Feiona's work

Fiona heads into work and is surprised by an unexpected visitor with an unexpected job opportunity.

Feiona walks into work, police station no 47 and sits at her desk. She finishes the last of her coffee and prepares to get another, but as soon as she gets confortable she is called into the chief’s office. ‘This is starting early’ she thought. She didn’t even start her second cup of coffee and already she’s going into the chief’s office, this is never a good sign. The chief was known for having a bad temper, often screaming at the top of his lungs at all the frustrating parts of his job. Once he yelled so loud that Feiona thought the glass in his office would shatter into a million pieces or at least crack. He has never yelled at Feiona like that manly because she has never given him a reason to do so, he did come close many times though.

She enters the chief’s office, which is small and filled to the celling with paperwork and files on other cases that he is overseeing. Photos of his family and trophies from the police bowling league and all the awards he received from the mayor for his services to the city fill the rest of his office. Files of all the ongoing cases in the department pilled up to almost hide the oversized chief, which is not an easy thing to do. Some unorganized papers overflow his dividers and spill onto his desk. Also in the office besides herself and the chief was another woman.

Feiona has never met this woman before, but recognized her immediately. She is Katherine Berman wife of the late Benjamin Berman of BermanCandle Detective Agency. Katherine is a well-put together elegant woman. She has a stern and stoic face as if made from marble. She wears the finest clothes anyone can buy. The type you see in all the fashion magazines straight from the pages. Her posture is straight up and very rigid like she has a stick up her a*s. She is a no nonsense woman who probably doesn’t get many jokes or tell many for that matter. She grew up in wealth and doesn’t tolerate anything but perfection from her detectives at the agency; perfection is key to her success. Katherine holds a file in her hand, her head tilted down studying it, her glasses hanged on the tip of her nose.

“Could you close the door Feiona and have a seat?” asked the chief from behind his desk, his mountain of papers almost completely shield him from view. The chief wore a black mustache that was so thick it looked like a caterpillar was crossing his upper lip. Feiona closes the door behind her and takes her seat in front of the desk. Feiona looks at Katherine and thinks of her elegance. Katherine is one of the most powerful women in NYC a role model of female independence and strength. Katherine looks up from the file with her Brown eyes, but she never moves her head as if she was now examining Feiona with that same intensity as she gave the file.

Katherine brings her head full of dark curls up and takes her glasses off and begins to ask Feiona questions.

-“How long have you been with the NYPD?” Katherine began

-“2 years”.

-“It says you went to Pace University two years early and graduated with a degree in psychology and yet with such an academic advantage you decide to go to the police academy and join the force when you graduated, why?” asked Katherine

-“Why?

-“Why go thru all that hard work and then decide to go into police work, its not for the money I assume, is it for the adventure?” Katherine asked sarcastically, but at the same time she was very serious. She was not telling joke.

-“Of course I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t like it”. Answered Feiona the best she could.

-“You would be surprised”. Said Katherine

-“Your file also states you have one of the best closing rates in the department”.

“In the City!” said the chief putting in his 2 cents.

“Well I don’t know about the city, I think someone else holds that title”. Said Katherine

“I agree, I don’t think I’m the best in the city, but I try to do my job the best I can and I”…. but before Feiona could finish her thought she was interrupted.

-“Do you like puzzles”? Katherine interrupted.

- “Ummm puzzles?” Asked Feiona confused by the question.

-“Yes, officer Cunningham puzzles. Your clearly one of the smartest people in this building aside from myself and you clearly could have been anything you wanted truly, the world is at your finger tips. You could of made tones of money, you could of gone to medical school and joined your father for instance and make quite the living for yourself, but instead you choose to live a more” Katherine paused for a moment to choose her words carefully “interesting life, so I know its not the pay that draws you to police work so is it the mystery of the crimes, the trill of the chase or is it the puzzle, perhaps the respect that comes from wearing that badge, or something much deeper than that”? Asked Katherine. It was as if she had known her for many years, she was peering thru Feiona with her powerful brown eyes, looking her over reading her soul. ‘All that information was in the file, her entire life couldn’t be in a file, could it?’ thought Feiona.

-“I like mystery, but I also want to be”, But before she could finish her sentience she was interrupted again. It was the yes that Katherine was looking for and nothing else mattered.

-“Is it true that you have never broken a rule”? Asked Katherine “That’s what your chief here says” she finishes.

-“To my annoyance and dis----”…. The chief started.

-“---Yes, well I herd form you already”. Katherine said coldly interrupting him. “I was asking Officer Cunningham here”. ‘She was a very cold woman’ Feiona thought and she could feel it from across the table. Chills crept up and down her arms and shoulders.

-“Oh well I beg your pardon”. Said the Chief sarcastically.

- “Officer Cunningham?” Said Katherine leading Feiona to continue.

-“No”. Feiona answered finally  

-“How about bending the rules? What’s your stance on that?”

-“Nope”. Said Feiona again without hesitation. This wasn’t the first time that people were surprised by her inability to break or even bend the rules. She didn’t like lying either, always felt guilty whenever she lied and she was teased as a child for it. They called her a tattletale or snitch to the point where her friends don’t tell her secrets they don’t want let out.

 -“Never?” Katherine asked again to reassure herself.

-“No, we have rules and laws for a reason. Without them the world would fall into ciaos and I don’t want to live in a world of ciaos do you? People can think what they want”

-“There must be a great story behind that noble sentiment”.

-“I suppose ”, said Feiona.

-“I’d like to hear it someday, but not now,” said Katherine. “Your roommate died your freshman year in college”, said Katherine looking back into Feiona’s file.

-“Yes, what does that have to do with anything?” Asked Feiona.

-“A lot it would seem. That must have been awful for you to experience. How may I ask?”

- “Doesn’t it say in my file?” Asked Feiona.

-“It does, but I’d like to hear it from you if you don’t mind”. Katherine said looking back at Feiona.

-“I came back to the dorm one night”, Feiona was remembering, “after spending the night in the library studying for a final; I was so tired that I had trouble getting my keys into the lock. When I finally opened the door I found her in her bed and she was beaten and bloodied and dead ”. The memories were still painful for Feiona, but she remembered it as if it were yesterday. She can remember the blood and how her roommate looked. She did not look like she was sleeping at all. Her body was all distorted and her eyes were wide open frozen in fear. She didn’t look at peace at all.

-“You catch the one who did it?” Asked Katherine

-“I helped, yea.” Said Feiona proud.

- “How did it make you feel when you caught the one responsible?”

-“Good, Proud, justified; he’s rotting away in a prison cell for the rest of his life. Yea it was one of the reasons I decided to become a cop after I graduated. I felt compelled to do something that could make a difference. Becoming det is better than anything else I could’ve done with my degrees.

-“And you want to keep that feeling going”. Katherine said what was on Feiona’s mind.

- “Is this a job interview?” Feiona finally asked.

-“Not yet”. Said Katherine cracking a small sharp smile on her marble face. She was not as young as she once was but some of her youthful glow came thru her smile and showed for a moment to Feiona that Katherine has a softer side its just frozen deep inside.

-“I told you, she’s exactly who you’re looking for” the chief said to his amusement. He looked at Katherine. Katherine looks over at Feiona once more, closes the file and heads for the door reaches for the handle and turns it. Before she leaves she turns back to the chief and Feiona and says, “She’ll do”. And leaves.

Feiona was left asking her chief, “What was that all about”?

“That my dear, was you moving on up,” replied the chief.