"Don't lie to me again, and we won't have a problem. I am your senior officer and you will respect me."
Jenna turned on her boot heel and returned to her car. Meanwhile in E5, Earl picked up his brick of a cell phone, "Hey, Amos! DiNolfo's kid is in town, and she's a real piece of work..."
*
Jenna decided that it would be the neighborly thing to do to introduce herself to some of the locals. Although she grew up here in the Elkhart area, right over in Pritchard’s Alley, she did not know many of the faces after being gone for twenty years. She decided to start in the Mud Flats and work her way up Cavegat Pass. She introduced herself warmly at Kerr’s Grocer, Angie's Beauty Salon, and the always busy Four Horses Saloon. The owner of Monte’s was very kind and offered her free coffee and lunch. A face that she certainly recognized, Joe Piedmonte yelled from the kitchen, “Hey! DiNolfo! Great to see you! I haven’t seen you since our high school days! Whenever you stop by, your tab is on me! All the free coffee and grub you can eat!” Joe’s offer was one that Jenna would certainly take him up on. Though they had never officially dated, Joe did take her to her Junior Prom. She remembered him as a really nice guy.
Some things never change.
Jenna was having a great morning when she pulled up to Trafford’s Auto Body, but that was all about to change. She parked on the side of the building away from the parking lot, an old habit from investigating in the big city - never be seen. DiNolfo stepped out of her patrol car as she took in her surroundings. Trafford’s Auto Body was a dingy, run-down shop that had definitely seen better days. She opened the splintering green door with a push, as a bell sounded over the doorway.
The moment she stepped inside a gruff voice riddled with lung cancer and a lifetime of smoking cigarettes addressed her, “We're closed!”
“Sign says you're open.”
From the back of the auto shop's office came a large balding man who was wiping grease off of his hands on a soiled, rag that used to be white but was now a putrid shade of brown.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, much more polite after seeing who was in his waiting room.
“Are you Trafford? My name is Jenna DiNolfo, and I am the new sergeant. I'm just stopping in to introduce myself to all the local businesses, make my presence known.”
Jenna held out her hand for a handshake, but put it away when Trafford didn’t offer his hand.
“Nice to meet you. If there are no pressing matters, I must attend to my business,” Trafford said to Jenna, clearly not in the mood to make pleasantries. From behind Jenna the bell over the door sounded again.
“Hey, Trafford! You got my money?” an annoyed voice demanded.
Jenna turned surprised to see an officer in uniform, and turned quickly on her heel. She was face to face with Amos.
“What money are you referring to, Deputy Cope?” Jenna asked, with a charge of authority in her voice.
“Nothing. It’s nothing. Trafford owes me for… a service.”
“A service? You wouldn't be doing side jobs that the county would want to know about, would you?” Jenna turned towards the door to leave, and as she looked back at Amos, she warned, “I have my eye on you.”
Finally back at the station, Jenna settled into her desk and booted up her laptop, the key to the file room still in her hand. While her computer slowly came to life, Jenna made her way to the file room in the basement. Entering the key in the lock, she twisted her key, but it was for naught; the file room door was left unlocked.
You've got to be kidding me, Jenna thought incredulously. So any old Tom, Dick, or Harry can have access to confidential case files! Not on my watch.
Jenna opened the door and locked it swiftly behind her. Turning around, she couldn't believe her eyes. Files everywhere, cigarette butts lying on top of pertinent county paperwork, complete disorganization. The whole file room smelled of smoke. Disregarding the smell, Jenna began looking at the shelves of files. While some were in file cabinets, most were not. Her work was certainly cut out for her.
She immediately began sorting through files, alphabetizing them and placing them in their appropriate places, and overall, returning order to the Elkhart Police Stations' file room. Files weren't all she found, though; packs of cigarettes, old magazines, and a dart board. Clearly Earl did more than just smoke down here.
DiNolfo decided that anyone who wanted access to the file room would have to come through her. She took the last box of files that needed to be sorted to the gray filing cabinet on the far right side of the room. She tugged on the silver handle, but was met with resistance. It was locked. She crouched down to get a closer look at the cabinet, thinking maybe she could pry the lock open, and that is when she saw it. The tag on the filing cabinet read, “Unresolved Cases '79-84.”