Selena

A Bluebridge police car in an accident on the middle of the highway was closed off for investigation.

'Selena Rose', I greeted the officer in charge.

'Detective', he nodded, 'I think you should see this'. Briefly, I glimpsed at the ambulance, heart thumping in fear of what I would find.

The car was severely damaged, leaking fuel, and steaming from the car hood. Bullet holes on the windscreen. Airbags deflated.

The officer showed me camera footage of the highway car chase.

'It's either the camera glitched... or that car was teleporting', he whispered, spooked out.

'Where's the girl?! Is she alive?' I blurted. He pointed me to the ambulance van. While they bandaged her ear, Amy was sat upright, swaying dizzily. 'Amy, are you okay?' I lifted her fringe to feel her forehead. She felt normal.

'They... took her', she groaned.

'You mean they took your friend?' I asked. She was non-responsive, 'who took her?'

Back at the office, we did a brief investigation into Zina's kidnapping.

'Her real name is Aisha Al Jabir Abdullamin. She was the princess famous for turning a Saudi prince into stone. At eleven, she fled to Canada. Then came to Bluebridge. Your friend Zina has been wanted for a long time'.

'Are you sure it was her uncle and brother who took her away?' Sergio asked.

'I'm certain', Amy replied, uncertainly, 'I have a strong feeling'.

'Okay...' Sergio sighed, with enough on his plate to deal with.

'Please! You guys have to do something. They're going to execute her!' Amy protested.

'Why would her family go through the trouble of bringing her back home if they're just going to...?' Sergio paused.

'It's common for Saudi girls who renounce Islam to be... you know...', I uttered, but for a girl who turns her prince into stone...'

'Screw it. I'll find her'.

'No!' Sergio advised against Amy going anywhere, 'I'll put out a search operation. Otherwise... it's too risky'. You could tell from the look in her eyes, Amy wasn't about to sit and obey the police. As she moved out the office under supervision, Sergio called me over into his usual corner.

'Hey, how are those... investigators?' he asked.

'They're manageable', I shrugged. The RPCA.

'It's just that I'm hearing a lot of rumours about me...' he slowed down, '... and you'.

'L-like what?' My first thought was Julian. In that moment, I caught him peering through the office glass. Just then he looked away. 'What are you hearing?'

'The rumours are not good', he summarised.

'I'll handle it'.

'Selena', he grabbed me back, 'be subtle'. I walked out.

'Julian?' I called. Pretending he didn't see me; he spun his head around.

'Detective'.

'Can we talk later this evening?'

That evening, I invited him to my old home. My sister was on her way to Dubai, on holiday, so I had the house to myself. Plus, I didn't want to invite my work-life into Michael's new home for us. From Solange's cabinet of alcohol, I grabbed us beer bottles.

'I have to apologise for what I said to you that Saturday night', he begun, 'I was being a drunk asshole'.

'You're not... totally wrong', I confessed. In disbelief, his puzzled eyes bulged at me.

'You mean...'

'Yeah. The chief and I had an affair. I wish I could say it was one night, but it wasn't'.

'Mmmmh', Julian sipped on his drink, failing to form coherent sentences. 'Okay. So... you're still...'

'No'. Stood out on the balcony together, the air was cool, silent, 'I just wanted you to hear it from me'.

'At least you're being honest', Julian nodded uncomfortably, 'but still'.

'Contrary to what you think, he's a good person.'

'Ahh – I know where this is going', he mumbled, 'you want me to keep tabs on the RPCA gossip, for his sake'.

'For my sake also', I placed my palm over his, 'if I'm gonna keep my job'.

'I'm just...' still trying to process things? Take your time. 'Okay Selena, for you'.

One month into pregnancy:

Ongoing stress to do with Sniper's thorny investigation exhausted us detectives every day, though we all tried to hide it. Protests in the city were voluntarily organized against our efforts to get in good standing with the public.

'What if they find out it was me?'

'Don't speak like that', Sergio grunted, wiping the beads of sweat of my forehead, 'they're not even close'. Here we were in the corner, panicking again. 'Just – keep your shit together and keep acting'.

'All I do is act. I'm tired!' I tremored, biting my nails.

'No – you're not tired', he retorted, curling his hand over my nails, 'take a shot, or some candy. You will not turn yourself in, got it?'

'Why are you so angry with me?'

'Because you keep coming up with some bullshit like you're gonna turn yourself in! As if I didn't spend time and effort to get rid of all that evidence so you would walk free. You're a real headache, you know?'

'Sorry', I bowed my head. We were bent cops. So bent.

'Hey', Sergio straightened me up, and began to rub my stomach, our baby, 'it's gonna be okay'.

I got home to find Michael had made dinner for us. He rarely did. I threw myself onto my luxury couch. We ate.

'You look really stressed', he placed his arm gently around me, 'how are you?' Finally, a question I waited for someone to ask.

'I'm good, Mike', I smiled at him, 'you never pamper me with your fine dining cooking... why did you cook for me?'

'Because I love you', he scoffed, 'I can't cook for my wife now?'

'Michael', I eyed him.

'Okay. I may have to go away on a work trip for a month. I have a high-profile case in New York'. That's why he made me a luxury dinner.

'You're leaving?' I mumbled, 'again?' He nodded. Dammit. A month was too long. By then I would be two months in. 'Michael'. I threw myself over his body and began unbuttoning my shirt.

'Woah, hey!' he held my waist, 'O-okay. But I thought you wanted to wait until we're official'.

'No, I don't'. Good, Christian Michael. Wasn't gonna work this time. Viscerally, I began kissing him. My pregnancy would become his greatest suspicion if I didn't do this now.

Three Months Pregnant:

At this point, Michael was aware that I had a little baby bump. He always kissed it. We were getting officially married, with a wedding at a local church he recommended.

Solange was head of the bridesmaids, all dressed in blush pink. Being that he knew them well, Michael invited a handful of detectives from work.

Mom and Dad showered me with gifts and blessings. Uncle's and Auntie's I didn't even know came just to fill up the pews.

Overwhelmed at all the excitement, I thought I was losing my breath. That wasn't apparent until I found out who Michael had made his best man.

His old friend, Sergio.

You see, the closer he got to Michael, the easier it became to get to me. Michael was all the more non-suspecting. Mastering the art of deception, being bent, I learned it all from Sergio.