Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 140

Jacko POV

Toby arrived on time in my office. It was just after eight in the morning before most of the team arrived. I wanted to get a feel for this guy before I sent him out to the wolves in the office. When they find out that he is Pam's replacement, there is going to be a lot of flack flying around. He was dressed in his excellent and neat uniform, not a hair out of place; you could tell he took time to prepare, and I liked that. He was serious about getting the job, which already gave him another tick by his name, the first of which was arriving on time. He would not know he already had the job because of the recommendation I had received, which was more of a strong suggestion that you could not refuse.

He paused at my door, his gaze fixed on me, waiting for my signal to enter. I was in the middle of a call with Pam, advising her to come in soon as her replacement was here. She confirmed her arrival from the car park. I gestured for Toby to enter and take a seat. His demeanor was calm and collected, a good sign for someone stepping into a new role.

'Can you bring coffee?' Pam laughed on the other side of the phone, then hung up. We had a coffee shop next door, and sending her there allowed me to talk to him before she arrived.

'Toby, I'm interested in learning more about your journey and what brought you here. Could you share a bit about yourself?' I asked, aiming to create a more comfortable environment for him to open up.

'I come from precinct.' I held up my hand for him to stop.

'I know where you are from and why you are here. Now tell me a bit about you.' I tried again. He was nervous, and I don't blame him. He had had a hard few years in his previous place, trying to do his job when he knew his colleagues were dirty. 'Born and raised in this town, I went to the police academy as a cadet in high school and knew I wanted to be in the police force at an early age after my Dad died in a drive-by shooting. He was in the wrong place and at the wrong time and was one of six innocent people going about their business; all six died, and the intended victim, too. I was angry for a while, but I never wanted to go out and kill for revenge; I wanted to see the man in jail for what he did to those innocent families who lost a loved one. I wanted justice, but the correct way, so I joined the cadets and have been working hard to rise in the ranks and be a good cop. Do I get things wrong? Yes, but don't we all? I have a girlfriend, never married, and do not have children. My girlfriend cannot have them; we are considering adoption, but I would like to get a ring on her finger first before bringing a child into the mix! He sounded pretty grounded and would be a good fit here.

Pam came in carrying three coffees and placed mine before me and one before Toby. Then, pulled out a little container of milk and sugar and put them beside Toby's coffee.

'Was trying to figure out how you take your coffee.' She shrugged, threw her bag on the floor, plopped down on the chair next to Toby, picked up her coffee, and took a sip, letting out a contented sigh, which caused me to chuckle as Toby sat and stared at Pam in shock. No, I think more disbelief. She bounded into the office, did not knock, and more or less stopped him from his spiel about himself, and her whole personality took over the office. She can be a force to reckon with when she wants to be and yet pretend to be so many other things to fit in with her undercover assignments. I think the one who just walked into the room is her. Now, her assignment is done, and I am still determining which one I like the most. Maybe the real her, she is so much more outgoing than the other

one.

'So, boss, what's the deal?' She asked in a voice softer than I had expected. Maybe she was toning it down for the newbie. 'Pam, this is Toby, your replacement. She turned and shook his hand; his eyes widened when she did, and I wondered why. 'Welcome to the team; I have heard good things about you. Again, his eyes widened, and he looked at me before returning to her.

'You are FBI. It's a statement, not a question.

'You remember, good, you will go far under Jacko's guidance.! Pam was in an excellent mood, which makes me think she had a good time last night. I would like to know if congratulations are in order but not in front of Toby.

Toby looked at me again, still unsure how to proceed. Good. We should keep him on his toes and see how he handles himself.

'Pam here will show you around.' I grabbed my coffee and took a sip. He put sugar in his and started to drink his. It was a standoff; he had no idea what to say or do next.

'Toby, you said Pam was FBI; where have you seen her?' I decided to ask the obvious question and break the fallen silence in the room.

'A little while ago, I went to the FBI to discuss my internal issues and how best to handle them. Pam was in that meeting. I guess you have been working here investigating?' Good, very good.

'Yep, I came here to see if I could get the evidence; the information you had given us was not brushed under the carpet. I could not join that same precinct. It would be suspicious; coming here was close enough to investigate; I was on the same computer system and could get into the information and get an idea of changes done that do not add up; your information was a good place to start. Pam gently worded her answer. It was clear that Toby had not known the extent of the investigation, and he looked appreciative that something was done.

'They said they would, and it was hard to keep the faith when you could not see any progress, but the arrests recently showed that you took me seriously! He looked impressed he was not ignored.

'That we did, but like all evidence gathering, it took time, and sometimes that can be frustrating when it appears nothing was happening!

I agree with you.' Toby and I said it together, making me chuckle.

'When are you leaving?' Toby asked Pam, and he appeared to be more relaxed as we continued to chat.

'As soon as you are settled in the job, it can be a week or a month, and I do not wish to rush you!

'If it can be revealed, what happened to the police and told the police commissioner?' Ah, now we are getting somewhere. He is all I was told he was, and he was not afraid to ask difficult questions. 'Do you remember the old jail?' I asked him if he was from around here and if he should remember it.

'Yes, it was closed down a number of years ago, has been vandalized a few times, and is a place for kids to hang out when bored.

"They have refurbished it, and all the police and high officials are being held away from the place full of convicted criminals. They are there for their safety. Once they are convicted, they will join all the other criminals. The facility was repaired after the investigation started. We had to have somewhere to house all these people, which is a secret for now; few know it has been reopened, so please keep it to yourself. I suggested it was not a big secret, but I wanted to see how he would react to being given sensitive information. 'Come, you have finished your coffee. It's time to take you to your new office and get you settled in. Pam stood, grabbed her bag from the floor, and left the room, not turning back to see if he was following.

'Thank you for giving me this chance.' He stood, shook my hand, and turned at the door, indicating whether I wanted it open or closed.

'Leave it open; I only close it when I have a meeting that I do not wish others to hear or if I have something important I need to do without interruption.' He nodded and took off looking for Pam.

That lad will be alright; he is not afraid to speak out and, with the proper guidance, could take my chair in the future.