The Formidable Stranger (Trilogy)

I thought this shit was over

Meanwhile, at the precinct, most of the officers mourned the death of Lucius Wetherbee but Leanne sat at her desk with hatred heavy in her heart. It was obvious a new captain was needed but she hadn't given it much consideration since it would never be her. The announcement did not come as a surprise as her partner was chosen to temporarily fill the position. The tall white man sat comfortably in his new chair, mellowing in his racist nature.

"Mr. Chauvin, what are we gonna do about the Lee case?"

Malcolm Chauvin was instantly grounded as he remembered there was a possibility that Casper Lee was Ghost. He also remembered when he pulled a gun on him and how it now all made sense.

"Get Leanne," he said firmly.

She entered his office though no longer jittery and shy as he knew her to be.

"What's wrong?" he said taking notice of her serious demeanor.

"With all due respect captain, you called me so what do you need?"

"Hmm, it's been said that you've been talking with The Shadows and I'm here putting the missing pieces together... you sided with Casper Lee instead of your partner which you should have... you two developed some kind of bond huh?"

"Firstly, I did the right thing that day... and second, if you're looking for further confirmation that Casper Lee is Ghost then I can't help you."

Chauvin smiled, "Okay."

He then got up and walked around his desk to close the door before proceeding to close the blinds and sat facing her.

He whispered, "I'm going to be real with you, I've fucked up. If Casper Lee is Ghost, and we both know what he is capable of, I don't want him coming after me next."

Leanne chuckled, so much that it was hard to control.

"So, what do you want exactly?" she asked.

"To meet with him, I won't try to arrest him or anything. He just needs to know that what happened a few months ago was a big misunderstanding and none of my officers will be hunting him or his wife."

Leanne got up, reopened the blinds, and started to exit the office. She looked at him one last time and said "for your sake and his, you should try reaching out to him on a more public platform."

Later on, Leanne called the Lee's and told them everything. Cas admitted that he hadn't even remembered about Chauvin and went on to deny his request. After a quiet night on the streets, Cas and Penny retired on some old fabric on the ground in the old building as sunrise quickly approached. Drew was conflicted; there was a staff party at the Manhattan Newsletter but all he could think about how he missed the way things were before Kasdeya showed up. It was around 1:00 in the afternoon when he managed to finish writing a few articles and meet his deadlines. The music faded in the background as he walked around looking at the broad smiles of his coworker while sipping a glass of champagne. The office space was situated on the third floor of a corporate building and for a while Drew gazed through the window, down on his silver Mustang taking notice also of a blacked-out BMW immediately behind it. After a day of festivities, he enjoyed a sweet cruise home. Tammy was out; she had stopped working from home and rented a shop not too far away. The Mustang roared as it came to a halt and the engine settled, parked just outside his gate. Drew stepped out and shut the car door before he noticed the same BMW from earlier.

"Hmm, well hello there sexy." He had a long shower before popping open a can of beer and retreating to the sofa for the evening news. The peace he longed for evaded him as he heard a soft shuffling noise somewhere in the house.