After receiving the report, Judith stood outside in silence for ten minutes. Once she regained her composure, she returned to the hospital room, her demeanor as cold and composed as ever.
“Captain Meech, who called you so early in the morning?”
Darnell pulled out a hot dog. “Let’s focus on breakfast first. You need to eat to have the energy.”
Judith, preoccupied with her thoughts, didn’t have much appetite as she saw the hot dog he offered.
But just as she lifted her head, the hot dog was shoved into her mouth. She instinctively took a bite before realizing what was happening and quickly pulled away.
Irritated, she shot a glare at Darnell, who was happily chomping down on the very same hot dog she had just bitten.
Judith blinked in disbelief, her mind racing… how could he… eat that?
For some reason, her cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her gaze and took a sip of her milk.
Breakfast passed quickly, and after they finished eating, Judith told the two women to continue resting while she pulled Darnell downstairs to the police car.
As they exited, Raelynn and Jolie hugged Darnell and reminded him to be careful.
Raelynn lingered a moment longer to shake Darnell’s hand, her smile bright and perhaps a bit flirtatious.
Once in the police car, Darnell grinned. “Sweetheart, take me to the office.”
“Hand it over!”
Judith extended her hand toward Darnell, her tone a mix of annoyance and command.
Darnell buckled his seatbelt and turned to find Judith’s icy expression and her small hand reaching toward him, her eyes narrowing as if to say, “I’m angry!”
He looked confused. “What should I hand over?”
“The note Raelynn gave you.”
Judith wasted no time in cutting through his act. “Don’t think I didn’t see her slip you a note.”
Darnell’s mouth fell open slightly, wanting to argue but ultimately conceding. He obediently handed over the note.
“It’s nothing, just a phone number.”
It was just a piece of paper. There was no need for such dramatics, right?
“Hey, hey, hey, darling, you don’t have to tear it up!”
She tore it into such tiny pieces…
Darnell watched helplessly as Judith shredded the note into irretrievable bits, then shot him a cold, disdainful look.
“You’re my boyfriend now. You can only be nice to me. You should keep your distance and not flirt with other girls.”
“Raelynn and Jolie can’t handle your games.”
“Games? What games? I haven’t even touched their thighs! Besides, aren’t you the one who stole someone’s boyfriend?”
Darnell shot back, feeling a growing nostalgia for Karlee.
But seeing the hint of jealousy in Judith’s eyes made him smirk. “Jealous, are you?”
Judith started the car and, with a flick of her head, scoffed, “Only a fool would be jealous.”
Darnell feigned innocence. “Captain Meech is so cute. How could she be a fool?”
Judith shot him a sideways glance. “You jerk!”
“Did you kill Samuel?”
Judith dropped the playful banter as she turned the steering wheel to leave the hospital. She looked serious, saying, “You really are ruthless.”
Darnell leaned back in his seat, putting on Judith’s sunglasses and enjoying the sunlight. “Captain Meech, murder is a serious crime. You shouldn’t make baseless accusations.”
“Otherwise, I might sue you for defamation. But honestly, I’m glad Samuel is dead. With that jerk gone, Jolie and Raelynn are safe.”
“Yes, they’re safe, but your girlfriend’s situation just got complicated.”
Judith was dressed in a uniform without insignia, perfectly tailored to accentuate her curves.
“Murder must be solved. It’s a rule, especially for someone like Samuel. Mr. Halford, can you tell me what your girlfriend should do?”
“Should she take a passive approach to this case, or actively work to have you arrested?”
Darnell feigned innocence. “What does it have to do with me? I didn’t kill him. Otherwise, the Axe would have taken me out already.”
“You know whether you killed him or not. By the way, have you forgotten about our relationship?”
Judith shot him a teasing look. “You should have, or why would you try to set up your girlfriend? And flirt with two girls in front of me?”
“I didn’t.”
Darnell playfully slapped Judith’s thigh, feeling its firmness before quickly retracting his hand, chuckling.
“It’s precisely because I see you as my girlfriend that I brought you a wonderful gift. Samuel is dead, but it’s not without leads. There’s a killer to catch.”
Judith huffed, “A killer to catch? You mean yourself?”
Then she seemed to remember something. “Seven Wolves?”
Darnell blinked. “Darling, you’re so smart.”
Judith’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Samuel was killed with a lotus-shaped arrow. The police can easily pin it on Seven Wolves and redirect the Axe’s attention toward them.”
“After all, they’ve attacked Houston before, so Houston’s alley targeting Samuel would make sense.”
“This could distract the Axe, preventing them from harming you three, and let the Axe and Seven Wolves destroy each other.”
Judith saw the bigger picture. “Whoever dies, it’s not a bad outcome.”
Darnell gave her a thumbs-up. “Smart girl.”
He continued, “With Samuel dead, the Axe will be furious and need to vent that anger somewhere.”
“If the police pin this on Seven Wolves now, the Axe will go all out to hunt them down.”
Darnell chuckled. “You don’t need to worry that the Axe and the Apex are going to war.”
“It’s a win-win situation, but something feels off.”
Judith furrowed her brows. “As a police officer, I should uphold justice, not cover for you.”
“If I were to do that, how could I face the people?”
Hearing Judith’s self-doubt, Darnell chuckled, “Darling, how is this covering for me? You’re just doing your job.”
“Besides, who told you I’m a criminal?”
“And isn’t it better for the people if the bad guys are taken out sooner rather than later?”
Darnell dismantled Judith’s remaining reservations, saying, “Think about it. If we allow Seven Wolves and the Axe to continue growing their power in Whiteville and let them wreak havoc here, just imagine how chaotic things will become. How many innocent people will be caught in the crossfire or worse, killed? Can you even envision it?”
“Tragedies like Jolie and Raelynn’s could happen again and again. They got lucky meeting me, but what about other girls?”
“Maybe you think this goes against your police code, but as long as you’re clear in your conscience, what does it matter if a few unconventional methods are employed?”
Darnell reassured Judith, “Besides, you haven’t done anything out of line.”
“I can shift the blame to Seven Wolves, but they’re not just any group. They’re not that easy to make a move.”
Judith let out a long sigh. While the school’s teachings made her feel like she was violating her principles, Darnell’s words were convincing.
“If they don’t come out, it’s still a ticking time bomb. They’ve gone after Houston. What else won’t they do?”
She sighed, “We need to find Seven Wolves. Otherwise, it’ll just be a mess. But those guys are deeply hidden and hard to track down.”
Darnell looked at Judith with a playful smile. “Kiss me, and I’ll tell you a way to easily locate Seven Wolves.”
Judith’s eyes lit up. “What’s the method?”
“Darling, give me a kiss first.”
Darnell leaned his face closer. “I promise you’ll get what you want.”
At that moment, the car pulled up to the entrance of the Vertex, stopping next to a BMW. Judith slammed on the brakes, shifting to neutral, her frustration evident.
“Jerk! I’ve already crossed my boundaries for you, and you want more?”
Darnell seized the opportunity. “If you’ve already crossed the line, what’s a little kiss?”
“Besides, you’ve kissed before, haven’t you?”
“You-”
Judith wanted to slap him but knew Darnell was too thick-skinned for that. After a moment of contemplation, she finally relented.
“Okay!”
She quickly pecked Darnell on the cheek, barely lingering.
Almost simultaneously, the door of the BMW opened.
Areli stepped out, her heart aching as she witnessed the affectionate moment between them.