000 - ON DUTY

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JOCELYN sat at home and waited for her best friend and old classmate, Lucy Chen, to call. She was waiting for her to tell her that she had finally sold her old jalopy and bought a proper car. 10 minutes later there was still no message or call, so Jocelyn decided to call Lucy. It actually took a few minutes for Lucy to answer the call.

"Josie, if it's not important I'd prefer to call you back later, okay?" Jocelyn drew her eyebrows together and stared at her phone in confusion. What did she have to do that was so important that she couldn't even talk on the phone for five minutes? A little taken aback, Jocelyn cleared her throat and finally answered Lucy.

"Uhm, am I interrupting something?" Lucy let out a proud laugh in response, and now Jocelyn was only more confused. What the hell?

"I've just made my first arrest, Josie! Isn't that exciting?" Jocelyn's expression changed abruptly and a proud smile crept onto her lips.

"Congratulations, Lucy! I am proud of you and look forward to working with you again in the future." even though she couldn't see Lucy, she knew she was smiling. The first arrest was exiting, at least that's what her father had told her. Speaking of her father - he wanted to drive her to the police station. Where was he?

"Okay, Jo, I really have to hang up now, see you later!" and with those words Lucy was already gone. Sighing, Jocelyn got up and walked around the house looking for her father.

On her way to the kitchen, she walked past a picture of her mother and her little sister. She still remembered the day the picture was taken, because they had been boating that day and her little sister had repeatedly splashed her little brother with water until he had finally thrown her into the water. His luck was that the lake they were on wasn't deep, so her little sister was able to stand without any problems.

She missed them both very much and wished for them back every day. But that wasn't possible, she knew that, she just didn't want to accept it.

Suddenly she heard the front door open and she immediately turned her head in that direction. Her father came walking into the house with shopping bags and looked at his daughter, grinning broadly. A slight smile formed on Jocelyn's lips as he pulled her favorite cake out of one of the bags. He actually remembered what her favorite cake was. That made her happy.

"I've brought you a little refreshment. Hopefully they have a working fridge there, otherwise you'll have to eat your cake warm." the two of them had to laugh and Jocelyn grabbed her bag and her cake. Her father looked at her in confusion until he remembered that he wanted to drive her.

"Don't tell me you almost forgot that you wanted to drive me." Jocelyn raised an eyebrow and her father raised his hands in the air innocently.

"I would never forgot that, my darling." Jocelyn gave him the ‚who believes will be blessed' look before walking to the front door, grabbing a light jacket on the way. She could just hear him laughing in the background and she couldn't help smiling herself. When they were finally in the car, Jocelyn went through everything again in her head. From the greeting to the ‚curtsy' to Captain Anderson, to her introduction to her new work colleagues. She was a little nervous.

On the way, Jocelyn observed several small crimes and if they hadn't been in a hurry, she would probably have asked her father to stop by now. She couldn't wait to make her first arrest now she heard Lucy rave about it. She only asked herself one thing - where had Lucy made her first arrest? She would definitely ask her best friend about it when she entered the police station.

After just over half an hour, Jocelyn could see the building from a small distance and her hands and she began to sweat immediately. Her father had a knowing grin on his lips and turned into the car park a little later. Now the time had really come. As of today, she was officially a Rookie and there was no going back. Her nervousness increased.

"Okay, kiddo, have fun and make me proud!" Jocelyn looked at her father in confusion. Wouldn't he come in with her?

"Uhm, dad, I thought you were coming in with me?" her father lowered his head and shook it a few seconds later. The reason he couldn't come in was that Jasper had to go to football practice and didn't have a car. Even though he had promised Jocelyn, there was nothing he could do to change the outcome of the situation.

"I'm sorry, Jojo, but your brother needs a lift to football practice." Jocelyn sighed but then nodded. She understood. At the moment they couldn't afford a second car and as they had only just moved house, Jasper didn't know the neighbourhood very well yet.

"It's okay, dad. See you later and give Jasper my love!" she quickly said as she planted a kiss on his cheek and then entered the building.

Alden sighed and then walked back to his car. In reality, he didn't have to drive Jasper to training, but was meeting up with some of his old colleagues who had worked with him on his wife and daughter's case. Even though Jocelyn had overpowered the murderers back then and they were now behind bars, the mastermind behind the cruel deed had never been caught. And really, he should know better and leave the job to the new officers, but he knew that Jocelyn would get too involved and he didn't want to have to see that. She wasn't allowed to know about it.

With a queasy feeling in her stomach, Jocelyn looked for Captain Anderson's office. A short time but a few stairs too many, she found it on the top floor of the building and knocked politely.

Captain Anderson looked up and and invited the person standing outside her door in. Jocelyn entered Captain Anderson's office slowly and closed the door quietly after she was was fully inside. Once Jocelyn had plucked up the courage to look at Captain Anderson, she realised how seriously Captain Anderson was looking at her. Her heart immediately dropped into her trousers and she had to swallow. This was not how she had imagined her first day and she was beginning to doubt whether she was really in the right place and whether she had chosen the right job.