| Stolen Years |
| Cory�s phone rang. �Hi Cory, it�s me.� �Tracey! I haven�t heard from you in ages. How are you?� �Good.� She said quietly. �Is everything okay?� Tracey�s was a sad case. Her twin sister Rita and run away when they were teenagers and hadn�t been seen since. The authorities had given up hope of ever finding her and had gone so far as to say she might not even be alive. Tracey and Rita�s mother had died of cancer just after Tracey started university and her father died of a heart attack shortly after that. She�d been depressed ever since. Usually phone calls from Tracey meant that she was having serious suicidal thoughts and needed someone to pull her out of it. Much to Cory�s relief Tracey answered, �Yes. Everything is fine.� Cory let out the breath she didn�t know she was holding. �That�s great. How�s things?� �Good. I�ve been put on an assignment. A big one.� She said excitedly. �Really? Can you tell me about it?� The other thing about Tracey was that she was an Internal Affairs agent and a pretty high up one too. A lot of things she did were deemed classified. �Not really. But it�s a work group of some of the top guns around here and I just happen to be in it.� �Congratulations.� �Yeah. They finally took one of my suggestions. And the best part is that it was the boss that put me in it.� �The new boss?� �Yeah. I met him the other day. He went around all the departments and introduced himself. He seems really nice, like a grandfather, except not as old.� �What�s he like? Wait, let me guess. Ex army drill sergeant, square jaw, over six foot, build like a statue?� Tracey laughed. �No way. He�s nothing like that. He�s short, shorter than you, about 50ish, balding, overweight. Everyone was so shocked when they saw him. They were all expecting another Fitzherbert.� Chief Franklin Fitzherbert, big boss of Los Angeles Internal Affairs had retired about a month ago. He was big, bronzed and very mean looking. Nobody dared to challenge his authority. �This guy sounds like a push over. What�s his name?� �Daniel Richards. He used to work with Dad.� Tracey�s father had been a big shot in Internal Affairs. Probably the main reason why she�d joined. She�d always been her father�s little girl. �Oh, Alastair was telling me about him.� Cory said. �One day he just up and left for no reason. He said it was personal but nobody knew anything about it.� �Do you remember Mr Schultz from high school?� �Yeah.� �Richards kinda looks like him. Only not as fat and not as bald.� Cory laughed. �It�s amazing anybody takes him seriously. �He�s no push over though. He�s already ripped through somebody for almost blowing their cover on a case. It wasn�t pretty.� �Did I tell you that Alastair ripped through someone the other day? It wasn�t anyone from Santa Monica but he tore them to shreds. I was even scared.� �When am I going to get to meet this boyfriend of yours? I mean, I haven�t seen him yet and you�ve been dating for how long?� �About ten months.� �Exactly.� �So when do I get to meet him?� �Well, you could come over here and we could go out for dinner or something. I know a great guy I could set you up with.� �No! Do not start on that.� Tracey had refused to date seriously since her high school sweetheart dumped her for another girl three days before the prom. Cory laughed. �I�m just teasing Tracey. Although he is pretty cute.� �No way. I�m not letting you set me up with anyone.� Tracey was laughing too so Cory knew she wasn�t seriously annoyed with her. �Anyway, I have to go. I�ve got some work to do for this assignment. I�ll talk to you soon.� |