day I'd tell you the truth and we'd laugh about it."
She looked at him quietly.
For a moment...
She saw the man she'd spent three years loving.
Not the liar he was.
Just...
Jacobi.
"I did love you."
The words came softly.
"So don't ruin that memory by making me hate you."
His shoulders slumped.
"Is there really no chance?"
She shook her head once.
"No."
She walked past him and paused to look at him then she said softly.
“It's the fact that you lied so easily about something as serious as that for three f*****g years.”
“What else did you lie about?”.
“I wanted to start a life with you Jacobi, but how can I trust you?”
He looked at her with a glimmer of hope.
“I'll make it up to you, I swear”
“How? How do you plan to do that? I don't know what goes on in that head of yours. I don't know if you even have a freaking family hidden somewhere at this point… wait…”
“…do you?”
“No! No Nyla I don't”
He said immediately.
“Did you cheat on me? Answer me honestly because if you lie and I find out…I'll f*****g kill you”
His hands dropped “I…”
“What? Jacobi.. how?” she said, her voice shaking.
“It…It was one time I promise, Nyla” he said, grabbing her hands.
“Get the f**k away from me… I can't believe this, I trusted you and look…”
“I'm sorry Nyla”
“No!! No! I'm done..I'm so f*****g done with you Jacobi get the f**k out of my life”
She stormed off tired and angry.
This time...
He didn't follow.
- Writer
