Private Eye (cops only)

[Travis "Salem" Mathers]

Detective Travis Mathers, a.k.a Salem, sat in his office, reading over a few case files as he drank some coffee that he got at a nearby cafe. The precinct’s coffee tasted like garbage, so he always took a short walk to the cafe to get a cup of joe that didn’t taste like ass.

I’m never drinking that crap again, Salem thought, wincing as he recalled the moment when he first drank the station’s coffee. He had choked and reached for the nearest trash can, relieving his mouth of the horrid beverage, in front of everyone in the station. Surely everyone still remembers that incident, and Salem knows he’ll never live it down.

The detective sighed, setting down his coffee and bringing his full attention to the case files, sifting through them. They were old investigations. Murders, robberies, missing persons. He remembered every one of them. He opened one file, reading its contents.

Emily Burns, age 21, college student. Went missing after a local college party, Salem read thoughtfully, and he paused, looking up as he searched his mind for any memory of the case. He raised his eyebrows in realization, glancing back to the file. I remember this. It’s one of the easiest investigations I’ve ever had.

It was true. Salem simply asked around, inquiring if anybody had seen Emily leave the party with someone. He found a lead. Matthew Clarkson. Apparently he was interested in the young woman, and was flirting with her during the party. One of Emily’s friends suspected the guy was “drunk as a skunk,” as she had put it, and that gave Salem all the more reason to believe Matthew was the prime suspect. He paid a visit to Matthew’s dorm, practically interrogated him on the spot, making him confess to killing Emily Burns. The boy wanted to get laid, and she denied him.

Denial plus intoxication equals violence, Salem mused, gazing at the wall on the other side of his office.

Salem eventually convinced Matthew to show him where he had placed Emily’s body. In the college’s lake. After a difficult recovery of the corpse, Matthew was arrested. The boy was guilty as ever, and Salem could only hope that he had learned a lesson from his time in jail.

He closed the folder, leaning back in his chair, groaning exasperatedly, “This is boring...” The detective needed a case. Bad. He still couldn’t believe that the operators hadn’t called his radio yet. There’s always criminals out on the streets. Sure there were Runners out and about, but as long as they didn’t endanger lives, he didn’t care. He left the monkeys (as he likes to call them) to the other officers. He was an investigator. He investigated things, not chase after people who make deliveries.

Outfit: www.polyvore.com/salem/set?id=23306454

[Taylor "Wings" Johns]

Taylor 'Wings' Johns kept her composure as she entered the station. Her shoulders were straight and her head was held high, that stance held significance for the first lieutenant, and it made the younger and less experienced cops look up to her, because she was the example, the golden girl of the precinct, as one could call her, and with good reason, her father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and most of her aunts and uncles on her fathers side were involved with police work in some way.

As soon as the door leading to the back rooms was closed, Taylor seemed to collapse. She couldn't remember a day when she was this exhausted. What started off as a car chase for a stolen vehicle ended as a high level runner conspiracy, one in which she was required to get out of her copter, the safely of flying, and hit the streets, running after the runners. it wasn't something she was used to, she wasn't meant, or build to run. She would have done more good in a car, or a bird.

She gripped a coffee cup for dear life and poured herself a cup of coffee, the stain of the station. It was so bad, the dogs wouldn't drink it. The only bright side? Caffeine, this shit was full of it, and it was the only thing that would wake her up after something like this. She entered her office, which she shared with another officer, since things were a bit crowded here, and sat in her chair, and somehow exerted a very visible cringe as she sipped the black death.

"How can you drink that?" She heard. She looked up and into the eyes of her office buddy. She didn't even realize he was there.

[Travis "Salem" Mathers]

The office door opened, and Salem looked up, watching as Wings walked in, a cup of the precinct’s coffee in her hand. He and the lieutenant shared the office, and he didn’t mind, since he always enjoyed company.

They talked to each other a few times, mostly regarding work and how they were doing, but other than that, they were simply allies. Sure they had been on a few cases together, but that was all business. Salem wouldn't call them friends, considering that he hardly knew anything about her (except the fact that she comes from a long line of police officers). If anything, Wings was simply a work associate who he shared an office with. Still he figured he should talk to her more.

Nothing like making friends, the detective mused with a small smile.

But damn, Salem thought as the lieutenant collapsed in her chair. What the hell happened to her? She looks like her high school coach made her run the fifty mile.

The detective moved to ask Wings what happened, but he cut himself short, making a face when he saw the lieutenant drink the coffee.

"How can you drink that?" he asked, incredulous, eyes wide as he stared at her, face twisted in a grimace.

He'd be dead if he drank that shit.

[Catherine 'Cat' Williams]

Damn.

Cat desperately checked her face in the mirror as she parked her cruiser in the back lot of the precinct. Dark circles, and a general look of one who was worn out. Thankfully, she had at least picked up a cup of coffee on the way to the office, in order to avoid the shitty coffee someone brewed at the precinct.

Still need to talk to someone about that, she reminded herself, grimacing at the very thought of the precinct's version of coffee, which was akin to trying to drink noxious fumes. In other words: you didn't. After a moment more of inspecting herself and shaking her head, Cat wrapped both hands around her coffee and blew lightly on the liquid, making her way into the precinct.

What had once been a maze for her now consisted of familiar hallways. She stepped into the main civilian office to be greeted by a few friendly hellos. Then the daily group of files were thrown at her, as par usual, and with an air of resignation, she caught it. Damn you, paperwork. Paperwork was her life now that she was a captain. If she saw one more sentence beginning with 'on this date at this time'... What was wrong with a bit of creativity? Why not start with the suspect or the deceased first?

She threw the remains of the coffee into the trash, instead opening the file and beginning to read as she walked. The text swam before her eyes, blending into one great black mass of ink. Cat shook her head a little and managed to reassemble the words into sentences. Disorderly conduct, blah, blah, blah.. Letting out a groan, Cat began to inwardly curse every single person mentioned in the file.

If she saw one more manila-colored object Cat swore to God that she would scream. After all, she was best out in the field, not sitting here sifting through forms and resignations and other such shit.

Fuming a little, she entered the back rooms to be greeted by the sight of Wings, who looked just as bad as she did. More than that, she was drinking a cup of the precinct's version of coffee.

Salem was also there, peering through some very worn files. Cat eventually sat down in her office and left the door wide open. Luckily, the door was right across from the other two officers' positions, so Cat could at least have some company.

Glaring down at her paper nemesis, Cat began to read, but kept on listening in on the conversation between the two, more out of boredom than actual interest.

[Taylor "Wings" Johns]

Because I can't afford to buy good coffee every day Taylor thought about the real reasons why she drank the black liquid everyday. It was free, it was here in the station. There was always alot in supply because no one else drank it. It made her appreciate the better things in life, kept flavored coffee for a nice treat. She took another sip and weighted her options.

"When I started working here, my dad told me about the coffee. Its horrible, yeah, but it has the caffeine of three cans of soda. It works, keeps me up and awake." She put her cup down and fingered a file, a blank file sheet with the words Failure Report, something that no cop wants to fill out. It's basically a plea after a failed mission to the administrator of the precinct about why its not your fault and that you shouldn't be fired for it. It was her first one in a while.

"Anyway, what's new with you, you haven't been on Runner Patrol in a while." Taylor fingered a pencil and started on her report. It was all the same as a bunch of others she collected from around the offices. Robberies, murders, you name it, New Haven Police could handle it. Only once Blaire came into power of the city did runners start popping up, giving the cops around here an actual run for there money, the only thing that seemed to tarnish NHP, fancy gymnast in bright colors.

[Travis "Salem" Mathers]

Salem listened patiently as Wings explained why she was drinking the precinct's coffee, and he admitted that it made sense. Caffeine was always good for the job.

"Anyway, what's new with you?" Wings asked, as she began writing on a piece of paper. Salem reckoned it was most likely a report. "You haven't been on Runner Patrol in a while."

The detective couldn't help but wince when she mentioned Runner Patrol. He hardly carried out those patrols, and he knew that doing so would come back to kick him in the rear. It was part of the job, after all, and if his superiors found out...

"I don't like chasing monkeys," Salem replied curtly with a shake of the head. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk, taking a more comfortable position. "But other than that, there's been nothing." He shrugged, crossing his arms as he watched the pilot work. "Except property damage, disorderly conduct, DUIs...you know, the usual petty crimes."

He wasn't about to tell Wings that he left those assignments to the other officers. What would she think of him afterwards?

Salem glanced outside the door, realizing that their captain, Cat, was in her office, filling out some paperwork.

She doesn't look so well either, Salem mused, glancing at both Wings and the captain.

Cat was actually someone he knew well, like a friend of his. He joked around with her, even liked pulling pranks on her, despite the fact that she's his superior. They've worked on some hard cases together, mostly the serious stuff, like homicide. She was a respectable person, something he learned after working with her for several years. If there was anyone he looked up to, it was Cat.

The old man made a good decision in promoting her, Salem thought, referring to their old captain.

"What about you, Cat?" he asked the woman, loud enough so she could hear him. "I heard that you had to chase a runner through the mall."

The private eye felt like including her in the conversation. He knew she would want to do anything besides paperwork at the moment.

[Catherine 'Cat' Williams]

Cat chewed on her lower lip for a moment, pausing before filling out the last bit of the form in block style, already beginning to loathe the morning with a passion. After continuing to ponder ways of getting out of the hole she was digging herself into, Cat set her elbow on the desk and supported her head with her hand, lost in the swamp of floating paperwork that wound its way around her brain.

She shook herself out of her daze as Salem looked up and spotted her. They had worked on cases together several times, mostly homicides, murders, major things like that. One of the few true friends she had at the precinct, Salem was reliable and someone she could talk to.

Of course, they also played weekly pranks on one another. For fun, really, although his were brilliant. Hers were lacking in some areas, but absolutely great in others, and it was a constant competition to see who would punch out the other first.

But in the end, it was all in good fun.

"What about you, Cat? I heard you had to chase a Runner through the mall."

At the very mention of the incident, Cat let out a groan. It had been only yesterday, but her ruse had worked so spectacularly well that it had practically become the new item to be thrown about in the gossip mill, and it had made its way up the grapevine so quickly that she wondered if the local gossip group had been starved for topics.

"Yeah. Fuck, that was one hell of an incident. Got on the news and everything."

Even with the government's block on most things on the news, it had still gotten out. Oh well. Things were expected to be shitty like that occasionally. Cat leaned back in her chair, scooting away from the stack of paperwork in front of her and stretching, not glancing down at her nemesis of ink and paper.

"I haven't seen you out much, though, Salem. Not a lot of cases or what?"

[Travis "Salem" Mathers]

((Sorry if I happen to take someone's turn or something. I often get confused when it comes to taking turns on an RP thread))

Salem received a groan in reply.

"Yeah," Cat muttered. "Fuck, that was one hell of an incident. Got on the news and everything."

It was true. First thing the detective saw on the news when he got home last night was a story on how Cat chased a Runner through the mall. 

The Runner was a woman, and when she had knocked a man off the escalator during her escape, she grabbed onto him. 

Salem wasn't the least bit surprised when Cat stopped to help the Runner save the civilian from falling to his certain death. It was something she would do. Save a life instead of capturing the target. 

Afterwards, Cat and the Runner seemed to be in a conversation, and moments later, the chase continued. 

In the end, the Runner got away, something Salem didn't really think was a loss. 

Cat won't hear the end of it from the mayor. Salem tinkered with one of his pens, dangling it over the desk before letting it drop onto it's surface with a small clink. 

I can vouch for her if it concerns loyalty. Salem paused, before he inwardly shook his head. But she knows how to handle things by herself. She won't need my help.

"I haven't seen you out much, though, Salem." Cat's voice pulled the investigator out of his thoughts, and he looked up at the captain. "Not a lot of cases or what?"

"Yeah," Salem answered with a long yawn, leaning back and stretching his arms above his head. 

"I wish someone would find a dead body lying around somewhere." After blinking for a moment in thought, the P.I shrugged. 

"Not exactly the nicest thing to say, but hey, I'm as bored as hell right now and I need a case." He began looking through the old files again, adding, "So sue me."