The Unborn Killer

0.3

"Are you sure he was not thrown out of the military?" Gail asked, as she looked at Junaid through the horizontal blinds that covered the glass panels in Captain Hale's office.

"No!" Captain Hale answered. She's was surprised by Gail's question. "Why would you think that?"

"I mean just look at him," Gail answered without turning. "He's not how you'd expect a person who has ever been in the military to be."

Junaid and his colleagues, Officer Jenna Santiago and Officer Robert Miles were engaged in a match of who could throw the most number of paper balls in the trash bin. They cheered when one of them managed to get it right, and laughed hard when someone failed.

"So what if he has a jovial, and cheerful personality? Everyone is different," Captain Hale answered. "And, since when did you start judging people without getting to know them first? The Gail I knew would never do that."

"I still don't judge people quickly," Gail said as she took the seat across the mahogany desk from Captain Hale. Her desk was neatly organized, as always. "I just feel there's something more to him, then what he lets on. It's my intuition. And you know I'm never wrong."

"You were wrong once," Captain Hale reminded her. She instantly regretted her words.

"That was because I trusted someone else, more than myself," Gail said as her blank gaze met Captain Hale's.

"I don't know much about Junaid. He just walked into my office one day, a few months ago, with a letter from the District Attorney's office," Captain Hale said, effortlessly managing to change the subject. She passed Gail a brown file. "That's all I know."

Gail went through the file. Junaid was the same age as her and had an impressive record. He had been honoured with so many medals, including one from the President himself. She studied the photo of Junaid in his military uniform. He looked happy.

Then what made him change his mind, Gail wondered. Why did he suddenly decide to join the Special Task Force.

Gail placed the file back on the desk and folded her arms in front of her chest. She stared at Captain Hale, with a c****d eyebrow.

"Fine, I'll tell you," Captain Hale said. She leaned further. "It seems that Lieutenant Junaid Khan is friends with the Defense Secretary, and specifically asked to be assigned to the Special Task Force. Specifically. This is all I was able to get out of the Assistant District Attorney."

"Well, if he's friends with the Defense Secretary then I don't think there's anything we can do." Gail said with a shrug. "We'll just have to wait and keep our eyes open."

"Wide open," Captain Hale said. "And in the mean time I hope you guys manage to find this serial killer. I can ask Junaid to bring you to speed on the case."

"I'd like to approach this case with an open mind," Gail said. "I have asked him to get me all the case files. But I have a feeling that I will need to remind him again."

A smile broke out on Captain Hale's face. "Just try to be nice to him," she winked.

"You know, I don't do nice. But I'll try to," Gail allowed herself to smile.

"It's so good to have you back," Captain Hale said. "I have something for you." She opened a drawer at the side if her desk and took out something. It was a police badge. "If I'm not wrong this belongs to you."

Gail stroked the badge, her badge. She stared at the numbers engraved on it, about the crest of the Special Task Force, a wave of nostalgia hitting her.

"You never turned it in?" Gail managed to ask.

"I kept it with me hoping that maybe someday you would return," Captain Hale answered. She had a warm smile on her face. "And you didn't disappoint me."

Gail was at loss for words. She just held on to the badge.

"Thank you," Gail managed to say. She returned Captain Hale's smile, before walking out of her office.

Gail headed towards the offices on the other side of the precinct. She felt more optimistic now, then she had felt when she had entered the precinct, just over an hour ago.

As she reached the first office, she found the door open. She looked in and found Junaid arranging his stuff on the desk. He was humming a song, all by himself.

Gail cleared her throat. She was standing by the door.

"Hey," Junaid called out with a smile. "How did it go with Captain Hale?"

"It went well," Gail answered with a smirk. "But, I need to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Junaid asked.

"You will have to move out of this office," Gail said. She was leaning on the door frame with her hands folded in front of her chest.

"Why?" Junaid asked in confusion.

"Because I said so," was all Gail said.

"But, I just moved in. You can take the next office if you want," Junaid said in a firm voice.

"Well, I can't."

"Why?"

"Because, this is my old office. I used to work here. So technically, you need to leave," Gail said. She checked her watch and without giving him a chance to speak, she continued, "You have exactly 15 minutes to clear your things out. If you are not done by then," she pointed towards the corner, "you can find all your belongings in the trash bin."

Junaid just stared at her. She had literally kicked him out of her house and now her office. He did not want to vacate this office, but the look in her eyes made him change his mind. He also knew that her threat was not empty, and that she would definitely act on it.

Junaid gave Gail an intense look as he picked the empty brown box lying next to the door. Gail just stared at him back. She was used to much scarier looks than the one Junaid was giving her. She decided to grab a snack from the break room, while Junaid cleared out of her office.

Junaid started dumping all his files and stationery in the brown box in a haphazard manner, as he angrily mumbled about Gail.

I finally get an office after working on a desk for four months, only to be kicked out of it! How can she do this? And why do I always get nervous and tongue-tied around her? It's not as if she'll bite? Or maybe she might? I am a Lieutenant and I deserve respect!

Junaid was pulling open the drawers of the desk, checking to see if he had missed something. He found some of his case reports in the top drawer. The other drawers were empty.

Junaid had opened the cabinet at the bottom corner of the desk. He felt something smooth brush against his fingers. He brought it out in the open.

It was a diary.

Whose was it? He thought as he turned the black leather diary in his hands. 'DO NOT TOUCH' had been written in bold red on the cover.

What if it belonged to a ghost? This thought creeped Junaid out and he looked around the room, half expecting a ghost to jump out from one of the corner. He had an overactive imagination.

But, Junaid still unbuttoned the flap on the side and opened the diary. His eyes literally popped out of their sockets, when the read the name on the first page.

Abigail Gerald Parker.

He instinctively shut the diary. He wanted to put it back where he had found it. But, he also wanted to know what was written in the diary. It would help shed some light on what happened that made Gail so indifferent.

In the end, curiosity got the better of Junaid, and he shut the cabinet and hid the diary deep in the brown box, below his case reports. He picked up the box and started walking towards the door.

Just then he saw Gail walking towards him. He nervously smiled at her, as he passed her on his way out of her office. She responded with a nod.

"Wait a minute," Gail called out, just as Junaid stepped out of her office. His heart almost skipped a beat. He could feel the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead as he turned to face Gail.

I should've never touched her diary. There was even a bloody warning! I am so dead! These were the thoughts running in Junaid's head.

"You forgot this," Gail said, as she waved the frame in front of Junaid. He saw his parents smiling faces. Gail gently placed the frame in the box Junaid was holding.

"Th-Thanks!" Junaid managed to say.

"Are you okay?" Gail asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes! The box is just heavy," Junaid muttered as he hastily walked out of Gail's office.

Junaid entered the empty office next to Gail's. He heaved a sigh of relief as he placed the brown box on the desk.

He had been lucky today. Very.

~