One In Every Crowd

It was a grueling case for the entire police department, but the very member who had the most pressure was Victoria Chandler. After all, she was the captain, the very person who was the most responsible for this case being solved. Now, after a year, the ordeal was finally put to bed.

The notorious drug kingpin simply known as "Archer" was finally caught and arrested. It was a huge deal for the department, but for Victoria, it was personal to her, as one of her detectives, Nadine Culver, was killed by Archer. The case had been Victoria's proverbial "white whale," but it was all wrapped up after a dogged and determined quest by Victoria and her department. While the other officers and detectives celebrated a job well done, Victoria breathed a sigh of relief, as she finally fulfilled her promise to do the one thing she planned to do after Archer's capture: retire.

However, as Victoria would find out, things don't always go as one plans them out to be, and she would learn that the hard way with one phone call.

"Hello, Captain."

The voice Victoria heard was a familiar one: it was Keith Banner, the department's lieutenant. "I'm sorry to interrupt your retirement before it begins, Cap," said Keith.

"Not Cap anymore," said Victoria. "Just Vicki."

"You may have to hold off a bit," said Keith. "Remember Xandra Costas?"

"Xandra...Xandra...," replied Victoria. "Ah yes, she was Archer's lieutenant...and the bitch who killed Nadine, though she's been trying to trick us in to believing that she didn't do it."

"About that," said Keith. "Xandra wants a deal."

"What?!" Victoria exclaimed with a slight laugh. "We're handing out deals to tweaked out dealers now?"

"She has information, Vicki," said Keith. "She says she knows who killed Nadine. She's claiming it was someone on the force." Victoria sat silent over that very statement. Hearing that one of their own, one of her own, actually killed Nadine, was quite a stunner for Victoria.

"Hello? Vicki?"

"I'm here," Victoria said silently. "So what's happening now?"

"Well, Xandra's being held at a safe house as a witness for the prosecution," answered Keith. "We have one of our officers guarding her, but I don't want you to worry about that. Focus on being away from all of this."

That very evening, Xandra was in her safe house, and parked outside the house was the officer in charge of protecting her, Shelby Sampson, whose diligent watch was suddenly interrupted by a knock at his window.

"Captain?"

"Not tonight, I'm not," replied Victoria, whose presence shocked Shelby, who exited his vehicle.

"What are you doing out this late?" asked Shelby.

"Just going on a nightly jog," answered Victoria. "One of many I plan on doing from now on. But let's talk about you. You've been on the force for, what, two years? And you're already part of a big case!"

"Three, but who's counting?" said Shelby.

"I'm very impressed, Sampson," said Victoria. "I really am!" Victoria's words of perceived happiness and pride over one of her young officers was suddenly followed by an occurrence that Shelby didn't see coming. He never even had the chance to properly react; all that came for him was that deafening sound:

BANG!!

A simple shot right in Shelby's chest, and the gunman was actually a surprising gunwoman: Victoria.

"Again, I'm so impressed by you. Because it gives me an easy chance to silence Xandra."

Xandra, meanwhile, had overheard the gunshot and quickly rose up and rushed out of the house. All she found was Shelby on the ground, but she suddenly heard the familiar voice of Victoria, who raised her gun to Xandra.

"Hey, babe," Victoria ominously greeted before ordering Xandra to return to the house, with Xandra acquiescing while being held at gunpoint. "From what I've been hearing, you've been talking just a bit too much for my liking."

"What are you doing, Vicki?" asked Xandra.

"I'm trying to enjoy my early retirement!" snarled Victoria. "After all, that's what the goal was, wasn't it? A cut of Archer's drug money in exchange for my silence regarding everything involving you. Everything, including us. Our relationship."

"And that included murder?" asked Xandra.

"Nadine saw us making out!" replied Victoria. "And it was your own fault anyway! You had to act like some sort of giddy schoolgirl, after I told you that we had to keep our relationship secret. Naturally, someone would see us, and someone just had to be Nadine."

"So you actually killed a cop?" asked Xandra. "And you're trying to claim I did it? I really meant nothing to you, did I?"

"Nadine was smart, she would have put two and two together," Victoria answered, "and don't act like you didn't get anything out of this, honey. You had someone powerful right on your side."

"You didn't love me," Xandra said fretfully. "I was nothing more than a way to fund your 'retirement.' I had nothing when I became part of Archer's circle, but you...you had all of the opportunities and just wanted something for yourself."

"Like I said," the evil Victoria commented as she raised her gun, "we both got what we wanted. Now, I just have to take care of one loose end."

"Drop it, Vicki!"

Just as Victoria was set to eliminate Xandra, she turned around and saw that the very person giving the order was Keith, whose presence Victoria seemed to sense. It was an elaborate trap, with Shelby suddenly appearing and revealing his bulletproof vest confirming that everything--the phone conversation, the info on Xandra, and even Shelby being shot--was all part of the department's plan to catch Victoria.

"I had a feeling a cop was on Archer's payroll," said Keith. "But you, Vicki? Why?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Victoria was arrested by Keith, who interrogated the corrupt captain himself. Keith desperately wanted to know Victoria's reasons, and in response, it was an outright rant. Victoria blamed the pressures of being a woman in a male-dominated field for her corruption, claiming that in spite of moving up the ranks for years, she never got what she felt she deserved. Keith, who was always Victoria's biggest supporter, was included in Victoria's rant, as she voiced her belief that Keith was being groomed to become captain, and refused to believe that Keith was in her corner during her promotion. Victoria's last words to Keith before she was being taken into custody:

"I did what I had to do. If you weren't so privileged, you'd have done the same thing."

Archer received a life sentence on trial. As for Xandra, her information about her and Victoria's relationship, which included unveiling Victoria as Nadine's killer, got her a reduced sentence. As for Victoria, her retirement plans were exchanged for a life sentence, and that was only because the jury voted against the death penalty. Keith ended up promoted as captain as a result, but even so, he still found it hard to fathom that a woman he had idolized as a hero to him, had become such a corrupt and cold-hearted villainess.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading this story all the way through! If you liked this story, click the heart and the "subscribe" button; and feel free to comment below! Tips and pledges would be immensely appreciated, as they help support my writing, but no pressure!