After the Waiting
Sequel to ‘Waiting’
Part of Rhonda’s wallet had been found in the remains of the
double decker bus. The rumor mill had made the rounds
and the Major Crimes bullpen was filled with detectives, officers and support
staff. Not just people from Major
Crimes, there were representatives from each department. Everyone was waiting for word on Rhonda… Steven
too, for those who knew him, but everyone present knew Rhonda.
William Ellison and Sally showed up with boxes of pastries. Both had felt useless at home and hoped that Jimmy’s contacts might have information faster than William’s.
Ring.
All eyes turned to look at the phone sitting on Jim’s desk. “Ellison,” Jim barked into the phone trying to cover his sudden nervousness. He sank down into his chair with a sigh. “Mrs. Abner…”
There was a chorus of groans heard around the room.
Blair noticed the confused and concerned expressions on the faces of Sally and Bill. “Mrs. Abner is a repeat caller,” he explained. “She’s an elderly lady who lives by herself and imagines all kinds of crime sprees going on in her neighborhood. For some reason, she really likes Jim,” Blair said with a slight smile. “She calls every few weeks. He goes out and takes her statement and she gives him cookies. Not a bad trade. She makes really good cookies.”
A uniformed officer walked into the bullpen. “Hey Ellison. Your calls are still rolling over to my
extension when your phone is busy. I
have some British sounding guy on the phone for you. He says he’s with the SAS. Isn’t that
Jim looked up at Officer Stanley and nodded. “Mrs. Abner,” he
said into the phone. “I have to go
now. But I’ll come over to your house as
soon as I’m free to take your statement.
If something happens in the mean time, call us back. Thanks.”
He hung up the phone and quickly dialed
“J.J.?” Jim closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling. “Are you sure… no, I understand. I would have double checked my information first, too. Can I… No, no that’s okay… we can… umm… sure, okay…” Jim rubbed at his face and cleared his throat. “Stevie, are you okay? I got a call from the British Transportation Police Department several hours ago. They’d found Rhonda’s police ID in what was left of her wallet and called us to confirm...” He took a deep breath and felt his partner squeeze his shoulder. Jim looked up into Sandburg’s somber eyes and suddenly realized what he’d inadvertently led everyone to believe. “They’re both okay. They were at a police station filing a mugging report when the bombing occurred. Some guy pushed Rhonda into a wall and grabbed her purse. They’re both okay,” Jim reiterated gladly. “They’re both okay.
Cheers rang out from the bullpen and several people left to start informing the rest of CPD of the good news.
“Stevie,” Jim said over the background noise, “Dad and Sally are here. Let me switch this line over to the conference room and we can put you on a speaker phone. Before I do, is J.J. still there? J.J. thanks. Thanks a lot. If you need anything, you just let me know. Take care and good luck finding the people who did this.”
Sandburg escorted the jubilant Bill and Sally into the conference room to talk to their son. He looked back over his shoulder at his partner, his brother in all but blood and was glad that the day had ended with such happiness for the Cascade crowd. He wished there was something he could do for those who were not so fortunate.
The End
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Our thoughts and prayers remain with our friends and fellow
earth dwellers in
Feedback is always appreciated. Cheryl