Chasing the Elusive 'H'

Day One. My alarm goes off again, it was the forth time that I’ve hit the snooze button this morning. This time it awoke me from my dreamless rest. I groaned as I finally pulled my not so willing soul out of bed. My hands rubbing my face out of its sleepy state. “Another day, another dollar” I groggily said to myself. It was a saying my father would say to get me and himself enthusiastic for the day ahead. It wasn’t the enthusiasm which I lacked. Far from it. Instead I was preparing myself for the trials ahead. Struggling with my blouse’s arms, I managed to dress myself into sensible work attire. A long sleeved off-white shirt, with a grey blazer and matching slacks. The pot of coffee already hot. Thank you automatic timers! I poured my cup and felt the life return to my body as I finished the last bitter mouthful. I looked towards the clock and cursed under my breath when I realised the time. I didn't have time for a morning shower, thanks to my lazy bones deciding to stay in bed far longer than they needed. I was able to make myself look presentable enough by tying my thick hair back into a tight high ponytail, after that I shoved my already prepared lunch inside my large purse. Snatching my shoes on the way whilst rushing out my apartment’s door. I had only less than fifteen minutes to arrive to work and be prepared for our assignments for the day or foreseeable future. And today’s the day that the elevator wants to take it’s sweet time coming to my floor. I looked impatiently at my watch and saw the big hand move closer to its destination which I dreaded. I was contemplating taking the stairs when the elevators doors opened before me. I inwardly thanked god. The ‘ping’ of the elevator door was like music to my ears. Racing out of my building, I hailed a taxi as soon as I hit the street. Luck seemed to be on my side as a cab swung itself in front of my figure. “Detroit Central police station please, and step on it” I informed as I climbed onto the cabs backseat. The cabbie seemed to understand my urgency and happily complied. My emergency makeup kit came in handy today. I quickly gave myself a light touch up using foundation, mascara and finished with a little gloss. A few minutes into the car ride and an oddly striking billboard caught my eye. My father was campaigning to be mayor, for the third time. I looked at the surreal scene, its funny to see my father up there. The caption reads ‘Mayor Mason believes in a bright future, vote “1” in the ballot box for another four years of honesty, hard work and reliability’. “Father, give me strength” I must have sounded religious, as I saw the cabbie shift his focus to roll his eyes at me in the revision mirror. Noticing this, I shift in my seat, preparing myself for my arrival which was coming up shortly. The cab stopped, I payed my fare and legged it into the police station. I was able to rush myself past the criminals handcuffed to their benches, concerned citizens and distressed souls desperate for someone to hear them out. My hand reached for the handle to the meeting room, I breathed in before turning the knob. My eyes flicked straight up to the room’s main clock as I cautiously entered the crowded room, I exhaled, I was just on time. I made my way to an empty seat and calmly waited until the chief would arrive. My efforts to stay calm grew futile, as my ears pricked up. Whispers. Oh, how I hated the whispers. It could only mean one thing, ‘I was on the menu today’. My stomach started to churn. I knew I should have called in sick. Just as I was thinking of feigning sickness and excusing myself for the day, the chief bursts in. The chief was a relatively tall and a well built man for his age. His hairline was receding, but it wasn’t as noticeable as he always had his hair cut short. “Sorry for my tardiness,” He started. “This mornings divvie ups will be different for a change as most of the investigators will be preoccupied” I silently thanked god for this blessing. He started rattling off names and locations for their work that day. I simply waited until he got to the investigator jobs. “Mason? You’re with Hobbs and Reece on the case of Miss Gilberts death” I was taken aback. “A death case? But I’m a financial and petty crimes investigator.” I protested. I paused after hearing silence, did I just say that out loud? “If there are any concerns, or questions please hold them until all units have been assigned, thank you”. Snickers, I heard them behind me, I dared not to turn my head to acknowledge them. “In other news, the notorious ‘H’ hacker has struck again. I’m gonna need Simmons, Quinn and Phillips working on this case. Try and get his location quickly this time guys, okay?” This is the third time I’ve heard this case being assigned. Apparently ‘H’ is a slippery criminal, who’s disappeared off the grid twice before. Its a case that has been running for the past two years. I don't have any other information, as I’ve never had the pleasure of being assigned to it. As the chief finished, he dismissed us and started to head towards his office door which was connected to the divvie room. I bolted into action. Racing out of my seat to beat the chief to the door, to then hear Hobbs call out. “We leave in 20 Mason!” I waved and looked behind to show that I heard him. “Sir, Chief please, this isn’t my expertise. Please put one of the other investigators with more experience with forensics or crime scenes on this case” I pleaded, “Why not put me on the ‘H’ case? I have experience in financ..” “Enough!” It was loud enough to stop half of the remaining cops leaving the room and turn towards the scene unfolding. “Our medical analysis investigator was up all last night on another case and wont be available to work until 1400 hours, but we need someone on the scene to at least steer the investigation in the right direction. You told me in the past that you want to be taken seriously, and here I am giving you this opportunity to show me that you can at least be a little flexible.” “But sir, this is a completely different field to what I specialise in, I wouldn’t be confident in my attempt in defining the type of death. Why not Simmons? He’s a criminologist, he’s be better suited for this job.” I argued back. “That’s enough Mason! Simmons is also our top Cyber investigator, and right now I need him on the ‘H’ case while the case is fresh.” His voice nearly shaking the glass on his door that he’s standing in front of. “If you continue this argument, I can just give your case to Brutus when he gets back at 1400 hours, but you’ll be going home with no pay and a permanent complaint from me on your personal file.” I could feel all eyes on me as the chief had his last word. I couldn't get another bad strike against my name. Stupid me for thinking I could fix anything by arguing with the man who keeps me employed. My head hung low. “Sorry Chief, I will do what I can before Brutus relieves me. Thank you for this opportunity”. I hear footsteps and a door opening and closing before I finally look up at the remaining cops inside the room. “Aww poor Mason, always gets the short straw,” One teased. “Thank god I didn't get assigned to that case,” Another said under his breath. I don't care what they say, I’m here to do a job and I’m gonna do it to the best of my ability. I made my way as fast as I could manage to the forensics lab, grabbing the items that were required for using in death investigations. Managing to meet up with my assigned co-workers for the day, Hobbs and Reece, as they were getting into their vehicle. I must have looked like a hot mess, holding two duffle bags of crime investigation equipment in my arms and making my way with haste towards them. After placing my items into the boot, I climbed into the police vehicle’s back seat. They filled me in on the details of the case as we drove towards our destination. “A death of a young lady of 24 years, single, a Miss Rose-Anne Gilberts.” Reece started to relate “The Hotel staff have already given us some crucial information, she was intended to only stay for the night. It was only at 8am that the cleaning staff noticed something wro..” Still listening, but I couldn't help but think about this mysterious ‘H’ case. This is the third time I’ve heard about it. What was so hard about the case? Why did they need a team of investigators on the case? It was definitely something that intrigued me. A challenge, a chance to prove that I’m more than what they think of me at the station. “And then we gave them directions to leave the room as is so then you can have an ‘undisturbed look’ at the scene to make your opinion as to what style this is. And that’s it.” Reece finishes. “Okay, thank you for the rundown” I turn my face toward the window and await our inevitable arrival. ******************************************************************************** After a short time on the scene I came to the conclusion that this was an accidental death. Only based by the physical way she met her demise. It looked like she slipped and fell in the shower, no physical marks that made it obvious that there was foul play. Just an unfortunate fall which resulted her death. But better safe than sorry I ordered for the body of Miss Gilberts to be taken to the forensics lab to be further examined. Countless photos were taken by myself to document this scene. I also dabbled a little in finger print dusting and found no extra prints to change my mind from this being an unfortunate accidental death of a youthful girl. I even checked locks, in case of a break and entry. Nope. Looked through her belongings, was she preparing for a ‘special’ night? Other than the room service, Nope. Heck she didn't even bring makeup. I even looked through her purse and wallet, my strong suit, finances. Her ID is fake, she had little cash, and her account history was wiped. Interesting. It seems like she was on the run. Wait. The room service? I wasn’t informed room service came up during last night’s activities whilst on my way here. A witness can prove invaluable. When did they arrive last night? Maybe that person saw something. I approached the hotel manager, who was waiting just outside the room. “What time was the room service brought up, and who was the person whom served it?” I questioned. “I shall ask the staff of last night’s activities, and possibly print out a copy for you.” Turning on his heels eager to leave the scene I observed. I brought my attention back to the question at hand. I pulled my gloves on and observed the platter, she seemed to have eaten a fair amount. Picking up the knife on the platter I look through her last meal “A bit of a picky eater though,” as there were crusts and bad parts cut off amongst the leftovers. My eyes shifted to the bottle of wine, I slowly handled the bottle in both hands. “not a heavy drinker at least.” as the bottle was mostly full. A cough snapped me out of my thoughts. How long was I looking at the platter for? The manager came back with a print out of the night’s log of activities throughout the night. “I have been informed that no such call for room service was made from Miss Gilberts” He stated. My eyes fell onto the paperwork double checking his statement. “Do you have any security footage from last night, this hallway in partic..” “Hey, sorry I’m late, traffic was a b***h” Brutus interrupted making his way into the hotel room, “Oh hey, I was told to relieve you once I came on” directing his attention to me. “Oh, I was told you’d be here at 1400,” I start by partially looking at my watch “But okay, I was onto something just now and I think you’ll find it quite int...” “No offence Mason, but let the real investigators handle the crime scenes in the future,” Brutus starts. “Oh hey! Hobbs! Reece! My main men. What have ya got so far?” Brutus continues as he pushes past me. I turned back to the manager, who is now looking between myself and Brutus. “Could you please inform investigator Brutus of the information about the ‘room service’ and please get him the surveillance tapes to make his life easier” No one seemed to notice my departure, or say farewell as I made my journey back to the station. The cab ride back to the station seemed depressing to say the least. I looked on our roster database on my work phone in hopes that a new job has come to light, but no. Nothing. I dreaded going back to the station, especially when there is no work for me. The bullies at work always find it easier to pick on me when I’m there twiddling my thumbs. I was used to being treated like trash amongst my ‘fellow’ co-workers. My understanding of why I’m treated this way still eludes me, but my best guess is because they believe that I received this job only because I’m the mayor’s daughter. An ill gotten job. These so called co-workers act more like envious children than men of law and order. But you know what? I’m over it. I’m sick and tired of being belittled, teased and bullied at work. I’m gonna take on that ‘H’ case, and I’m gonna do it without anyone knowing. Yeah, in my free time I’m going to solve this case. I will however still need some details on the subject. No one would give me the details willingly, so I’d have to find another way to obtain the information I seek. Maybe their previous cases with ‘H’ are still down in the annex, as they are working on the recent crimes that ‘H’ has committed. Feeling determined to go through with my plans, I slip back into work. Trying my best to remain unseen, I head towards the annex. Presenting my ID and Informing the attendant for this department that I was on an errand to retrieve a file for the other investigators, she let me through with little hassle. The filing cabinets now in view, I go through sections quickly heading towards the section with the letter ‘H’. Opening the first cabinet thinking that since it’s just the letter ‘H’ for the case’s name. It should be the first result right? My theory proved fruitful, as the quicker I’m ‘in and out’ the better. The last two cases, which remain open and unsolved, consist of only a handful of pages. My eyes wide, this was so little information for such a huge case they were making it seem like. Hopefully this was the sort of case that would prove me to be a true investigator, especially when the other investigators seem stumped with this ‘H’ person’s whereabouts alone. I took photos of the all documents, in case I needed them on the job and what not. I replaced all of the paperwork back into the folder as I found them and proceeded to return upstairs, hoping to swap this folder for the one currently being worked on when the time was right. Making my way towards my desk, near the other other investigators I happened to catch the others talking about the ‘H’ case aloud. I quickly stopped in my tracks and stayed out of sight. Not sure whether to make my presence known yet, I decided to eavesdrop, hoping to get some fresh information verbally. I pretended to look through the folder’s paperwork to look busy for on lookers and co-workers passing by. “I just received an email from ‘H’s’ newest target, the CEO of High Brand. Apparently ‘H’ was able to steal his personal savings and income combined.” One said. “How much?” Said Another. “Come here and see” The first said. “Noted, now we know how much to keep an eye out for in illegal trading and what not. It should be easy to spot this amount going somewhere.” I identified that voice to be Simmons. So I waited a little longer, still pretending to be looking at paperwork, whilst trying to overhear. When I was sure they had finished, I placed the paperwork back into the folder and made my way through the doorway. As soon as they noticed my presence, they started their taunts. “So? How did it go? I was told you gave a bad call and was in the process of redeeming your call when Brutus showed up” Phillips stated like it was a fact. I shot Phillips a disinterested look, it was border-line scowling. “Don’t give us that look, you’re just not cut out for this job. You just don’t think like us, that’s all. You honestly thought that you can just play investigator? Just accept it, you never will be one of us.” Quinn intervened before I could get a word in. I dropped my eyes to the floor and started to hang my head. I made a noise close to what you’d consider a choked up sniffle and then covered my eyes with my free hand whilst still keeping the folder in the other. I could hear their smiles pop up on their faces, as they exhaled. Phillips assertively announces as he clapped his hands together. “And that’s lunch boys!” Still staying in my position, I waited until the others left with Phillips. After half a minute I took the daring looking around me, hoping that no one was a round. My emotional act, just won me time alone with the most recent information on the ‘H’ case. A small smug smile broke its way out. I quickly swapped the files with each other, and started taking pictures of the most recent files. I had taken my pictures and started to place the documents back in their original order. Whilst doing this I failed to watch the door, thinking that if I just did it quick enough no one would ever know. As I got up and started to swap the documents back to their original. I noticed the chief standing in the office doorway. Shit. Not him. “My office, two minutes.” He ordered in a menacing tone, turning his back making his way out the door frame, “Oh, and don’t take that paperwork with you”. My heart sank. I was dreading the sack. One foot followed the other around the desks, dropping the other file on top of the older ‘H’ cases. My stomach had that sick butterfly sensation, and I began to feel light headed. Did I just screw myself over? The chief’s office came into view, I knocked, as per protocol. “Enter Mason” I swallowed the lump in my throat trying to prepare myself for anything, and entered. Closing the heavy door quickly behind myself, as to try not not anger him further with dawdling. ********************************************************************************