AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His head snapped up and his gaze focused on her face. "It's not your fault."
"It is," she insisted, "didn't you hear me? If I hadn't stayed late, the files would have gone into the collection box when someone was there to log it in. They would have been safely locked away and wouldn't have been destroyed by those men."
A grim smile touched Jacob's mouth and his hands tightened their hold on hers. "Criminals always make mistakes, Sweets. I think it's something about the endorphin rush they get from breaking the law. It's like adrenaline and too much of it makes them stupid and sloppy. That's why we say there's no perfect crime.
"There are just crimes that people get away with. And I'm not going to let these men get away with it. And I'm certainly not going to let the original crime go. You don't have to worry about it."
"Really?" Molly felt an emotion welling up inside of her. Frustration. "Is that it? I can just wash my hands of this whole thing?"
"Sure. It's not your job to catch these guys and bring them to justice." Jacob smiled at her and she wanted to... she wanted to... pinch him on the leg or something like that.
"Oh? It's not? I'm not needed? I can just quit and walk away."
"I'm not saying that, Mol, but you don't have to let this get to you."
"Uh... Detective?" Doctor Webb took hold of her wrist and looked at his wristwatch.
"No," Molly continued on, "don't stop him. Let him keep talking and telling me that what I do doesn't have anything to do with the prosecution of criminals and their victims getting justice. I want to know just how worthless my work is."
She saw Jacob draw back and knew that she'd hurt him with her words.
She felt horrible about it.
She was striking out at him, but she just couldn't make herself stop.
She'd been shaken up so much over the last few days and yes, Jacob had been so supportive of her, but now he was doing the exact opposite.
Could he be right?
Of course he could.
She just didn't want to believe it.
She wanted to do something with value in it and here he was telling her that she wasn't at all important.
No, that her work wasn't at all important.
That's when it struck her.
She didn't have much outside of her job.
Over time, she'd spent so much time doing her job, she'd taken on extra responsibilities as a court reporter for certain judges.
All of it because she felt like she was making a difference.
"I... I need to go." She pulled her hand free of Jacob's and looked at the doctor who was staring between the two of them with a rather pained expression on his face.
"Excuse me."
The doctor stood and stepped to the side.
When she put her feet on the ground, she pushed herself up onto her feet, but she swayed, her head swimming with the rush of emotions inside her.
Doctor Webb reached out and took her hand in his. "Miss Ferguson-"
"Do you think, I really hate to ask," she explained, feeling her words bubbling out of her throat like the fizz of a soda desperate to rise up into the air, "but do you think I could sit in your apartment while I find someone to come and get me."
"Molly."
