𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 | ❝ We can't always wait for our heroes to save the day, Flash, that's how I got here before you. Now move aside. ❞
Sebastián Belmonte, new CCPD detective fresh from his Greenville transfer, has a tough time adjusting to life...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody — a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns — bent down and helped us pick up our boots." —Thurgood Marshall
: OVERLOOKED DETAILS
The awkwardly capricious trio didn't stay at Jitters long. They'd been sipping their coffee in silence for a few minutes before Joe pulled everyone from their thoughts, reminding them of their job that still had to be done. Jason Bureka likely wasn't going anywhere but they still had to talk to him and find out what he knew — a task that could take time if he proved to be a particularly difficult man. When he thought about it though, Sebastián almost regarded Jason as much a victim as Ralph Gonzales. Unless the guy had intentionally put his friend Ralph in the Mirror Dimension, Sebastián could see no reason why this would be difficult at all. He adversely couldn't see any reason why Jason would be avoiding the police unless he was guilty of something and it was their job to find out.
So they'd left Jitters (a place Sebastián knew he'd definitely be returning to) and made way for the Bureka household. The last time Sebastián and Joe had been there, it had been deadly quiet and nobody in the whole neighborhood had seen movement from the place for a long time. Weeks, they'd pointed out. It could only beg to question what Jason Bureka had been up to in the time since his partner's disappearance. There were no records and nobody had talked to the man in ages.
It crossed Sebastián's mind that he could be dead, or worse.
Barry was the one to knock on Jason's front door whose brown paint was peeling to reveal aged and weathered wood beneath. The home itself was dirty on the outside, not cared for, and the windows had the shades drawn so the inside couldn't be seen. The house was silent and when nobody came to answer the door, Sebastián gently nudged Barry and Joe aside, giving them a mischievous look as he approached the door. "What do you say, Detective West?" Sebastián asked loudly, almost playfully, as a wide grin spread across his face and his eyes narrowed with mischief. "Didn't that sound like screams for help to you?"
The father and son exchanged a glance, unsure of what was happening. They both knew, like anyone else who worked in law enforcement, that there were basic ground rules for entering any home. There had to be probable cause for forced entry like imminent danger or threat, reasonable belief that pertinent evidence (or a victim) could be destroyed, permission from witnesses or victims, and a warrant if dealing with the one that got away. Whatever Sebastián was suggesting with his actions, however, was not entirely lawful. There wasn't anyone screaming for help, they didn't have probable cause to enter Jason Bureka's home — but Sebastián turned away from them and kicked the door until it swung open as if he'd done it a million times before.
"C.C.P.D!"
Sebastián drew his gun, ignoring Joe and Barry's looks of astonishment as he cleared the front hallway and proceeded into the home; checking his corners of all entryways and open doors as Joe quickly took up his six and drew his own firearm. He didn't have time to explain to them why he had entered the home, there was just this feeling bubbling in Sebastián's gut. He knew something was going on here. He knew that Jason Bureka was a shady guy and shady guys don't just disappear unless they want to evade someone, or something.
