Tempting Boundaries

Four: Digging Deeper

Charlotte pov

I arrived at the precinct early, a little earlier than I probably needed to, but I couldn’t help it. My mind was still buzzing from the previous day’s events and the new case Tyson and I had been assigned to. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to my desk, where Tyson was already waiting, flipping through the file on Robert Haines, the man who reported his wife and child missing.

“Morning, Charlotte,” Tyson said without looking up. His focus was intense, eyes scanning the pages as if they held a secret only he could unlock.

“Morning, Tyson,” I replied, taking a seat beside him. “Anything new?”

He glanced up at me, a half-smile playing on his lips. “Nothing concrete yet, but I’ve been going over his statements, and there are definitely some things that don’t add up. We need to talk to Haines again, see if we can get a better read on him.”

I nodded, my stomach tightening with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. This was the kind of challenge I loved—digging into a case, uncovering the truth buried beneath layers of lies and half-truths. “Let’s do it. Maybe we can catch him in one of those inconsistencies.”

Tyson nodded in agreement and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll drive. Let’s see what Mr. Haines has to say for himself today.”

The drive to Robert Haines’s house was tense but quiet. The suburban neighborhood was eerily calm, a stark contrast to the turmoil likely brewing behind the doors of the Haines household. When we arrived, the house looked just as it had in the file—neat, suburban, almost picturesque. It was hard to imagine something sinister could be lurking inside.

We walked up to the front door, and Tyson rang the bell. We could hear footsteps approaching from inside, followed by the door opening just a crack. Robert Haines’s face appeared in the gap, his eyes wary.

“Detectives,” he greeted us, his voice strained. “Back again so soon?”

“Good morning, Mr. Haines,” Tyson said, his tone polite but firm. “We have a few more questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

Robert hesitated before opening the door wider to let us in. The inside of the house was just as immaculate as the outside, but there was a coldness to it, a sense of emptiness that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

We took seats in the living room, Robert sitting across from us. I could see the tension in his posture, the way his hands fidgeted on his lap. This wasn’t just a man worried about his missing family—this was a man hiding something.

“Detective Burton was handling this case before,” Robert said, his voice shaky as he tried to mask his discomfort. “Why the change?”

I exchanged a quick glance with Tyson. “Detective Burton is still involved,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “But we’ve been assigned to assist with the investigation. We’re here to help find your wife and child, Mr. Haines.”

Robert nodded, though his eyes darted between us nervously. “Alright,” he said, settling back in his chair. “What do you need to know?”

Tyson pulled out his notebook, flipping to a fresh page. “Let’s start with the timeline again, Mr. Haines. Can you walk us through the last day you saw your wife and child? We just want to make sure we have all the details correct.”

Robert’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he began to recount the events as he had before: how he had come home from work to find them gone, how there had been no note, no signs of a struggle.

“And you said there was nothing unusual leading up to their disappearance? No arguments, no indication that your wife might have wanted to leave?” I asked, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.

Robert shook his head. “No, nothing like that. We were… happy. We were planning a vacation for the summer. There was no reason for her to just… leave.”

Tyson made a note in his book, then looked up at Robert. “You mentioned before that you didn’t check with any of her friends or family right away. Why was that?”

Robert blinked, taken aback by the question. “I—well, I didn’t think it was necessary at first. I assumed she had taken our daughter somewhere for the day and would be back. When she didn’t return by the evening, I started to get worried.”

“And you didn’t think to call her family or friends even then?” Tyson pressed, his voice calm but persistent.

Robert’s face flushed slightly, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “No, I didn’t. I… didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily.”

There was a long pause, the air thick with tension. Tyson and I exchanged another glance, this time more pointed. There was something off here, and we both knew it.

“Mr. Haines,” I said, leaning forward slightly, “have you had any recent disagreements with your wife? Anything that might have led her to leave?”

Robert’s eyes flickered with something—anger, fear, guilt? It was hard to tell, but it was there, just beneath the surface. “No,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “I already told you, we didn’t have any problems. Why are you asking me this again?”

“We’re just trying to cover all our bases,” Tyson said smoothly, not missing a beat. “It’s important that we have a complete picture of what was happening in your lives before they disappeared.”

Robert’s hands clenched into fists on his lap, and his face turned a deeper shade of red. “I’ve already told you everything I know. You’re wasting time questioning me when you should be out there looking for them!”

The outburst didn’t surprise me, but it did confirm my suspicions. Robert was hiding something, and it was making him increasingly nervous.

“We’re doing everything we can to find your family, Mr. Haines,” I said, keeping my voice calm and steady. “But we need your full cooperation. If there’s anything you’re not telling us, now is the time to come forward.”

For a moment, I thought he might crack, but then he just shook his head, his expression closing off. “I’ve told you everything. There’s nothing more to say.”

Tyson glanced at me, his eyes narrowing slightly. We weren’t going to get anything more out of Robert today.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Haines,” Tyson said as he stood up. “We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions.”

Robert didn’t respond, just sat there staring at the floor as we left.

Once we were outside and back in the car, Tyson let out a low whistle. “That man is hiding something, and it’s big.”

“I know,” I said, replaying the conversation in my head. “There were too many inconsistencies in his story, and he got way too defensive when we pressed him.”

“We need to dig deeper,” Tyson said, his tone serious. “But we’re going to need more than just our hunches to get anywhere.”

“Agreed,” I said. “We should talk to Captain Harris when we get back to the precinct, see if we can get approval to follow him. He’s definitely hiding something, and we need to find out what it is.”

Back at the precinct, we headed straight to Captain Harris’s office. He looked up from his desk as we entered, his expression unreadable.

“How did it go with Haines?” he asked, gesturing for us to sit.

“Not good,” Tyson said, getting straight to the point. “He’s hiding something, Captain. We’re sure of it. But we need more time to dig into his background, maybe even follow him discreetly to see if he leads us to anything.”

Captain Harris leaned back in his chair, considering this. “You think he’s involved in their disappearance?”

“We do,” I said, backing up Tyson. “There were too many inconsistencies in his story, and his reaction when we pressed him was… off. We think it’s worth looking into further.”

Captain Harris was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll talk to the district attorney and see if we can get approval for surveillance. But you need to tread carefully. If Haines is involved, we don’t want to spook him before we have solid evidence.”

“Understood,” Tyson said, a note of relief in his voice. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

The Captain made a quick call to the district attorney, and after some back-and-forth, we got the green light to proceed with surveillance. The plan was to start following Haines the next day, see where he went, who he talked to, and whether he led us to any new information.

With that settled, the tension that had been building all day finally began to ease. We wrapped up our shift, filing the necessary reports and making sure everything was in order for the next day.

As we were getting ready to leave, Detective Adams popped his head into the bullpen. “Hey, Charlotte! A bunch of us are heading to O’Malley’s to celebrate your first day. You in?”

I looked over at Tyson, who was grinning. “Come on, Charlotte. It’ll be fun.”

I hesitated for a moment, then smiled. “Sure, why not? I could use a drink after today.”

The bar was exactly what I needed after a long, stressful day. We ordered drinks, shared stories, and laughed more than I had in weeks. The other detectives welcomed me into their fold, making me feel like part of the team.

As the night wore on, I found myself relaxing more and more. The bar was a typical detective hangout—dark wood, low lights, the kind of place where you could unwind after a long day of dealing with the worst of humanity. O’Malley’s had become a second home to the precinct, and I could see why. It was easy to lose yourself here, to let the weight of the day slip away with each sip of beer or whiskey.

Tyson was telling a story about a particularly wild case he’d worked on a few years ago, something involving a stolen diamond and a car chase that ended in a fountain. I was laughing along with everyone else, the tension from earlier in the day finally releasing.

“So, Charlotte,” Detective Adams said, leaning across the table with a grin. “What’s the craziest case you’ve ever worked on?”

I took a sip of my drink, thinking back over the years. “There was this one case back in my old precinct—a guy who was convinced his neighbor was spying on him through the TV. He ended up rigging his apartment with all these traps, like something out of a movie. We had to call in a bomb squad just to get into the place.”

The table erupted in laughter, and I couldn’t help but join in. The absurdity of the job sometimes made it bearable, and sharing those stories with people who understood made it even better.

Tyson leaned back in his chair, smiling. “Welcome to the team, Charlotte. You fit right in.”

“Thanks,” I said, feeling a warm sense of belonging. “It’s been a crazy Second day, but I’m glad to be here.”

We spent the next few hours chatting, drinking, and just enjoying each other’s company. It was easy to see why the detectives were so close-knit—they had to be, in this line of work. The bonds formed over shared experiences, both good and bad, were strong.

As the night drew to a close, Tyson offered to drive me home. I accepted, realizing just how tired I was. The adrenaline from the day had finally worn off, leaving me feeling drained.

The ride back to Richard and Victoria’s house was quiet, the city lights casting a soft glow on the streets as we drove. I stared out the window, lost in thought. Tomorrow, we would begin surveillance on Robert Haines, and I had a feeling that the case was about to take a dark turn.

When we pulled up in front of the house, I turned to Tyson. “Thanks for the ride, and for making me feel welcome today.”

He smiled, his usual easy-going expression back in place. “No problem, Charlotte. I’m glad to have you as my partner. We’re going to do good work together, I can feel it.”

“I hope so,” I said, opening the car door. “See you tomorrow, Tyson.”

“See you tomorrow,” he replied, watching as I headed up the walkway to the house.

Inside, the house was quiet. Victoria and Richard had already gone to bed, the only light coming from a small lamp in the living room. I made my way upstairs, careful not to make any noise.

In my room, I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed, the events of the day replaying in my mind. I thought about Robert Haines, his nervousness, his anger, and the inconsistencies in his story. Something wasn’t right, and I was determined to find out what it was.

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were just scratching the surface of something much bigger. Tomorrow, the real work would begin, and I was ready for it.