What They Dont Know

PRESENT DAY
AMY ------------------------------------------------------*


Amy Mallory was stressed out.

It was peak season again, where cases start flooding in. They were usually passed to her at an irregular rate, sometimes allowing her to work on numerous cases or nothing at all.

Amy had just cracked a case and closed it, and she deserved her time out even though she has more than three cases to crack on her hands. She glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table. Two-thirty a.m. But before she could even drift off to sleep, her mobile screamed its usual Metallica ringing tone. It was one she could hear anywhere at any time.

Amy slumped over her bed and reached for her mobile. Damn. It was out of reach, meaning she had to get up and bend down to reach it as it continued vibrating on the hardwood.

Beep.

“Hello, Detecti-tive Mallory speaking,” she slurred. Who the hell would call at two-thirty-six in the morning?

“Mallory, it’s time to get another case working. Chief called in Red Alert.”

And with that, she understood.

“I’ll be right there.” She closed her call and speed-changed into her office clothes. Button, button, button. Zip. She grabbed her briefcase and her car keys, then ran out into the cold night, trying her best to hurry.

***

Cool air whooshed around Amy as she sped into the office. Elevator. She pressed UP and waited impatiently for the elevator to “ding” and open up in front of her. She stepped in hastily, fastening her straight, sleek hair into a serious ponytail.

As she the doors once again opened for her to get out, she walked into the meeting room.

“Good Morning, Detective. Or should I say, Good Three-AM?” Chief chuckled at his own joke as the others forced themselves to smile. Amy was used to it – her boss never really had a good sense of humour.

“Have a seat.”

Amy plopped down next to Eric.

“See that you got my call and found it extremely urgent. Happy to see me?” he whispered.

“Shut up, Detective Logan,” she teased. “I have no idea what you are going on about.”

The chief cleared his throat. Silence.

“An important case has come to our hands,” he said. “Turns out that one of the senior executive’s kids has been, well, murdered.”

Gasps echoed all around the room. An officer Amy did not recognise was sobbing loudly. Chief handed her a tissue.

“So, this case is clearly important to us as we may lose our jobs if we do not work on it as soon as possible. This is an urgent matter we need everyone to pay attention too. However, all of you may continue your respective previously assigned cases as well - all of you except Mallory and Logan,” he went on.

“What?” Amy and Eric said in unison.

No, no, no. She couldn’t lose her job.

“Don’t panic, you two. I’m upgrading you both to this case. Forget about your other cases, I’ll find others to do it. Right now I want you both to work on this case,” Chief said.

Relief flooded through Amy Mallory’s body.

“Dismissed,” Chief boomed. “You should all go home and get your sleep, as tomorrow we have this to work on. Goodnight, people.”

The officers started exiting one by one, and soon only Amy and Eric were left.

“Looks like we’re working together again, huh?” Eric mused.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Amy sighed.

Eric inched closer to her, and the next thing Amy knew, Eric’s face was millimetres from hers. She could smell his minty breath and examine every single detail of his face. Those blue eyes that you could get lost in. Those lips every single lady longed to kiss. Those creases of concern and smile lines every woman would find in a perfect man.

No, no, no. She didn’t love Eric. She loved Jeremy. Jeremy Butler, who had mysteriously vanished on their honeymoon to Venice, and was found the next day severely injured in a bait shop. He died three hours later, leaving Amy alone with nothing. But she had always kept to her promises, and she had promised to love him forever, dead or gone, alive or unwell.

“Eric, I’m sorry, I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” he asked, confused.

Eric was scooping up his briefcase and heading out of the door. He looked perfect. So. Damn. Perfect.

“Want a lift home?” he asked.

“No, it’s alright. See you in the morning,” Amy replied.

As she drove home, she just realised that her heart was still beating fervently against her ribs. And she realised that she had been hoping for Eric to kiss her.