The Betrayal

An eerie of cirrus white clouds glowed in the blue skies on an early summer morning in New York city, Manhattan. Skyscrapers rocketed the sky overshadowing every other building beneath it.

One of the buildings hidden by the skyscrapers was the 18th precinct of the New York Police Department situated at the 1 Police place, Park Row in lower Manhattan across the street from the City Hall. Two blocks from the City Hall was Mia's Cafe. The best and most addictive coffee and pastries vendor in the whole of Manhattan.

It was no surprise every detective in the 18th precinct depended on Mia's Coffee to help them work their long and tedious hours of crime solving.

Detective Jake Reynolds was no exception on those caught on the addiction of the coffee. On a bright and early morning on his way to work, he passed by Mia's Cafe.

He pushed the sliding door which responded with a swift and smooth opening. The strong scented coffee and delicious pastries diffused in the restaurant. The resturant was filled with locals and apparently every single one of the them was on their way to work. Heads turned in Jake's direction, a few nods here and there obviously to acknowledge the presence of a detective in their midst. He spotted an empty table and hopped into the seat.

Jake's eyes roamed around the Cafe until it landed on Gertrude, one of the waitresses at Mia's Cafe. Gertrude in return curved her lips in a luscious and seductive smile, stepped out of the counter, swayed her hips to present herself to Jake.

"Good morning, Jake." She greeted, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously at him. Something she'd always done to catch the attention of Jake since she started working in Mia's Cafe and Jake was an already known customer before her arrival.

Everyone was pretty much aware of how gorgeous Jake Reynolds was. Truth be told, he knew it himself, but being a guy with his occupation he definitely didn't have time for self appraisal. At 28, he had looks that could take one's breath away. Guys wanted to be his reflection, girls wanted to be his girlfriend. Standing at six feet tall with his dark tousled hair, deep brown eyes and a chiseled but soft face, he got swooned over whenever he entered a room. Gifted with a masculine build in years of practice in the military, he was just what the doctor ordered for every female.

"Good morning Gertrude." He replied, returning the smile but with a tight grin. Jake had noticed the advances Gertrude had been throwing at him ever since she started working here.Gertrude was a beautiful girl. She had a long wavy blonde hair and a bosom so huge every single man who came to Mia's Cafe tipped her heavily than all of her coworkers. Quite unfortunate for her, that charm hasn't worked on Jake, her number one target.

"What would you be having this beautiful morning?" She flipped her wavy blonde hair which bounced back remotely.

"The usual Gertrude, coffee with whipped cream, no sugar." He sat upright on the chair leveling his eyes everywhere but Gertrude who at this moment had leaned over the table showcasing her huge bosom. The girl was trying so hard, it made Jake laugh silently in his head.

"I'll be back in a jiffy." Gertrude responded, brushing Jake's shoulders with her fingers, she left swaying her hips to the pass through window to place the order for Jake.

Five minutes later, Gertrude arrived with the coffee for Jake. Jake mouthed a thank you, paid for the coffee and left the Cafe leaving a very disappointed Gertrude behind.

The drive to the 18th precinct where Jake worked was just a stone's throw away from his house and the Cafe. He got to the entrance of the station and opened the glass door which was guarded by the security guards who were on patrol. He entered, passed the reception and walked briskly to his desk. He and his crew still had an unsolved homicide investigation.

An earlier assasination attempt was made on the senator and the investigations were still ongoing.

The strong disinfectant sent a whiplash inside his nostrils as he reached for his handkerchief to wart off the drugging smell.

"Detective Jake." Officer Mac called out to him. Jake spun around at the mention of his name.

"Sargeant requests your presence in his office right now." Officer Mac continued, brushing his forehead with the back of his hand.

Jake furrowed his eyes in surprise. He was in utmost wonder why the Sargeant would want to see him. He gave Officer Mac a spontaneous nod and turned his direction to the Sargeant's office.

Sargeant John Cooper, the head authority of the 18th precinct was a stern and strict man of about age fifty. Having spent half his life so far in the military he had grown up to be a hard nut who only expected diligence and competence from his employees.

Jake upon reaching the Sargeant's office placed a soft knock on his door and made his way inside.

"Good morning, Sargeant." Jake greeted as he offered his hand for a handshake.

"Good morning, detective Jake, please sit down, there is an issue at hand I would like to discuss with you." Sargeant John directed Jake to an empty seat as he also sat down steadily in his. He opened his desk drawer and brought out a missile computer chip.

"The government handed us this chip to be held in our disposition until we've been mandated to return it to them. This computer chip is worth over a billion dollars and if it falls into the wrong hands, that would be the end of our technological progress in this country."

Jake squinted his eyes as he listened attentively to the Sargeant. He clasped both fists together under the desk and rummaged his leg playfully around the desk leg.

"You know of the organized criminal gangs running rampant in this country. Your current case of the near assassination of the senator was because of this missile-cloaking computer chip. These criminal gangs have learned about it and are hovering around for it. It can't be kept here in the precinct, this would be the first place they would encounter."

Jake opened his mouth slightly, probably to object but stopped right away. He knew everything the Sargeant was saying was true. The criminal gangs were causing more trouble for them than serial killers.

"And because of that I would want you to keep survelliance on this computer chip, away from the precinct, somewhere safe." Sargeant Cooper finalized, handing the chip to Jake.

"With all due respect Sargeant, why do you choose to give it to me?" Jake asked as he stared down at the chip which was still in Sargeant Cooper's grasp.

"It's simple, detective Jake, you know your work, I have seen your records over the four years you've worked as a detective, you know your duty. Your diligence and exuberance is appealing. And I wouldn't want any less than that. The criminal gangs pose a threat not only to the law enforcement but to the democracy and legitimate economic and technological development." Sargeant Cooper handed the computer chip to Jake.

Jake nodded firmly, with the computer chip worth over a billion dollars in his hands and slowing diving into his pocket, he left the Sargeant's office to his own desk.

He held the computer chip in his palm, so small a device had now become his liability. The chip was even worth more than he would ever be if he were ever to be traded in the world market. He carefully tucked the chip under a stack of books in his locker and locked it.

Grabbing his coffee which had now turned cold, he continued his steps to Dan Rivera's desk, his assistant in the crime investigations.

The day had just begun and the work of a detective never ended.

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