The Society

Chapter 3: The Protector Part I

The Protector - Ian Dawn

I got on the train the station before hers, happily escaping the brisk air. The trained pulled up to her station and I could see her waiting, she was wearing a red coat on and a tired expression. She boarded the carriage and found a seat towards the front. Her blond hair was a little messy, even though it didn't look deliberate it still managed to look effortless. It gently stopped around her shoulders and she was pushing it back distantly while she was staring out of the window, watching the houses go by without really seeing them.

The train pulled in at Delancey Street and we both walked over to Essex Street to take the J train. We were both going to the same building after all. She was walking a few people ahead of me on the sidewalk. To her I was just another commuter on the train, so she was completely unaware of my existence. When we both got on the J train, I caught a glimpse of her brown eyes. Her face looked tired, her high cheekbones and rosebud like lips made her beautiful. But today her face was stained with sadness. I watched her as she stared at a stain on her red coat. I know that she has a lot on her mind. He must have gone through with the break up, from what I can tell from her face. I can’t be sure but why would she look that sad otherwise?

 

The grey tall building of the New York District Attorney’s Office, looked as always, as a grey block. I knew that it holds authority, power and law but I found it hard to respect a system that could fail so easily. I walked through the entrance just as she flew by security and into an elevator.

“Your name, sir?” The security guard looks at me sternly.

“It’s Ian Dawn. I’m here to see Mr. Rosenthal.” The mention of the district states attorney’s name got me quickly waved through and a few steps later I entered the elevator. It’s played soft music and smelled slightly of floor varnish. Time to go see Mr. Rosenthal, from his call to set up this meeting it seems like we have a lot to talk about.

As I stepped out, I saw a girl with a brown haired pony tail and pink dress dragging Cassie to one side. She looked tired still, she hadn’t even had the chance to take off her coat, which is glowing like a red poppy growing in the asphalt. I made my way past the open-air office landscape filled with desks and studious ASAs backbreakingly bent over their notes and head towards Mr. Rosenthal’s office.

“Hello Miss Penelope. Is he in?” Her fake nails stopped clattering on the keyboard for a moment, as she gave me a fawning smile and waved me through.  I gave the door a swift knock and walked in.

“Hello Ian. Lovely to see you again!” Mr. Rosenthal had an air of mentor and authority all baked into one. I gave him a gentle nod and sat down.

“Nice to meet you again, Mr. Rosenthal.”

He frowned at me, “You know that you only have to call me Mr. Rosenthal in fellow meetings. Outside of headquarters you should really just call me Alan.”

He reached over the desk with a large pile of files, “So here are the files, as promised. Please read through them carefully. It’s important that you know as much as possible so that you can handle this matter properly.”

“Thank you.” I took the folders from him and placed them on my lap.

Alan was stroking his chin and staring into the air. He jolted and looked back at me, as if I had caught him out sleeping on the job. “I’m handing Cassie an important case.”

“Yes?”

“She will be handling the Broffman case for this office. I think it’s only right that she gets the opportunity to deal with it. Even if she may not connect all of the dots, right now.”