We last read Chapter 11, in which Beth and Conner Bennett, the OCO investigator, are at the site of an earlier shooting, when someone begins shooting at them. They flee the unseen shooter and get separated, before Beth falls over a cliff. She saves herself by transforming in midair to her superheroine identity. Sapphire Angel defeats the shooter, before transforming back to her normal persona and rejoining Conner, who is oblivious to what has transpired. As they drive away from the scene of the shooting, Conner confesses that his boss, Olivia Lockheed, asked him to keep an eye on Beth. Conner agrees he and Beth should track down the police officer who investigated the original shooting which took place at the exact same spot as their own incident.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
Beth followed Conner's directions through more turns until they passed scattered farm homes and eventually came into a small town. She saw only one street, with row homes lining either side. The buildings had passed their prime long ago. Most of them were two-story structures, with faded and peeling paint and crooked porches. Many of the homes had indoor furniture arranged on their outdoor porches.
Conner's phone rang. After he answered and listened to the caller, he said, "I'm fine," followed by, "Just checking things out," and, "Routine stuff, talking to people," and "No, I don't need you to look into anything yet." He ended the call with, "Got it." His frustration was obvious.
"Olivia keeps you on a short leash, huh?" Beth asked.
Conner grimaced. "She and Richard want to meet with us tomorrow morning at 9:30 to see how we're coming along."
To see how I'm coming along, Beth thought, but said nothing.
The car continued stayed straight on the quiet street until they came to the Mountville police station, a brick structure on their left with a small parking lot next to it and a sign out front. The building was in only slightly better shape than the other buildings in the town, with a faded brick facade. Some window shutters were missing, and others looked to have been recently painted. A sign by the sidewalk leading to the front door read, "Enter in rear."
After parking in the small lot, Beth and Conner took a few minutes to clean themselves up as best they could, straightening their hair and brushing off the dirt and damp leaves from the forest. They exited the vehicle, followed the sidewalk, and found a larger lot in the rear of the building, with a shiny new police cruiser parked near a pockmarked and bent screen door.
Beth moved to the door and opened it, causing it to scrape and screech along the ground. The heavier inside door was open, revealing a hallway stretching off before them and a room to the left. A musty smell reached Beth's nose, reminding her of Sunday afternoons as a child at her great-grandmother's home. Cheap wood paneling and thin green carpeting further suggested the place hadn't seen renovations in many years. Fluorescent light fixtures illuminated the hall and the room to the left, barely fighting back the shadows.
A woman sat behind a desk in the room to the left, typing on a keyboard and staring at a monitor. Tight brown curls added to the stern look of her round face, and she was about three sizes too big for her desk. A door was closed behind her, in the back corner of the room.
"Can I help you?" she asked as Beth and Conner stepped from the hallway into the room. She looked down her glasses with a perturbed look.
"We're here to see Chief Biggins," Conner answered, flashing a warm smile and his OCO badge at the woman. "I'm Conner Bennett and this is Beth Harper. We're from the Office of Corporate Oversight."
"The Chief is very busy," she explained with a frown. "How about I make an appointment for you?"
"I think the Chief will want to speak to us now," Conner replied with an edge to his voice. "Please go ask him." His tone left no room for interpretation, telling the woman he would see the chief now, whether or not she liked it.
The woman grumbled as she rose from the chair. "Just a moment." She walked to the closed door, knocked once, and entered. After stepping inside, she closed it behind her.
"You can sure play the hard ass," Beth murmured to Conner as they waited.
"What? You said you like my ass?"
"No, I said you—" she stammered. "You're impossible."
The door opened and the secretary emerged. "Chief Biggins will see you." She stepped away from the door and gestured with her arm for them to enter.
They walked past her and entered a room straight from the 1970s. The thin green carpet in the secretary's office ended at the doorway and met a thick red and black shag carpet. Hunting trophies — deer and bear heads, shotguns, and even a crossbow — hung from the wood-paneled walls. A large steel desk, littered with paper, sat opposite the door. To the right of the desk, in the corner, a large stuffed bear reared up on a boulder, its face frozen in a snarl and its paws held out in a menacing pose.
A huge man rose from a chair and ambled around the desk toward them. His khaki-covered uniform stretched firm across his massive stomach, the buttons screaming in protest. His bald head gleamed in the fluorescent lights, and a full mustache, flopping at the edges, adorned his face. Bits of food, probably from the donuts in the box on his desk, clung to it.
He couldn't have fit the stereotype of country police officer more if he had tried. When he spoke, he further sealed Beth's impression of him.
"Chief Irvin Biggins," he announced as he extended his huge hand. His voice had a southern twang to it, and was gruff, as if he had swallowed a mouthful of pebbles. Beth and Conner stepped forward, extending their hands.
He took Beth's hand gently. His meaty paw dwarfed her hand, and she felt tiny next to him. He towered over her, probably standing a few inches taller than six feet.
"Beth Harper," she stated, giving a smile but all the while wanting to reclaim her hand. His hands were sweaty, and so was his body.
"Ain't you just a purty little thing," he drawled, before releasing her hand. Beth forced a smiled.
"Conner Bennett," Conner interjected, sticking out his hand even further. Beth was thankful when Biggins' eyes stopped exploring her and turned to Conner. His gaze was less friendly as he and Conner eyed each other. Beth could feel the testosterone oozing from the two men, almost as much as she could smell Biggins' sweat.
"Thank you for meeting with us, Chief," Beth interrupted, trying to end the staring contest between the two men.
"What brings you two kids up to my town?" he asked, gesturing to two chairs in front of the desk. As Beth and Conner moved to the chairs and sat, he walked back around the desk and dropped himself into his leather office chair. The chair creaked in agony.
Beth answered before Conner could speak.
"We're investigating the sale of the nuclear power plant. As part of the investigation, we do routine checks on any recent criminal activity nearby, like the murder up on the road near the power plant. We need to do some follow up and ask some questions."
Biggins rocked back in his chair and looked down his nose at Beth as he rested his hands on his large stomach. "Seems to me like it ain't too routine," he said with a twang, "if yer driving all the way up here. Y'all coulda just called."
As Beth fumbled deciding how to respond, Conner cut in.
"Listen, Chief. Where can we find the officer who investigated the shooting? Records say his name was Dave McGraw? We have some questions for him."
Biggins stared at Conner and a smile crept over the chief's face.
"I like you boy," he chortled. "Direct and to the point." He leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on the desk as he stared first at Conner and then at Beth. "Let me just check his schedule ..."
Biggins riffled through an appointment book in front of him, and a frown spread across his face.
"Well ain't that too bad," he said, his voice dripping with remorse. "Dave's on leave right now and won't be back for a few weeks."
"Do you know where he is?" Beth asked between gritted teeth. The man's fake regret grated on her nerves.
"I'm sorry, girl, I don't pry into my men's private lives. He could be anywhere. Probably out of the state somewhere on vacation."
"Chief, we really need to speak with him," she insisted.
"I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to wait until he gets back."
"And when is that?" she asked.
Biggins turned his eyes upward, as if he were trying to calculate something in his head.
"Could be two weeks. Maybe three. He saved up lots of vacation, so he could even extend it at the last minute."
"Isn't that convenient?" Beth muttered.
Biggins face flared red as he leaned forward with a scowl. "You saying I'm lying to you, girl?"
"Not at all. Just an observation," she answered in a calm voice. Her earlier insecurities vanished under his sharp words. She would not let this man intimidate her.
"I didn't think so," the chief said with a nod.
"Perhaps you can help us with something else," she said. "Someone shot at us an hour ago."
Biggins' raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. "Well, that's not good. Probably more hunters. Seems the area up there is in high demand among the locals."
"I never said where it happened," Beth answered, keeping her face and tone emotionless. Her suspicion of this man was growing.
"Ah, just an assumption," Biggins' grinned. "I figured if you were investigating, that's where you'd be. We'll look into it, and I'll let you know if we find anything. Now I have some work to do."
"I'm sure you will look into," Beth said, not believing a word Biggins uttered, but knowing they weren't getting any more information from him.
She and Conner stared at the chief for a few moments longer, and when he looked down and started riffling through papers on his desk, Beth stood. Conner sat a few seconds longer before also standing.
"Thank you for your time, Chief Biggins," she said. She gave him a nod, but didn't extend her hand. Biggins and Conner ignored each other, before Beth and Conner turned and headed toward the door. As they exited the building, Beth scanned the windows and doors, committing what she saw to memory. A minute later, they were back in their car.
"We've got to find that officer," Conner said.
Beth was happy he didn't mention reporting back to Olivia or Richard. Perhaps his change in outlook had to do with being rubbed the wrong way by Chief Biggins.
"It wouldn't surprise me if the officer's location is a well-kept secret up here," she grumbled. "We'll probably have better luck back in the city, using traditional methods. "
"You want to get lucky, you say? And use your methods? I'm flattered." Conner said.
"Oh brother," Beth muttered. "I'm going to research Biggins. Do you think you can get an address for Officer McGraw? And while you're at it, can your agency use its clout to set something up with Wheldon, the owner of that land? It's time to talk to him."
Conner nodded and they remained silent, both lost in their own thoughts. The afternoon sun was fading as they merged onto the interstate for the drive south. As she drove, Beth regretted the hostility she had shown Conner. She considered herself to be a pleasant person, but he had caught her in a bad mood. And his actions during the shooting, sacrificing himself to save her, had shown a new side to him. She'd try to give him another chance.
"Hey, can you do me a favor?" he asked after several minutes.
"What's that?" Beth asked.
"I live off the first exit north of Harrisburg. Can you drop me off at my place? Saves me some driving."
"How will you get back to the office in the morning?"
"Several neighbors work downtown. I'll get a ride from one of them."
"Fair enough," Beth replied, maneuvering into the right lane.
A minute later they were exiting the highway and Conner was giving her directions to his home, about 10 minutes off the highway. After a few turns onto back roads, he had her turn down a gravel lane that weaved a half mile from the main road, through a canopy of tall trees. She eventually pulled to a stop in front of a small rancher.
"Looks quiet out here," she commented.
"That's how I like it."
This wasn't what she would have pictured for Conner's home. Given the way he dressed and talked, she assumed he would have lived in a downtown loft.
"Want to come in to rehash anything?" Conner asked, turning in the seat towards her.
Beth was immediately suspicious. Was this why he had asked her to stop here? Before she could answer, Beth's phone vibrated with an incoming text message. Beth looked at the screen to see a message from Ethan.
Friends gathering for drinks at Brezza at 10. Please come!
"Um, that's okay," Beth said to Conner. "I should get back."
He pursed his lips and nodded. He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "My mobile number is on here if you think of anything. See you in the morning."
He left the card on her passenger seat and hopped out of the car. Beth watched him walk toward his front door. She grabbed his card and dropped it into her bag, before shaking her head and driving away.
Thanks for reading! I publish a new chapter every Monday and Thursday. If you’re reading this on the website and enjoyed it, please hit the like button or leave a comment — or, better yet, sign up to get future chapters delivered to you via email. Every bit of feedback helps me figure out what people like, and motivates me to keep going. If you’re reading via email, feel free to reply and drop me a line. Thanks!
(jokingly) Is this jealousy? Is that what I’m feeling right now? Haha!
Seriously, this is REALLY good. Like a full-fledged mystery/detective case. Really wondering if Biggins is who he’s claiming to be, though. I’m honestly impressed that Beth caught on so quickly.....