Imani stands still with ringing ears. The numbness fights against her rage. Part of her feels like laughing without caring who would hear her. The past incident, being cheated on, and passed over again. Cruel jokes by the god who interwoven in her mother's womb.

She sees James Diaz receiving words of congratulations by her colleagues. Handshakes a plenty with some sparkling cider and plenty of photos. The rebellious teen from her former youth wants to slap them to the ground. But she takes a deep breath to push that side down.

Ruben only nods his head at him before taking Imani to an empty room out of view and earshot.

"Hey. I am so sorry. I had no idea."

She doesn't know what to say.

He wraps an arm around her shoulders and stays quiet. Soft pats on the side of her arm.

"They fucked up by not picking you," he repeats to reassure her that he's on her side.

The Louisiana native's eyes try to count the number of papers within the stack of folders on the nearby table. Anything to reclaim a sense of sanity.

She pushes down the lump in her throat with a swallow. Don't break. Don't break. You're stronger than this.

Her stomach grumbles.

Ruben glances at the clock. "Stay right here, okay? I will get your lunch. We will talk to the chief together, okay?" She doesn't respond. He crouches down to her eye level. "Okay?"

"Okay."

His black boots hurry out of the room while she sits in place. Her mind replays each moment from the interviews.

I didn't say anything wrong, did I? Was I a little smug? Not qualif- No! I am just as qualified as James. Same years of service. But I have the mind for it.....Could it be?

She clutches her arms around herself. An intense chill runs down her back from long before. The ceiling and floor begin to swirl like a whirlpool.

Be still. Be still. I got this. I got this.

She shifts her mind to thoughts of her family. Such warmth, love, and security from her younger sister, Ines, and her niece Zoe. How they would spend a Cajun Christmas together with their parents eating plenty of gumbo and jambalaya. The warmth brings her back to center with a refocused mind.

Ruben returns with her food but is surprised to see a determined smile on her face. A partial smile on his face that his partner is back but with concern that she's not handling it well. He hands her heated food with a fork.

"Just told the chief that you were under the weather to excuse you."

"Thanks", she opens her Tupperware to dig into her fried tofu schnitzel on a bed of cilantro-lime rice. The flavors light up her tastebuds.

Ruben opens up his meal. Back then, Imani would silently judge the weird meals that he would bring. The sides would be normal like roasted potatoes or rice, but some entrees almost made her gag. The steaks that barely saw the side of a grill.

And now, steak tartare with a raw egg on top. At least her vegetarian eyes pick up that it's served with mushrooms, onions, and capers. Her lips still curl downwards so she pays attention to her lunch.....

With satisfied stomachs, the duo makes their way to the chief's office. But Imani's boots take her to the new detective's desk. Detective Diaz sits perplexed by her stoic face.

"Congratulations. You earned it," she extends a hand.

James shakes her hand with a humble smile. "I appreciate that. Are you feeling any better?"

"I am. Thanks for asking."

She walks away with pride that the humble side of her won. Now, it's time to look good.

Ruben knocks on the chief's door. The phone inside is ringing off the hook with him slamming the phone down.

"Come in!"

The duo enters with Imani in front. Light glistens on the bald head of Chief Rosario. A milk-white Puerto Rican who had grown up in the city that he holds dear to his heart. His forehead had seen better days as it's now decorated with frown lines. Some say that it's in reference to his rank.

He stands up while adjusting his blue and black striped tie. "Officer Jefferson, are you well?"

She holds herself tall. "I am, chief. I know I was off during the O'Malley case-" 

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "It's a complete nightmare. Did you know that my kids and I went to his church? Thankfully, he didn't go near them, but God forbid he did. SUV theorized that he took advantage of those with single parents or poor upbringings. That sick...."

He takes a deep breath to stop himself from cussing. "The phone has been ringing off the hook. But what were you going to say?", while sitting down in his chair.

"I'm glad your kids are okay. I...have some doubts that it isn't a suicide."

Chief Rosario shakes his head. "What?!"

Imani relays what she suspects with Ruben backing up her suspicions. Rosario nods along as things also don't make sense to him.

"Alright. I will give you 48 hours to check it out. If nothing is found, then it can't be helped any further."

"Yes, sir!" The duo say in unison.

Ruben goes to leave, but Imani stays behind. He wishes her good luck with a nod before leaving the office.

"Chief? I'm happy that Diaz got the promotion, but-"

He sighs. "It wasn't my decision."

Her feet almost shuffle back. "What?"

"I put you and Diaz for promotion. Both of you are qualified for the position, but....it has to do with your record."

She puts her hands on his desk. "Please., explain. I have a clean-"

"It's when your broke protocol at your past precinct."

Her heart rattles inside its calcium prison. "Couyon (a term of disbelief)! Protocol?!"

"Officer, keep your voice down," he gently warns.

"I had to do what's right since they would have covered it up," she says between gritted teeth.

He raises a hand. "I know. But they have concerns-"

"That I would do the right thing," she cuts him off.

"It's not that. They also think that you don't need the pay increase because of the settlement you received."

"I don't do this for the money. Chief, I just want to make my-"

She closes her mouth before revealing her insecurity.

"Imani, we also have procedures on how we report these incidents-"

Her fists bang on the table, but she regrets how it came out. "I'm sorry. Could...If O'Malley's case was a homic-"

"Even if it was, your past will follow you like a cloud. I'm sorry."

His final words cut off the string of words in her throat. Her boots storm out of the office while shutting the door behind her. Her brown eyes harden more than mud.

She walks straight into Ruben's embrace who pulls her out of sight. Her body trembles, wanting to fight him off and yet she embraces him back. Anything to stop her from falling through the floor.

She buries her head into his chest to hide her teary eyes. Her partner hums a song to eat away at her stress.

The melody is as gentle as the giant. Her racing heart settles with a few cracks in it. 

She gently pushes away. "How did you know?"

"Your face would fail a lie detector test," he jests.

She covers her mouth to imprison the breaking chuckle.

"Do you want to swing by the church tom-"

"Let's do it today."

He can't argue with the anger and determination in her eyes. They leave right away.

......

After talking with another officer that Rosario gave them permission, they are permitted to sweep the room after putting on shoe covers and gloves. Pleasant daylight shines through the blinds of the unholy room.

Tape outlines on the desk where the priest's corpse collapsed. Time of Death was concluded to be around 12:10am to 12:20am with conservative estimation.

Blood on the carpet next to the chair with shoe prints highlighted by UV light. Only one pair that belonged to O'Malley.

The camera in the corner had already been checked. According to the reports, the technicians from their unit determined that the camera was still operable, but something had obscured the lens between the times of 12:00am to 12:10am.

Imani and Ruben look around for anything out of the ordinary. The puzzle in her mind got more obtuse. It sickens her, but she has to think like O'Malley.

If I wanted to capture....blegh...images from another angle, then....

"Ruben, close the blinds!"

He closes the blinds in confusion while she turns off the lights and closes the door.

"There has to be another camera in this room," she explains. "Use your flashlight and if something reflects back, it's there."

The duo sweeps through the room with their flashlights. Slowly to not miss a thing. Ruben checks behind the desk while she checks the doorframe. Pointing up down, left, and right.....

Until she finds something blinking back. She moves closer to the front of the desk. Checking the height, it would be knee level where-

"That fucking saloud!"

Ruben jumps from the outburst. "What?!"

"Come here."

He crouches down to her side. Upon at a different angle of light, a red light reflects back. Despite what could be on it, it might account for those six minutes. After notifying their colleagues, they get to work on scrubbing the camera.

SUV found more incriminating evidence of O'Malley on it which will disprove any defenders who are part of St. Lucy's. Imani and Ruben go through the recording of that final night. With no audio to use, they listen with their eyes.

Fast forwarding, they see the priest leave his office until midnight. The door cracked open. The quality camera shows there's a person right behind the priest. The cops' eyes widen that someone else was in the room despite the UV not picking up the stranger's steps.

Imani analyzes the sharp-dressed Hispanic man closely. Her heart races from the man's face and build. But his eyes captivate her. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her. Gray eyes and yet they remind her of a shiny kettle her mom would use for tea.

Still, his scowling face frightens her. She had dealt with angry people before, but menacing and wrathful wasn't something she encountered. 

The black gloves on his hands bring more suspicion to their minds. But it was cold that night.

Imani stops and rewinds the video. Hitting play, she makes note that he flicked his wrist. With comparing her written notes, it's at the same time the corner camera lost visibility and audio.

They know that the priest must be somewhere behind his desk while the stranger stood in place. Imani takes note of a subtle change in his body before he got out of view. A clenched fist. Minutes go by before another obscurity takes place. 

The darkness finally lifted. The mystery man got back into view. He almost closed the door behind him.

12:10am was the time he left.

Imani and Ruben stand up.

"Wait, just because he was there, doesn't mean he could have done it," Ruben deposits.

"I know, but he's now a Person of Interest. If he's a parent or a relative, there's motive. But we won't arrest him. No one in our unit would even attempt that. Some of their kids also attended that church. They would have done the same thing."

"Then why, Imani?'

She taps away at her keyboard to register the man's face against their system. "If he had tricked the cameras, then I want to know how. Then I will let him go."

The computer checks through the residents of NY only to find no facial match in their system. Imani types again with New Jersey as a filter. One result pulls up with an address.

Name: Miguel Torres
Age: 32
Race: Hispanic
Height: 5'8
Weight: 210lbs
Occupation: Real Estate Investor

"Hmmm."

"You find him handsome?" Ruben asks.

She spins in her chair. Her heart thuds against her sternum. "I-I am not! I'm just thinking how to meet him. I don't want to scare him away."

"Right," he laughs. "Do you want to try in the morning?"

"I want to go right-" a long yawn interrupts her sentence.

"Morning it is. I will take you back to the apartment and pick you up from there."

She crosses her arms and pouts her lips to persuade him, but he pulls her up by the arm.

"Tomorrow."

"Fine," she huffs.

......

Imani arrives at her white apartment door on the fourth floor. Tapping her key card and using a physical key, she opens the door.

A black couch sits opposite a 40-inch Plasma Screen TV. Right in front of the couch is a rectangular table with an unfinished puzzle she doesn't want to touch. Just a few pieces away from finishing a photo of a light-skinned man with a buzzcut kissing her while she flashes her engagement ring over his shoulder.

Part of her wants to dump Derek away, but her personal motto forbids it. Finish one before starting another.

She will just leave that for another day. After taking off her boots, uniform, and gun, her feet walk to the kitchen to meal prep for the big day tomorrow.

She can't help but think of Miguel's face. How almost enticing it would be to be that close--

Smack!  "OW!

Her face stings from the self-slap of reality. Don't be smitten with the possible suspect! You are not a silly white woman without love experience!

Thud!

Her hand grabs a sharp knife for defense. Tip toeing over to her gun, she checks her bedroom where a silk linen bed awaits her tired body. Scanning the closets, under the bed, the bathroom, cabinets.....

No one is there. Her heart almost settles down until she finds something. A necklace and a bloodied note rest on her kitchen counter. Her mind races to how someone got in her apartment. Checking the locks, everything was secure.

She decides to engage the weird items. The necklace has a gold circle enclosing a blue line but the edges of it are splattered out like lightning.

With curiosity and a napkin, she picks up the note. One sentence is shortly scribbled out.

"As my last wish, wear the necklace to protect yourself."

She opens the trashcan to dump the items inside. We are not fucking around with voodoo or anything like that!

But as soon as part of her hand touches the necklace, a warm feeling enters her body. Awakening something she can't describe yet it provides her a sense of relief. Parting with it almost leaves her emptier than she was before.

She exhales. "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." She undoes the clasp and ties it behind her neck. It rests comfortably on her chest, but nothing else happens to her surprise.

She waits. Nothing. "Fine. Let's see if you work tomorrow."

After putting on her yellow nightcap, she allows her body to be swallowed up by the bed. She closes her eyes, but the meeting with Miguel excites her.

"Just don't run or I will chase you", she laughs before falling asleep.