Page 5 of Outrun The Devil
“Taylor, why don’t you try the phone number. After that you and Rivera can head out to the address listed.”
Both nodded. “You got it.”
Taylor dialed the number but hung up a moment later. “No luck disconnected.”
Not that surprising, Olivia thought. If she had to guess, the young man was homeless which often meant no phone and no permanent address.
Taylor and Rivera left, but Olivia stayed behind to finish up some paperwork. Collins could have gone to the address herself but to her, it was a wasted trip when her time could be spent elsewhere. But for legal reasons, they needed to pursue every nook and cranny. Couldn’t exactly write down that she had a vision and that’s how they found the suspect. No, they had to make it look like they’d gone through this the good old fashion way.
A balance that took some time to work through over the years. There’d been a few close calls but thanks to the captain, Olivia was able to get out of it.
Her phone rang and she answered it. “Collins.”
Taylor was on the other end telling Olivia exactly what she thought: the young man no longer lived there but his mother did. Ethan had stormed out one day and never came back. Didn’t get along with his stepfather and was either dead or in a homeless shelter somewhere. As sad as it was to hear, it wasn’t the first time a story like Ethan Davis crossed her desk. And it wouldn’t be the last.
“I’ll send a few uniforms to check the shelters.”
Initially, navigating her visions proved to be a challenging task. Following Tim's demise, Olivia became weary of them. Questions and uncertainties bombarded her relentlessly. For a solid two years, she attempted to disregard her visions, yet she discovered that when ignored, they persisted even more, often accompanied by debilitating migraines. Subsequently, she decided to selectively embrace the visions that would undeniably aid in solving cases. As for the ambiguous ones, she would observe them without allowing them to hinder her investigations.
As Captain Mike Colson came up to her desk she put the pen down on the paperwork she was filling out and leaned back in her chair. She’d known the man for nearly twenty years. Met him when she was just a beat cop and for some reason, he saw potential in her and brought her on to the homicide department.
“Letting those two do all the work?" his hands stuffed into his slacks.
“I mean, I do all the hard work already,” she smirked, eyes darting to the paperwork. “It’s the least they could do.”
His chuckle softened her features. “You’re going to make them think they are the brains around here.”
“One day they’ll have to do all the work on their own,” she pointed out. Alternatively, she considered the possibility that they possessed greater abilities than Collins had acknowledged, implying that she may not be setting them up for failure after all.
Colson laughed again. “I hope that’s not any time soon?” His eyes drifted to her, and she could feel them on her like a loaded gun.
“If you are asking if I intend to retire soon, I don’t.” Olivia had not included it in her immediate or distant plans. Her main motivations for getting out of bed in the morning were work and her daughter. She was determined not to let go of those priorities anytime soon.
“How’s the wife, by the way?” Eager to shift the focus away from herself, Olivia inquired, her voice brimming with curiosity. She recognized the precarious nature of the current topic, foreseeing its inevitable progression into her personal life, where she knew he would admonish her for working excessively. She anticipated their ensuing disagreement, followed by his inquiry about the last time she went on a date. It was a never-ending cycle that Collins yearned to break.
“Oh, you know, asking me when I’m going to retire.”
A smile tugged on the corners of her mouth.
“And what did you tell her?”
“What I always tell her: I’ll think about it.” Olivia caught the smile that graced his features. It caught fire and a similar one crept upon her own.
“Oh,” he said as if he’d forgotten something, “Liza says it’s high time we have a get-together. Says it’s been a while and I have to agree.” He shrugged his shoulders.
Olivia nodded, looking out over the sea of officers and detectives. It had been some time since they last got together. Ever since her accident a year ago, Olivia could tell that everyone around her walked on eggshells. They didn’t think she noticed but she did.
“How about this weekend?” She asked. It’d do Jessica some good.
“I’ll talk to Liza but I’m sure this weekend works perfectly for her,” he said almost begrudgingly. And Olivia wasn’t sure if that was because he knew his wife so well or if he wasn’t interested in getting together.
Collins didn’t have a chance to ask when the doors came busting open and both Rivera and Taylor were smiling ear to ear with a suspect handcuffed.
“You know, you could have done it yourself.” Or with a partner, the words were there but unsaid.
Olivia stood up and planted herself next to Colson as she struggled to mask the turmoil within her. His words hung in the air, taunting her with the possibility of an alternative path. The allure of having a partner, someone to share the burden and lighten the load, tugged at her conscience. But she couldn't let her guard down, not now.
With a nonchalant shrug, Olivia responded, her voice laced with a hint of defensiveness. “I prefer it this way,” she stated, the words falling from her lips like a shield, protecting her vulnerability. It was a lie, a feeble attempt to convince herself that she was better off alone. The truth, however, simmered beneath the surface, a nagging doubt that she couldn't shake.